Bluff granny tackles Amashova Classic

YOU’RE only as old as you believe that you are. This can be said for the Brighton Beach granny, Jean Erasmus, 64, who competed in one of the biggest races on the sports calendar, the Tsogo Sun Amashova Classic this past Sunday.

Jean commenced KZN’s biggest cycling race which kicked off at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall at 07:40am. “About 7km’s into the race I experienced a blow out on my front tyre. Luckily for me, my riding partner Takashi Yaegashi, from Japan could plug the hole and about 10 minutes later we hit the road again. About 5km’s later we had to stop yet again as my chain came off but that was a quick fix,” she said describing some of the bumps along the way.

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She admitted that heat exhaustion did take its toll and at Inchanga, where she and her partner took a breather and stopped in the shade where they sat for about 15 minutes to cool down.  “We stopped at all the water tables refreshing ourselves with cold water and cold drinks.  At Gillits we had 20 minutes of overcast weather which was a godsend.  I haven’t seen that many cyclists pushing their bikes as I did at the AmaShova race.

“Riders couldn’t handle the heat although they were fit. The race was stopped at Drummond and Kearsney  College due to the extreme heat and cyclists were transported back to Durban. Takashi and I finished the race in 6 hours 19 minutes.  The target I set for myself was to beat my time of 5 hours 28 of last year and unfortunately could not achieve my goal because of the heatwave,” she said.

Jean was first introduced to cycling by her daughter Janine and her husband Neil. “I started cycling in August 2016 and my first bike was a second hand  26” MTB.  I plucked up enough courage to compete in my first MTB race in Scottburgh in August 2017.”

 Asked what she loves most about the adrenaline pumping sport, the senior cyclist said that more than anything, she appreciates the interaction with other cyclists. “They are always willing to share things like bike fit, cadence, gear shifts, how to conquer your fears on the trails and how to improve on your performance. The best thing about any group bike ride is having coffee and socialising with your fellow cyclists.”

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Jean truly lives up to the saying that age is nothing but a number, having participated in the Karoo to Coast in 2018 and 2019, The 2019 Berg 100 from Himeville to Nottingham Road in sub 8 hour as well as the GO!100 Durban from Inanda Dam to Blue Lagoon (50km).  Last year she did the 42km Mandela MTB Dash and finished second in her age group, the Grand Masters, and scored herself a cash prize. “Subsequently this year I’ve repeated the performance and came second again in the Grand Masters category in a faster time.”

She initially started cycling for pleasure but is now completely motivated and cycles at least five days of the week and participates in MTB races to raise awareness for the disabled community of greater Durban. When Jean isn’t cycling she enjoys sewing, spending time with her grandchildren, visiting uShaka Marine World and sightseeing in Durban. She also fishes with her partner Grant and does fundraising for Saint Giles.

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