Mitchelton-Scott’s South African gun Daryl Impey is proud his country looks up to him as a mentor
Reigning Tour Down Under champion Daryl Impey feels empowered by his home nation’s progress, writes Val Migliaccio.
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He grew up when apartheid was tormenting the country and institutionalised racism was regarded as normal, but now he is helping to shape South Africa’s new destiny through the power of sport.
Dual Santos Tour Down Under champion Daryl Impey, now 35, was a child in Johannesburg when the late Nelson Mandela was appointed as the country's first black head of state in 1994 and ultimately freed South Africa from white minority rule.
“So much has changed,’’ said Impey, a Mitchelton-Scott original member.
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“We are now one race, the human race. It's sad some people don't see it that way, but hopefully the new generation will.
“I think sport in general has shown that we are all the same, regardless of skin colour, and our rugby team has just shown that.
“Our nation is amazing when we overcome huge obstacles and challenges, but we are very harsh when things are not going to well.
“One of the best parts of South Africa now is experiencing each other's cultures and learning from each other.”
Impey is also the beacon of hope for all South African cyclists – amateurs and pros – leading the nation’s small pack of just 11 UCI WorldTour riders
in 2019.
He is the undisputed king of South African cycling.
He earned 1399 UCI WorldTour points in 2019 and has been a crucial game-changer for an Australian team that’s relied upon him for strength – mental and physical – especially in the height of the European season.
When Mitchelton-Scott needed a man to work harder so his teammates could then revel in personal glory, Impey never flinched from his call
of duty.
“I am proud to set the benchmark and to hopefully inspire the new generation,’’ Impey said.
“I think when young riders see what's possible, you can give them hope and hopefully one day someone will say I inspired them.
“Some South African riders do ask for advice. I always try make myself approachable.”
Impey’s legacy with the Australian team has lingered since he signed his first contract with philanthropist Gerry Ryan’s WorldTour cycling team more than eight years ago.
The initial three-year deal kept rolling into contract after contract.
Now Impey is about to start his 10th Tour Down Under since making his debut at Australia’s No. 1 bike race in 2010, when he was at Radioshack.
Two years later, when he was with the Australian team, Impey won his first WorldTour race at Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco. In that same year, he also made debuts at the greatest grand tours on the planet – the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.
Impey says his South African heritage fitted perfectly with the Australian psyche of the Mitchelton-Scott team and is proud of the team’s morale, camaraderie and mentality. He is one of 10 riders aged over 30 in the 28-man Mitchelton-Scott roster.
Swiss Michael Albasini, who plans to retire in June, is the oldest at 39.
“The team has become my second family,” Impey said.
“There are guys I have been with for eight years already and some even more, because I raced on previous teams together.
“There is no lack of morale in the team, we all chip in.
“I think a huge factor in a lot of guys retiring so late in our team is because it is very fun to be on and has even extended some guys’ careers.
“We all get on with it, we train hard and we can also let our hair down in the off-season too.
“Coming to the dinner or breakfast table is always a highlight for me, it’s a happy team.”
Last year, Impey became the first man to win consecutive Tour Down Under titles, his team cashing in on Stage 1 victories in both years.
The 2018 general classification victory in South Australia was Impey’s first major WorldTour win, which was backed up last year, before adding another valuable asset to his growing CV, claiming a Stage 9 win at the Tour de France.
His Tour de France win came six years after he thought he had reached cycling’s summit, when he wore the yellow jersey of the world’s No. 1 stage bike race for two stages.
Impey became the first South African to win an individual stage at the Tour since Robert Hunter's triumph in Montpellier in 2007.
Now Impey wants to start 2020 with a bang.
The eight-time and reigning South African individual time trial champion has a hat-trick of consecutive Tour Down Under history-making victories in his sights.
“Of course I would like to make it a hat-trick,’’ Impey said.
“But I will go into the race like every year, prepare as best I can be and try my best.
“It's a huge goal for the team and I and all seven riders know how important it is.
“I don't think of it as pressure, pressure comes when you don't tick all the boxes beforehand.
“I have made history at Tour Down Under before and now is the time to try make it even more special.”
Mitchelton-Scott has also brought in another gun to the Tour Down Under for the first time – Britain’s 2018 Vuelta a Espana champion Simon Yates.
The 27-year-old usually starts his official race season in February in Spain.
He won two stages of the Tour de France last year after claiming a stage of the Paris-Nice.
His debut in South Australia can only mean that Mitchelton-Scott is covering all of its bases in a bid to ensure that at least one of its riders
can claim another Tour Down Under crown.
The team has earned five general classification wins since debut in 2012.
Simon Gerrans earned three with the team before Impey’s double.
“I look forward to having a guy like Simon (Yates) in the team,’’ Impey said.
“We have always worked well together and for the both of us it's pretty simple, the best legs will get the support.
“The team comes first.
“We will do whatever we can as a team to try win the ochre jersey.”
Originally published as Mitchelton-Scott’s South African gun Daryl Impey is proud his country looks up to him as a mentor