Cycling Whole Life Coaching for @Risk African Kids

We had a fairly favorable winter for cycling in Stellenbosch this year. Although one of the events we attended turned into a complete mud bath. That’s all part of the fun and adventure. The Western Province Schools league had great weather during their events and we had over twenty of our children partaking in this year’s league.  It’s always great to see how much the children are encouraged in their cycling when they have the opportunity to test their fitness and skills against others their own age, while fun is the main focus. One of the small girls couldn’t stop asking when the next event would be. Even though performance and podium positions are not our main goals, we make room for those who do like to compete and enjoy developing their physical talents. Two of our older riders have been selected to join an elite racing team as part of their squad to compete in the three-day Wine to Whales race at the beginning of November. One of our old beneficiaries is already a permanent member of this team and he has won many local and national events, following his dream of becoming a professional cyclist. The Wine to Whales Exxaro Category (for development riders) has been won by him previously, but this year he aims to win the general category with one of his teammates.

During the short October school holiday, we took a group of eight older boys from the project to a one-day bicycle mechanic course. It was great fun for all of them to learn and practice the new skills. Having the foundation of these skills has often opened the doors to employment opportunities for many of our older beneficiaries. The principle of maintenance and looking after valuable things is a very important skill by itself, which is often not taught in their homes. The maintenance of body, soul, and spirit are all topics we often talk about and even apply the principle to relationships and other applications.   

Some of the most regular and consistent boys were also selected to attend a youth camp during the school holiday, which had a positive and tangible impact on them. The change in attitude and behavior was very visible after the camp. We still talk about some of the topics during our mentoring meetings and training rides.

The mentoring sessions have been going very well. We’re currently working through a One Hope resource called Book of Hope. Topics like sexuality are very relevant to them and open up great discussions for impartation to happen where it’s much needed. 

The last term is normally jam-packed with activity, and the year will be done before we can wipe the sweat from our brows...

Since our last news update, we’ve had a number of events and even some that were cancelled. We also have a new volunteer named Marinus, who truly loves riding with the kids and teaching them important things about life and cycling.

We’ve upgraded our container a little by welding hooks to the sides. Now we can utilize the space much better and we are able to finally use the very small bicycles for the kids who have just gotten introduced to the sport of cycling and started riding with us for the first time.

The Skynamo Cross Challenge (Triathlon) at the Grabouw Country Club was such fun. With the various volunteers filling our teams, mostly for the swimming leg, it was really great to compete together and get to know them well in the process. Two of our teams for the Sprint event also took the podium in first and second position.

Next was the Cape Town Cycle Tour. The event got a bit rainy and it was said the event has not seen as much rain since 1987. It was fun to experience the tour in a different way due to the rain, which is part of the adventure of cycling. We are always very glad to finish the event without any injuries. Since riding that far with so many participants, there’s a relatively good chance of getting involved in a crash. Our one rider did have bicycle problems and had to be transported to the finish of the 109km event.

On the 2^nd of April we would have done the XCO SA Champs event at Coetzenburg, Stellenbosch, but the event was cancelled due to extremely windy conditions. The night before the event, the wind started blowing in gale force, measuring over 50 km/h. The race village was a complete mess with gazebos and bunting all over the place the morning when the race had to start. Trees were also blown over and blocked the track, so the organizers had no choice but to cancel it.

Later in April, we had a very enjoyable and long training ride in the Winelands Trails with the new Winelands Trail Annual Permits we received that same morning. After doing an easy warm-up loop next to Somerbosch Wine Cellar, we headed for the slopes of the Helderberg, where the well-maintained trails winding through vineyards, orchards and fynbos lead us to the wonderful flowing single track. It’s incredible to have local clubs supporting our team with complimentary access to their trails. We’re so grateful. Thanks, Winelands