Young cyclist prepares for Desert Dash Cycling enthusiast Andre de Klerk will be one of the young cyclists to tackle this year''s Desert Dash. De Klerk is employed as a sales executive at Indongo Toyota, where he started his career in 2012.
He enjoys a challenge and is always on the lookout for something in which he can test his limits. After playing rugby for a few years and reaching some highs and lows in the sport he was eager to pursue something that would really test his limits.
When Nedbank decided to rescue the Desert Dash as the main title sponsor, Indongo Toyota decided to join as a key sponsor for the next few years.
This year there will be two teams in Indongo Toyota''s colours besides Andre de Klerk, who will ride solo. Maike Bochert and Anneke Steenkamp form a two-woman team, and Jaco Opperman, Estelle van Zyl, Andre van der Merwe and Stefan Pienaar will enter as a four-person mixed team.
In 2013 De Klerk started cycling after one of his work colleagues, who was big into the sport, encouraged him to take up cycling as a hobby. Little did he know it would become much more than just a hobby.
“The thing with cycling is that when you start, you don''t want to stop. With each ride you test yourself, your fitness, climbing the hill faster than your previous time, going around a corner faster or if it''s just enjoying the good old fresh air and admiring the beautiful landscape.
“For those few hours or moments it''s just you and your bike and what you put in is what you get out. But for me the best of all is that it does not only challenge you physically, but the mental part of cycling is the biggest challenge,” he says.
He is quick to add that one might have the legs aand the fitness, but “if you don''t use the right race tactics and your mental fitness is not on par, you are guaranteed that you will not achieve what you set out to do.”
Last year De Klerk achieved his personal challenge and entered as part of a two-man team for the gruelling Desert Dash.
“It was tough, as expected, but it encourages each participant to push hard and desire to reach the fresh sea breeze.
“So this year I kicked it up a notch and decided to go for the ultimate mental and physical test and do the Dash solo.
“I believe I am up for the challenge as I have been committed to my training this year and I know my fitness is what it should be. I have high expectations for myself and believe with the right mindset, fitness and a sponsor like Indongo Toyota I can be successful.
“I always say, why waste your time pursuing something if you are not going to give it your all, and my all is what I am going to give.”
SPORT REPORTER