Bertus van Zyl is the chairman of Western Cape Schools Cycling, the structure behind one

of the most overlooked grassroots sporting movements in South Africa. In this conversation

he traces the whole arc: how a hobby with his own kids turned into running a province's

entire schools cycling programme, the legacy of Meurant Botha and the Spur Schools MTB

League that built the foundation this all stands on, and what it actually takes —

logistically and financially — to run a race for a thousand riders on a single weekend.

He breaks down the gap that exists between mass-participation schools racing and the

provincial and international pathway, and why some of South Africa's most talented young

riders disappear from the sport entirely once school ends. He talks about the rivalry

between Paul Roos Gymnasium and Paarl Boys' High, the corporate sponsors stepping in

where Spur once stood, and his genuine belief that South Africa has the talent and the

landscape to build a fully professional domestic mountain biking circuit — if the right

investment shows up.

This is a story about what gets built when a parent just wants to help out on a Friday

afternoon, and it doesn't stop.

# === CHAPTERS ===================================

0:00 — Welcome and introducing Bertus van Zyl

0:45 — From Hermanus parent to Western Cape Schools Cycling chairman

2:33 — The legacy of Spur Schools MTB and Meurant Botha

9:08 — How school cycling became a formal national structure

12:39 — Formalising honorary colours and the safeguarding gap

18:39 — The rivalry: Paul Roos Gymnasium vs Paarl Boys' High

19:34 — Conrad Stoltz, Stellenbosch High, and the new wave of investment

25:41 — Why South Africa's talent disappears after school

30:56 — Insect Science, pro pathways, and what success could look like

37:53 — A sport bursting at the seams: numbers, demographics and growth

43:53 — Breaking out of "preaching to the choir"

49:33 — FOMO, school videography, and the media gap

60:00 — Inside race day: course design and what makes it fair for everyone

62:35 — Bloemendal, rivalries, and the riders to watch this season

69:32 — How a school joins Western Cape Schools Cycling

71:22 — How host venues get chosen

74:40 — Closing thoughts and the road to Nationals

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