Birthday surprise will see family suffering up Suikerbossie on Sunday
THE CAPE Town Cycle Tour is taking place this Sunday, and for many it is a thrilling and unforgettable experience offering a chance to test each cyclist's skill and endurance while simultaneously giving cyclists the opportunity of taking in the natural beauty and cultural richness of Cape Town.
The Cape Town Cycle Tour, which was known as The Argus until a change in sponsor in 2015, is the largest individually timed cycling event in the world, attracting around 35,000 participants each year.
The route of the Tour is a scenic 109-kilometre loop around the Cape Peninsula, starting and finishing in the city centre of Cape Town. The ride takes cyclists through breathtaking scenery, including the picturesque coastal towns of Hout Bay and Simon's Town, as well as the iconic Chapman's Peak Drive and the challenging climbs of Suikerbossie and Smitswinkel.
Cycling for 109 kilometres uphill and downhill is not easy, and your fitness level should be somewhat better than the Mr Average Joe on the street. You would have needed to put in the time and effort to practice, getting in that saddle time and getting your legs used to the burning sensation that cycling brings.
Fortunately most people have put in that physical training and mental preparations, spending months getting ready for the race. But for some, well, let's just say that cycling the Cape Town Cycle Tour came as a big shock.
Edrich Fourie from Kimberley explained to the DFA just how it came about that his whole family was entered into the Tour, without them even knowing.
“Sitting in his home in Amsterdam sometime last year, my brother Benje Fourie was planning to come back home in March this year to spend his birthday with his family in South Africa.
“He was wondering what would be a great way to spend some time together with his family and while they are at it, get in some adventure and exercise at the same time.
“Benje’s mind immediately went to the Cape Argus (Cape Town Cycle Tour). So in November last year, he signed up my family to be part of the cycle tour, and when he received confirmation that all of us were signed up, he broke the news to us.”
Speak about a family spending quality time together
“My brother Benje Fourie, father Etienne Fourie, uncle Tiaan de Necker, two cousins Doré van Schalkwyk and Anja de Necker, as well as Doré’s husband Eben were all signed up,” Edrich continues.
“It came as a shock to us because we have never ridden the Argus, let alone cycled more than 50 kilometres anywhere. For my cousin Anja, it was a huge shock because doing something like this has never been on her mind, but after hearing that she was signed up, she started taking this very seriously,” he said.
“My uncle and brother are the only two people that actually cycle and own bikes, so the rest of us are borrowing and renting bikes for this event. My father and I have now put in some saddle time, and the furthest we have gone is about 56 kilometres. Needless to say, we are not very fit at all and we are not planning on breaking any records.”
Speaking to the DFA over a Whatsapp call from Amsterdam, Benje explained that his plan was to get everybody together in one place.
“I wanted the whole family together in Cape Town, but unfortunately my grandmother can't make it with us due to some health problems, she was really excited to come,” he said.
Benje further explained that he booked everybody into the same hotel so that they all can be together as a family.
Asked if he thought that everybody would make it to the end of the race, Benje said sure, slowly but surely we will cross the line as a family.
Benje even went as far as designing the kit for each member of the family.
“I had this picture in my mind of the Cape mountains with our family's names on the shirt, so I found a lady who put my vision into reality and printed the Fourie family cycling shirts for us,” he said.
When asked what he hopes to achieve entering his family into the Argus, Benje said that he just wants his family to be together while he is in South Africa and while they are at it, hoping that they would start getting fit and continue to cycle when he goes back to Amsterdam, saying, “I want us all to get in some exercise, bonding over the 109 kilometres as a family and just enjoying being together.”
Come what may, the Fourie family is signed up and ready to tackle the Cape Town Cycle Tour this Sunday, and hopefully, all of them will finish and accomplish Benje’s dream of completing the Tour as a family.