Greenstone’s Wheeler to honour his dad and go the distance

In the hopes of raising funds for Thembalami Care Centre, Greenstone resident Sean Wheeler is set to tackle the Munga Mountain Bike Race.

Known as the toughest race on earth, the Munga is a non-stop, single-stage, semi-supported mountain bike race through the remote and rugged Karoo.

Riders have 120 hours or five days to ride 1 080km and make the cut-off. It starts in Bloemfontein and ends in Wellington in the Cape Winelands.

There are five race villages where riders can rest and get mechanical assistance, as well as several water points placed between 60km and 90km apart.

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Everything a rider needs must be taken along or bought along the way and carried on the bike. This is the third time Wheeler will be doing the race to raise funds for the Lombardy care centre.

Wheeler’s dad, Mike, was a resident there for several years but died in July.

“I will be riding in memory of my dad and in support of all the amazing caregivers at Thembalami who have had a really tough time during the pandemic,” said Wheeler.

Wheeler’s last Munga, in 2018, was not without its challenges. Although he cycled the 224km to the first race village before midnight on day one and pushed on after only a short rest, he later faced both health and mechanical troubles.

His Garmin froze several times, causing Wheeler to go off course, not only missing valuable rest points but adding nearly 40km to his race.

He contracted a chest infection and needed to be given oxygen by medics.  The race was gruelling, with temperatures reaching 42°C and dropping to a minimum of 6°C.

In the end, he rode 1 113km in just over four days (101.30 hours), averaging 278km each day.  His last push to the finishing line saw him cycling for 25 hours, only stopping for short rests.

This year, he hopes to knock around 20 hours off his time and finish in 80 hours. One of the tactics he will be using to achieve this is to ride a bike with no suspension.

“The winner did it on a bike like this last year. It should be a bit faster, I hope,” said Wheeler.

“What you lose in comfort, you gain in speed and hopefully spend less time on the bike.”

Despite preparations going well, Wheeler fell in September and cracked a rib and twisted a knee.

“My training has gone well. By October 3, I had completed 12 000km of training this year,” said Wheeler.

Most of his training was done on an indoor trainer because of lockdown.Wheeler will cover all his expenses. Donations go to Thembalami, except for the small percentage charged by the crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy.

Ayanda Matthews, a GM at Rand Aid Association, said when she used to look at Mike, she would see Wheeler.
“He had the same disarming smile as his son.”

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Make a donation

In his 2018 race, Wheeler raised R45 000 for Thembalami and hopes to beat that amount this year.

“I realise times are tough for everyone, so any donation will be appreciated,” said Wheeler.

“Your support is what will get me to the finishing line, no matter what the size of the donation. “Many of the elders at Thembalami receive only a government grant. Together, we will be making a difference to Thembalami’s residents and their amazing, selfless caregivers.”

Rand Aid can provide a Section 18A donations certificate. To make a contribution, visit www.backabuddy.co.za/munga-for-thembalami

For further information on Thembalami, visit the website www.randaid.co.za

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