Airfield cyclist pushes himself to the limit
“I almost threw up. I just kept going until I got back into the group."
Airfield cyclist Cullen Posthumus made his mother, Lucinda, immensely proud after overcoming a major setback to grab an unlikely podium finish in the Gauteng Road Race Championships in Walkerville on January 20.
After winning the U17 time-trial champs title the previous day, the 15-year old went into the road race as a clear favourite, but was beset by problems on the third lap when a burst tyre cost him three valuable minutes.
But Cullen maintained his composure, quickly fixed his tyre and came storming back to join the bunch, before pulling clear on the last lap to finish 59.15 seconds behind Nicholas Horne, who clocked 01:58:44 to win.
“I’m not proudest of his wins but how he came second in the road race in the provincials. He lost time through a puncher but raced back and almost threw up. He doesn’t give up. With every setback, he always says he’ll do better next time,” said Lucinda.
“Cullen is a determined and disciplined athlete. If you would have asked me a year ago if Cullen would wake up early for a race, I would’ve told you, there’s no way. But he sets up his alarm, wakes up and gets on his bike to race.”
Cullen attributed his early success to his training. He started in November and continued throughout December, focusing specifically on the time-trial.
“It was hard chasing back.” he said about his performance at the provincials.
“I almost threw up. I just kept going until I got back into the group and on the last lap, I worked with three other guys. We sprinted to the finish. I learnt to never give up and try until the finish.”
The provincial championships success led to a second title at the Midvaal Fast One Cycle Challenge on January 28, where he won the U17 gold after clocking 02:34:31, finishing 44th overall out of 172 riders.
The Hoërskool Hans Moore learner also bagged the 116km Ride for Sight main race title in his category on February 18, crossing the line in 03:03:43.
Trained by 2003 national time-trial champion and owner of Farrarmere-based Bike Craft Performance Coaching, Jeremy Maartens, Cullen started cycling in 2022.
He’s achieved more than 10 podium places in various events including the Cycle Lab Schools Series, Gauteng XCM Champs and WTF MTB Challenge.
“I started with my uncle doing fun rides on we
ekends. I began racing competitively and got on the podium. I realised I have potential and took it further from there,” said Cullen.
The youngster said his hard work is starting to pay off, adding he would like to compete in Europe and represent SA internationally.
Cullen explained his success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of his parents.
“Cycling is not a cheap sport. They pay for all the equipment. My way of thanking them is working hard and winning.”
His next challenge is the 46th Cape Town Cycle Tour on March 10.
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