Jet Bussemaker: Dutch minister of sport in Cape Town
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Cycling with the Dutch minister of sport
The State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport for the Netherlands, Mrs Jet Bussemaker, paid a visit to the Steenberg based Freewheelers cycling club on Saturday 16 May. I was fortunate enough to be invited to meet with the minister while here.
She and a delegation came to see what the Freewheelers were all about. The club, run by Trevor Knowlden, does a great deal of good, keeping kids off drugs and on bikes.
Trevor also works at BEN, The Bicycling Empowerment Network.
Minister Bussemaker wanted to know what the club was up to and how they go about getting kids to start riding bikes.
Earlier this year a group of Dutch cyclists came to Cape Town as part of an exchange program that saw the Freewheelers visit Holland last year.
The Dutch government contributed to program, making it possible for the locals to attend Dutch training camps, events and do some sight-seeing while over there.
The Dutch riders who came here in turn saw how the locals train, ride and participate and even completed the Aurgus Cycle tour.
Of course she had to promote her country as well and with the Soccer Worldcup around the corner, she came bearing gifts of “Holland” branded soccer balls. Oh well, now I have one of those too….!
Of course she had to promote her country as well and with the Soccer Worldcup around the corner, she came bearing gifts of “Holland” branded soccer balls. Oh well, now I have one of those too….!
Cycling the Freedom Trail in 14 days?
Grant du Toit, and his mate Jaco are sliding into their lycra and cycling from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town along a route known as The Freedom Trail – 34 Degrees South.
The twosome will cycle around 45 – 109km’s per day – without a rest day. Brave… or stupid? We will only find out once they crack open the champers on Mother City soil, nearly 1000km’s and 14 days later! When this twosome is not working in South Africa and the Middle East as ROV Pilots (Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle), they attempt to hide from their better halves by undertaking crazy cycling adventures, scuba diving, flying remote helicopters and… well… drinking lots of beer.
Follow their progress on: http://travelblog.diyatravel.com/south-africa/mountain-bike-trips/
Good luck guys!
Fair Cape MTB race report
This from Mark Prutton:
What a great ride yesterday at the first Fair Cape MTB ride.
I chose the 45km option.
The organisation was fantastic, a ppa event.
The course was well marked with medics, marshals, and traffic officials at all the necessary locations.
There was a very good turn out as we all battled for parking.
The event started 10 or 15 minutes late due to the traffic flow into the venue.
The views were as good as any I have ever experienced. Obviously the weather could not have been better. One of the highlights was riding directly through a cow shed, with animals
eating on both sides of the route. I wanted to reach out and touch the animals but decided against it.
There were great water points with muffins, potatoes, water, small yoghurt bottles, orange juice and Coca-Cola.
At the water point at about the 25km point I stopped and had a great chat with one of the farmers who had ridden his bike to that point. He told me he was done. He was a little out of breath and his tee shirt was soaked with sweat. His rather attractive wife joined in the conversation. She had not done the ride but was quite overwhelmed by how many riders were coming through the farm.
Riding these restricted routes was nothing short of wonderful.
It was quite special to traverse working farms. The route was not technical, but did have two nice climbs, which I rode but many walked. The couple of downhill sections were marshalled with additional signage saying be careful.
At the finish we were offered a cup of Coca-Cola and then we could help ourselves to 500g Fair Cape yoghurt. Some people managed to cycle off with four tubs of yoghurt in their firm grip.
Once again I missed a lucky draw prize by one digit. A case of red wine from one of the estates we crossed, cannot recall the name.
This event was the first held on this land. I can recommend the ride and I shall be doing it again.
W2W "de-briefing" session
Last night the Wines 2 Whales organisers invited all the riders to Ferryman’s in the Waterfront to give them feedback on the event and what to expect in the future.
Here’s the feedback from my riding partner, Mark Prutton, who attended the gathering:
The ride looks like it will be an anual event. The race is on, awaiting dates, either early or late November.
Stillwater Sports will be involved in managing the event.
A DVD was produced with about 5000 pics and some video. Please contact the organisers should you wish to order a copy.
Well, that’s the brief feedback.