Westville brothers take on world champs in Spain
Jonathan and Christopher Philogene will be jetting off on 23 August to represent the South African national downhill team in the World Champs in Andorra, Spain.
TWO Westville brothers are gearing up to compete and represent the South African national downhill team in the World Champs in Andorra, Spain. Jonathan (18) and Christopher (17) Philogene, who will be jetting off on 23 August, started racing motocross at the ages of five and four respectively and then switched over to downhill mountain biking in 2008.
Over the years, each of them has won various competitions, which contributed to their selection this year to compete in the world champs, which are held once a year.
This event is equivalent to the Olympics of this sport, in which the top riders from each country compete against one another. In regards to the race, participants have a few hours’ track practice followed by a seeding run (which is a timed run, ranking from slowest to fastest) and then the main race run. The slowest in the seeding run starts first, ending with the fastest rider, hence the faster riders are last down the track, providing some nail-biting results. This year the champs are being held in Vallnord in Andorra.
In regards to the selection process, Cycling South Africa has strict qualification criteria: the boys had to race specific regional and national races and had to qualify in the top two positions of each.
The brothers, who have their own brand, 2 bros racing, intend to race internationally and become professional downhill racers. They draw their inspiration from South Africa’s own multiple world champion, Greg Minnaar, and other top international riders.
To prepare for their upcoming challenge, Jonathan, who is taking a gap year after matriculating last year, goes for a run in the morning and a training ride in the afternoon, either on his endure bike, downhill bike or motocross bike, and then gym in the evening. Christopher, who attends school in the mornings, then joins his brother for the afternoon riding and gym sessions.
Their advice to those who want to pursue this sport is, “Start as young as possible, enjoy what you do and put in the hard work.”
Their father, Marc Philogene, said, “Firstly, I am very proud of the young men they have turned out to be, and that they have reached another of their goals. They must remain humble and remember that this is just the beginning of their international career and that the world is their oyster.”
For more details on their brand and story, visit www.2bros.co.za, ‘Like’ their page on Facebook – 2bro’s Racing – or follow them on Twitter – @2brosracingsa or Instagram – 2brosracing.
