The Cuthberts know how to get on their bikes and ride
RUIMSIG – Local motocross racers share their journey in motocross and thoughts on the sport.
Siblings, Brittany (22) and Tristan (18) Cuthbert, have been riding motorbikes since before they were in primary school. Their love for bikes is evident in motocross, where they rank as two of the best in the country.
Brittany and Tristan’s father was always into bikes and introduced his children to his passion at the tender ages of six and three respectively. The pair would race and practise on the Dirt Bronco track in Krugersdorp. From fun races, social events and small club races, the siblings decided to take motocross seriously in 2009 and have never looked back.
The Ruimsig residents compete in the South African Motocross Nationals, the highest level of motocross in South Africa, where Brittany is currently the number one woman in the country and Tristan is one of the top 10 men. The pair have their sights set on going overseas to compete on an international level.
Between 2014 and 2015, the Cuthberts lived overseas and experienced how different the competition was compared to South Africa. “It is a male-dominated sport here. The women overseas are as fast as our top guys, which shows the level of the competition,” Tristan explained.
Tristan sustained two serious injuries while overseas and is still recovering, building himself back up to finishing races in the time he did before the injury. Tristan broke his wrist and humerus. “When you break a bone it is very disappointing because all you want to do is ride but you cannot. Yet you must stay motivated to come back and ride. An injury can make or break you. You will either back away from riding or it will make you come back even better,” Tristan explained.
Brittany explained motocross is a short-lived sport as you can become professional at the age of 26 and a veteran rider by 29. According to the Cuthberts, it is a very physically-demanding sport as you must control a great machine that travels at high speeds. “It has been described as riding a mechanical bull on high speed for 10 minutes,” Brittany added.
The Cuthberts’ advice to other young motocross racers is to work hard but also have fun because ‘if you feel good, you ride good’.
Their next endeavor will be participating in the fifth round of this year’s nationals on 6 August.
