PRO CHAT: Cherie Redecker shares her 2020 experiences and plans for 2021

SHAYNE DOWLING CHATS TO SA’S MIXED CATEGORY WINNER OF THE 2020 SWISS EPIC

CHERIE (VALE) REDECKER JUST FINISHED THIRD IN THE SA XCO CHAMPS. I FIRST MET CHERIE CHOOSING GLOVES IN CHRIS WILLEMSE CYCLES A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO – HERE I WAS TELLING HER SHE MUST USE FULL FINGER GLOVES, SHE TOOK HALF FINGERS – I CAN AT LEAST REPORT THAT SHE SEEMS TO HAVE MOVED TO THE FULL FINGER GLOVES THOUGH – I CLAIM ABSOLUTELY NO INFLUENCE AT ALL. SHE WAS A STUDENT, A BUDDING SPORT/ CYCLING PHOTOGRAPHER AND A REALLY GOOD MOUNTAIN BIKER. CHERIE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A REALLY FRIENDLY AND APPROACHABLE PERSON AND A GREAT AMBASSADOR FOR THE SPORT AND SA. A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE I FIRST MET HER SO WE DECIDED TO CATCH UP WITH ONE OF SA’S TOP ELITE ATHLETES. SHE QUIETLY GOES ABOUT HER BUSINESS BUT IS CERTAINLY A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.

Q1: Cherie a lot has changed in the last four years of your life but before we go there perhaps you want to share a little more of who you are and where you come from and, of course, how you got into mountain biking on a social and now very competitive level?

A1: I grew up on a Farm in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands. Sport has always been a big part of my life, from horse riding, hockey, athletics, and adventure racing to name a few. I started mountain biking because of adventure racing. What was great is that it became an official school sport at Treverton College (the school where I matriculated). We even had South African School Adventure Racing Championships where my team came second in 2007. It was probably one of the toughest races I have done to date. When I moved to Stellenbosch in 2008 to study, I reduced my sports to hockey and cycling for the first year and from then I just started to cycle. First taking part in the 35km races and then eventually increasing to the longer marathon type distances. I started racing XCO in 2010, first taking part on a social level and slowly progressing. 2010 was when I also met Heiko. He was a very competitive cyclist and already had multiple Namibian Championships titles in road and mountain biking. He really helped me get more serious into racing. Not only learning how to race properly but also to fix my bike. In 2013 I got to race cross-country more seriously when Stephen van der Walt gave me the opportunity to be part of the local team that he created. From there the opportunities to race in Europe and join the Novus OMX Pro team really helped me to race on a very competitive level.

SOMETIMES THE STRENGTH WITHIN YOU IS NOT A BIG FIERY FLAME FOR ALL TO SEE, IT IS JUST A TINY SPARK THAT WHISPERS EVER SO SOFTLY: ”YOU GOT THIS! KEEP ON GOING!”

- SOURCE UNKNOWN

Q2: You were a really good photographer who rode a bit. Would it be fair to say it’s the other way around now?

A2: Thank you for the compliment. It is safe to say it is the other way around. My photography has been on hold, but I want to get it going again.

Q3: You got married and have moved to Europe. Is your hubby Heiko, who was a Namibian MTB Champ, still cycling at a high level or is he your support crew? What made you decide to base yourself in Europe? Do you think you have an advantage being based there?

“I WOULD LOVE TO QUALIFY AND COMPETE AT THE 2020 OLYMPICS (NOW 2021) AND TO BECOME SA XCO CHAMPION AGAIN.”

A3: Moving to Europe was a plan Heiko and I started working on in 2015. We both wanted to experience something new. Heiko decided to move away from riding on a competitive level and rather focus on work. He still wanted to integrate his passion for cycling with his engineering and saw it as a great opportunity to work in the bicycle industry in Europe. He still competes on a social level racing some enduro races. We still spent a year in South Africa after we got married where Heiko worked at PYGA Industries. At the end of 2016 once Heiko got a job offer in Germany, we finally took the leap and moved. With Europe being “small” and each country having their own national series, the choice of racing only XCO races is endless. The level and depth of competition is higher. I saw it as a great opportunity to improve.

Q4: Give us a run-down of some of your achievements/highlights to date and perhaps tell us what you really still want to achieve in the sport.

