Meet the Coach
Rafeeq Safodien
UCI Level One Certified Coach
Cycling has shaped my life since 1995, I’ve evolved alongside the sport, adapting my fitness, mindset, and approach to meet new challenges. My background is in road racing, but my focus has shifted to mountain biking, with a strong emphasis on solo, self-supported ultra-endurance and adventure racing.
I have experienced coaching as a professional athlete, including being coached by sport scientists. This has given me an understanding of the coaching relationship from both sides and has shaped how I work with the riders I coach.
I don’t claim to have all the answers. I do know how to find them. My coaching is grounded in real-world experience, scientific understanding, and a commitment to continuous learning.
Where It Started
My first attempt at The Munga ended early. Lost in the Karoo and unprepared for the mental demands of ultra racing, I scratched. The experience rattled me, but it stayed with me.
I returned in 2016 with greater focus and intent. Late in the race, I was holding 3rd place when a navigation error cost me dearly, and I finished 7th. It wasn’t the result I wanted, but it was a defining moment. I learned how much progress is possible when mindset, preparation, and purpose align. A few weeks later, RIDEANDRACE was born to help others discover that same potential, on the bike and beyond.
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Coaching Philosophy
I coach people first, athletes second. You’re a person with a life before you’re an athlete with a training plan. Training needs to work within that reality.
I use established training principles, current research, experience and the information each athlete gives me to make decisions about their training.
I work best with athletes who value performance without sacrificing long-term health and well-being. Training is a shared responsibility, and the habits and environment around it matter too.
Purpose over novelty... not every workout needs to be different. Good training gives us something to learn from. Repeating the right work helps establish consistency and shows us how you respond. I change things when there is a reason to change them.
Coaching is a two-way process. A coached athlete isn't simply following a training plan. Their feedback and experience are an important part of the process.
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Additional Coaching Experience
Alongside RIDEANDRACE, I work as an Associate Coach at Bike2Max, a small, individualised power-based indoor cycling environment. My role involves working with riders individually, using training data, feedback and observation to determine whether the planned session is appropriate and making adjustments when needed.
The focus is not simply on completing a workout, but on understanding the rider's response.
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Practical Cycling Experience
Before coaching became my main focus, I spent years working with bicycles, including workshop operations, management, retail, servicing and race mechanics. I've supported riders at events including the Cape Epic and worked with hand-cycle athletes in the para-cycling space.
I'm not a specialist bike mechanic offering mechanical services through RIDEANDRACE. But that background influences how I coach and gives me a practical understanding of bikes and equipment, position or mechanical issues that I can draw on when it is relevant to coaching.
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Race Experience
I've raced across road, mountain bike and ultra-endurance disciplines, including:
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12- and 24-hour solo MTB and road racing.
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Self-supported and semi-supported ultra-endurance racing.
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National elite single-day and multi-day stage racing.
Selected results
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Bikingman Oman 2018, 8th overall, 1000km self-supported.
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Munga 2016, 7th overall, 1000km semi-supported.
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Why RIDEANDRACE?
I started RIDEANDRACE after years of racing, learning, being coached and working with other cyclists. The name reflects what I enjoy about cycling: the riding, the racing and everything that happens between the two.
Meaningful progress takes time. I encourage athletes to think in terms of 3-4 months and beyond, giving the coaching process enough time to develop and allowing us to see how the training is working over time.
