Youth cyclists set to race in Netherlands
Kinetics Club team took 9 medals in Oudtshoorn this month
AFTER winning the South African National Road & TT Championship, 11 cyclists from the Kinetics Cycling Club will race at the European International Youth Cycling tour in Assen, Netherlands, later this year.
Chairperson of the Kinetics Cycling Club, O’Ryan Bruintjies, said there was no secret recipe to their cycling success. The team won nine medals at the championships in Oudtshoorn on February 5.
“Our team constantly wins because of the hard team work. I am very proud of the riders on their amazing feats,” he said.
Jessie Munton, 11, is among those who will demonstrate their pedalling skills in the Netherlands. She was also among the four gold medallists, winning the under-13 category at the championships.
“I was inspired by my brother, also a cyclist, to start taking the sport seriously. When I started I had no clue what I was doing and I won the championships!”
Munton said this was her greatest achievement and could not wait to participate abroad for the first time.
“Participating in Oudtshoorn served as my training and hopefully I will continue to make my parents and team proud,” she said.
Jason Bruintjies, 14, who started cycling four years ago, never knew he would be good as he too didn’t take cycling seriously. But now he hopes to become a professional cyclist.
“When I started, I did it for fun. My father, who was a cyclist, persuaded me. I had to grow in the sport and it started being a great part of my life. This will be my second international cycle race, and we have started extensive training,” Bruintjies said.
Last year he was one of the four youth cyclists who participated in Netherlands.
He said his first international race was an eye-opener: faster and more competitive than expected.
O’Ryan Bruintjies said the team still needed help financially.
“We have a financial problem and hopefully will get all the funds. We should be leaving July 25: the race begins on the 30th and ends on August 4. We would really appreciate any help,” he said.