On a borrowed bike, Siya Ntsele shows what grit and talent can achieve - Daily Maverick

The young mountain bike rider’s stellar Go2Sea performance earned him more than applause: a bike of his own and support to pursue his racing ambitions.

On the fourth day of the inaugural Old Mutual Go2Sea (last year it was the Go2Berg), the race organisers let the slowest batches out of the pen first. It was going to be a hard day’s ride: 110km from Winterton to Nottingham Road in KwaZulu-Natal, ascending 1,500m on gravel and ­single-track over mountains and farmlands.

We set off in a mist that lingered with us until the sun gradually pushed it aside, unveiling the grandeur of the Drakensberg mountains in the distance.

After about an hour’s riding, the race leaders overtook us. That’s understating what happened. In fact, it was two men, pedalling at an impossible pace that felt more like two jets streaming across the sky. I expected the following pack of riders to be hot on their heels, but it was at least five minutes before they passed – such a large gap that I thought something was wrong.

One of the two was Siyabonga Ntsele, a 23-year-old from Soweto. Ntsele won the stage that day in a blistering four hours and seven minutes. He went on to win the sixth and last stage, as well as coming third in the second stage. After seven days of riding, he was seventh overall.

One evening I sat down with Ntsele and he told me a little bit of his life. The first thing I learned was that he was racing on a borrowed bike, lent to him by Soweto Rocks founder Busi Msimango. He has a bike, but it’s broken.

So how do you train without a bike, I asked. “At the gym,” was his answer.

To understand the implications of this, you must understand that competitive mountain biking isn’t just about speed and strength. It’s a technical sport of precision, where rider and bike must be absolutely in tune with each other to navigate steep descents, rock gardens (the nice name MTB riders give to rock-strewn paths) and single-track pathways. Balance and bravura is everything. “Hesitation is devastation,” as an experienced rider puts it.

So how do you train for technical riding on a stationary spinning bike? Ntsele told me that he used medicine balls in the gym to improve his sense of balance. In other words, it is mostly natural talent. Admittedly, he has the body for it – tall and lithe.

Ntsele discovered mountain biking when he was 15. He had lost his father very young. His mom doesn’t work: “I prayed a lot and focused my entire life around school and cycling so that I am able to take care of her. I started riding because I enjoyed being on a bicycle. I never imagined that it would become my career or take me to some of the biggest races in South Africa.

“As I became more involved, I discovered that I could compete. But more than the results, I fell in love with the process – training, suffering, learning and seeing myself improve. Cycling gave me something to believe in, and over time it became a very important part of my life.”

Ntsele rides and trains with a motley crew of fellow mountain bike enthusiasts at Soweto Rocks. He has travelled the country and been sponsored to race in some of its premier mountain biking events, including the Absa Cape Epic.

But Go2Sea is the first race where he has won several stages. “The next step is to keep improving and becoming more consistent. I don’t want to become too comfortable because of a few good results. I want to use what happened at Go2Sea as motivation to work harder and hopefully, in time, compete on international stages.”

I’m a veteran amateur mountain biker and minor mentor to some of the riders from Soweto Rocks. What I have seen year after year is their potential and talent, but talent that is often stymied by poverty and lack of opportunity.

Says Ntsele: “I’m also inspired by young people from places like Soweto who have big dreams but don’t always have the resources or opportunities to pursue them.”

For want of a bike… Good mountain bikes don’t come cheap, unfortunately.

However, at the end of the race, a bike of his own was what Ntsele was given. Old Mutual, Go2Sea and an individual dug deep and handed him a brand-new one at the closing awards night.

Race organiser Craig Wapnick says of him: “Every now and again you come across a young man who is worthy of something special happening in his life. When I met Siya and got to know him, I realised that this man is an exceptional human being. He rode his heart out on a makeshift bike and finished third in the open category.

“He was absolutely blown away by receiving the bike. He will be racing on the SA circuit next year and we will support him. What a wonderful man.”

I predict that if Ntsele is given the opportunity, he has the makings of a South African and world champion.

Mark Heywood: Tell me about your background and where you grew up.

Siya Ntsele: I grew up in Soweto, and I think a lot of who I am comes from there. Soweto taught me to appreciate what I have, to work for what I want and to never forget the people and place that shaped me. Cycling has taken me to places I never imagined I would see, but wherever I go, I still carry Soweto with me.

I’m proud of where I come from because my journey is a reminder to me that your beginnings don’t have to determine how far you can go.

SN: I do most of my training around Soweto, Thaba Trails and Suikerbosrand, using the trails and roads available to me.

Training isn’t always glamorous. A lot of it is just waking up, getting on the bike and doing the work, even on the days when you don’t feel strong. I think those ordinary days are what eventually create the extraordinary moments.

SN: The people who have believed in me, especially during the times when I was still trying to find my way and aspired to be where I am. My family, my teammates, coaches, mentors and the people who have supported my cycling journey have all played a role. My faith in God is also very important to me.

MH: What do you think gave you the power to do so well at Go2Sea?

SN: I think it was everything that came before that moment. The first stage of the race – 86km from Clarens to Sterkfontein Dam – was extremely difficult for me. I cramped badly, lost a lot of time and reached a point where I needed to stop completely to let the cramps ease up. I was disappointed and emotional. But I came back.

When I eventually won a stage, I think I was carrying all those experiences with me. I was thinking about the people who had supported me, the sacrifices I had made and the reasons I started cycling. It reminded me that sometimes you don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need to keep going.

MH: What does it feel like riding as hard as you can in a competitive race?

SN: There is a moment in a race where everything else disappears. Tunnel vision. You are tired, your legs are burning and your body is asking you to slow down, but you keep going because you know you have something left.

I love that feeling because it teaches me something about myself. You discover that you are capable of more than you thought. It’s painful, but it’s also very peaceful in a strange way because, at that moment, all that matters is the bike, the trail and the effort you’re putting in.

MH: What do you dream about at night?

SN: I dream about a future where all the hard work means something. Of course, I dream about racing on the biggest stages, standing on a World Championship podium and hearing the South African anthem.

But I also dream about taking care of my family, having a stable future and being able to help young people who come from backgrounds similar to mine. I want my story to show that you can start with very little and still dream big. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R39. The e-edition of Daily Maverick’s weekly newspaper, DM168, is now free for readers who are signed into their Daily Maverick account. Click on the cover of the newspaper below to access the e-edition.