Hazel Magill is a young South African rider with ambition, ambition to represent her country on her bike at the highest level in 2018 at the Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Olympics.
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Born and raised in Klerksdorp in the Northwest Province, this 20 year old has the drive to meet those lofty ambitions. Hazel was inspired to take her cycling to higher levels after meeting Ashleigh Moolman Pasio after the 2012 94.7 Cycle Challenge. “I ended up standing in a small group with Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, and a few others chatting about cycling and where I would like to go with it someday. Three years later Ashleigh still gives me support through her “Going for Gold” project and encourages me to go to the next level”
Hazel was 2013 African High School National Champion, she competed at the UCI XCO World Championship in 2013, and claimed many titles as a junior. Entering the U23 category in 2014, Hazel gained experience at UCI World Series events and placed 3rd in the U23 category at SA Marathon Championships.
Hazel knew, as all of us in SA cycling know, that the only place to get on is in Europe but that comes at a very big price and so her plan formed. Leading up to her final exams at school, Hazel had three jobs including waitressing in her local Spur restaurant to save up money for her trip. After her final prelims she dropped that down to just the Spur job to concentrate on her final exams. Even with all that work that was not enough money to fund her trip but with her Christmas and birthday presents from her family being her flights and these were now booked, that was how convinced she was that the trip would work. She knew she could get work in Germany but it would not be enough to give her a safety net and it was then a benefactor came up with a donation early in 2015 that would enable the trip to go ahead.
So in March this year it was off to Europe.
Although she is a roadie at heart, Hazel went to Germany in April to ride her mountain bike in the KMC MTB Bundesliga International series. At that time Hazel was unsure whether her path was on the road or mountain bike and this trip was to be the decider.
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Basing herself near Isny Im Allgau in Bavaria, Hazel got a job in a local bike shop getting paid EU10 to build bikes, additionally she worked evenings and weekends when not racing in the kitchen, at the Guest House where she was staying, to pay for her board and lodging. To get to work she rode her bike 20 kilometers each way in all weathers.
In July Hazel got to compete in the UCI World Cup XCO Lenzerheide, Switzerland where she was kindly hosted by Novus OMX and SA’s XCO Champion Cherie Vale.
“I had an amazing experience, I’ve learned a lot, and I was proud to be the only U23 Lady to represent my country at such an amazing event!”
In the last few months Hazel started working with a German coach Bjorn Kafka and has seen her riding move up a level, but when she arrived back from Europe in early October the first thing for Hazel was to get a much needed operation on her foot that has put her out for several weeks.
Getting back on the bike now, the next goal is Momentum 947 where she will ride for the Momentum Team in what is now a UCI 1.1 race.
Although she had a few podiums and some good top 20 results this was a year of discovery. The time in Europe made Hazel decide that even though the mountain bike has been good the road is where her future lies and she has already made the decision to return to Germany early next year, offered a place on a small local team and this time she will ride in the Bundesliga road series.
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When asked about sponsors the answer was very few but now growing. Lizzy have come on board with clothing, Thule are now official sponsors, so they with help out racks and anything else they can provide. Metal, a Johannesburg company have just provided Hazel with a VW Caddie Maxi to get her around in SA, but Hazel still needs a bike!
When you sit and talk with Hazel you see the ambition and hunger she has to get to where she knows she wants to be. To have done the trip this year almost completely unsupported and on a shoestring you get to see how that single minded ambition drives this young lady.
With that kind of attitude you know we will be seeing a lot more of Hazel Magill.
Connect with Hazel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CyclistHazelMagill/
Twitter: @HazelMagill1
Instagram: hazelmagill
What a determined young woman..