Brother UK Cycling Podcast – Episode 57
Timothy John
“Hello and welcome to this special edition of the Brother UK Cycling Podcast with me, Timothy John, and our special guest, Tiffany Keep of DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK who in less than two weeks’ time will represent South Africa at the Olympic Games in Paris. Tiffany, thank-you very much indeed for joining me today.”
Tiffany Keep
“Hi Tim. Thank-you very much for having me.”
Timothy John
“Well, not at all. It’s great to have you with us and particularly at such a busy part of the season. You’re coming to us live and direct from France. That seems as good a place to start as any.
Tell me about the race.”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah, it was really nice to get a final race with my team under the belt before heading to Paris and racing with my national team in two weeks’ time.
there, which was a really get test for me.
“My only objectives for the race were to stay safe and go all in and try and really push myself for the race. Working on my mental game has been something that I’ve been focussing on for the last few weeks and really trying to get the most out of myself in races and push myself to my full potential.
“I really felt that I emptied the tank yesterday and was really happy to have played more of a team role in helping Caimohe get to a position in the front group of the race and to be sprinting to just outside the top 20.
sensations, and I was quite happy with my own performance.”
Timothy John
“You mentioned working on your mental game and trying to get everything out while staying safe. How tricky is that balance? How difficult is it to line up alongside 150-odd riders knowing that you have the opportunity of a lifetime in less than a fortnight’s time, and trying to stay upright while trying to give your best?”
Tiffany Keep
“It seems counterintuitive, but the more you think about crashing, or not crashing, the higher the chances you do have of crashing. Immediately, when it’s on your mind, you're a lot more tense, and you ride in a very frigid way, which almost attracts crashing, and you might tend to ride more towards the back of the group, which is, ultimately, more of a ‘danger zone’ as such. You want to be riding more on the front, where there’s statistically less chance of a crash happening. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen. You just have to really remain relaxed, and I would say that for the most part of yesterday’s race, I was relaxed, which I was very happy with.
“Thankfully, with the team racing quite a nice UCI calendar this year, these races become…it becomes just another bike race, really; another opportunity. Not to take away from the importance of the race, but more in the way that you don’t get so worked up about it. It’s not like your whole life depends on this one race. If not everything goes 100 per cent according to plan, you can roll with the punches a bit more. Every race is a learning experience and an opportunity.
“For yesterday, it was just about staying safe, and I knew in order to do that, I would need to be riding quite near the front, staying relaxed, trying to follow moves where I could. That was my job for the day, really: to shut down any moves, try to go with moves off the front, try to protect Caoimhe and ensure that she was doing as little work as possible, so she could save her matches for the end.
“In doing so, I burned some matches, well, all my matches by the second to last lap. My teammate Lucy Lee and I closed down a split together. We worked really hard to close that down, and then on the second to last lap, there was a move going which I thought was the move of the race. Instinctively, I followed it and really emptied the tank to get there. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up being the move of the day, and did end up coming back together, but I don’t regret that decision, because acting on instinct is a split-second decision. One day it might be the one that stays away.
“I was happy with how I felt and to finish the race safely.”
INTERLUDE
Timothy John
“You mentioned a moment ago that you’ve had a busy programme this year [with lots of] UCI races. You were recently at the Volta a Portugal Feminine. I spoke recently to your Portuguese team-mate, Vera Vellaça, who unfortunately was involved in quite a heavy crash in that race.
“You had a really good ride. You were fifth on stage three, you were just outside the top ten on the opening stage. How beneficial has this broad, diverse programme, everything from rounds of the National Circuit Series, to WorldTour stage races like the Women’s Tour, how valuable has that been in your preparation for the Olympic Games?
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah, hugely beneficial. The field I’ll be racing with at the Olympic Games is, one which, thankfully, I’ve had the opportunity to race with a few times this season with the WorldTour race opportunities we’ve had, which really helps with ‘imposter syndrome’.
"When you’re riding with these big name riders whom you see on the TV, it’s kind of this little thought that creeps in, where you don’t see yourself as worthy of riding with them, or racing alongside them; not as good as them. The more you ride in that kind of environment, where you’re forced to race with these bigger riders, the better. The more you see them for who they are: they’re just bike racers, just like you. It’s good to keep exposing yourself to that, so it becomes more of the norm.
environment is. That is really achieved by exposing yourself to it more frequently.
"At the end of the day, they’re just bike racers, and I think anyone who lines up has a good shot at the race. It’s just about reminding yourself of that and being able to switch off that ‘imposter syndrome’ in the race and just focus on racing your bike to the best of your ability.”
Timothy John
“That would be entirely unwarranted in your case, Tiffany. You’ve been a bike racer almost since you could ride a bike, so ‘imposter syndrome’ certainly doesn’t apply.
February.
