Type in the name Scott Mercier to an internet search engine and the terms 'professional cyclist' and 'author' are bound to predominate. Yes, the American was indeed a professional rider, and an exceptional one at that. A late starter in the sport, Scott represented the US at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 after only 18 months in the sport, turning professional soon after. And yes, he is a scribe, his autobiography Win True having been released this past February. While the book details Scott's racing career, it is interwoven with life lessons using the peloton as a lens.
These days, Scott calls Colorado home. Married with two children, he works in finance and rides his bike for leisure. Rewind almost three decades, though, and some of his greatest memories as a racing cyclist took place on the roads of South Africa in a two-wheeled battle royale.
For many years, the Rapport Toer was South Africa's premiere stage race. After decades of international sporting isolation, late 1991 was the point where international riders were officially permitted to race in the country. By 1996, Germans Stephan Gottschling and Michael Rich each had an overall Rapport Toer title behind their names, as did Sweden's Michael Andersson. The race was attractive to international teams, what with its length, challenging parcours and early season timing. Each year saw a stronger field assembled, which gradually included some professional teams and new contenders. Case in point Scott Mercier and the Saturn Cycling Team of 1996.
'I learnt how to win bike races at the 1996 Rapport Toer,' recounts Scott. 'The field that year was incredibly strong, including future stars such as Sergei Ivanov and Alexandre Vinokourov, plus the late Andre Kivilev. But it was the Germans who were the toughest competition. They had three teams in the race who were colluding. My previous race result was a second place at the Herald Sun Tour in Australia so I really wanted to win. But the odds were firmly stacked against us - it was a dog fight the entire way!'
And tough it sure was. During one of the early stages in the race, a breakaway went up the road. Containing one of the German National Team riders, the escapees worked their way to a 10min advantage on the peloton. Lying in second place overall behind Germany's Michael Rich, Scott's sports director elected to have the team sit back and let the race go. Until Saturn's road captain stepped in.
'Without Steve Bauer's guidance, I would not have won the Rapport Toer,' he emphasises. 'Upon hearing our director's orders, he just went nuts, saying that we needed to take responsibility in order to win the race. Steve took charge getting all five of us on the front to mount a serious chase, ordering me to sit on their wheels until we caught the group at the base of the final climb. Then I was to attack with everything I had. It was a long stage of over 200km and it was really hot. I felt great but was also a little terrified.'
Thanks to Bauer's experience and tactical nous, the break was caught pretty much exactly at the base of that final climb. And Scott obeyed his wily road captain's orders, moving away from the peloton at a rapid rate.
'I wanted to go earlier but Steve wouldn't let me. Lo and behold we caught the break just like he said we would and I dug seriously deep to get away. Later on, Jens Voigt was chasing me and brought Kivilev and Ivanov with him. At that point, I relied on what Alexi Grewal had taught me, that the chaser's finish line was my back wheel. I let them catch me, conserving energy in order to drive the break, but still took the mountain points.They sat on my wheel all the way to the finish where Voigt took the stage and I got the leader's jersey.'
Not that it was all plain sailing from there on. Far from it actually, as the nature of the race's terrain and points structure, together with the German's determination and sheer force in numbers, made for an intense battle all the way to Cape Town. In fact, Scott didn't feel completely safe until crossing the final finish line on the Camp's Bay beachfront.
'While I was confident that I could win, I didn't want to get complacent,' he says. 'Plus there were so many time bonus sprints on each of the stages that we just couldn't relax. To his credit, Michael Rich was attacking us right until the final time bonuses on the very last stage. I think we only ended up taking the general classification by 10 or 12 seconds. It was very close.'
Unbeknown to Scott, his Rapport Toer victory would open doors for him in more ways than one. He met his now wife Mandie shortly after the race and the UCI points gained from those 10 days of toil (and his Giro del Capo victory two weeks later) were enough to get him noticed by a bigger team.
'Mandie's father sponsored Andrew McLean's Deo Gloria team,' he says. 'One of the South African riders, Jac-Louis van Wyk, introduced us at the post-race party and we began dating soon after. And the points from my South African victories got me a place on US Postal Service for 1997.
'The six weeks we spent in South Africa are among my greatest memories of bike racing,' he continues. 'The warmth we experienced from the South African public was incredible. The Cricket World Cup was on at the same time and we'd have patrons and staff at our race hotels explaining the game to us and wishing us luck for each stage. For me, the Rapport Toer was more than just a race, it was an experience of a lifetime.'
Scott has been quoted elsewhere intimating that that era of top European racing wasn't for him. While he had realised his goal of making it to the Continent, the harsh realities and sacrifices meant that 1997 was to be his final year of bike racing. And ironically, his final race was to be in South Africa as a member of the Deo Gloria team.
'I had made it through about half of the Vuelta a Espana before DNFing there,' he explains. 'Even though US Postal wanted to keep me on the team for the following year, I had decided to call time on my cycling career. But first I wanted to end on a high note by winning the Boland Bank Cycle Tour.'
Although Scott came to South Africa highly motivated and with great form, things didn't pan out the way he would have liked. After missing an early race split, a front wheel puncture while attempting to salvage his overall chances saw him catapulted over his handlebars landing heavily on his face.
'My front tyre rolled off the rim and it was a horrific crash,' he laments. 'I didn't break any bones or lose any teeth but I had to have around eight hours of reconstructive facial surgery. In fact, I still have that US Postal Trek bike here at home complete with a burn mark on the front fork. I was pretty shaken up after that.'
While Scott's racing career was cut short, he is not bitter. He left the sport on his own terms, something for which he is eternally grateful.
'One of things I love to see now is former riders moving on and living meaningful and productive lives. It's hard to do that! Cycling is not like a lot of other professional sports, there isn't the financial security and support available for when you retire. I certainly struggled for a while after I retired before moving to Colorado and getting into the finance industry.
'But I'm fortunate that I wasn't forced out of cycling and ended up bitter. It was my decision and I'm happy with that. Sure, adjusting to life after cycling was tough emotionally and financially but things eventually worked out for the better.'
