No South African male road cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games? A travesty no doubt given the increasing number of riders capable of wearing the Green and Gold with distinction. The how’s and why’s aside, it may be worth a walk down memory lane when the talent pool was somewhat restricted and opportunities were not as forthcoming.
It’s not that long ago when South African riders in continental Europe were somewhat of a novelty. While there were plenty who “cut their teeth” on the Belgian kermesse scene, a homegrown rider on a mainstream European team seemed far flung and exotic. Granted that the likes of Mark Beneke and Willie Engelbrecht did spend an extended period riding for the Belgian ADR squad in the late-eighties (albeit under assumed-names), it was not until 1999 that the likes of Robert Hunter and David George turned professional with more fashionable trade teams.
Midway in that “vacuum-period,” a stoic group of emerging riders did travel the world on a shoestring, riding for lesser-known teams and essentially laying the foundations for the more mainstream South African pro scene of today. Douglas Ryder and Malcom Lange need no introduction, the latter incidentally making up a three-man squad that represented South African in the Commonwealth Games of 1994.
With eventual bronze-medalist Engelbrecht and well-known Supersport cycling pundit Andrew McLean completing the South African lineup, the trio travelled to Canada to take on the challenge of the Friendly Games, which at that time was somewhat removed from the more traditional international cycling scene. Like the Atlanta Olympiad two years later, the Victoria Games heralded the introduction of professional riders in events that had previously been exclusive to amateurs. In contrast to the present day, relatively few English-speaking professionals made the trip to Canada that year, the exception being the Australian Phil Anderson, competing in both the team time trial and road race. These sort of representative competitions meant little to those riding on trade teams in Europe; how the times have changed!
Not that the field back in 1994 was anything to be sniffed at; several Aussies and Kiwis who plied their trades on the American pro-scene gave the start list more than a little credibility. The point here is that the lines of amateur and professional were still quite distinct in those days, unlike the more espoir/professional spread of today. That said, there was a large base of second and third-tier professional riders who made up many a composite team back then. National team duty formed part and parcel of many of these guy’s existence, a good result going a long way in securing individual sponsorship and backing in their home countries.
Take the New Zealand team of that year for instance; riders like Graeme Miller and Brian Fowler, while not household names in nineties international cycling publications, were in fact highly experienced and versatile riders. Their respective career paths just didn’t see them reach the upper echelons of the European scene of that era, yet their pedigrees and resilience might suggest otherwise. Likewise with the UK guys; riders like Chris Lillywhite and Mark Walsham are synonymous with the domestic British scene back then, their names popping up in results all over the world albeit not on the European scene. In short, while many of these riders would have been an asset to a first division team, circumstance and lack of opportunity.
I can remember going for a few rides during that period with some of top local riders here in Cape Town, where one member of the party was a guy by the name of Keith Reynolds. I would be surprised if any cycling fan of today would recognize that name but here was a guy who was a fixture on the British professional circuit, winner of the Milk Race yet for whatever reason never made the leap to a Continental squad. Having made friends with a few travelling South African riders, Keith settled in Cape Town for a while and was engaged to a former Miss South Africa. Witnessing the his fluidity and ease on a bicycle was a sight to behold; the guy only rode in his big chainring and just cruised along chatting during those December rides; another example of exceptional Commonwealth talent of the era that might have gone a lot further were the opportunities of today on offer.
If one takes a look at the results of the road race of the Victoria 1994, there are several names that went on to bigger things. Matt White rode for many years on teams like Cofidis and US Postal as did the Canadian sprinter Gordon Fraser. Both of these guys are now highly-rated directeur sportifs with top flight squads. Zimbabwean Tim Jones spent many years in top Italian teams and has a few Giro ‘d Italia’s in his legs. This is one of the reasons that it is a pity that no South African riders will contest the road race in Glasgow later this month. Representative competitions like the Commonwealth Games, whilst not the pinnacle of some sports, do provide effective exposure and create further opportunities in a more progressive and slightly less-pressurized environment. In contrast to more stifling arenas like the Olympics or World Championships, the stakes are not quite as high thus providing a more optimal environment for development of world-class talent.
The benefits of a South African road cycling team mixing the experience and quality of our European-based professionals with some locally based under-23 riders would be incalculable. A distinct possibility of a medal(s) combined with the effective coming together as a team to make this happen would benefit old pro and young buck alike. Can you imagine the espirit de corps?
With the unheralded New Zealander, Mark Rendell, heading for a solo victory in Victoria 1994, all eyes were on the sprint for the remaining podium positions amongst a small selection of riders. With the wily Chris Lillywhite using his criterium experience to good use, a little “argy-bargy” ensued resulting in a successful protest from the Australian camp about their rider being switched by the aggressive Englishman. Lillywhite’s relegation to fourth meant a bronze medal for the by now long-in-the-tooth Willie Engelbrecht, a fitting result in the twilight of his career and confirmation that his legs could still do the talking. A timely one at that as the following few months would see perhaps the toughest international competition arrive on South African shores for a long time, pushing the local riders to their absolute limit. But that is another story for another day.
