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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Israel Start-Up Nation: Israel |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | He was forced to abandon the 2015 Tour de France after fracturing his collarbone in a crash on stage three. (sport24.co.za, 07 Jul 2015; ewn.co.za, 07 Jul 2015) In the final stage of the 2009 Tour of Turkey, he and Dutch sprinter Theo Bos collided. He suffered several injuries, including two fractured lower vertebrae, a broken jaw, as well as cuts to his face. (velonation.com, 02 Nov 2011; iol.co.za, 14 Mar 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | In 1997 he was asked to join his father and his brother Grant on a mountain bike ride. The negotiating of tricky descents, single track riding, and the sudden pain in his legs appealed to him. |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He turned his attention fully to cycling at age 17. |
General Interest | |
| Other information | NEW TEAM FOR 2021 In 2020 he signed for the Israel Start-Up Nation team, joining British cyclist Chris Froome. The pair had ridden together at Team Barloword earlier in their careers. "It's exciting to work with a new team, with new energy and new ambitions. The most crucial reason is the challenge that is waiting for me at ISN. It's not often you get to race with one of the greats in our sport, so when Chris called me and said he trusts me and would like to have me by his side, I appreciated that and knew he meant it. I have known him a long time and our careers have nearly come full circle - we started out together at Barloworld and we are continuing at ISN. I know he can win another Tour de France, and it will be great to not only be part of that team, but to play an important role." (israelcyclingacademy.com, 05 Aug 2020) CLEARED OF DOPING CHARGES In 2014 he tested positive for the banned substance probenecid and as a result missed the 2014 Tour de France, though he denied any wrongdoing. He was subsequently cleared of the doping charges at a hearing in August 2014, which accepted his explanation that the probenecid had entered his system after ingesting contaminated gel capsules he had bought at a pharmacist. (bbc.co.uk, 29 Aug 2014; cyclingweekly.co.uk, 29 Aug 2014) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English |
| Family | Wife Alexandra, three children |
| Residence | Girona, ESP |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Trading wine. (Twitter profile, 18 Apr 2021) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Wearing the yellow jersey at the 2013 Tour de France. (Israel Start-Up Nation YouTube channel, 18 Feb 2021) |
| Hero / Idol | South African cyclist Robert Hunter. (Instagram profile, 28 Aug 2019) |
| Awards and honours | In 2019 he was named African Cyclist of the Year. (tropicaleamissabongo.com, 01 Jan 2020) |
| Milestones | In 2013 he became the first South African to have worn the leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France. (greenedgecycling.com, 2016) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Never be the slowest." (Israel Start-Up Nation YouTube channel, 18 Feb 2021) |