Modern Cyclist Magazine Issue 3, November 2014 | Página 29

freedom ride MC

“They said to me ‘Why don’t you put like
tread on your tyres and do the mountain
bike challenge?’ so I rode both. And I
have also done the Pick ‘n Pay Argus
Cycle Tour, so yes I absolutely love
cycling,” Alex explained.
In 2013, Alex even challenged his father
– also Alex – to ride both events with him,
which he did.
“It’s quite a cool experience having my
old man doing it with me. He did both
the mountain bike race and the road
race with me and it was a blast,” Alex
reminisced.
Unfortunately for the Caige family, but
perhaps not totally unexpectedly seeing
that cycling is a dangerous sport, the
experience of riding the Momentum 947
Mountain Bike Challenge was not without
drama.
“My dad actually took a bad fall and
broke a little bone in his foot. I can’t
remember exactly where it happened,
but coming down one of the hills, there
was a wooden bridge with a little ditch on
the other side and he tumbled into that
ditch,” he explained.
But, to his credit, Alex senior finished the 55
kilometre Momentum 947 Mountain Bike
Challenge together with Alex junior.
“It was awesome,” he commented, “to
cross the finish line with my dad, my uncle
and my cousin. The two brothers and the
two cousins finishing it together. We came
over the line together after supporting
each other the whole way.”
Being the person that he is, he actually
helped and supported a friend of his
during the road event last year.
“It was her first time,” he explained, “and
she struggled so I told her I’d stay with her.
She actually took between eight and nine
hours so that was a long, long ride.”
He stayed with her right until the end
“because it is nice to have somebody
supporting you when you ride the race for
the first time.”
Alex explained that this act of goodwill
stems from the fact that his father
supported him when he rode his first
Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge in 2012.
And which event, the road or the
mountain bike, does Alex prefer?
“Its two completely different rides. But if
I must be honest, I prefer mountain bikes
because of the adrenaline rush behind
it,” he explained, “You know, you have
to concentrate the whole time. So with

Alex Caige riding
the Momentum 947
Cycle Challenge.
Photo supplied.

the mountain bike challenge, you’ve got
the adrenaline rush and with the road
challenge you’re doing more than 90
kilometres but with the crowds and the
vibe of the event supporting you for most
of the way.”

bikes and I will again ride my mountain
bike with road slick tyres so there is a good
chance that we’ll stick together.”

2014’s route change, in Alex’s opinion, will
make a world of difference.

“You ride past someone and say ‘keep
it up’ and they say back to you ‘keep it
up’ and that’s the cool thing