The Western Cape BMX squads enjoying their trip to KZN. Photo by Brad Stow.
On Wednesday the 19th of June myself, Bradley Stow, and my partner Nicole Murphy met five very excited kids at the Songo clubhouse in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. We packed their five bikes as well as our two bikes along with all our luggage for the next week into the Toyota van which Specialized Bicycles had kindly loaned to us for the trip. We got off to a bit of a late start and eventually hit the road at around 10am and headed to Bloemfontein for our overnight stop.
Songo.info was represented by the following kids: Likho Mayekiso, Ovayo Ntsege, Awethu Mtekeli , Luminathi Nkoko, and Mihlali Stuurman.
The road trip crew. Photo by Nicole Murphy.
After a good nights rest in Bloemfontein we got off to an early and very cold start on Thursday morning and we were on the road again by 5am. I wanted to get to the Giba Gorge BMX track as early as possible so that we could all have enough time to get comfortable riding the track before official practice started the next day. This takes some pressure off as the official practice sessions can be quite intense, especially if you are not comfortable riding the track yet.
Fortunately we arrived at Giba with plenty of time for the kids to ease into things and stretch their legs after a long drive. That evening we headed to our accommodation in Westville, about a 20min drive from the track and we could all relax for the evening.
Start gate practice. Photo by Brad Stow.
The track was only open from 1pm on Friday so we all spent the morning relaxing at the house we had rented. The kids could swim, watch YouTube or Netflix and prepare for a busy weekend ahead. After spending the afternoon at the track myself and Nicole made dinner at the house and we all chatted about our goals and expectations for the following two days of racing.
Saturday morning – race day! I find the first hour of a race weekend can be the most stressful and nerve-wracking but once we have all completed our first race of the day the nerves settle and the fun begins.
Watching the action unfold. Photo by Brad Stow.
BMX racing in South Africa is small compared to other disciplines like marathon mountain biking and road cycling but the level of riding is still high. This makes it tough for anyone to be competitive unless they are training hard. All five Songo riders raced their hearts out and showed great sportsmanship.
One of the racing highlights for me was how Ovayo Ntsege came back to get a silver medal on Sunday after having a very tough time on Saturday. This is not easy to do, especially in the very competitive 13 -14 year old expert age group in which he competes. Another stand out performance was from Luminathi Nkoko who finished on the podium in all three of her finals.
All smiles.
After a great weekend of racing we packed the Specialized sponsored Van and with the help of Sipho Madolo we headed straight back to Kayamandi in Stellenbosch. We arrived home just after 5am on Monday morning feeling very tired but also happy that the trip was such a success.
After asking Likho Mayekiso what he thought of the trip his answer was “unforgettable”. These are the things that make it all worthwhile!
A huge thank you to Ninety One for their support as well as Specialized Bicycles South Africa for the loan of their awesome vehicle. Another special thank you must go to Nicole Murphy for her help on this trip and also to the many friends of the songo.info program who help us along the way. Their kindness doesn’t go unnoticed.