Springs’s very own Brian Style (40) gears up for one of the biggest challenges of his life as he lines up for the ABSA Cape Epic, widely known as the world’s toughest mountain bike race.

The race will take place from March 15 to 22 in the Western Cape, which will cover about 700km over eight days with roughly 16 000m of climbing. Only half of the riders are expected to finish.

Speaking to the Springs Advertiser, Style said that he believes that all he can do is give his best and rely on consistent training to give himself the best possible chance of finishing.

He plans to take it one day at a time, riding from water point to water point. “Thinking about the finish line now or eight days away would be overwhelming and could easily get the better of me,” said Style.

Riding with his fellow amputees, they will be representing the What’s Your EPIC campaign, driven by Össur, which is their sponsor, which supports three charities: Jumping Kids, RejuvenateSA, and Zimele.

He said that emotionally, it’s a huge privilege and very humbling and more than anything, he hopes that he can do everyone proud and prays that he completes the ABSA Cape Epic.

He expressed that he is most nervous about finishing and that he knows it is going to be incredibly tough, and no amount of training can fully prepare him for what’s coming.

He shared that his journey with Össur began through his orthotist, Frans Marx, whom he calls his ‘leg guy’. Style lost his leg at the age of 28 in a motorcycle accident. He credited Marx as the glue that holds everything together.

“Any prosthetic component is only as good as how it’s fitted and managed, and Marx is far more than an orthotist. He’s a friend, a confidant, and at times even a counsellor,” said Style.

The 40-year-old noted that the cost of prosthetics and mobility aids in South Africa is unbelievably high. Being part of The Cape Epic creates awareness in influential circles and offers a platform to reach people who have both the means and the influence to truly change lives.

Mobility should not be a privilege, but it should be a basic human right. Apart from being a mountain biker, Style is a husband, a father of one, and a son and shared that his biggest support system is his family and friends.

“I often say that amputees suffer the amputation, but it’s the people around us who live with it every day.”

“After the accident, my main ambition was to regain as much mobility and independence as possible. Once I received my prosthetic, cycling became a way of doing that. Riding my mountain bike allows me, in many ways, to feel fully able-bodied again.”

With him competing in the world’s toughest mountain bike race, he hopes that his story will teach other amputees that they should never give up and that life is the hardest thing they will ever face, and it doesn’t get easier.

He concluded with words of encouragement for local amputees, which is that no matter where they come from or what they face in life, whether disabled or able-bodied, they should never give up on their goals, no matter how hard it gets.

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