Mountain biking is the new golf

04 May 2015 - 00:30 By Liam del Carme
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Lucien Besançon and Konny Looser from Switzerland race across Oak Valley in last month’s Cape Epic.
Lucien Besançon and Konny Looser from Switzerland race across Oak Valley in last month’s Cape Epic.
Image: EPA/Nic Bothma

Uphill goes upmarket: Mountain biking is a mass bonding opportunity for well-heeled males in pursuit of health, fun and a touch of status.

Not so long ago, the dusty, less-travelled road provided the perfect getaway. An opportunity not just to slip out of town and onto a mountain bike but to reach out to Mother Nature. Even if it meant she got a bit too up close and personal at times, in an occasional brush with terra firma.

Like most outdoor activities that encourage general wellbeing, mountain biking has an ever-ballooning peloton. The road less travelled suddenly has new obstacles: people.

The proliferation of participants in the sport has happened despite the perhaps misguided notion that mountain biking is for the elite.

It isn't just about buying a bike and its accompanying kit - you buy into a whole lifestyle. The all-terrain SUV, the five-star mountain retreats, the wine estates, the Cape Union Mart catalogue.

story_article_left1

It's where the fat cats occasionally get stung by the wannabees, where the well-heeled roll their bigger wheels.

Not so long ago, there was a mass migration from 26- to 29-inch wheels - meaning that even those with a soft underbelly could negotiate rocks that were once considered road blocks.

But it all comes at a price.

The average cost of a bike digging into the turf of the Cape Epic, for instance, is about R45 000. It is unquestionably the domain of those who flutter in the higher-LSM airspace.

While golfers consider boot space, cyclists flaunt their wheels outside their vehicles. It's about seeing and being seen.

"We see it through our magazine," said Michael Finch, editor of Runner's World and Bicycling magazines and general two-wheel know-it-all. "The advertising that we are able to attract is certainly higher than you would have in golf. In fact, some people say it is the new golf," said Finch.

"I would agree," said Joel Stransky, the former Bok whose drop sent South Africa to nirvana in 1995. "Cycling is a high-LSM sport. Guys will drive around in a skedonk of a car with a R100 000 bike at the back. That is the reality. Bikes are expensive. An average one costs around R60 000. That is just the bike."

He listed some of the add-ons. "Every 500 to 600km your bike needs a service and that is probably R2 000 to R3 000.

"Every time you damage a tyre, that is another R900. It is a properly expensive sport. That is before you start thinking about a type of carbohydrate energy supplier, which costs R400," said Stransky.

block_quotes_start  Guys will drive around in a skedonk of a car with a R100 000 bike at the back. That is the reality. Bikes are expensive. block_quotes_end

You have to cough up in the name of wellbeing.

There are other considerations. When the bug bites, it is a lifestyle changer.

"I think it is the lifestyle that attracts the general person. It's a matter of training hard and eating well and all those things that create a healthy living environment," said Stransky.

The sport's social element and sense of fraternity are also part of the pull.

"The other thing is that in mountain biking you go to quite bizarre places. You go on trails that you would not normally ride.

"You do it with a bunch of friends that you have something in common with. A lot of races are partner-type events, so you have a team environment.

"You have this team element, because you have a partner and a friend and a training group. You go down this journey road together. It is much, much more than an individual thing.

"For guys who have been in team sports, the team element is a big attraction, as is the element of suffering a little bit, competing and being the best you possibly can."

story_article_right2

And mountain biking complements family life.

"Everyone plans their holidays around the events. Now the kids want the beach and I want to ride. So you find a place that offers you the beach and a bit of casual riding," he says.

"The great thing about any race is that other than the blokes racing for first and second, there are people racing for 300th place. It is competitive, especially the Epic. It wasn't always the case, but having spent the money, people train their butts off. It is a tough environment."

Stransky said it changed his life. His lungs may burn, but his liver gets a breather.

"I hardly drink any more. I almost never drink beer. I watch my diet," said the lean 47-year-old. "I weigh myself at least every second day. Towards the end of my career I was probably about 87kg. I'm now 80kg. That's almost 10% of my body weight. I need to get it down because I'm going to race even more," said Stransky.

The sport owes much of its popularity to the Cape Epic, a race that started in relative obscurity in 2004 but has developed into a juggernaut.

"The race has changed the South African mountain-bike spirit," said four-time winner Karl Platt. "Everywhere you see people mountain biking. Even if this race becomes more of a business and people get more beautiful mountain-bike trails everywhere, then why not?"

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now