Grinding the gears: Saint Giles cyclist beats the odds at Amashova

AMONG the cyclists who tackled the mammoth 106km Tsogo Sun Amashova Durban Classic cycle race on Sunday was mountain biker Jean Erasmus, a document controller at Saint Giles.

The cyclist rode to raise funds for Saint Giles, which houses a remedial therapy centre, where people with disabilities access quality rehabilitative treatment, and a work centre, which employs 75 disabled staff members who package products for several companies.

Despite some challenges along the way, Erasmus met her goal of a sub-six-hour ride as she crossed the finish line in a time of 05:52. Erasmus lost a bit of time when she stopped to deal with a gear malfunction.

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“What a race it turned out to be. After Fox Hill, I had difficulty changing gears, and eventually, the gears were stuck in the hardest gear. Going uphill was a disaster as I couldn’t change to an easier gear. At the second water table in Cato Ridge, I stopped and tried to get the gears to move into an easier gear as I knew Inchanga and Botha’s Hill were coming up,” said Erasmus.

After stopping to take a look, Erasmus discovered that the gear cable had snapped.

“My friend, Tyron Wetherill, stopped when he saw me working on the bike, but unfortunately, he couldn’t assist as the gear cable snapped, so I contacted Greg of Cyclesphere. They were the en-route mechanics,” she explained.

The mechanic didn’t have any cables but could set the gears into a much easier gear, and after 10 minutes, Erasmus was on her way again, albeit stuck in one gear.

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“I continued my race, spinning at times, having a good laugh at myself as I’m sure my cadence was about 200 – but nevertheless, I enjoyed the race,” she recalled.

“I was grateful that I could finish the race but also disappointed that I couldn’t do a sub-five-hour ride,” added Erasmus.

She expressed her gratitude to Tyron Wetherill, Gareth Jordaan and Kevin Went and extended a heartfelt thank you to all who donated to Saint Giles.