Derrin gears up to tackle 10th KAP sani2c race
This year is the 15th sani2c and Derrin has many happy memories from the nine events he has completed.
Local farmer Derrin Smith is hard at work preparing to tackle his 10th KAP sani2c race from 16 to 18 May and earn his well-deserved Black Mamba status.
The much-loved, but gruelling three-day mountain bike stage race takes riders from a lofty Underberg down to the coast at Scottburgh.
Derrin will partner with Mike Posthumous of Cape Town for the sixth year, with the pair riding for Team Dormakaba. Having taken the sixth spot overall in a competitive field of full-time athletes last year, Derrin is certainly a rider at this year’s event.
For the timber and sugar-cane farmer from Mid-Illovo though, sani2c is more than a race to compete in: “The local communities come together to look after 4 000-plus cyclists. The work the event has done in uplifting the communities from Underberg to the sea is incredible. Especially focusing on schools and underprivileged areas, it really creates a happy environment for all involved. I know, coming from a farming community that needs to keep schools running, it is a huge task.”
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This year is the 15th sani2c and Derrin has many happy memories from the nine events he has completed. “In 2017 when it rained so much that people were pulling out left right and centre, we endured the night in tents at Jolivet and then the debate was to whether we should take on the last day in the wettest conditions I have experienced. We rode and had the most fun on a bike that I’d had in ages.”
The trail version of the KAP sani2c is from 14 to 16 May, the adventure is 15 to 17 May (entries sold out) and the race is 16-18 May. Entries close on Monday, 6 May.
Follow the KAP sani2c on social media on Facebook: sani2c, or on Twitter: _sani2c or Instagram: _sani2c.
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