Craighall’s Parys Edwards takes third at Discovery 947 Ride Joburg
CRAIGHALL – Local athlete moves from triathlon to road cycling and earns spectacular results.
Craighall’s own, Parys Edwards has transitioned from triathlons to road cycling perfectly and was rewarded with a podium finish at the Discovery 947 Ride Joburg.
It was as recently as January that Edwards (43) hung up her swimming goggles and running shoes to focus on her strongest part of the three disciplines of triathlon: cycling.
She entered the four-day PPS Panorama Tour in June, which is a 320km race in Mpumalanga dubbed the toughest cycling race on tar, and was rewarded with a first-place finish with cycling partner Grant Edmiston.
It was not over there for Edwards as she gave her all at her first 947 Ride Joburg on 17 November and was the third women’s finisher, completing the 95km just two seconds behind the winner, Carla Oberholzer.
Edwards completed the race in 2:41:02 and 600 thousandths of a second, just 0,7 seconds behind Joanna van de Winkel.
“This race is superb. It was great cycling within sight of my workplace at Old Parktonian Sports Club,” she told Rosebank Killarney Gazette.
The 23rd annual 947 Ride Joburg saw about 23 000 cyclists hit the streets of Jozi in separate starting groups to alleviate traffic, which always occurs anyway.
Edwards works full time as a sports physio but still managed to beat sponsored professional cyclists in her first 947.
“It is encouraging to be having such strong results so soon after transitioning from triathlons. I am also learning a lot and I an enjoying the process of learning.”
Edwards said cycling in triathlons requires one to conserve energy for longer distances but road cycling is ‘explosive with split-second decisions that can cost you the outcome, such as which breaks to use’.
She described these decisions as mentally exhausting, although she said her mental side of cycling is strong.
Edwards trains under Robbie McIntosh, a cycling legend who was one of the first professional cyclists in the country and who heads cycling at Old Parks.
Related article:
IN PICTURES: Some fun moments at the Discovery 947 Ride Joburg
