PHIL BUYS, 34, SA XCO NATIONAL CHAMPION
We are blessed, though, to currently be watching two elder statesmen of our sport still taking it to the next generation: Nino Schurter is winning World Cup races at 36; and closer to home, Phil Buys won the 2023 XCO national championships earlier this year, at the ripe old age of 34.
How? It's a long and complicated story - yet simple at the same time.
How did you get into cycling, and into racing?
Phil Buys: I was born in Durban; our family farmed in Weenen, but we moved to Pretoria after my dad was murdered on the farm, when I was 9 or 10. I'm the oldest of four in a sporty family - my brother does a lot of trail running, and he's quite fast! Like most kids, I got a first bike and started riding all over the show... but I guess it all started, properly, when I was 13 or 14. I joined a local club linked with Fritz Pienaar Cycles.
Fritz and Dylan Victor were the main guys then, and we learned a lot with them - almost all of it just having fun; wheelies, jumping and fun challenges got me hooked.
Training and fitness were not the focus, or pushing physical limits. It was all about enjoyment and skills. At one point, I even had a trials bike.
When did the racing side start?
PB: Locally, I only really started featuring in races at U23 level. I wasn't spectacular at junior level - I had really good skills and could handle a bike, but training wasn't a priority, and I wasn't the strongest. But I think that's what's really allowed me to stay strong and fast for'' so long; I guess it’s been fifteen years now, and counting.
This story is from the September / October 2023 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
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This story is from the September / October 2023 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
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