Spencer swaps rugby boots for mountain bike
FORMER Eastern Province Kings coach and All Black rugby legend Carlos Spencer has teamed up with seasoned adventure racer and five-time Absa Cape Epic finisher Clinton Mackintosh to race the Epic as team Land Rover Disco 2s in the Dimension Data masters category.
Spencer was quick to fire off the first chirp in what is sure to be an entertaining battle between him, his partner and the numerous ex-Springboks taking on the 2018 Absa Cape Epic when it was announced that he would be riding.
“Let’s hope they’re better on a mountain bike than they are on the rugby pitch,” the famously mischievous Spencer quipped when asked if he would be racing the Springboks like Butch James and Joel Stransky.
Having spent seven years playing and coaching in South Africa, Spencer is no stranger to the country, the landscape and the Epic.
“I heard so much about the Epic and what an awesome event it was,” he said.
“For me it’s the personal challenge, to have that chance to complete such a tough event while taking in some of the best scenery in the world.”
While an up-and-coming rugby player, Spencer also raced BMXs competitively for 11 years before taking up mountain biking as a hobby in more recent years.
He is all too aware that the challenge of completing the Epic will be a significant one, especially as he will have to balance training with his coaching duties for Japan’s Munakata Sanix Blues.
When asked about his goal for the race, he responded: “To finish it first and foremost, but to challenge myself and finish in a time I can be proud of.” Helping him achieve that will be Mackintosh. He is the captain of the Cyanosis Adventure Racing team, a South African-based team which competes internationally in the Adventure Racing World Series, and a five-time Absa Cape Epic finisher.
His most recent participation in the Untamed African Mountain Bike Race came in 2010 when he finished 84th overall and he is once again aiming for a top-100 finish, after a seven-edition sabbatical.
“Every year it got tougher and tougher to place in the top 100,” he said,
“For 2018, our main goal is to finish and in doing so enjoy every moment, but we are both competitive by nature so it should be a fun eight days.”