Bryanston lifelong cyclist and a teacher at Bryanston Primary School, Martin Pieterse (43), delivered an impressive performance at the Gauteng Provincial Time Trial championships, claiming a first-place finish in the men’s 40-49 age category.
The championship took place from January 17 to January 18. In the 18.8km Individual Time Trial, Pieterse delivered a commanding ride, stopping the clock at 24 minutes and 15 seconds at a pace of 46km/h.
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Pieterse said he was first introduced to cycling at the age of 14.
“I used to go to world championships and competed a lot of races when I was a junior. It’s been a long journey. I did stop for a couple of years, but for the last 12 years I’ve been riding competitively again as a veteran, though not a professional.”
Now balancing competitive cycling with a full-time teaching career, Pieterse said adapting training to adult life has been his biggest challenge. “As a working adult, it’s difficult to squeeze in training time while you still have a full-time job.
“When I was a youngster, I podiumed at the South African level. I also raced internationally, and that’s where I realised I could be a good cyclist. But obviously, it takes a lot of dedication and time to spend on the bicycle.”
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Building up to the day of the competition, he was more focused on training blocks, workouts and pacing.
“I trained blocks of 20 minutes, so I know my sustainable effort for 20 minutes, and then I did some workouts. There’s a little bit of science and calculation going on, how to pace yourself and knowing where to go harder.
“Knowing that was a flat course, I knew what sustained power. Therefore, I had to push to have a reasonable finish time, and then obviously aerodynamics and the position on the bicycle play a big role.”
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