Willie Smit grew up with an alcoholic mother who neglected him. He never went to school, and learned to fend for himself, spending large parts of his early childhood with his friends in the townships, as suburban parents in his area refused to let their children befriend him. But at age 12, child services put him in the custody of his paternal grandparents, and this is when he discovered sport – and cycling. It turned his life around, though he had to overcome some stern challenges in the process, including the Epstein–Barr virus (a type of Herpes), among others. However, his resilience has also made him a two-time Mpumalanga Tour winner, the 2017 African Continental Champion amongst many other, and the latest South African to join a UCI Pro World Tour Team, after he signed with Team Katusha Alpecin. Smit is one of just a hand full of SA riders cycling on the World Tour which includes, the Tour De France, Giro DÍtalia and the Vuelta AÉspana.