Multiple South African XCO and Marathon champion and Rio Olympian, James Reid, has decided to take a break from professional racing in 2017. The young Team Spur rider has enjoyed a relatively short, but prolific career as a full-time racer, during a time when the sport went through some of it’s biggest changes, technologically, structurally and ethically. We caught up with him to find out what prompted his sudden decision and asked him 10 burning questions.
By Sean Badenhorst
Photos: Dino Lloyd
You have opted to spend 2017 focussing on your studies. What exactly are you studying – and why?
I’m doing a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) at UCT’s Graduate School of Business. Why? I’m looking for new challenges, a consolidation of what I’ve learnt implicitly through bicycle racing and an exposure to a network of young African leaders in the business sphere that are grappling with questions about the future shape of our country and the world. Bicycle racing, to me, has become a bit of a small world and I’m too curious about the opportunity costs of other potential careers that I could be having. It could come across as quite self-orientated and absorbed, but I’m not 21 anymore – I’m 24 and things are getting on. Cycling has been a big part of my life but it’s not my whole life – it is not the only thing that defines me. I also want an intriguing and engaging life beyond sport, not necessarily in the cycling sphere. So in a way, doing my MBA is setting myself up for the years of my life post bike racing.
Is this just a one-year break or do you think you might be done with full-time bicycle racing?
I don’t know that answer yet, and I’m happy not knowing. I think I could feasibly come back to the sport in a year or two, or perhaps my interests change and I end up doing something else. Bike racing for me was about a real-world education and post-event reflection on the ability to set, finance and execute personal targets both locally and abroad. Once that learning begins to taper, it feels like time to venture into something else where the learning curve will be steeper again. So I guess the answer is: I don’t know yet, maybe I will return, maybe I will not.
You have won two Elite national marathon titles; two Elite national XCO titles and you have represented South Africa at the Olympic Games – all by the age of 24. Most don’t achieve that in their entire career. Do you feel like you have anything left to aim for as a bicycle racer?
Locally, I feel like I have unfinished business at the racing end of the Absa Cape Epic. It’s an incredible race that encompasses a lot of the untamed beauty of South Africa and it is one that I feel like I never got around to fully committing to. Abroad, as an Elite Cross-Country racer on the UCI World Cup circuit, I also didn’t quite hit my stride in the charging herd of wild animals that is World Cup racing. As an Under-23, I have fond memories of a few top fives and 10th at Worlds in 2014, but in the Elite category most World Cup races have left me wanting more. So yes, there is scope to come back and do things differently, with a fresh approach to the sport.
There was a bit of controversy around the final rider selection for the Olympic Games. Would you like to comment on this?
Not particularly, other than the two fastest riders in the country this year were selected. Clear as day. It is a pity how the Olympic race turned out for me, but that’s part and parcel of bike racing.
During your racing career, what do feel was your greatest achievement – and why?
I think winning African Championships in Rwanda in 2015 was the most special moment for me. Cycling holds a special status in that country and we had crowds there that rivaled even the biggest World Cups that I’ve been to. It’s an incredible country with a lot of history and a complicated path to unity not completely dissimilar to South Africa’s; and to have come together through sport on that day and for me to win was a memory burnt in my mind forever.
If you could change the structure of South African cycling, what would be your three priorities?
Well, I think my perspective will always be skewed by a bias towards high performance, so naturally I’d put more emphasis on funding for athletes, but I’m not convinced that will actually help the sport grow. I think grassroots programmes like the Spur High School MTB league are incredibly important as an alternative to the ‘big three; cricket, rugby & soccer’ at school level and will also help to develop the future racers and create a bit more awareness around healthy, lifelong riding at a recreational level.
We have some of the best races and event offerings in the world, and our time will come. So, to answer, firstly I would place more emphasis on getting more grassroots programmes like Songo.info in townships to encourage those less fortunate than us to get involved and start shifting the cultural attitude towards cycling as sport and mode of transport.
Secondly, I would lobby for more city funding for safety and cycling lanes for cycling to become a viable commuting alternative (interestingly enough, the EFF have been vocally against this). And finally, I would manage the growing divide between the PPA and CSA better – it’s ostracising certain events and creating a distinct divide between fun riding/mass participation events and fully-fledged bike races. I’m actually not too sure where CSA is with all of these issues, so forgive me if there already is a big focus – this is just off the top of my head.
What do you believe has been the greatest lesson you have learned as a full-time mountain bike racer?
A deep internal sense of agency and ability to set out small objectives and work hard for what you want. Cycling can be incredibly empowering for a young adult in this way.
In terms of rivals that you have competed against, who do have the most respect for?
Nobody within cycling actually. I have role models outside of sport, because I’ve learnt the hard way that humans are inherently flawed and disappoint more often than not. David George, Rourke Croeser, George Hincapie (side note: the PR behind it from Cape Epic is outrageously hypocritical), are all figures in my life I’ve once held up but been bitterly disappointed by, so I guess another reason for moving away from sport is the doping clouds of uncertainty. I have a moral code of zero-tolerance that I’ve always stuck to throughout my career, but I’m not sure everyone else I’ve raced against could say the same. You’ll often be judged through a certain lens by members of the public who attach a certain stigma to cyclists that I no longer want to be a part of.
Do you have any regrets?
No. I’ve had some incredibly privileged experiences that have helped me grow and I’m excited for a new chapter in my life.
Knowing what you do now, what advice would you give your 14-year-old self?
Take your sport of choice seriously but hold it lightly. You are not your results. Keep the fun, but do not allow it to define you, use it as a tool to develop yourself as a person, explore the world and meet interesting people, but remember in the end sport is just fun. Oh, and people are going to cheat, so be prepared to be disappointed.
