Three young cycling stars will be in Gauteng next Sunday‚ October 8‚ representing KZN at the Spur Schools Mountain Bike League’s national inter-provincial schools final. It is the largest high school cycling programme in the world.
Unlike the other 22 riders representing the province‚ Lungani Mbambo (16)‚ Kusaselihle Ngidi (17) and Mncedisi Mkhize (14) do not come from well-resourced schools‚ they do not have their own bikes nor do they live in the suburbs.
The boys are all from the peri-urban area of Inanda‚ north of Durban‚ and are protégés of the city’s Go!Durban Cycle Academy. This is a programme linked to the city's Go!Durban integrated rapid public transport network to integrate all forms of transport through the Ethekwini municipality.
The academy opened the eNanda adventure park alongside the Inanda dam 18 months ago with 20 children. Since then it has opened two other cycle sites‚ one in the township of KwaMashu and another in KwaDabeka‚ a township just outside Pinetown.
Each park provides a range of tracks as well as about 30 bikes‚ including mountain-‚ road and BMX bikes‚ a range of trails‚ “pump” tracks and “jump” tracks. Each site has the capacity to involve 100 youngsters.
The three sites provide an environment for local cycling training for schoolchildren‚ whether it be for recreational‚ commuting or sporting purposes. To date‚ over 500 children have been involved in the programmes.
Each site has also selected 40 pupils of all ages to take part in the academic programme that provides extramural schooling twice a week as well as racing opportunities. Those selected are also given a decent meal every Saturday after classes. Coaches on site – all from the local community - are responsible for the selection of these 40.
It’s not been long but the Go!Durban Academy has seen a number of successes‚ including one athlete receiving KZN colours and an almost 90% pass mark for learners‚ many of whom had previously failed.
Sports director Shaun Peschl said: ““Next year‚ the academy will form a semi-professional team of 10 riders. Those selected will be given incentives‚ and take part in national races.”
One of these will be Mncedisi Mkhize‚ who said he was hoping to win the inter-provincial schools final next weekend.
Mkhize rode a bicycle for the first time just nine months ago. “A friend of mine brought me along. In the beginning I was scared but now it’s easy. I knew I was good when I started entering races and coming in with the top riders.”
"Durban does not have a rigorous culture of cycling and the academy development programme speaks directly to addressing this obvious gap‚” said Rocky Hermann‚ project executive at the eThekwini Transport authority.
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