Cycling Coach David Low, who is guiding Cape Epic Cansa Warriors Con Malherbe and Jared Hinde, had an epiphany when looking behind him while competing in a mountain biking event in Wartburg.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was halfway through the race when I realised, I was competing with some of my athletes 20 years younger. I thought \u2018what am I doing?\u2019; at some point something has to give\u2019,\u201d said the former professional cyclist, who now runs Tipping Point Cycling Academy with his wife, Amanda, in the Midlands.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ | Cansa Warriors prepare to take on Absa Cape Epic<\/a><\/p>\n Referred to by Malherbe as \u201cthe oldest pro\u201d, Low knew that age \u2014 now nearly 44 \u2014 would stand against him in future, so he crossed the fence.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that moment, I realised I\u2019d much rather be out here supporting my athletes than competing myself.\u201d said Low, who studied Sports Management at Varsity College in Pietermaritzburg and who also holds Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Level 2 and Australian Level 2 cycling qualifications. UCI is the global governing body for the sport of cycling.<\/p>\n To keep up with the ever-evolving sport, Low has invested in TrainingPeaks, a highly sophisticated and user-friendly software platform for developing athletes\u2019 training programmes, along with learning from other coaches who have coached him before, along with his years of continuous research and experience.<\/p>\n Much of the latter has been with young, aspiring athletes, including the Maritzburg College and St Charles cycling teams. However, it\u2019s a Free State schoolboy who has given Low some experience of training the Cansa Warriors.<\/p>\n Like Hinde, 14-year-old Marthinus de Wet has type one diabetes and races with a monitor to check his blood sugar levels and a pump to feed him insulin if necessary. Low\u2019s mission is to help young Marthinus\u2019s condition not get in the way of his sporting dreams.<\/p>\n