Lewis Kalombo, an Intern Youth Facilitator, recently conquered the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2019. Lewis participated in the 109km tour alongside some of his Proseed (youth development programme) team members. They all challenged themselves in this way to raise funding.
What inspired you to want to participate in the Cape Town Cycle Tour? I had a few reasons. I love and enjoy all forms of sports, and I wanted to give cycling a go. I wanted to challenge myself physically and mentally. Plus, I had missed the chance to cycle two years ago, and I was determined to participate this year.
How did you physically and mentally train for the race? I decided to push myself as much as possible with the little time I had. I also made sure to cycle on the race’s route several times to boost my confidence – I knew if I could do it before the race, I could definitely do it on the day of the race.
What were the challenges you faced? My biggest challenge was cycling uphill, especially up Smitswinkel, Chapman’s Peak and Suikerbossie. I also struggled with training consistently.
What did you learn about yourself during the training and the race? I learnt that if I put my mind and heart to do something, I actually get better at it and I end up doing it. I can never regret hard work as the payoff is usually fulfilling.
How does it feel to have completed the race? It’s one of my highlights for 2019. Conquering 109km wasn’t easy but crossing the finish line was a great beginning to a year I am dedicating to building resilience. I have now proven to myself that I can surprise myself.
“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to start to be great” ~Denzel Washington