“Is that an advantage? Is it difficult to start and then stop? You had a gap of about two months, I think, before racing at home and the East Cleveland Classic, where you finished fifth, so you hit the ground running, as far as your UK season is concerned.
“Does that early start help you?”
Tiffany Keep
“I would say yes and no. It is very hard to maintain form over a season that is 11 months long. Ultimately, in South Africa, we have quite a busy start to the year. Racing kicks off at the end of January, and the first three months of the year are quite packed with racing, more so on the mountain bike than on the road these days, but it is quite a busy time for me. I do a full European season, and when I get back home, there are quite a few races lined up until November, so it is very long.
up the training again towards my European season.
“It’s just about balancing it and listening to your body, I would say, but for sure, by the time I got to the East Cleveland Classic I was grateful that I had already had two racing opportunities that year, prior to the race, because it’s always quite a big risk to go into a bigger event having no races under the belt for the season thus far, because you never really know how the race is going to go; not that forget how to race your bike. It’s more a case of you don’t know where everyone else is at. You don’t actually know where you’re at, in terms of racing fitness, so it’s a bit of a Catch 22, and I was grateful that I had already had two race opportunities to kind of remind myself of what it feels like to be going at full gas by the time we got to the East Cleveland Classic.
“It was also a bit of an adjustment to be racing back overseas with a totally different race dynamic to what we have in South Africa, but it was good to get started with a top-five there and carry that momentum through to the rest of the season.”
INTERLUDE
Timothy John
“Can you tell us a little bit about the scene in South Africa? It’s not quite so developed as over here, I think, but expanding nonetheless.”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah, in South Africa, I would say that we’re more well known for our mountain bike scene currently than for our road racing, especially with the Cape Epic, which is seen as the Tour de France of mountain biking: the toughest mountain bike stage race in the world, in my opinion.”
Timothy John
“You speak from experience.”
Tiffany Keep
“Yes, having done it last year, I can say that. Obviously, there are a lot more stage races that I haven’t done. It's a super hard race. It still is the hardest race I’ve ever done.
“The marathon mountain bike scene in South Africa is booming at the moment. I would say that’s the biggest discipline, if we’re talking about the number of participants.
“Ultimately, all of our events in South Africa rely on mass participation. They’re structured quite differently to here, where, for example, in the UK any of our elite races has only two events on one day: one being the women’s race and the men’s race. It’s only for the elite racers, so not even the juniors or the younger age categories race on the same day.
“Whereas in South Africa, the elite categories start at the crack of dawn in order to make sure that the roads are clear for when we come into the finish line, because behind us are all the other age categories. When I say there are a lot of people, the biggest mass participation, one-day event we have on the road is probably the Cape Town Cycle Tour where about 30,000 people partake every year. It’s a lot of people they have to get through in one day. That’s why we start so early so we can finish. It’s quite a weird feeling to be crossing the finish line and seeing people in the start pens still about to start their race, and we’ve already finished. It’s pretty crazy.
“That’s the bread and butter of the racing and allows us to have our own separate race. The road racing we do have I would say is quite good, even though, unfortunately, there are a lot fewer events on the calendar than there used to be. I would say the golden age of South African road cycling was the best part of ten years ago when there was a lot more on the calendar.
“In saying that, the races that we do have are really cool. I usually earmark three or four every year, one of them being the national champs and the Cape Town Cycle Tour; Ride Joburg, which is in November, and there's another event called Amashurber, which takes place on the roads I grew up racing on. Those races are well organised. We race along a really cool route. It is mostly the same route every year, but it is still a really good day out.”
Timothy John
“Fascinating to hear. You use that phrase ‘golden age’. I think it would be fair to apply to the women’s road scene in the UK: six, British-registered, UCI Continental women’s teams, two WorldTour stage races, both of which you competed in: RideLondon and the Tour of Britain Women.
“Just how valuable has your time over here been to your development? Is it fair to say that you wouldn’t be going to the Olympic Games if it wasn’t for the progress you’d made in the UK, or is that overstating things?”
Tiffany Keep
“No, I definitely don’t think it’s overstating at all. It, for sure, has been really pivotal in my development as a cyclist, and I think my decision to come and race in the UK has really helped shape my cycling career from the last two years. I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given to race alongside some of the best cyclists in the world.
“Those type of races you learn so much from, and, for sure, I’ve definitely seen that I’ve made a lot of progress since I decided to make that leap and start racing overseas for more extended periods of time. I always knew that would happen, but it was about finding the right time to do it. Once I’d finished my university degree in South Africa, I decided I was going to take that leap in my first year out of university, and I’m so grateful that I did. it’s been such an amazing experience.
opportunities that are coming up on the horizon.
