Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 124, November 2019 | Page 60

MULTISPORT & CYCLING
media interviews and I’m getting requests from
corporates to deliver motivational talks. I’ve
received a lot of support.”
Runner to Rider
While Letshego has had to get back on the
‘proverbial bike’ to piece her life back together,
she doesn’t need any prompting to get back onto
her actual bike. “I’m a runner, first and foremost,
while Gugu was a cyclist,” she says. “But I took
to riding because I wanted an activity we could do
together.”
“One day he arrived home with ‘his’ and ‘hers’ bikes and said he’d
signed us up for the 947. So there I was, never having learnt to ride a bike
before, having to master it in a matter of weeks. I did enjoy the race, actually, but I
still remember that I kept getting off the bike to run instead, so Gugu was riding his
bike and pushing mine at the same time, and then he would persuade me to get
back on again and carry on riding.”
Since then, Letshego has completed another eight 947 Cycle Challenge races. “It
is a beautiful race. You cycle through Johannesburg, where the roads are usually
clogged with traffic, enjoying a complete road-closure. It is also really social.
For me, it is not about achieving a particular time. I often take along a friend to
encourage him or her to start cycling.”
The first time biokineticist and
adventurer Letshego Zulu got on
a bike was 11 years ago, just a few
weeks before her first 947 Cycle
Challenge. Now she is a seasoned
rider with numerous gruelling
races under her belt. We sat down with her ahead of the
Discovery 947 Ride Joburg on 17 November to discuss the
upcoming race, and the recent release of her new book.
O
ne of the motto’s that Letshego Zulu lives by is “Don’t let life floor you – get
back on your bike.” That is one of the central themes of her best-selling
book, I Choose to Live: Life after Losing Gugu, which was released in book
stores around the country in July this year. It describes the loss of her beloved
husband, racing champion Gugu Zulu, on a climbing trip on Mount Kilimanjaro, and
her journey towards acceptance.
“The book is selling really well, which has been a great surprise for me,” she
says. “It’s still in the Top 10 best-sellers in Exclusive Books. I’ve done about 30
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ISSUE 124 NOVEMBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Keeping it Simple
Letshego rides a Trek Lexa, which she bought three years ago. It isn’t the top of
the range, but it was within her budget at the time and it does the job. She doesn’t
spend a lot of money on her other equipment, although she says it is worth buying
good-quality cycling pants, for bum comfort throughout the race.
Similarly, she doesn’t have a particular training programme for the Ride Joburg,
because she maintains a level of fitness throughout the year, so she knows she can
manage the distance quite easily. Letshego engages in some form of activity six
days a week: During the week, she trains at the gym, including using the wattbike,
and on the weekend, she’ll run one day and cycle the next, usually at the Cradle of
Humankind.
So what motivates her to keep cycling, and to do Ride Joburg each year? “I
enjoy it, and I like looking good! Also, I normally raise funds for charity, whether
it’s a running or a cycling race.” In recent events, she has raised funds for cancer
charities, and says Kids Kicking Cancer is one that is particularly close to her
heart. “I have lost two family members to cancer,” she explains. “I’ve also visited
hospitals in Gauteng where Kids Kicking Cancer is treating children, and I find it
really heart-wrenching. As part of my contribution, I also hosted
a fundraising dinner on my birthday to raise money for
the organisation.”
Essential Advice
Meanwhile, Letshego’s top tips for
finishing the Ride Joburg in good
nick are simple:
• Stay well hydrated, because it
is usually extremely hot. Take
an energy drink and water,
and sip often.
• Take snacks or bars that
your body is used to – don’t
try anything new on race
day.
• If you are quite new to
cycling, make sure your bike
is properly set up for your
height by an expert.
Ready
to Ride
Joburg
She regards the eight-day Cape Epic as the hardest race she has ever done, far
harder than the one-day Cape Town Cycle Tour or the Discovery 947 Ride Joburg.
When we spoke to her, she had just completed the four-day cycle from Soweto to
the Nelson Mandela capture site in Howick, as part of the Nelson Mandela Legacy
Ride4Hope.