Candice Neethling gears up for the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
The South Coast’s very own MTB princess on the pedal, Candice Neethling, is doing us proud! South Coast Style caught up with Candice (between races… honestly, we’d never catch up with her any other way), for a chat…
Candice may be pretty as a petal, but when she’s in the saddle, she’s made of metal! Having just celebrated her 20th birthday (on the 15th February), she is now competing in a new age group (U23)!
This means stiffer competition,more technical riding and more laps. Having just returned from Cape Town, where she took a first place position in her (new) age group, in the first race of the Cross Country national series, I expected she’d be taking a break! But she’s already preparing for the next challenge.“Cross Country”… Candice informs me, “is the Olympic form of the sport”. And that’s exactly where her handle bars are pointed.
This year she will be participating in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series.
The first race takes place in Pietermaritzburg on the 17th March. In the 2010 World Championships Candice took the third place in her age group. South Coast Style will definitely be rooting for Candice, and so should you! For this reason, we will post regular updates on our website!
Having grown up on a sugarcane farm in Oribi Gorge, Candice loves the outdoors. You will often see a lone cyclist peddling with determination up the steep inclines of Oribi Gorge. Even in the February heat! Well, you can pretty much bet on it that it’s Candice, training.
Before a priority race, she will taper off the training towards the end, to prepare her body for the challenge. “Working out a training programme is very tricky” she explains. In addition to time in the saddle, Candice does gym 2 to 3 times a week, for core strength training. She also jogs once or twice a week.In preparation for a race, her regime requires her to be in the saddle between 15 and 20 hours per week.
“Dad and I started together for fun” Candice smiles. “Then it slowly became more competitive”. Candice’s dad, mom and 17-yr old sister are extremely supportive. Candice travels a great deal, as the finish line in one race means the imminent starting line in the next. But she loves to come home to the South Coast. She loves the relaxed atmosphere, the beautiful beaches. “The South Coast is so cool” says Candice.
Candice is sponsored by BMC SA. For more information on Candice or her Sponsor, contact South Coast Style!
