New Dimensions

There are opposing circumstances in life. You get poor and rich, depressed and ecstatic, naïve and clever, failure and success, fear and faith, sick and healthy, ignorance and knowledge, loneliness and friendship, death and life. What do we make of them? You can hardly go through life without being touched by these contrasting experiences. I grew up in a poor family, yet experienced the comforting love of a wonderful mother who always saw the best in me. Her words of praise laid a valuable foundation for my life. I believe that her exceptional example has overflowed into my life. As a result I also excelled in the classroom and on the athletics field. In the ways of the world I was naïve and wasn’t prepared for the disappointments from people bent on manipulation and self-interest. As a young boy I was sickly, being hospitalized at the age of four. The doctors eventually discovered a rare blood disorder called hereditary spherocytosis that left me weak and anaemic. My fami

It was another lap we were engaging as Maggie and I made our way up the hill – I accompanied her for support. Having reached the top we carefully cycled down the other side as the sun tried to mop up the wet patches from the previous night’s rain. In our team, the Spider Riders, we believed in safety and provided assistance and guidance where necessary. Teamwork and camaraderie was our motto. Going downhill I lagged behind so that Maggie could find her own rhythm on this very technical section, encouraging her all the way. Zoom! An airborne hotshot flashed past me only touching ground here and there as he literally flew downhill. He miscalculated and, with an agonizing clunk of metal, hit Maggie’s bike from behind, both riders and bikes flew in opposite directions. Stunned, an awkward moment of silence ensued as they tried to recover from the unexpected collision. Slowly both riders got up and looked around in disbelief, having survived the massive impact. The hotshot apolo

Having made it back to our tent it wasn’t long before I retired to my bed and sank into a deep sleep with not a worry in the world – at least I felt safe again amongst my kin. The previous time we raced at Parys we set up camp right next to the hall where the competition was being run and they had the music so loud that those needing a bit of shut-eye before their next turn on the course found it almost impossible to sleep. Realising that this would be a factor again we pitched our tents far away enough to avoid the booming sound. Competing in a 24-hour race means that you have to endure whatever conditions prevail at the time not succumbing to any desire to quit. The sooner you can get into your groove and master your share of the cycling the better because you are part of a team that depends on you. This is also where the weaker links soon come to the forefront due to the pressure because it ain’t easy. Total commitment is paramount. Anyway, back to my next lap. Before “the cr

What happened next? The weak headlamp mounted on my helmet would have to do as I entered the dark, wet forest as I felt lost and alone. The silence hung in the air like the whole world had stopped to watch my next move with baited breath – only being broken by the wheels beneath me crunching on the damp earth. As I piloted my bike along the winding track through the undergrowth I was confronted by an awesome spectacle which cannot be described by mere words. Maybe the invisible beings lurking in the darkness had pity on me for I was treated to the most unusual sight I have ever seen. A night-time garden scene like the movie Avatar seemed to play itself out before my eyes. The light on my helmet burst in all directions off the wet leaves in that forest in a surreal way, glowing with fluorescent brilliance – a virtual magical spectacle. My spirit lifted immediately giving me new strength to get the hell out of there. It felt as if I had been given a head start before those imaginar

As we mounted our mountain bikes early this morning to set a positive tone for the day I spied a man with a makeshift trolley down one road to my right. A few seconds later I decided to make a u-turn and head in his direction. I stopped next to him and saw the worried look on his face – he probably thought I was going to complain about what he was doing. Setting his mind at rest I boldly said that I wanted to photograph him and then I asked him about his work. Stoney is a collector of plastics and other recyclable waste materials and hails from the other side of Esselen Park near Tembisa. From this I deduced that he dwells in a squatter village next to the railway line. I enquired how much he earns for his load of plastic materials and he told me that it usually is twenty rand. Can you imagine trying to live off R 20.00 a day? That’s like $2. What a humbling experience it was talking to this man. Here is someone doing an excellent job of helping recycle the world, scraping toget

With all the excitement of yesterday we were really looking forward to another wonderful, sunny day, but it never happened because a chill came along carried by the wings of the wind turning our efforts into a struggle against the elements. We took the good with the bad and accepted the challenge. After all that's what cycling is all about. We've experienced a lot worse during our 24 hour race in Parys where I endured a power failure on the LED headlight I had borrowed from Sean, my son-in-law whilst riding in a thick forest of trees in the pitch dark with the pale moon hidden behind clouds of rain - sounds scary, hey? I could just about visualize the gremlins ready to pounce on this lonesome rider and almost saw their beady little eyes sizing me up from those dark corners. That was after I made my way past the gloomy graveyard where the lights played tricks with my mind and I almost landed in an open tomb. Most of the time you ride alone in the wet, dark night all shiverin

I reset my saddle, rinsed off my bike, pumped the rear tyre a bit harder and away we went on a glorious Spring afternoon into a feast of scents from the neighbourhood gardens, smiling all the way. We enjoyed a leisurely ride winding under arching trees on our familiar course - not too far for a first ride, but enough to get some freshness into our our long dormant limbs. A majestic sunset greeted us as we returned in the fading light, the tiny LED's alerting oncoming traffic of our presence. Four courteous drivers slowed down to make way for us. As we parked our bikes in the shed we determined to repeat this enjoyable process early tomorrow morning again, so we added some extra LED's to Maggie's bike. Everyone has their passion. Some lift weights to mould their bodies into glorious sculptures while others dance over swords for enjoyment - the list goes on. We cycle to de-stress and unwind with the added benefit of healthier bodies that won't end up developing into