Schoeman is one of South Africa’s most accomplished cyclist, having won
almost every major title on offer. She is a top contender for the
upcoming Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour.
gsport’s March Cover Girl Anriette Schoeman
has seen women’s cycling grow from strength to strength over the past decade. Despite
her painful wrist injury last year, her preparations for the 2008 Cape Argus Pick
n Pay Cycle Tour are going well. This passionate sportswoman has tasted sweet
success in the 16 years she’s been a cyclist, and feels free and more connected
to nature when riding her bike.
Anriette
recently took time off her busy training schedule to pose for gsport’s
March Cover. With Clinique offering to make her up for the shoot, there
was no doubt she would look radiant, and the picture speaks for itself.
The rest of the pictures used in this feature was kindly provided by
her PROLINE Team manager, Alex Cooper, a big supporter of gsport.
We
chose Anriette for our gSTAR this month because she represents one of
the best examples of what a true sports star should be. Her
persistent
and competitive nature has seen her to win the SA
Championships for the past five years and every other major National &
Super Calendar Event in South
Africa. She is selfless, loves giving
people advice and sharing her profound knowledge of the sport with others.
She pays
tribute to her loyal sponsors PROLINE computers, Diamond Ice Mineral water,
Africa Silks, FUJI,
Oakley and Continental for giving her support and the platform to achieve her
goals throughout the years.
Anriette
looks up to the multi-talented John Lee Augustyn, dedicated training partner
Conrad Viljoen and finds her source of inspiration from people who have a
passion for life. At the top of her role model list, Anriette admires the ever
so humble former cycling
Olympian, Erica Green, who taught
her so much about the sport.
has been cycling for 16 years and believes women’s cycling has steadily
improved over the years. She wants to be an inspiration to youngsters
and an ambassador for the sport.
Throughout
her colourful career, Anriette has learned never to give up and that learning
from past mistakes can only make one a stronger individual. These words of
wisdom were imparted to her by her trainer, Alex Cooper, who always believed in
her abilities to achieve the absolute best.
When
relaxing at home, she loves cuddling her dog Milo
and watching DVDs on the couch. Away from cycling, this committed athlete loves
tennis and body boarding, and is a
dedicated armchair sports fan.
She is proud
of her womanhood and its hard not to agree with her that femininity should be a
life attitude and should form part of the character of a woman. She believes
that femininity also makes a male orientated action graceful when performed by
a woman.
Despite her
hectic schedule, Anriette is also studying Architecture part time at the Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University.
With regards to her cycling career, aside from her immediate focus on the Cape
Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour, she has her also sights set on the upcoming
National cycling championships and the Pick ‘n Pay 94.7 cycle challenge in
November.
Introducing
gsport’s March 2008 gSTAR, the competitive Anriette
Schoeman!
Anriette, last year, you injured your wrist prior to
the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. How have
preparations gone this year?
My
preparations are going according to plan. I took a longer than usual break
after my 2007, because riding with the injured wrist REALLY took it out of my
body. Although my wrist is not hampering my training and preparation for the
Cycle tour, it is still painful.
What kind of finish are you hoping for this time around?
The women
have a separate start for the first time so I think there will be a small
selected group arriving at the finish and it would definitely be a sprint
finish.
What other goals have you set yourself this year?
I would like
to win the National cycling championships if possible and the Pick ‘n Pay 94.7
cycle challenge in November. The publicity of winning such a big race is
brilliant and also saying thank you for my sponsors for their support
throughout the year.
You’ve won nearly
every major cycling title in your 16 year career, what more is there for you to
achieve in cycling?
I want to be
an inspiration to people and an ambassador for the sport. The sport has given
me so many great memories and opportunities that I would like to give back even
after I have retired. I love giving people advice and to share my knowledge
from my experiences.
What can be done to further improve the state of
women’s cycling in South
Africa?
I think if
women get treated equal to men in the sport that would already be an
improvement. Women’s cycling has grown from strength to strength in the past 10
years, but there should be a structure put in place to develop riders and get
them ready for overseas racing.
We have
incredible talent in women’s cycling and I think with the right guidance we
could feature in world class events as well.
What advice do you have for young female cyclists
just starting out in their careers?
Learn from
your mistakes and NEVER give up. If you give up in a race it is so much easier
to give up the next time you have a bad day and believe me, you WILL have a few
of those.
MTN recently pumped a significant amount of money
into women’s cycling. Tell us about your sponsors?
