LISTEN/READ: Morehill hand-cyclist wins his category at Cape Town Cycle Tour

When Johan van Rensburg was left disabled after a motorcycle accident in December 2009 he didn’t let that outcome determine his fate and his approach to life.

The 34-year-old Morehill resident recently returned home from the 109km Cape Town Cycle Tour where he won gold.

He arrived at the finish of the biggest timed cycle race in the world as the first hand-cyclist (para-cyclist) home, a remarkable feat considering he only started the sport in May 2018.

“I got my bike last year through a friend.

“We started cycling together and in about October I decided to enter the Cape Town Cycle Tour,” he said.

“It felt a little bit far and with wind speeds up to 75km/h it was a really tough race.

“As tough as it was, it was a beautiful place to cycle and I had never cycled there before.

“Even with the wind was a great experience and I will definitely be back again next year.”

Van Rensburg, who works as an air traffic controller at OR Tambo International Airport, said winning gold in the hand-cycling category is a good feeling.

“I was lucky that the leading hand-cyclist in South Africa, Stuart McCreadie, couldn’t make it as he would have been good competition, but there were still a couple of other guys from Cape Town as well as Kobus Oeshke, who won the 947 last year, going up against me.

“Although there was some tough competition, my training paid off and I was surprised to win it.”

Van Rensburg, who rides for the Benoni-based Vikings Cycling Group, said hand-cycling is different from able-bodied cycling in that hand-cyclists have to use their arms to power uphill, which is extremely difficult.

“The downhills are awesome though.

“You can beat a normal cyclist on the downs because you sit so low with no wind resistance.”

Before his accident van Rensburg had never been a cyclist and played rugby and cricket.

“After the accident, I got involved with wheelchair basketball, but with my work schedule I couldn’t make all the practices.”

He also recently started adaptive snow skiing and enjoyed a ski trip to Italy in January.

His advice to recently disabled people is to get involved in disabled sports as they open new doors and allow you to meet incredible people.

He praised his cycling friends at Vikings Cycling Group for inviting him to ride with them and for welcoming him with open arms from the get-go.

LISTEN to Caxton Radio’s Logie G’s interview with the hand-cyclist here:

https://soundcloud.com/benoni-city-times/logie-g-interviews-hand-cyclist-johan-van-rensburg-who-won-his-cape-town-cycle-tour-category

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LISTEN/READ: Local triathlete Casper Moodie and riding partner win tandem Cape Town Cycle Tour race

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