A brutal day in the Drakensberg

The inaugural Old Mutual Go2Sea mountain bike race sent riders on a 110 kilometre stage from Winterton to Nottingham Road in KwaZulu-Natal, climbing 1,500 metres over gravel and single-track through mountains and farmlands.

Two jets on the trail

Two riders overtook the main pack at impossible speed. One was Siyabonga Ntsele, a 23-year-old from Soweto, who won that stage in four hours and seven minutes, leaving the next riders five minutes behind.

Racing on borrowed wheels

Ntsele raced on a bike lent to him by Soweto Rocks founder Busi Msimango. His own bike was broken. He trained at the gym, using medicine balls to improve his sense of balance for technical riding.

The sport demands precision

Mountain biking requires rider and bike to be absolutely in tune to navigate steep descents, rock gardens and single-track pathways. As an experienced rider puts it: hesitation is devastation.

“Hesitation is devastation.”

Found cycling at fifteen

Ntsele discovered mountain biking at 15 after losing his father young. His mother does not work. He prayed and focused his life around school and cycling to take care of her.

Fell in love with the process

Ntsele says cycling gave him something to believe in. He fell in love not just with results but with training, suffering, learning and seeing himself improve. It became a very important part of his life.

“Cycling gave me something to believe in.”

Racing the country's premier events

Ntsele rides and trains with Soweto Rocks, a crew of mountain bike enthusiasts. He has travelled the country and been sponsored to race in South Africa's premier mountain biking events, including the Absa Cape Epic.

Go2Sea breakthrough

Go2Sea was the first race where Ntsele won several stages. He finished third in the open category. He won the sixth and last stage and came third in the second stage. After seven days, he was seventh overall.

Talent stymied by poverty

The author, a veteran amateur mountain biker and mentor to Soweto Rocks riders, has seen year after year their potential and talent stymied by poverty and lack of opportunity. Good mountain bikes do not come cheap.

A bike of his own

At the closing awards night, Old Mutual, Go2Sea and an individual gave Ntsele a brand-new mountain bike. Race organiser Craig Wapnick said he is an exceptional human being who rode his heart out on a makeshift bike.

“Every now and again you come across a young man who is worthy of something special happening in his life.”

Support for the SA circuit

Wapnick said Ntsele will race on the South African circuit next year and they will support him. The author predicts that if given the opportunity, Ntsele has the makings of a South African and world champion.

Dreams of the podium

Ntsele dreams of a future where his hard work means something. He dreams of racing on the biggest stages, standing on a World Championship podium and hearing the South African anthem.

Helping others from Soweto

Ntsele also dreams of taking care of his family, having a stable future and helping young people from backgrounds similar to his own. He wants his story to show you can start with very little and still dream big.

“I want my story to show that you can start with very little and still dream big.”