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Whilst the sharp end of the ABSA Cape Epic consists mainly of full-time professional riders, there are a few exceptions.
Alice Pirard is one such example. Hailing from the Wallonia region of Belgian, Pirard divides her time between World Cup MTB competition and her civilian profession of osteopathy. Having first entered local consciousness at the 2014 Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek, Pirard returned to South African shores this year as part of the Team Meerendal setup. Paired with the legendary Esther Suss, the Belgian-Suisse combination completed the eight-day trek in a respectable fifth place overall, in a race dominated by the Team RECM duo of Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad.
As her professional qualification suggests, there is more to Pirard than just cycling. In fact, the articulate Belgian reckons that having a career outside of the sport is beneficial to her results, providing her with an optimal academic and sporting balance.
2015 is certainly underlines this ethos. With early season competitive outings in both Spain and South Africa, Pirard is looking forward to the onset of the UCI MTB World Cup, but also to resuming her work in the field of bone and muscle tissue manipulation. Specificity is important to Pirard, both in sport and – perhaps more so – in osteopathy. She prefers to see herself as a specialist medical practioner rather than being a jack-of-all-trades. In other words, osteopathy is her professional passion and focus, and should a patient require another complementary therapy, Pirard believes in delegating instead of juggling.
Now resident in Ghent, Pirard has adapted to the Flandrian lifestyle and language whilst maintaining her Wallonian roots. A member of Merida-Wallonie MTB Team, she receives training and recovery instruction from her boyfriend, fellow osteopath and top-twenty Cape Epic finisher Michiel Van Aelbroek. Ever the coach and physiologist, Van Aelbroeck’s tuition has seen Pirard improve a little every year, particularly at her preferred cross-country discipline. With their winter preparation consisting of daily commuting rides and extensive sessions on the local velodrome, the Belgian pair is reveling in their professional and sporting life combination.
With the accumulation of UCI points being a priority, late-2015 could Pirard return to African shores for the Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek. Then again, other options in Australia and Brazil are available over the same time period. Whatever the case, Pirard’s balanced approach to life will ensure that she arrives at the start line in the best possible condition.