A4: This question has made me reflect a lot of what I have achieved. Becoming SA MTB XCO Champion, taking the overall SA XCO Cup series title, finishing third overall in the Bundesliga series and finishing 24th at a World Cup have been some of my highlights from racing. Even though there have been some big goals that I have not achieved and hoped for, the growth and experience I have gained have been enriching. One of my recent highlights is racing the Swiss Epic with Tumelo Makae riding for team #pumpforpeace Velosolutions where we took the overall win in the mixed category. Tumelo is such a humble athlete and his perspective and energy for life was motivating. There are so many emotions from the event, especially since we were able to race during the current circumstances. What was really special for me and kept me motivated through the challenging stages was riding for a purpose like #pumpforpeace. I hope we were able to inspire and make a difference to the

#pumpforpeace communities. The event was a great reminder of how much sport brings people together. Competing at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia in 2018 was amazing. Despite the race not going well due to a technical, being able to represent South Africa and meet other athletes from different sports and countries was an incredible experience. I would love to qualify and compete at the 2020 Olympics (now 2021) and to become SA XCO Champion again. These goals have been challenging and sometimes seem to be just outside of my grasp, but I am determined to work even harder towards them. Seeing the positive impacts of how initiatives like #pumpforpeace and Velosolutions have been for the youth and developing communities, I would like to help contribute to the development, growing the sport and inspiring the next generation.

Q5: Do you ride for a team? So, are you sponsored? What bike do you ride – can you tell us more about it?

A5: When I first moved to Germany it was really challenging finding a European based team and I ended up racing as a privateer. Heiko had to support me at the races as well as work during the week. It was challenging but we had some amazing adventures. We were lucky to meet Thomas Schröder who ended up helping us at some of the races when I was a privateer. The following year I got to join his team and have been riding for them for three years. The first year the team had some different sponsors but for the last two years we have been under the name of Conway Factory racing team. I have been really blessed to have support from Computer Mania and Stephen van der Walt. Without the support, I would not have been able to come back and race in South Africa.

Q6: Tell us about life on the road in Europe – what circuit are you racing on and perhaps give us a reality check on the life of a pro. Also maybe something funny that has happened? We stalked your Insta pics and the van build looked really cool – tell us more?

A6: My main focus has been the MercedesBenz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and German Int. Bundesliga circuit. I have done some other races in Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Spain and Czech Republic. An interesting side fact, In the last four years of living in Europe, I have raced 48 races in Europe. 43 cross-country, four stage races and 1 marathon. This just shows the number of cross-country races there are to do in Europe When I first came to race in Europe, I was amazed at how many people would stay at the venue in mobile homes. There must have been a whole hockey field filled with campers. I could see why this is so popular. You are at the venue, you have everything with you and you are saving a large amount on accommodation. Having the team support has helped a lot at races and with equipment but accommodation and transport was on my own expense, so having a camper would be a great cost saver. Until recently we did not have a car. When we needed a car for races, we would rent one. On some occasions, I would take the train or went with a teammate. In 2018 I got to experience a bit of vanlife when I went on a training camp with a former teammate to Livigno. It was amazing and I was completely sold on the idea. At the end of 2019 Heiko and I went to a small race in Germany where we camped at the venue … in a tent. This was an entertaining experience. The tent was too small (Heiko won it at a race a while ago and never tried it out before). The blow-up mattress just fitted in and it was autumn, so the temperatures were already dropping. Seeing the other people’s set-up in the campsite we were inspired to work on a plan to invest in our own van. After endless searching we finally found our van … der Schlumpf (Smurf in English). A fitting name given to the van by a friend. We got the van just in time for the first race of the season, after the first COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. So, with limited time we installed the basics, a battery and high platform bed so we could install the bikes underneath. In that short week, with the race and a mini holiday break afterwards we got to experience the highs and lows on vanlife. What I loved about each spot we stayed was meeting some amazing people and hearing their stories. Two couples we even worked with in South Africa in 1980-something. Some of the conversation was a bit broken up since my German is not that good and my Swiss German is even worse.

Since the trip we have only installed a roof vent as the racing schedule got too busy. We are planning to work on a proper build of the van this winter so we will be better equipped for the next adventure.

Q7: Most elite riders who have spent some time overseas get asked this: Why do you think that the European riders do so well in XCO and even marathons vs the Saffers? (We seem to have a really healthy MTB fraternity but seem to struggle to deliver consistently on the big stages. Or is this an unfair comment?)

A7: To be honest, it is something I have been trying to figure out myself.

Q8: Do you see yourself moving back to Africa and what do you want to do after professional cycling?

A8: I do not see us moving back to Southern Africa anytime soon. We are both happy in Germany. Heiko has a job he loves, and we have an amazing group of friends. Finding a supportive group of friends has really helped make moving to a different country easier and I now feel at home. Plus I need to put my German classes into good use since I did have to do an integration course for six months with four hours of learning German :p I have some ideas of what I would like to do after racing on a high level, but they still need some refining.