“Funnily enough, one of my teammates messaged me after the race yesterday and said that she could really see, having not raced with me this year really yet, how I’ve grown in confidence and really improved in the space of the year. It was really nice to hear that because, I think, as athletes, we are often our own worst critics and don’t always see the progression because it happens sometimes more slowly than we would like it to, so it’s very nice to hear feedback like that and just take a step back and realise that you’ve come quite a long way. It’s been a really cool process.”
Timothy John
“You’re speaking to us from France now, Tiff. We’re closing in now. I think we're less than a fortnight from the Games. How will you spend the next 13 days?”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah, I chose to stay in France to minimise travel and also to try and recon a bit of the route outside of Paris. I will be attending the opening ceremony this Friday. Just for me to be saying that sounds pretty crazy, but I will be there. It’s a quite unique opportunity in that the road race is over a week after the opening ceremony. I really decided I want to make the most of this experience so I’ll be commuting into Paris for the day to attend the opening ceremony.
“I’m currently staying in Tours, south of Paris, which has provided an opportunity to have a bit of a base here for a week and a half before moving into the athlete village, where I could train on some nice roads and have a bit more of a settled base, which definitely helps because the travelling is a lot more tiring than we often think it is, on top of racing. It takes a lot out of you. I believe that having a routine and having some extra recovery time will really prove to be beneficial come race day.”
Timothy John
“Just using that phrase, ‘Attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,’ is absolutely mind-blowing. Is it too much to say that this is fulling the ambition of a lifetime, or is that about right?”
Tiffany Keep
“No, definitely. When I started racing, I remember at school we were given a page on ‘life orientation’; one of the subjects we had to do.
writing that down. Several times since then, it’s always been the thing that I’ve thought about when people have asked, ‘What do you want to achieve in your sport?’
“It’s really crazy. It feels very surreal. I’m in a really relaxed environment at the moment, away from all the hype happening in Paris, which is also why I wanted to be based outside. It’s a bit more chilled in the build up, but that being said, there’s a lot of Paris 2024 branding and hype going around the country in general. I went to the shops earlier today, and there was some official Olympic merchandise in there. I was looking at this and thinking, ‘It’s pretty crazy that I’m going to be there in a few days’ time.’
"I think it will really only hit home when I’m actually there, but if I think about that little girl who started racing at the age of 10, cycling at the age of three, I think she would be over the moon to find out that she would be going to the Olympics at 23.
“When I found out, I was entirely over the moon. I nearly fell off my chair. It’s going to be an incredible experience, and I really just want to make the most of it.”
Timothy John
“Absolutely extraordinary. I mean, I’ve got written down here, ‘How were you told?’ Give us an insight into that. If it was enough to make you fall off your chair, it obviously came as a surprise.”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah. For the Olympics, it’s such a tricky event, in terms of qualification, as we’ve seen with a few other nations this year. When it comes to the selection process and qualifying for the Games, it never should be something where you’re dead certain that you’re going.
“For me, this year, I knew I was in with a shout of going to the Olympics, but never once did I assume that I was. My approach to this season was to just try and focus on my European racing season and make the most of it and try and make progress and see how I did there.
randomly in my inbox in a timeframe we were roughly given. It was so unexpected. I think that’s what made it so special.
“I can really appreciate the opportunity because it was a surprise in a lot of ways. Even though a lot of people have said to me it was not a surprise for them, I definitely appreciate it a lot more because it wasn’t something that was dead certain from the start of the year; especially after our national champs earlier in the year, I definitely thought my Olympic hopes were out of the window, so I was very overwhelmed and just really stoked.
“I was sitting next to my teammate Tammy, whom I’m currently staying with in the UK, at her kitchen table. She just gave me a massive hug, and her mum gave me a hug. It was a really happy moment, and when I told my parents, they were also over the moon. It was really special.”
INTERLUDE
Timothy John
“What a story. To see your name there with Ashleigh’s. I’ve been lucky enough to have done some work alongside her many years ago, and she was a hugely impressive figure off the bike as well as on. Presumably, Ashleigh will spearhead the team, and you’ll work for her.”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah. That’s definitely the plan. She’ll be race leader going into the Olympics, and I feel it will be her final Olympics as well. She just really wants to give it a good crack, and I think if she’s in tip-top shape, I really believe she’s within a shout of a medal. I’m very excited to line up alongside her and just help her have the best race possible.
“My job is very clear. That also helps take a bit of the pressure off me, which is quite nice. I know exactly what I need to do in order tojust help South Africa have the best race possible.”
Timothy John
“Hard to think of a more inspiring leader. What do you make of the course? 158km, 1700 metres of climbing, up Montmartre every lap, once the race has returned to Paris. What do you make of it?”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah, the course, I think, is awesome. It’s a very Classics-y style course, quite different to previous editions of the Games. As we saw in Rio and Tokyo, those were definitely more climbers’ courses, whereas this race is wide open, in my opinion.
we do several times in the city circuit, which is really cool.
