“In my opinion, the three core
details of sleep, nutrition and
stress-management are more
important than the fi ner details
to an older guy who’s running a
business and has a family,” Rob
says. “If you’re a pro, then you
have more time and energy to
focus on the little things.”
Then there’s the elephant
in the room: are these three
athletes doping? The SA
mountain-bike landscape is
littered with fallen heroes found
guilty of doping, and Rob, who
is the only athlete to stand on
the top step of the podium in
his category at the Cape Epic
over the past four years, has
been accused of following suit.
Issy Zimmerman says Andrew
has probably been tested for
doping more than any other
athlete in South Africa, and
to his knowledge those tests
have never produced adverse
fi ndings. And as Issy points out,
the tell-tale sign that someone
is using substances is that
they’re supersonic one day and
can’t pull the skin off a custard
the next. Andrew doesn’t exhibit
those peaks and troughs in
his performance. He’s been
consistently performing at a
high level for many years. He’s
an athlete who has nothing
to hide – he says he has no
problem with drug testing and
wishes the authorities would
do it more often.
“Not everyone can be a world
class athlete, painter or concert
pianist, however hard they try,”
Rob says. “My regular racing
partner Doug Brown is cut from
the same cloth: he’s a fi erce
competitor and a generational
talent, like Burry Stander, who
you would want to take to war
with you. He’s a 100% clean
athlete about whom I’ve also
heard rumours and whispers
in the MTB corridors. ‘How can
he be as fast as that at his age?’
they ask. Codswollop! I support
proven dopers receiving long-
term bans, but after their terms
are served, I would encourage
them to return to the sport and
rehabilitate themselves. Young
cyclists make mistakes under
pressure and I feel sympathy
for them; veteran and master
amateur cyclists who take drugs
for a competitive advantage are
simply sad cases. But cyclists
and coaches who supply
drugs, especially to young
riders, must be banned for life.
To me, they’re a cancer that
needs exorcism.”
SACRIFICES
The incidence of overuse
injuries in cycling is a lot less
than in running, because it
isn’t a load-bearing sport. The
predominant cause of time-loss
in cycling is illness. With this in
mind, Rob protects his immune
system by saying no to air
travel during the lead up to the
Cape Epic. That’s because he’s
experienced the consequences
of bending the rules.
In 2017, an important
Indian supplier invited Rob
to his daughter’s wedding,
which happened to be just
"THE THREE CORE DETAILS OF SLEEP, NUTRITION
AND STRESS-MANAGEMENT ARE IMPORTANT"
after Attakwas, a vital training
race for the Cape Epic. He
participated in the race; and
on the same day he fl ew to
Mumbai with an already-
compromised immune system,
on an aeroplane where his risk
of getting ill was higher. The
wedding started the day before,
but the main ceremony only
took place between 3am and
6am the following morning.
Deprived of adequate
recovery, Rob picked up a
virulent bug in Mumbai, and
ended up in ICU with a life-
threatening bacterial infection.
Although a six-week course of
antibiotics cleared it up, his
plans to defend his 2016 Epic
title were scuppered. In fact, it
weakened him for six months.
“Waleed started getting sick
half way through the 2017 Cape
Pioneer Trek,” Rob remembers.
“He pushed through and
towards the end he was
coughing. On the Monday after
the race he became ill, started
antibiotics on Tuesday, and he
seemed to be on the mend by
the weekend. Only, he went
riding the following weekend
and relapsed. That Friday, he
lined up at Wines2Whales.
Why? Because he had
committed to his partner,
Deon Kruger. It came as no
Right: Andrew won the 2014
Cape Epic Masters Category
with his partner Heinz Zörweg.
Above: Andrew’s wife Ali shares
his passion for cycling.
amateur pros | MTB | 115