Bikes have been a part of Candice’s life for as long as she can remember. Candice grew up on a farm in KwaZulu Natal where she rode bikes with her cousins for fun. One of her earliest cycling memories was when, at age 3, she begged her dad to ride 22km with her to ‘the hotel and back’. That didn’t bother her at all. He did give her a push or two but Candice was determined to do it alone.

Since then, her love for cycling has always been apparent. She competed in many different sports at school, but cycling (and MTB specifically) has always been her happy place and something she made sure was part of her life. Sometimes at boarding school, that meant making time for an indoor ride with rudimentary equipment in a small dark room, but she didn’t mind. She says she always left that room happier than when she walked in.

A defining moment for Candice was winning a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in Australia. She was 17 years old. It was somewhat of a surprise, as no South African woman had ever achieved that in mountain biking. From that moment, she knew that she was going to pursue professional cycling as a career after school. Thankfully, she found an opportunity to do so and has been immersed in the challenge of reaching her full potential ever since. It’s been an incredibly tough but rewarding journey! 

For Candice, riding a bicycle takes her back to that child-like joy, freedom, and absolute bliss. She always tries to carry this into her training and racing. No matter how hard or stressful things become, she tries to remind herself of the fundamental reason she does it. She hopes to inspire others to experience this joy in their cycling journeys.

Achievements:

• Bronze medal at Junior XCO World Championships 
• Multiple National and Continental Champion
• 2nd overall in Absa Cape Epic
• Multiple stage winner at Absa Cape Epic
• Bronze medal at Commonwealth Games 
• 2 x Olympian