Frances Janse van Rensburg feels motivated and focused ahead of the UCI Road World Championships which take place in Yorkshire, Great Britain, from Sunday till the 29th.
The 18-year-old, who has been selected for the national junior women’s squad, will be competing for the first time in a world championship event.
“Physically, I’m feeling really strong and good at the moment. Mentally also, I’m in a good space and motivated and focused,” said Janse van Rensburg.
“Emotionally it has been quite challenging, but also an amazing time preparing for the event.”
She said due to the trip being fully self-funded and the official team only being announced at the end of August, she had very little time to get everything in place and to raise the funds she needed.
Frances Janse van Rensburg forms part of the national junior women’s team for the UCI Road World Championships taking place in Yorkshire, Great Britain, from Sunday. Photo: Supplied
“Fortunately it all worked out very well and there are so many generous, caring people out there who I need to thank for supporting me and contributing towards this trip.”
She was grateful for this “huge opportunity” as it had been one of her dreams and goals since she started cycling four years ago.
“Career wise, to have been selected to represent SA and compete in the world champs means that all the hard work is paying off and I believe that this is another stepping stone and a move in the right direction.”
The KwaZulu-Natal cyclist, who won two gold medals at the national youth cycling champs in Westville at the end of June, said she had had the world champs as one of her goals the whole season and had specifically trained for it since the end of July when her other important races finished.
“I did a lot of intensity training and some long endurance rides. I also focused a lot on off-the-bike strength training.”
Janse van Rensburg will compete in the individual time-trial on the 23rd and the road race on the 27th.
“My strategies for the events are to race smart, be aware and position myself near the front of the bunch and avoid crashes for the road race.
“The time-trial is very short, so my strategy will basically be to just go flat out, as fast as possible, and stay focused.”
She added that these would be the biggest two races of her life and her goal would be to achieve a position that would represent or match her current form and the hard work she had put in.
“I want to give it my absolute all and race aggressively with a purpose, and cross the line knowing I gave it my everything.
“Also, I aim to make SA and everyone who always supports me proud.”
Through the world champs Janse van Rensburg hoped to gain experience for future international racing.
“I aim to learn by racing against the top riders around the world and to see where I’m at and what I need to work and improve on.
“I also hope to learn more about myself. I haven’t raced international road races yet, so I think I do have a bit of a disadvantage.
“On the other hand I don’t really have something to prove, so I can just focus on racing the best I can and improve myself as an athlete without stressing too much about the others.”
Janse van Rensburg wants to pursue a professional career in the sport and hopes this experience will be good exposure for her.
“I feel it will open new doors for me going forward and help me grow as an athlete and person.”
