Student 24/7 Feb 2014 | Page 23

SPORT IT’s cycling academics Annette Willemse Getting out of the office and taking part in some form of sport is an important way many staff members on the Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University (NWU Vaal) choose to unwind at the end of a busy day or week. Roelien Goede Staying healthy and managing stress in today’s day and age are things we all struggle with; for Prof Roelien Goede from the School of Information Technology within the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology, this is also what inspires her to keep on cycling. For the past ten years she has been cycling for both recreation and competition. To date she has completed five Cape Argus cycle tours and four 94.7 cycle challenges. Her best times in these events fall in the above average range for the category she competes in. When training for an event she tries to cycle 1 500km in the ten weeks prior to the event. Advice she would give to any enthusiastic cyclist is to show lots of commitment and to practice effective time management. It is important to make the time to train and participate in events. also plays tennis and golf – indeed a sporting enthusiast. She started cycling back in 1998 and belongs to the Riverside Pedal Pals cycling club. Over the years she has competed in thirteen Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle tours, and will be competing in her fourteenth come March 2014. During January she will also be competing in the 2014 Fast One Cycle Race. Ms Gilliland increases her strength by exercising in the gym, as strength is a very important factor when taking on steep inclines such as Chapman’s Peak and Suikerbossie. Furthermore, she believes in a healthy lifestyle and that taking on challenges, mentally and physically, is a good thing. Her advice to anyone wanting to take up cycling as a sport is that you should remember to be very careful, alert and visible when you do road cycling, and adds that cycling is a very good way of keeping fit. Top: Sonja Gililand is an avid sports lady, with cycling being only one of her talents. Left: Roelien Goeded loves the cycle and has the tours to prove it. You to can be a cycle enthusiast! Make sure you pop by Building 24 G02 (Sports Office) to find out how to join! Prof Goede will be competing in the Cape Argus this year. Sonja Gilliland Enjoying the outdoors and the scenery of our beautiful country are just two reasons to take up cycling as a sport. Ms Sonja Gilliland - another lecturer within the School of Information Technology, not only cycles for these reasons, but also to keep fit and to stay healthy. She doesn’t limit het active lifestyle to only cycling; she Student 24/7 - 23