Hinde and Malherbe ready to take on Absa Cape Epic

Jared Hinde’s cycling past began in the mountains around Ladybrand as a child, not racing but simply “having a jol”. His mountain biking future is way more challenging: the Absa Cape Epic, reputedly the world’s toughest event. As he and cancer survivor Con Malherbe prepare to take on this feat as the Cancer Warriors team, Hinde will continue his daily challenge he has had since childhood, managing his type one diabetes condition.

“I’ll have to play the role of pancreas as well as cyclist,” he toldWeekend Witness, referring to constantly having to monitor his blood sugar level and eat some carbohydrates if his levels are too low or feeding himself with insulin — the pancreas’s job — if it’s too high. There’s been an advance on his blood sugar/glucose monitor that sits on the back of his upper arm and usually transmits his sugar levels on to his cell phone. He’ll now be able to read them at a glance on the Garmin mounted on his handlebars.

That’s a far cry from the days when he had to apply 12 finger pricks a day and have a strip read his glucose level. Hinde (36) has lived most of his life like that since being diagnosed with diabetes at the age of “five or six”, with excellent support from his parents and now from his wife, Sarah. “It has forced me to live an organised, tidy life,” he said.

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It also motivated me to stay active, stay healthy and be fitter. Unable to afford mountain biking until he started earning, Hinde’s first bike was a Morewood with a Zula frame.

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