83-year-old still firm in the saddle
TAKING up the challenge thrown down by his son-in-law‚ Arthur Duncan‚ 83‚ from Howick‚ successfully completed the 260km Adventure event of the three-day KAP sani2c mountain bike stage race.
Duncan took up cycling seriously at 65‚ and has completed the KAP sani2c race five times before‚ but not since 2010.
“My son-in-law invited me to ride with him. I had never thought of doing another sani2c because of my age‚ but when the opportunity came‚ I thought I am going to take on this challenge‚ because I do keep myself fit throughout the year‚” he said after completing the race on Friday.
The KAP sani2c mountain bike stage race started on Tuesday when the Trail event departed from Glencairn Farm in Himeville in the Southern Drakensberg. The Adventure started on Wednesday with Duncan in the saddle‚ and on Thursday the Race event started‚ which attracts the top elite mountain bikers.
All riders travel south on the same path through the Southern Drakensberg‚ down into the Umkomaas Valley‚ through Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve and to the coast at Scottburgh.
According to the organisers, it is the largest mountain bike stage race in the country with more than 4 200 riders taking part.
Duncan decided at 65 that he was going to cycle from the sea to the highest peak in Southern Africa‚ Thabana Ntlenyana‚ in Lesotho.
The three-day ride had him hooked‚ and he has become a multiple national champion in both road cycling and time trial in his age category.
He has represented South Africa in road cycling and went to the UCI Road World Championships last year.
Not satisfied with being an accomplished cyclist in his retirement‚ Duncan also took on the Dusi Canoe Marathon when he was 72‚ and at 77, he did a second Dusi as the oldest competitor that year.
The KAP sani2c race finished on Saturday in Scottburgh‚ with Nico Bell and Matt Beers taking top honours in the men’s race‚ and Amy McDougal and Samantha Sanders winning the women’s race.
Yolandi du Toit and Ben Melt Swanepoel were first in the mixed teams.