Three girls from Thomas More College are representing SA in cycling: Courtney Smith (16), Bridget Theunissen (15) and Tiffany Keep (16).
The girls compete in different disciplines, but are all making their mark on the world stage. Courtney took part in the Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Italy in August, while Bridget represented SA at the World Cross-Triathlon Championships in Canada and Tiffany will take part in the Cross Country Mountain Bike World Championships in Australia in September.
Courtney raced in three events: the Scratch Race, 500m time trial and Kieran. Prior to that, she spent three weeks training at the World Cycling Body (UCI) head office in Aigle, Switzerland. “Track cycling is very tactical and the more people there are on the track, the more exciting it becomes,” she says.
Bridget took an interest in triathlon when she was 13. “I love the variety of doing three disciplines, which keeps the training intense and exciting,” she says.
Tiffany is in Grade 11 and confesses that keeping a balance between cycling, school sport, academics and seeing friends is difficult. She is the only girl from SA to have qualified for the Mountain Bike World Championships in her age group (Junior Girls/under-19). “This has always been a dream of mine. I’m hoping for a top 10 finish!”
We wish them all the best!
