Greenstone Munga mountain hero

Greenstone resident, Sean Wheeler, recently completed the Munga mountain bike race for the second time.

The race, held at the end of November, saw Wheeler take part in it to raise funds for the Rand Aid’s Thembalami Care Centre, which cares for his dad, Mike Wheeler.

In 2016, Wheeler also rode in support of the centre and successfully raised funds for it. This year he raised R44 000.

The race which started in Bloemfontein and ended in the Cape Winelands took cyclists across some of the toughest terrains in South Africa.

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The single stage race was 1 100km long which came with its unique set of challenges for Wheeler who only had 120 hours to reach the finish line.

Wheeler victoriously completed the race clocking 1 113km in 101.30 hours despite getting lost, facing health issues and mechanical problems with his bike.

The semi-supported race saw competitors carry their own necessities or purchase them along the way while five race villages provided riders with food, mechanical assistance and resting areas.

Water points were posted between 50 and 60km’s apart. To add to the toughness of the race, cyclists were not allowed to accept outside help during the race.

On day one Wheeler managed to cycle 224km to the Vanderkloof Dam race village, before midnight.

“I decided not to sleep once I arrived there. Instead, I refuelled and hit the trail again,” said Wheeler.

He cycled through the night and managed to get a half hour’s sleep at the next water point.

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Day Two saw Wheeler travelling through to Britstown, where he booked a hotel room and slept for two hours with 395km under his belt.

“Britstown to Loxton was an extremely tough 187km with soft sand and endless corrugations. It seemed that it was uphill all the way,” said Wheeler.

“I enjoyed the short break, refuelled and got going fairly quickly.”

“It was along this stretch that my throat became extremely dry and sore.”

Wheeler said during this stretch it was the beauty of the surroundings and the colours of the sunset that kept him sane.

“I got myself into a zone and kept pushing through. I had seen all the support I was getting via social media at my last stop and that truly motivated me to keep going.”

He arrived in Loxton at just after 5 am, having covered 597km in less than two days.

After eating and having an hour-and-a-half sleep, Wheeler was in the saddle again, this time headed towards Sutherland.

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“The medics had given me some magic cream for my bottom which was extremely raw on day three of the race,“ said Wheeler.

“Getting going from there was not easy.”

“That 46km from Fraserburg to the water point before Sutherland was painful. My Garmin GPS froze a number of times and I got lost, adding an extra hour to my race time.”

When his Garmin indicated that Wheeler should have arrived at the next water point, he said it was pitch dark and he could see no sign of life.

“I lay next to my bike on the road and slept for 20 minutes before heading off again. At that stage, I had only a little water left.”

At the break of dawn, just 2km down the road from where Wheeler stopped, he came across the water point he was meant to reach the night before.

He slept there for three hours before heading for Sutherland at 3 am.

“I arrived in Sutherland at just after 9am with my throat on fire and pains in my chest. I almost quit.”

“The medics gave me oxygen, checked my vitals and suggested I rest and check with them before going out again.”

While at the race village, Wheeler got a message to relieve the water retention in his legs.

By 4.30pm, Wheeler had recovered enough to get going again.

Unfortunately, his Garmin froze once again and he went 22km off course.

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“All I could do was laugh and cry but I refused to give up. I made a decision there and then that I would not stop and sleep until I crossed the finish line,” said Wheeler.

“Meeting fellow rider Lazarus Mashishi along the way was really good as we pushed each other through the night and beat the bad weather across the Tankwa Karoo National Park.”

On day five, the pair descended the Ouberg Pass into the Tankwa and navigated two prominent climbs Dagbreek Pass and Swaarmoed, which tested their staying power.

Next up was the ‘Highway through Hell’: a dead-straight 60km stretch of road from Tankwa Padstal to the base of the climb.

“As I headed out of Ceres towards the Bainskloof Pass, I had a car pull up beside me and a man shouted encouragement and told me to pull over because he had some Coke and ice for me.”

Wheeler said the man was an old friend who had served in the air force with him.

“I thanked him for the kind support but explained that I could not accept any outside assistance.”

“The interaction was a real morale booster,” Wheeler said.

Mashishi and Wheeler worked their way over the 25km Bainskloof Pass and down to the Doolhof Wine Estate to finish the Munga at 5:30pm.

“I had done it. I had cycled from 4:30pm the day before without sleeping and had conquered the Munga,” said Wheeler.

“What an incredible feeling it was to cross the line and have my daughter Kayleigh, her boyfriend Rassie and sister, Tracy, waiting for me.”

“ I thank all my family especially my wife, Chantal, and all my supporters for the massive encouragement they gave me.”

In addition to raising the R44 000 for Thembalami, several companies pledged their assistance.

Duram Paints offered to paint the care centre; Build it Bedfordview committed to donating supplies for the centre’s vegetable garden; BackaBuddy and Wheeler’s employer, DHL Global Forwarding, donated a combined sum of R20 000.