PROLINE
computers is my main sponsor and we also have Diamond Ice Mineral water and
Africa Silks contributing financially. My bike sponsor is FUJI. They are incredible machines and play a
huge part in my success. I have been with most of my sponsors an average of 5
years.
Some of them
like Oakley and Continental have been with me for almost 10 years! I rate
loyalty as one of the most important characteristics of a person and it says a
lot about you. They have been there for me through good time and bad times. I
always want to make my sponsors proud.
How have they impacted your career?
Being a
sponsored athlete makes me feel privileged, because my sponsors not only help
me to do what I love most, but they also give me the opportunity to follow and
fulfill my dreams. They give my dreams wings.
How has the input of sponsors impacted on women’s
cycling?
I think it
has given women’s cycling a chance to grow, because we are given the
opportunity to practice the sport full time and have no excuses not to be the
best we could possibly be.
Are you a professional athlete, or do you also have
a day-job? If so, tell us about it…
I have been
working part time in the past, but my obligations towards our team and my
hectic schedule have forced me to only concentrate on training and team admin.
I have however started to study architecture part time this year at the Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University
this year.
Have you always been a competitive athlete?
I think you
are born competitive. I have always had the drive to strive to be the best I
could possibly be in anything I do and that personality trait is a useful
quality to have if you want to achieve something in cycling.
What is it about cycling that first captured your
interest?
Cycling
makes me feel free AND close to nature. It also makes me appreciate my own body.
That’s why I can recommend it to ANYONE as well.
How did you become a cyclist?
My family
moved to Port Elizabeth
when I was 15. I read in the local newspaper about the Eastern Province
school’s cycling team and wished I could also do cycling as a sport. My parents
did not have the finances at the time to get me involved in the sport.
My one
classmate knew the guy who coached the EP school’s team and gave me his contact
details as he was a teacher at her primary school which she attended a few
years earlier.
I scraped
ALL my guts together and phoned him one afternoon to ask his advice on how I
could get involved with the sport (with limited finances). He organized me my
first racing bike I ever had and he STILL coaches me today!
How much longer do you plan to cycle competitively,
and what would you do once you retire from the sport?
I have a few
personal goals, but would ultimately give myself at least 4 more years. If in
those 4 years I could not achieve my goals they were not meant to be. Once I’ve
retired I would like to finish my studies and qualify myself in the field of
architectural technology.
Who are some of the cyclists you look up to and why?
I have
trained for 2 and a half years with John Lee Augustyn when he was a junior,
before he moved to Minolta and then over to Barloworld. He is not just poetry
in motion but also a humble person. Although he is still VERY young he has the
mentality and talent to be a world class athlete.
Other people
I find inspiration from are my training partner, Conrad Viljoen. He is one of
the most dedicated cyclists I have EVER seen. He inspires me to train harder. I
prefer to find my inspiration from people I know, because I know what they had
to sacrifice to have achieved what they did.
Aside from cycling, what are your other favourite
sports?
I absolutely
love tennis. I haven’t played for a while though. I also love watching sport in
general on television.
enjoys celebrating her femininity and believes femininity also makes a
male orientated action graceful when performed by a woman.
Away from cycling, how do you relax?
I enjoy just
being at home, because I travel so much and spend a lot of time away. I love
cuddling up with my dog, Milo on the couch and
watch DVDs. In summer I also LOVE going body boarding at the beach or taking
the dogs to the beach.
gsport strives to celebrate femininity. How would
you define femininity and what role does it play in your life?
Femininity
should be a life attitude and should form part of the character of a woman. We
should NOT be intimidated in a male dominated world and sport (cycling) and
give it up just to fit in better. It defines us (women) who we are.
Femininity
forms part of my identity and that makes me special and different and I cherish
the fact.
Who are your role models?
My biggest
role model is Erica Green. When I started cycling she was the top women’s
cyclist in the country and went to the Olympics. She taught me so much about
the sport. She also stayed involved with the sport after she retired. Although
she achieved so much she is the most humble person ever.
What is the best career advice you’ve been given?
The best
career advice I have EVER been given was to follow my dreams. If I did not give
it a try I would not have gone to the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. This advice was given by my
trainer Alex Cooper who believed in me when everybody else doubted me.
What inspires you?
I am
inspired by people who have a passion for life and grab it by the horns
especially if all the odds are against them. I find it to be contagious. It is
like they say, "you only live once, but if you do it properly, once is enough…"
What is your greatest ambition?
My greatest
ambition in life is not an achievement, but rather an attitude. I want to be
the best I could possibly be within my own capability when I commit myself to
something.
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