Cansa Warriors’ four-day mission before Cape Epic

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This is exactly what applied to Cansa Warriors Con Malherbe and Jared Hinde when they planned to take part in the Euro Steel Drak Descent last weekend ahead of tackling the Cape Epic, considered one of the world’s toughest cycling challenges. Adding to their obstacles are Malherbe (63) having survived cancer and Hinde (37) being a type one diabetic. They plan to raise R250000 for the Cancer Association of SA (Cansa).

In these times of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), the Drak Descent was cancelled. However with their accommodation at Castleburn resort, near Underberg, they made a plan — like farmers are doing in desperation to fight FMD. The duo embarked on a four-day training camp in the area, strictly sticking to gravel roads, avoiding farmland and being sprayed at FMD spray stations.

“We had never actually cycled together. Not even at the go2berg [now the go2sea] because I was filming a lot,” said Malherbe. “Partner dynamics in stage races can be tricky.

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I have been the strongest and I have been the weakest. It’s not always easy to pace yourself accordingly. “Jared, with type one diabetes or not, had youth on his side.

He was clearly the strongest partner. He sat behind me on the climbs and I set the pace — and he let me feel I was still winning. Then on the straights he went first, and I was in his slipstream.

I did occasionally give him the grace to ride into the sunset. It was nice to have a team player. I know he’ll back me up when it’s brutally hot. And hot it was, although it was KZN “humid heat” as opposed to Western Cape “dry heat” expected on the “The Untamed”, as the Cape Epic is dubbed.

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