Dale Wait youngest participant in this year's Absa Cape Epic
Nineteen year-old Dale Wait from Kagga Kamma Game Park in Port Elizabeth is the youngest participant in this year's Absa Cape Epic presented by adidas. The event, which is in its sixth year, will take place from 21 to 28 March 2009. It will kick off on the slopes of Table Mountain and finish 8 days and 685km later at the Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West.
Forty three year-old Mike Cantor, a game farmer and Wait's uncle, is his partner in this exciting challenge. “We've been riding together for almost four years,” Wait says. Wait trains four to six times per week and his training mostly includes cycling, gym and squash.
According to Wait he wanted to participate in the Absa Cape Epic last year, but could not as he was five months from turning 18 years old. “My uncle even wrote to the organisers, telling them about my fitness levels and giving them a list of all the tough races that we've completed together. But, legally it was impossible for me to compete, and therefore he ended up taking on the challenge with my brother last year,” says Wait.
Wait says that he never really thought about the fact that he is the youngest rider participating in the race; however it does make him slightly nervous and excited at the same time.
He describes himself as a passionate, hard working and dedicated person. He spends his free time with family and friends and enjoys camping, and of course spends a lot of his free time in the saddle. “My other goal for 2009 would be to perform well in my studies,” Wait says.
When asked what he thinks the most important ingredients are to complete the Absa Cape Epic successfully, he responds that “I believe as long as your brain and your buttocks are tough and your bike doesn't let you down, you should be able to complete the race successfully. I don't feel as prepared as I'd like to be, but I do have a few big rides planned, which will prepare me some more for the Absa Cape Epic,” Wait says.
For those not participating in the full race, organisers of the Absa Cape Epic are putting out a call for entries into the one-day mountain bike race, the MTN Cape Times Vigne à Vigne. This race takes place on the Lourensford Wine Estate, the finish venue of the Absa Cape Epic, on the last day of the eight-day race. Interested riders can enter online at www.vigne-a-vigne.com.
Visit www.cape-epic.com for more details and to see where the riders are online during the challenge.
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