Tyler Lange of De La Salle Holy Cross College is a cyclist on a mission

Tyler Lange is a perfect example of the apple not falling far from the tree.

He started cycling when he was only three years old and credits his father Malcolm, a former professional cyclist, for inspiring him to take on the challenge.

Lange who attends De La Salle Holy Cross College finished first in four different events at the Gauteng Provincial Track championships.

He said he participated in five races at the championships and the fifth race was a qualifying race for the SA National Track Championship, which he qualified for.

The competition took place at the Hector Norris Park Velodrome.

“My father, who is retired, was a professional cyclist who used to race and I used to watch him. I made a choice to get into cycling and everything I don’t understand, my dad helps with and gives me advice. So it really helps to have a dad who knows so much about cycling,” Lange said.

He trains three times a week which includes indoor training, training on the track and training every Saturday during a friendly race.

He was happy to have done well at the championships because he had only been track racing for less than a year.

“At the moment I’m still in the process of training for the SA Championships and want to work on my times and build on them. I believe in always staying humble as talent can only get you so far but you need to put in the hard work and training in order to get the results,” said Lange.

The Lange family who lives in Fairland are very supportive and proud of their son’s achievements and drive to do well as a cyclist.

His father said he believed that any top cyclist needed to come from a track background.

He added that his son had good willpower, and knew how he wanted to approach races and stuck to it.

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