“The climbs are punchy. The style of the course is quite arduous and it will be an attritional race in a way that will wear away at the competitors over time, and I do think it’s going to be raced quite hard.
“Mentally, it’s going to be about going all-in, hence why I’ve been working on mental game. I really want to cross that line totally happy with my performance, that I gave everything I could on the day, and we’ll see what happens.”
Timothy John
“Are there any specific races in your back catalogue that might help you here? You rode the world championships for South Africa last year in Glasgow. Clearly, a different course in Paris, but that concept of riding back into a major city for laps of a circuit punctuated with very steep climbs - could that help you? It’s probably as far removed from Michaelgate as we can imagine, but you’ve ridden the Lincoln Grand Prix!
"Is there anything, Tiff, in your experience, that you’re hoping to draw upon?”
Tiffany Keep
“No, for sure. The worlds course from last year had a lot of similarities to the Paris course. I do believe the two courses are more similar than some people may think.
smaller climbs in between, of course.
“That style of racing is very punchy, and, as I mentioned, wears away at the competitors over time. There’s not much flat. It’s either downhill or uphill or going into a corner. It’s quite a technical course as well, which is something I really enjoy, coming from a mountain bike background.
“I do believe that I can really do a good race on this course, all being well. It is a course that I believe suits me as a rider. It’s an exciting opportunity.”
Timothy John
“You can say that again!
“You’re thousands of miles from home when you're in the UK. Do you have family coming over?”
Tiffany Keep
“Yeah, I’m really excited to have my parents come over to watch me. They have never been able to come and watch me race overseas before, and so it’s amazing that they have the opportunity to do so this year. I’m really excited. My dad and mum have been there for me since day one with racing. It’s going to be really special for them to watch me compete over here.
“I really do believe that these experiences of racing overseas have helped me really grow as a rider. The way I like to race now is largely thanks to the experiences I’ve had over here, racing in the UK and in Europe. I think it will be awesome for them to come and experience that first hand and really see what it’s like.
definitely add an extra layer of morale to see them on the sidelines and pre and post-race.”
Timothy John
“I’m sure if anybody is looking forward to the race as much as you are, Tiffany, it will be your parents. To see your daughter race in an Olympic Games must be such a proud moment."
Timothy John
“How on earth will you follow racing at an Olympic Games? Have you given any thought to what comes next, or are you focussed solely on August 4?”
Tiffany Keep
“In the build up, I’ve been really focussed on being as well prepared as possible for this race, but also to not put all my eggs in one basket with it. It is, at the end of the day, just another bike race, albeit the biggest one that I will ever do, up until this point.
“I think it’s also important to look at the bigger picture, really use it for what it is and make the most of it; give it my absolute best, and all we can do is see how it unfolds on race day.
racing again.
“I return home to South Africa in October, so I still have a good month-and-a-half of racing to fit in after the Olympics, and I’ll be wanting to make the most of it, for sure.”
Timothy John
“Absolutely. Being a multi-discipline rider, too. You talked about the South African mountain bike scene earlier, and I was watching Alan Hatherley winning a round of the UCI World Cup. Since Discovery Plus have put mountain biking on the same page as road racing, I've suddenly become a convert to watching XC mountain biking, which is absolutely fantastic.
"Is that part of your programme too? Will you be back off road as well?"
Tiffany Keep
“I will hopefully be doing a bit of mountain bike racing when I’m back in South Africa; if not racing, then definitely riding my mountain bike. I absolutely love it, and where I’m based in South Africa, in Stellenbosch is kind of a mountain bike paradise in a lot of ways. People come from all over the world to ride the trails there, and I think it’s a real gem.
“I love just disappearing into the mountains on my bike, and it’s quite nice to just switch it up after quite an intense road season with just having some fun riding my mountain bike on different terrain.
mountains.”
Timothy John
“What about your ultimate ambition, Tiffany? You’ve made huge steps, as you said, throughout your cycling career, and especially since you've been racing in the UK.
“If you continue on the same trajectory, where are you hoping this path will take you?”
Tiffany Keep
“The ultimate goal is to be racing at the highest level of the sport, at WorldTour level on a European team. I do believe I’ve made some good steps towards that this year, but I always want more. I do believe there’s still room for improvement. For the rest of this year, I’m really looking forward to making the most of each and every racing opportunity I get.
most of it at the same time, and, yeah, we’ll see what happens.”
Timothy John
“Well, very best of luck. You couldn’t be in better hands than with DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK, and it’s wonderful to see the progress you’ve made in your time inside the Brother Cycling family.
you very much again for joining us and very best of luck on August 4.”
Tiffany Keep
“Thank-you very much, Tim.”
OUTRO
Phil Jones
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