OBSESSED
OR AN INSPIRATION?
Cape Epic age-grouper Waleed Baker admits he isn’t a natural
cyclist. The enthusiast feels he has to train twice as hard as
the genetically-gifted few who he competes against at the
sharp end of the field, and he has spent millions on the finer
details. Is this selfish narcissism that costs him love and
ultimately happiness, or is he an A-type personality making
the most of his passion? WORDS BY LISA ABDELLAH
112 | MTB | amateur pros
aleed Baker has
always owned a
bike: ever since
his mom bought
him his first chopper when he
was 10 years old. Nowadays, he
rides a top-of-the-range Scott
SL 2018 that cost him R140 000,
and has spent a further R40 000
replacing its original wheels with
a set that lightens his load by a
mere 200g.
Although Waleed loves cycling,
the odds were stacked against
him becoming a top age-grouper
at the Cape Epic. He grew up in
the old South Africa, when the
idea of a coloured guy competing
against white guys in cycling
was unheard of. Grieving and
celebrating with food is part
of his culture; as a result, the
now 54-year-old businessman
was 35kg overweight when he
started cycling seriously in his
early 40s. And yet, he set himself
a goal most people would’ve
considered lofty.
“I competed in my first Cape
Epic in 2009 and finished 494th
out of 506 teams,” he says.
“I said to my partner: ‘We’re
40-odd now. By the time we’re
50, I want to be standing on that
podium.’ He thought I was mad!”
In order to realise his goal,
Waleed would have to compete
with the likes of 53-year-old
Andrew Mclean – founder
of Cycle Lab and one of the
largest cycling clubs in the
world (it has close to 5 000
members) – a natural cyclist
from a young age who has won
world championships in his age
category; and 52-year-old shirt
manufacturer Rob Sim, a nine-
time Cape Epic finisher who also
started cycling in his 40s, but
found he was a natural and has
won the race twice.
Waleed has trained twice as
hard as the fortunate pair in
order to catch up to them,
and has spent millions on
his passion. The question is:
are the extreme lengths
Waleed has reached admirable
or detrimental?
EPIC/SPORTZPICS • CRAIG
PEOPLE