Dusi Duke’s new dusi2c valley perspective
"Cycling, for me, is something that I do just for fun, and the consequences that come from riding are not nearly as severe as paddling, so I find it a lot more relaxing when I am on my bike than when I was in my boat," - Martin Dreyer
HAVING dominated the Dusi Canoe Marathon for close on a decade during the late 90s and early 2000s, ‘Dusi Duke’, Martin Dreyer, will make a return to the Valley of a Thousand Hills but on a mountain bike this time, when he and wife, Jeannie Dreyer, take on the mixed category in the upcoming BSi Steel dusi2c starting, which starts on Saturday and finishes on Sunday.
With seven Dusi Canoe Marathon titles to his name, Dreyer has gotten to know the Valley of a Thousand Hills better than most. With his RMB Change a Life Academy based in the valley, he has the opportunity to ride the trails on a regular basis. However, he appreciates the new perspective that he gets from seeing the valley on a bike.
“You really get to know the valley from a different perspective when you are on a bike. When we ride through there we manage to see the whole valley from the highest points, as opposed to in a boat where you are at the bottom looking out, so it adds another whole dimension to the valley experience,” said Dreyer.
The professional sportsman in Dreyer retired when he hung up his paddles following the 2008 Dusi Canoe Marathon, and although he thought that he would be back to take on the Dusi again, focussing his energy on starting his academy put an end to those hopes. However, his new passion for mountain biking allows him to experience the valley he loves in a more relaxed environment.
“Cycling for me is something that I do just for fun, and the consequences that come from riding are not nearly as severe as paddling, so I find it a lot more relaxing when I am on my bike than when I was in my boat.
“Strangely, when I finished the 2008 Dusi I really didn’t think that it would be my last and I was still feeling strong, but when I started the Change a Life Academy I knew that it was going to be a full-time job, so I gave up the paddling.
“I was also a professional sportsman back then, so the consequences were a lot higher should I wrap my boat, and so I was always concentrating so much harder in the boat than when I’m out on the trails with Jeannie. We try not to take ourselves too seriously,” added Dreyer.
Having ended on the podium in the mixed section of the 2015 Nedbank sani2c, Dreyer has still got a competitive edge and looking forward to the dusi2c. He is itching to get out and enjoy the trails that have been prepared for the riders.
“It is wonderful to be back in the valley, but I enjoy the adventure of races like the dusi2c as opposed to the actual race, and I feel that if you want to be the best then you must go race in the big marathon events as opposed to races like the dus2c, which are adventures.
“We do get a bit competitive because we are naturally that way inclined, but with such a phenomenal route and some incredible bridges with natural free-flowing single tracks, it would be wrong to not just take it all in and enjoy the scenery for what it is,” said Dreyer.
The 2015 BSi Steel dusi2c takes place from Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg to Durban’s Blue Lagoon on Saturday, 20 and Sunday, 21 June.
