28 Mar 2021

Team Swift’s Thabiso Mokalake has raised the bar higher by completing the 3 000km Team Swift Grand March Challenge race eight days before the end.

Last month, Team Swift launched the 3 000km Team Swift Grand March Challenge, starting March 1 and scheduled to end March 31.

The race was meant to challenge club members reach new goals as well as keep them motivated whilst they await scheduled races as well as shape up for international meets.

Mokalake, who has competed in several endurance races, and won some such as Kgosi Malope Cycle Challenge (110km) and Wharic Cycle Challenge (108km), spent almost 35 hours weekly in the saddle to complete the enormous challenge.

 “I completed this challenge on March 23, eight days before the deadline for the 3 000km,” said Mokalake.

He noted that the challenge was not an easy one, but he was motivated to go all out as the challenge also prepared him for internationally long distance races.

“It is not easy to go out and ride when you do not have a goal especially that there are no local races currently,” stated Mokalake saying he was excited that he was able to build his endurance with the race challenge, which has given him a strong base for his cycling.

The 2019 Tour de Limpopo (TDL) rider further said when the challenge started, he was left behind but was determined to push harder and catch up with his fellow team riders.

He said he started riding longer races of 200km stretches daily and towards the last days, he stopped turning the pedals after setting out on 300km stretches, riding straight through to clock the 3 000km a day before his target date.

“But it was really a grueling 23 days of 3 000km on the bike where at some point I started having knee problems.”

The rider said he was trying to combine the challenge with his training programme.

Mokalake rode his last endurance race at the TDL 2019 four stage race in South Africa and prepared to ride the 2021 TDL edition scheduled later in the year, after a no show TDL 2020 edition due to COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the Team Swift Grand March Challenge race was a bonus to his training as it prepared him for TDL.

“I believe this time I will perform better at the TDL with the training I am getting now,” he said.

Mokalake further said he would now focus on more high intensity rides in order to get ready for races such as TDL.

While the local cycling fraternity awaits the local race season to open, he said he would continue with his usual training plan.

Mokalake led his club,  Team Swift Cycling Club in 2019 TDL and positioned his club to number 14 spot classification, out of 18 professional Africa Continental teams that participated at the stage tour race. ENDS