“ I CAN ’ T RESIST THIS OASIS OF HUMAN ENERGY AND I ’ M HAPPY TO RIDE SOLO TO TRULY SMELL THE FLOWERS AND LISTEN TO THE BIRDSONG ”
ed ’ s letter
AFRICAN ADVENTURES ARE SOUL FOOD
IT ’ S 8.30AM IN A DUSTY KRAAL beside a small , brightly painted school . Last night was spent in a tent on the shores of Lake Naivasha in Kenya , listening to a chorus of fish eagles and hippos just metres away , so I ’ m blissed out and in no hurry . Beckoned by tiny hands , I ’ m now stopped in a remote village high up on Mount Suswa , straddling my bike among a hive of wide-eyed pre teens . The rest of the riders have long since headed up the road for yet another long day in the African sun exploring the wilderness , but I can ’ t resist this oasis of human energy and I ’ m happy to ride solo to truly smell the flowers and listen to the birdsong .
The brave kids are touching my bike and stroking my hairy forearms while the shy ones stand back , unsure of who this unusual-looking human is , and how he got here . Even the goats and chickens are giving me a wide berth . My remote dropper saddle magic trick only adds to some of their suspicion that I may be from another universe , but the sheer roar of amazement draws every adult and studious kid out of the shadows . By the time we had sung silly made-up songs together , given a bunch of them a chance to ride around the yard – and crash into walls before they could work our where the brakes were – I ’ d developed a tiny bond with many . But I had to ride on , now a long way behind the field , but amped to explore another day of unique landscapes and more magic moments . To make leaving even harder , two sweet young girls chose to run effortlessly beside me for over a kilometre . “ Have a wonderful life ”, I said as we waved goodbye .
This snapshot of a moment in time , unplugged from my busy life back home , away from my desk and with fresh mountain air in my lungs , is an example of why spending time on a bike exploring the planet is so incredibly fulfilling . Having travelled extensively to ride my mountain bike in many unique destinations for so many years , I cannot imagine this world viewed from tar roads through car windows . Hopefully most of us grew up with lots of time outside with sunshine on our skin and the wind in our hair as we explored our neighbourhoods on any
kind of bike . That feeling is deeply embedded in our cellular membranes and as adults , often stuck inside offices and behind steering wheels with deadlines and to-do lists on our minds , this healthy freedom is rare and easy to neglect . ( Look out for the full story of our Rift Valley Odyssey experience in the Autumn 2025 edition .)
“ I CAN ’ T RESIST THIS OASIS OF HUMAN ENERGY AND I ’ M HAPPY TO RIDE SOLO TO TRULY SMELL THE FLOWERS AND LISTEN TO THE BIRDSONG ”
While out there pedalling our way over mountain tops , fellow riders concur that were it not for mountain bikes and events that access remote and off-limit spaces , we would never have had the privilege of immersing ourselves in such rarely explored places . On p44 you can read about one such recent riding experience in the deep bush surrounding Vic Falls , along the very edge of the Batoka Gorge , the mighty Zambezi roaring below . Four days of quality time-out with my coporate rat-racer mate Simon , chewing the fat of life , dancing with locals and drinking beer after a wild rafting tour down the river , were richly rewarding moments .
Africa is for us the ultimate adventure with so much raw unspoiled nature and a massive variety of cultures , foods , languages , wild animals and indigenous plant life . That said , imagine riding a bike through exotic destinations like Bhutan ( p30 ) in the Himalayas or the desert in Morocco ( p68 ).
While celebrating all things African , let ’ s take a moment to revel in the insane 2024 results of our two leading riders , Alan Hatherly and Candice Lill . No South African rider has won elite XCO World Champs and a medal at the Olympics , and no female rider has podiumed at the UCI World Series – but Alan and Candice now have ! Mooi-so mense ! Enjoy reading their reflections on p24 and 56 . Speaking to Candice , it ’ s clear that another South African , coach to the stars Barry Austin , has had a big role to play in the success of many of the riders he coaches . We were fascinated to understand why , so we had to pin down the very humble spotlight-dodger to hear all about why he thinks there ’ s still so much room for improvement in athletes ( p86 ). You too may feel energised by the idea that more scientific analysis of your riding , the race courses you ride , and mindfulness of your life and riding environments , can deliver enormous performance gains .
If all this inspiration has you motivated to end the year with some quality training time to attack 2025 , then scroll to page 142 for our race calendar . Train safely , stash your trash and be lekker to fellow trail chommies .
paul @ electricink . co . za bikeruntri . co . za
Mountain Bike SA
@ mountainbikesa
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
12 | MTB | proud as punch