Interview Tiffany Keep

After years of racing against the best mountainbike racers in the World, Tiffany Keep would like to try the same on the road one day. This year she immediatly won in her first road season and a collected many other good results in the months before. She says that she still has a long way to go, but she's on a good journey to become a more then competitive road cyclist.  It has been a very interesting year for her. A year where she collected experiences to take advantage off in the coming year. In this interview she shares those experiences with you and she already tells about what she'll do in the coming months.

You originally rode more on MTB, then on the road. How did you experience your time in that discipline?

I started my cycling journey on a mountain bike. It is still the discipline of cycling which comes most naturally to me, and I would say riding trails on my mountain bike is still my happy place on a bike. My main focus was on Cross Country for many years, and I loved the aggressive and stimulating format of an XCO race. I had a great time racing and achieved some goals that I’m very proud of over the 11 years of racing full seasons of XCO.

I had the privilege of racing XCO internationally with the best in the world, and experience some awesome courses. Maybe I will make a return to this discipline someday. Who knows!

I still love riding my mountain bike, and took part in the Cape Epic this year, along with a few other stage races and marathon events over the years. I enjoy being a more multifaceted rider and being versatile in different disciplines.

What made you choose for the road?

I chose to focus more on the road when an opportunity to race on a road team overseas came along. My goal was always to make a professional career out of cycling overseas, whether it be on the mountain bike or road. Whichever door opened first, I would pursue that opportunity with determination and a will to succeed. As the mountain bike and road seasons have a lot of overlap, I naturally decided to prioritise road races in order to progress and learn as much as possible.

How did you experience your first full road season?

I absolutely love racing in Europe and the UK and thoroughly enjoyed my first full Road season. I was very happy with the progression I was able to make throughout the season and more importantly the learning experiences which will ultimately prove to be beneficial for the years to come! Everyday is a school day in this game.

What do you expect of next season?

I would love to continue progressing and learning more about the sport. I still have a long way to go, but this is also motivating in itself. I will be returning to race overseas next year and I’m really looking forward to putting in the work over the Southern hemisphere Summer ahead of a bush and exciting race season!

What did you learn this year?

I learnt a few new things about myself as a rider and how to conserve energy better on the bunch. There is still room for improvement here but it is motivating to see how beneficial a full season on the road can be hugely impactful on performance and race strategy.

What is the biggest challenge for you physically or mentally in the sport?

At the moment it is balancing the fatigue of racing and traveling almost every weekend. The racing is so hard that it requires fresh focus and is very demanding on the body. In order to do well you need to be both mentally and physically in the game. The season is so long that it is important to prioritise certain races over others and ensure that recovery remains a top priority too.

How will you spend the off season and when will you start preparing for the next one?

I’ve spent the offseason by maximising my time with family and friends and enjoying being back home in the Southern hemisphere. It is a long time spent away from home, and it’s extremely nourishing to be back in a familiar environment. Preparations for next year have already started and we’ll continue building through November and December, and into the new year!

When will you start your road season next season?

In South Africa our season starts really early. My first race will most probably be at the end of January, although the first big race will be our National Champs in February.