Gustav battled over 2 500 fellow cyclists to attain his hard-fought first place.

He cycled 105km with a total ascent of 995m (for reference, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa, situated in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and has a height of 828m).

Gustav and his team have won 10 of the 12 races they entered so far this year, a remarkable achievement, most notably having recently won the Emperors Palace Classic road cycling race and the Cosmos 3-in-1 MTB stage race held in Secunda. He won both races during the same weekend, highlighting the remarkable athleticism Gustav has in possession.

Gustav is a member of Team DMS Pro Cycling and has cited his teammates as an integral part of his success, “I could not have done this without my team, just like any other team sport you rely on them to set you up for glory, the same way you work towards supporting them. As the fastest member of the team, I have been fortunate to be in the position to close races, but I would not be in that position without my brothers on the trail.”

Gustav also spoke very highly of Middelburg, “I travel a lot, but I truly consider Middelburg my home, my family moved here when I was 10 years old, so there are a lot of memories and a lot of love there.”

Gustav also emphasised the importance of having a balanced life, “You have to split your life into thirds: great; okay; and terrible. If you are feeling great more often than not, you’re not training enough, if you feel terrible most of the time, you’re training too much.”

With the cycling season winding down due to the cold months of winter, Gustav reflected on his journey, “The journey isn’t standing on the podium receiving a prize, the journey is waking up every day trying to better yourself, the journey is the training, the journey is pushing yourself beyond your limits. I wouldn’t trade the journey for anything.”