About the author :
Kelly Van Der Toorn was born in the UK where she found Greg , her future South African husband , at Cambridge University . She is an ambassador for The Cows and has raced every conceivable permutation of race around the world and podiumed in many . Last year she swam the 7.5km Robben Island swim on three weeks ’ notice . She has 3 children and trains in and alongside the Atlantic Ocean in the Western Cape of South Africa .
dropped handlebar racing bikes that he and my mom owned . I swallowed my pride and rode that bike , stubbornly , for miles to and from piano lessons , horse riding stables , friends ’ houses and often just round and round the village . We rode further afield with my parents , a ten-mile loop in the flat fen farmlands , those eighteen-inch twitchy wheels served to make me stronger .
Within a year or two my dad had traded his beefy pottery smocks for tighter woollen jerseys and cycling shorts . They were lined with a crusty chamois gusset that needed to be softened with oil before wearing it on a ride . Crocheted fingerless gloves . Curious black leather gentleman ’ s shoes , with clip-clop cleats and curled over tasselled tongues completed the look . I knew nothing about cricket , but quickly absorbed everything related to British cycling . I glued myself to the televised City Centre Cycling series and following the continental stars in the Grande Tour de France in July . Our family didn ’ t watch much television , but we made an exception for bike races .
The family bike collection grew faster than n + 1 . Sturdy winter bikes with fixed gears and mudguards , shiny summer bikes with lightweight racing wheels . The acquisition of a tandem launched me fully into the cycling scene , snuggled up behind my dad , relinquishing control and embracing speed with the blind faith and adoration of a pre-teen . He referred to me as ‘ Turbo Boost ’, because of the sudden power surges from behind . I acquired my own cycling kit , replete with crusty chamois , woollen shorts and Sean Yates replica Peugeot cycling top . There were no transgender conversations back then , but I wanted to ride the Tour de France . As a dude . My role models , at this point , were all male . Suffice to say that it was a passing phase , and I am glad that nobody took me to therapy to unpack my identity issues . Cyndi Lauper has a fair point , “ Girls just want to have fun ”. Faced with the option of crippling stilettos or athletic gear , I ’ ve always opted to take the tow path rather than the runway . I have never looked back , since swapping the purple Raleigh Eighteen , with its basket of stuffed toys , for a red handbuilt racing bike . We still uphold the family tradition of ‘ morebikes-than-people ’ in our house in Cape Town . jvroohani @ gmail . com
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