Our Vice President, Ciska Austin, visited Nicholas in hospital this morning. “I briefly saw Nic post surgery this morning. He is in good spirits and I understand from his family that his doctor is confident that he will recover fully.”
Nicholas who rides for Team Dimension Data (that will be known as NTT Pro Cycling from 2020), recently represented South-Africa at the World Championships in Yorkshire. Nicholas is also on the longlist for selection to participate at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Mr. Barry Hendricks, 1st Vice President of SASCOC, spoke to Austin earlier and expressed his concerns and gives the support of the Olympic body to work closely with all parties to ensure that Nic returns to his good form and racing as soon as possible.
CyclingSA is concerned that there are a number of unofficial reports and social media posts indicative that this was not an isolated case and that there is a bigger problem that needs to be addressed. “ The way Nic had been treated cannot be justified – permit or not. We need to be more tolerant towards each other. South-Africa is a popular destination for cycling tourism and with this video of Nic going viral globally, South-Africa as a safe cycling destination is being questioned. Especially with mountain biking numbers increasing, more people are using trails and our National Parks and it is necessary that we find a solution with government and SANParks moving forward ”, says Austin.
CyclingSA are requesting meetings for the early part of January with the different ministries of government as well as SANParks and other relevant parties to discuss and determine a national solution.
