Stage 3 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic started well for the Citi Change a Life 1 team. 18-year-old Lindo Ngubo and 28-year-old Nkulu Pewa were revelling in the buzz of the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race, handily placed in the top third of the field. Not for long.
Just past the first water point of the day, Ngubo’s freehub decided to give up the ghost; he could soft-pedal, but as soon as any pressure went onto the pedals, it slipped. They make them tough in Kwazulu-Natal’s Valley of a Thousand Hills. And even tougher under the wing of endurance legend Martin Dreyer, within his Citi Change a Life Academy.
Small problem. The short run/roll to the second water point at 32km seemed to be for no reason; nobody had a fix for the fast-disintegrating freehub internals. “I suggested to him that it wasn’t that far to the tech zone at water point three,” said Richard McMartin, one of the Hyenas who sweeps the last riders in every day at the Absa Cape Epic. “I was actually half-joking - it was more than 30km away, and Lindo could only freewheel the descents, the rest he had to run. ‘Half of it will be downhill.’ He saw it as a solution, and off we went.”
At this point, Ngubo was stone last, with the Hyenas pacing anxiously. He had sent Pewa off to make sure he finished the stage, and settled into a route march that would bring a tear to Dreyer’s eye. But the mechanical gods weren’t finished with Citi Change a Life 1. Pewa made good time to water point three, stocked up for the last 40km and shot off towards the finish in Greyton. Just a few kilometres down the road: Bang! One rear derailleur, off to meet its maker. “I had to make my bike into a singlespeed, and just get on with it.”
Martin Dreyer is no stranger to this kind of no-hope adversity, a multiple Absa Cape Epic finisher, Freedom Challenge record holder and more. “My goodness, that’s true grit, hey. It makes me so proud to have guys like this in the team. Lindo’s a youngster, and the tenacity he showed today was beyond his years. These guys don’t have it easy. They live in a very rural setting without many luxuries, and their bike is a way of expressing themselves. Lindo’s character just blossomed today. We live by a saying in the academy; ‘adversity is the breakfast of champions.’ When plan A falls apart, you go to plan B. Or C. Today I think he went to plan D.”
Ngubo made it to water point three. It took him a shade under four hours to scramble 30km. By now he was beyond stone last, but hope still hadn’t faded. A jury-rig repair saw him off… but for all of a kilometre. The slow walk back to the tech zone was the end of it. Surely.
But, did we mention they breed them tough in KZN?
A spectator handed over a fully-functional bike - totally within the rules, but carrying an inconsequential, in the circumstances, one-hour penalty for the team. The Hyenas’ day was about to get messy - it isn’t often they get to ride full speed for extended periods - as Lindo’s lifeline saw him chase back to Pewa’s wheel a few kilometres before the finish. “I heard from people on the course he was riding again, so I wanted to wait so we could finish together.” Finish they did, with a shade under seven minutes left of the nine-hour maximum stage time for the day.
“These guys are mentally tough. They are born into it. Lindo has learnt so much of himself today, in his first Epic. This will empower him in future adversity in overcoming the impossible. Nkulu, man he was third in the Exxaro Special Jersey last year, and here he is guiding a youngster so maturely. These guys are tough. They just need the support structures to excel. They showed what they’re truly made of today.”
Big Box Containers provided Lindo and Nkulu with the chance to enjoy two nights of comfort in their Big Box Sleeper Container after an incredibly demanding stage.
Karl Platt and Christoph Sauser win NTT Masters category in fine style
