Valley Electrical Titan Racing Team Announces 2022 Rider Roster

2022 sees some change for the Valley Electrical Titan Racing Team. We are excited to welcome some exciting new partners and new riders, taking the team, as well as a new look, to the next level.

The goal and purpose of the team will remain the same: to give young and up-and-coming riders the opportunity to grow and progress to achieve great things from a close-knit platform, building towards long-term success.

Team Plans and Goals for 2022:

This year the team has an exciting racing calendar lined up For HB Kurger and Matt Keyser focusing on all the major Stage races. As well as the primary 1-day marathon events for 2022 on the mountain bike side, including races like Tankwa Trek, PE to Plett, Absa Cape Epic, Sani2c, Great Zuurberg Trek, Magoeba Trek, Cape Pioneer Trek, Val de Vie MTB Expedition, Wines to Whales, and the Trailseeker Series to name a few.

Tiffany Keep will be mainly focused on the road for this season with goals like SA Champs, EP Herald, Cape Town Cycle Tour, Tour de Cap, Amashova, and 94.7, to name a few. Tiffany is also planning a European / UK racing stint in the middle of the year that we are really excited about.

While Rossouw Bekker will mainly be looking after the guys for the stage races, his focus for the year will shift to the ever-growing gravel racing in South Africa with goals like The Boland Gravel Monster, Race to the Run, and Race to the Sea for 2022.

Team Riders:

Matthew Keyser

Date of Birth: 27 October 1998

Discipline: Marathon / Stage Racing / Cross Country / Road

Favorite Trail: Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch

Location: Western Cape

“I can’t remember when I started cycling, if I had to guess it would be since birth. My dad had a big influence on me riding bicycles as he was a very keen cyclist and still is. It started with my dad and me just riding for fun and he would take me to all the trails around the Grabouw and Stellenbosch area.

Since racing at a provincial, national, and international level from the age of 14 achieved good results; I thought that I could really make a career out of the sport. Since then It was my dream to ride for a professional team.

My personal goal for my career is to be a South African champion and to represent South Africa at a world championship. Winning a stage in the ABSA Cape Epic and the African jersey are also big goals for me as it is a home race and one of the biggest in the world.

My opportunity to be a professional rider has finally arrived at the end of the 2021 season. I was given the opportunity to be a part of the Valley Electrical Titan Racing Team. This great environment will help me bring the best out of myself and my cycling career. Together with HB Kruger, we will have the opportunity to compete for the win in the biggest races across South Africa and maybe Internationally. I will also be able to chase my own personal goals with the support of the team and become the best rider I can be.”

HB Kruger

Date of Birth: 30 July 1991

Discipline: Marathon / Stage Racing / Road Racing / Occasional Track racing

Favorite Trail: Paarlberg, Paarl

Location: Western Cape

“I started cycling at the age of about 14 years. I was in High School and got introduced to the sport through a friend. At the time I loved sports, I played rugby, did athletics, cross country running, cycling, and some swimming. I wanted to do it all to find out what I really enjoy doing and it turned out to be cycling.

From 17 years old I started solely focusing on cycling as a sport and left all the other sports.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world with a bike and Race in a lot of different countries. I’ve had a couple of national & Continental track titles. I’ve achieved podiums in most of the big one-day classic road races like the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Amashova, and Ride Joburg. I’ve had the privilege of reaching the Cape Epic podium for the African Red jersey where we finished second, second at Joberg2C and Wines2whales and Sani2c.

Since starting the mountain bike journey, it has always been a goal to with the African Jersey at the Cape Epic, and it still is. I would also love to still win a SA title on the mountain bike. SAXCM champs have always been a dream of mine to get onto the top step of the podium.

It is great being part of the Valley Electrical Titan Racing team. The team has grown tremendously over the past couple of years through the difficult times we’ve faced during Covid. It is exciting being part of the growth, and I hope I can bring some value to help the team grow and grow with the team and also help the younger riders grow within the team. ”

Tiffany Keep

Date of Birth: 15 October 2000

Discipline: Cross-country / Marathon / Road / Time-Trial

Favorite Trail: Karkloof, Howick & Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch

Location: Stellenbosch / Western Cape

“Cycling has been a big part of my life since a young age, and I’ve enjoyed the freedom it gives me and the amazing places it has taken me all over the world. I hope to be able to share this experience with many others, getting more people on bikes in the years to come.

My greatest cycling achievements thus far have been accumulating 23 National South African titles across four disciplines – Road, Time Trial, Cross-Country, and Cross-Country Marathon. Winning two gold medals for South Africa at the 2019 African Games, as well as representing South Africa on four different occasions at the World Championships for both Cross-Country, Road, and Time Trial.

My ambitions for this season are to dabble in a few new types of races in South Africa, particularly stage racing, and abroad in Europe. My long-term goals for my cycling career remain set firmly upon racing on the world stage and competing at the Olympics.

This will be my fourth season with Valley Electrical Titan Racing, and I feel so privileged to be supported by a team and our sponsors that believe in me and my ability and have helped me truly grow not only as an athlete but as a person over the last three years. This year I’m sure will be no different!”

Rossouw Bekker

Date of Birth : 17 August 1999

Discipline : Marathon/ stage racing/ gravel / road

Favorite Trail : Banhoek trails stellenbosch

Location: Stellenbosch

“Back in the day, I started cycling with my dad and as I got older, I actually started out pursuing triathlon pretty seriously. It wasn’t too long before I realized that I wasn’t too great at swimming or running for that matter, it was far more fun riding my bike. Since I realized this, I started focusing my energy on cycling more and more, and thus far it’s been an amazing journey.

To date, my best result and proudest moment on the bike has to be winning the African Continental Champs in 2017 in Mauritius. This was my first international Race and definitely one of the best days I’ve had on the bike. It’s a memory I’m very fond of.

My short-term goals for my own cycling career and the team would be to be selected to represent South Africa at the World Champs. As the founder of the Valley Electrical Titan Racing Team, my goal would be to see the team continue to grow. I strongly believe that we have a good thing going with the brands we have chosen to partner with as they believe in our dream and our futures. Our longer-term goals for the team would be to win the African jersey in the Absa Cape Epic along with other iconic South African stage races such as Tankwa Trek and Wines to Whales.

Being in a team has been a childhood dream of mine, but later on that dream developed into starting my own team and managing it. After a year or so of planning and looking for the right opportunity, the moment arose and I grabbed it with both hands. I believe starting the Valley Electrical Titan Racing Team has created an amazing opportunity for the future talent of South Africa to receive the necessary support to chase their own dreams. I see all the team members as my friends and we really do get along well.

We are a like-minded young group who enjoy learning from each other at every opportunity. Cycling can be quite a lonely sport as it requires endless hours of training and sacrifice, often to be done alone. Being a part of the team makes us have mutual respect for each other as we know what it takes and having a team to share the positive and the negative moments with makes it a whole lot easier and ultimately enjoyable.”

The team has already raced the Momentum Medical Scheme Tankwa Trek, presented by Biogen, in 2022. Photo by Shift Media Co.

Naming Partners 2022:

For us to have come this far in the last four years, none of this would have been possible without our loyal partners that have been with us from the start.

Valley Electrical Contractors and Titan Racing Bikes will remain the naming partners of our team with a variety of new and existing partners that we are excited to start this journey with.