J9 Cycling
Team: 271
Riders: Brendan Snyman and Dirk Kotze
Facebook: J9 Foundation
Report by: Brendan Snyman
Sunday morning the 15th March 2015, the start of the 2015 Absa Cape Epic… Having completed the Epic the previous year 2014 one would have thought the nerves, the apprehension, the stomach rumbles and the fact we were about to embark on another journey of gruelling, physical time on the saddle through the Western Cape would have been under control and most of all the expectations our loved ones and our J9 foundation supporters had for us and the pressure of not disappointing all who support the cause and believed in us would affect us as much as it did the previous year. The truth is, although we were much calmer and better prepared, nothing gets the heart rate climbing like stepping up onto the stage of the ABSA Cape Epic start line at the prologue knowing here we are, riding and creating awareness for people suffering with MND and many are watching closely. Once the MC announces our presence and explains to the crowd and our fellow competitors what and who we stand for, something inside you awakens and you find yourself ready with a proud feeling of excitement knowing that not only are you about to embark on a tough journey, race and spend time with in a sport you love but in doing so, you doing it for a greater cause… the mood was set and come hell or high water, we were there to complete and conquer.
The prologue was a fast but tough 20 km, sharp climbs, an interesting steep downhill bit where many came undone and where many epics were ended for some, it was not a great start for us with regards to time but a great start for us publicly as with the previous year, this year was no different.… the J9 Foundation boys were at the epic again (not Brendan and Dirk but the J9 Boys). Riding up the sharp accents was very special, they were lined with people screaming, one can only get a tiny sense of how the riders must feel in the tour de France when you hear your team name getting called out and people complimenting us on the work we doing and the words of encouragement for the rest of the epic and future and then also the steep hill to that waited in front of us. Sitting writing this I get a lump in my throat thinking about it all, we often get caught up in what we do and sometimes get despondent as we think the awareness we trying to create through our sport goes Un-noticed but how wrong was I, this was to continue through the next seven days.
Our plan was never to be out there to go and put the hammer down, we new our strengths and we know what the epic is about.… We also knew that this year was going to be a tougher one than usual, it was to live ups to its name “EPIC” . We knew that our objective was to get through the next seven days and complete the event and keep the J9 name high and not disappoint those who stood behind us through out all our training, all our planning and were to be there through out the event, also we wanted to ride ourselves into the race and not what so many did, ride themselves out of the race before the end was near. We started off on the Monday riding smart, every water point was a point of encouragement as the announcers welcomed us in and announced at the spectator points who and what we were and stood for and why and who we were doing this event for and how special it was riding in the J9 colours for a Springbok Hero and what he is going through and what he was trying to achieve through his foundation. In the beginning i thought to myself that this kind of encouragement and advertising and excitement coming from the announcers announcing all this at every water point, at every spectator point and everyday at the finish would not last, deep down i was hoping it would because it really fired us up and at the epic, the smallest word of encouragement makes the biggest difference, but to my surprise, the announcers did not stop, it was relentless and they kept it going for eight straight days and i wish i can thank each and every single announcer at the various points for the wonderful job they did and for the encouragement they provided during the Epic. You know when the message is getting through when you here the volunteers and fellow riders talking “thats the J9 boys, they riding for Joosts foundation, you know, MND” then you know our voice is slowly been heard.
AS the event went by, we were getting stronger and on the forth day… we sniffed the under 200 mark, the tone was set. We were going to ride to get under the 200 position. We were going to take the J9 cycling team to the top third. It was not easy, team work it took and loads of perseverance and loads of digging deep… we searched hard for that extra and some days even harder than hard for that last bit of fuel to make sure we kept climbing up the ladder day by day and not go down. Each morning was a struggle, knowing that you getting up to go and sit on your saddle from anywhere between 5 and 8 hours, in the rain, in the mud, in the cold or the blistering heat to get from one end of the race track to the other… its what the Afrikaners call “ Vasbyt” and that we did. We got a taste of the top third and went for it, finishing the event, first of all finishing the event is an achievement on its own but finishing it at exactly 199, as we say, we came in the top 200 and it was hard getting to that starting off on day one at 371 after the prologue.
To make a long story short as it’s extremely hard to put on paper how you feel finishing the Epic and finishing the Epic representing a person and foundation you believe in is even harder to put on paper… i could not understand the people and teams who do it every year, year after year as it’s not natural for the human body to do that everyday for 8days but slowly i am starting to understand why they keep going back for more…,it is special and i might be slipping into that bracket myself, its just an overwhelming event to be part of. How ever, it would not be so great without the special friends and family and support who encourage, believe and stand by through out the year leading up to the epic and the epic itself.… I thank you all and your cheers and tears were all felt and honoured, Baie Dankie.
All and all a good year for the J9 foundation cycling team and i trust we achieved what we wanted to and may the awareness continue, To the ABSA CAPE EPIC… until next time!
