The old adage that age is just a number certainly rings true for 83-year-old Fasie le Roux. The sprightly former part-time singer recently entered the Biggarsberg Cycle Challenge, taking on the daunting 42km route.

He says he prepared for the ‘real thing’ by practicing on his stationary bicycle, cycling about 150km a day.
“I like to take on challenges. When I was 43, I did my first and only Comrades Marathon and more than 20 years later, I took on the Two Oceans Marathon. I developed a knee issue, so I swapped running for cycling – less pressure on the joints.”

Besides singing at senior citizens’ events with his late partner Harry du Plooy for 25 years, Fasie worked for 22 years at Dabmar Manufacturing in Hattingspruit before finally retiring earlier this year.
“My dream is to tick off my bucket list. I love keeping busy, doing different things and meeting people. Life is for living,” he laughed.

Tribute for former boss

Josef Martin of Dabmar Manufacturing described Fasie as ‘a man of deep faith and totally devoted to his children and grandchildren’.
“He has many gifts and talents, and does not keep them to himself, but shares them freely…

“Most of all, deep faith-based wisdom, which he has the special gift of being able to share in the most humorous ways! Fasie always brightens up any space that he’s in, offering encouragement and wise counsel – often wrapped in pithy anecdotes! A real treat is to spend some hours with him on an extended road trip.

The trip always ends too soon, but leaving his fellow travellers in a better spiritual and emotional condition than when the trip commenced.
“A true soldier of Christ.”

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