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here was a time ,
T not too long ago , when road cycling in SA was all about racing . Not bike packing , not coffee riding , just balls to the wall , bleeding to survive in the fastest bunch you could . We were inspired by riders like Alan van Heerden , ‘ the idol ’ who won a stage at the Giro d ’ Italia in 1979 and Ernst ‘ Ertjies ’ Bezuidenhout who dominated the Rapport Tour in the early 80s . These were the glory days , before apartheid sanctions stopped South Africans racing internationally . We turned our attention to the televised Tour de France where legendary riders like Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault dazzled us , before the now infamous Lance show truly catapulted cycling into the limelight , resulting in a massive growth in the sport . Fortunately amateur and social riders had been bitten by the fun bug and felt the health benefits , so doping scandals had little effect outside the pro peloton . Local road races like The Argus and 94.7 grew to accommodate 30 000 riders . The sport had become a lifestyle and passion for so many . Nowadays on any weekend morning , anywhere , you will find hundreds of riders crowding coffee shops and roads , enjoying time out on anything from classic steel frames to dikwiels , tandems and state-of-the-art 7kg carbon weapons .
This global boom in cycling was recently given another boost when lockdown saw
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loving the ride frustrated riders longing for time-out back on the roads . Once regulations softened , races sold out fast as we returned to the fun of riding among our brethren . Even a rain-drenched , cold and windy Cape Town Cycle Tour this year saw thousands braving the storm to ‘ soak up ’ the privilege of racing .
I recently visited a local cycling clothing manufacturer . It started with five people in 2015 ; now it has 280 employees pumping out exceptional quality clothing for local and export markets ( see our review on their winter jacket on p31 ). Bike manufacturers too have
enjoyed unprecedented sales . The downside is that the supply chain was turned upside down and now component and frame manufacturers can ’ t get close to keeping up with demand . By 2023 we should be back on track and you can upgrade to the bike of your dreams , like the Trek Madone on p30 . We ’ ve just recorded our latest Zwift podcast with
Dr Ross Tucker and David George . It was fascinating to hear these two experts discuss the convoluted world of performance doping . David made peace with his past that was part of a dark era for pro sport where success relied on breaking rules . He now offers huge value to riders as an expert on bike fit , tech and training . It ’ s the same for Ross who spoke out bravely 20 years ago and made a huge impact on the subject globally . He ruffled feathers and is now content to enjoy the sport and not have to deal with politics . Progress is definitely being made by authorities ,
No need to rush my 28th Tour – this is why I ride .
I WILL ALWAYS TREASURE EVERY RIDE FOR THE LIFE- BALANCING TIME OUT ” especially in cycling which has the strictest controls of any sport . You can listen to the fascinating podcast at BikeRunTri . co . za .
Ultimately pleasure is what life is all about . We have enough stress paying the bills – bike time is metime and you deserve lots of it . The greatest show on earth , described in minute detail over our 160 + pages ,
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celebrates fascinating tactical racing by supreme athletes competing on the most scenic and historic canvas imaginable . This is what will inspire you to seek out the longest , steepest climb in your hood or head out to the Karoo to try a gravel race like I did ( read about it on p16 ). As you ’ ll see in our race diary on p50 there are hundreds of races around our county . Once Le Tour ends it will be time to rebuild your base and before you know it the 947 Ride Joburg and Old Mutual Wealth Double Century will be upon us – time flies while you ’ re having fun , with a purpose .
I can ’ t wait for the spring and getting back to race strength , but will always treasure every ride for the endorphins , scenery and lifebalancing time out . Life is too short to rush .
Long may my daughters brave a nasty day out to spend quality time with their dad on our tandem , smiling after the race pack blew us off the back in the first kilometre . It ’ s absurd that given the massive numbers of cyclists and the appeal of women ’ s sports like tennis and mountain biking that it has taken this long for our sport to represent genders equally . We are proud to have put together an edition that finally includes a women ’ s Tour . Even more so of our cover star Ashleigh Moolman Pasio ( see p22 ) who was instrumental in developing women ’ s cycling to this point . We can ’ t wait to see what will come of her Tour Femme .
Paul Ingpen FOLLOW US
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PHOTOGRAPHS : SANDY COFFEY , ACTION PHOTO |
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10 | TOUR DE FRANCE 2022 |