Mr Sean Wheeler and and Mr Ron Kerbus, both 47, will be participating in the 2014 Absa Cape Epic to take place from March 23 to 30.
The competition will see 600 teams of riders make their way through tough and challenging mountain biking terrain in the Western Cape.
Mr Wheeler and Mr Kerbus form the team the Bedfordview Roadies and have both participated in, and finished, the 2013 Absa Cape Epic.
“Finishing the Epic was a personal highlight. I picked up the flu one week before the event and struggled through the race. Ron cracked his knee on the second last day of the race but despite the odds, we managed to finish in 321st. The team’s goal this year is to finish the race in the top 200. The route looks very challenging, once again. Hopefully Ron and I will have a healthy start to the 2014 Absa Cape Epic,” said Mr Wheeler.
“This is a fantastic event. You need to live your life and forget your age. When you start pushing your 50th birthday, you realise you have to live every day. When competing in the Absa Cape Epic, you go through so many emotions. That sense of achievement when you and your partner finish is overwhelming; it will make any person shed a tear.
“I believe it’s that feeling of achievement after lots of suffering that brings most riders back every year,” said Mr Wheeler.
The team believes that good preparation and good nutrition, before and during the event, are vital for a successful finish. “You need to prepare well, which includes long hours in the saddle, eating correctly and using reliable equipment. Good preparation, good nutrition and having a passion for cycling are really important. Remember to take each day of the Absa Cape Epic as it comes and never give up,” said Mr Kerbus.