It's All About The (Pedal-Power) Passion!

SO, WHAT do Hollywood star Matt Damon, politician Helen Zille, former Springbok Victor Matfield and cycling legend Lance Armstrong have in common with certain agents and others connected with the Dormehl Phalane Group (DPG)?

The answer - all have experienced looking forward to being at the southern tip of Africa for the challenges and excitement of participating in one of the world's most celebrated and scenic bike races, The Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Now in its 44th year, the event sets cyclists on a 109km route, circling the Cape Peninsula and starting and finishing in the shadow of Table Mountain. It is regarded as the biggest timed bicycle race on the planet.

Long previously known as the Cape Argus Cycle Tour, it took its current title and a new logo in late 2014 - and the mass-participation event has certainly come a long way since humble beginnings in 1978, when the first race attracted some 500 entrants.

This year's event is on March 13 (last year's race was in October instead of March, due to Covid-19 regulations) and will once again see DPG representatives uniting for a thrill ride that has been known to attract up to 35 000 pedal-pushers.

Among the 2022 DPG team are the property group's founder, Owen Dormehl, and his ever-increasingly-fit wife Amanda, both devoted fans of cycling which, together with personal training and a better diet, has helped Owen shed more than 30kg.

A Pretoria-based Springbok cyclist from yesteryear, and a former national road and track champ, Pieter Kemp, will also be there. A representative of Velotex cycling apparel, he is "honoured" to be a guest of the DPG team, and will compete for fun.

"My training objective is primarily to have sufficient stamina and speed to cover the race under five hours. I do a couple of four-hour rides on weekends and two 90-minute rides during the week. I am also doing one or two gym sessions a week for strength and stretching."

Pieter has some good tips for the team, including advising on no hard training the last week or so, to be fresh and rested for the big day. 

He also suggests that, on race day, cyclists do not start too fast: "Pace yourself and save some energy for the last 35km". He recommends using light gears as long as possible ("to save the muscles'), and to take in fluids within the first hour ("rather than wait until you are thirsty").

"Also, start with water and only use energy drinks in the race's second half," he says, adding that "cyclists should find a group of riders of similar calibre to enjoy the great benefits of slipstream and group motivation".

Sean Borrill, principal of Dormehl Phalane Platinum in Johannesburg South, will be with the team this year alongside his 15-year-old son, Brogan. Both will be in full DPG kit.

"I did the race with the company team in 2021 - at the drop of a hat, when someone contracted Covid and couldn't ride... and only a month or so after I had climbed Kilimanjaro with my daughter, to just past Base Camp," explains Sean, who says Brogan is new to the race.

"I filled in with no training. My last real ride was The Argus, 10 years prior," he adds, pointing out that he caught Covid over December so has not put in as much training as he'd have liked for 2022's race.

"I have done little cycling training this year, but loads of strength training in CrossFit. I will get some cycling done during February so the bum is not as numb as it was on the October 21 tour."

Sean has participated in four Argus tours, two 94.6 races and one Amashova. "The rest have been purely fun rides. I have always ridden for the fun and enjoyment, never for position". What he most loves about cycling is being out in the open air, and he is keen to experience the joys of the race and Cape scenery alongside his son.

Sean's big passions are his active involvement with church, his family and the property business, whether buying, selling or renovating/building.

"My life motto is pretty much "Coz I Can" - meaning that we can do anything as long as we put our minds to it, trust God through the process and just keep on going, no matter what."

Pretoria attorney Ruann Kruger, who has long done business with DPG, will be a guest of the team in blue-and-white for the second time, having done well last year, completing the route in just over four hours. He has entered this year for fun rather than to race, says Ruann, who is more used to competing in off-road races.

His preparation for this year's event has been much as it was for the 2021 race - training two months before the big day, cycling indoors three times a week on a Wattbike, doing gym to strengthen the legs, and cycling 40km to 60km on a Saturday or Sunday.

"I really enjoyed the race last year, particularly for the great camaraderie of the team and other cyclists. It was such a festive and friendly atmosphere, with people waving, cheering and encouraging everyone along. I look forward to experiencing it again," says Ruann.

Someone who knows a lot about achieving goals and winning prizes, DPG Pinetown's golden boy Brendon Bosch, will also be on the saddle on March 13 - but he is not gunning for any huge accolades, saying he will be very happy to simply finish the race.

The Kloof resident, now aged 39 and a DPG agent since he was 20, says this year will mark his first Cape Town Cycle Tour. However, he has been cycling, on and off, for about six years - currently up to three times a week - and has competed in a few mountain bike events as well as three Amashova Classic Durban cycle events.

"I love mountain bikes and only recently tried road bikes," he says, adding that he does cardio-based, get-fit classes up to three times a week at a gym in Westville to improve his overall fitness. He also rides off-road enduro bikes and has competed in some events.

Away from sport, his work is his main hobby and passion: "I also buy, fix and sell houses on the side, when and where I can find them."

Brendon sees "the hills and distance" as the Cape race's biggest challenge, but he is confident and looking forward to the event.

Not overly confident this year, although tightly holding thumbs, is Vickey Dormehl-Marais, Owen Dormehl's niece, who has been a DPPG Blouberg agent for about 10 months. She has been cycling for about a year and will be attempting her second Cape Town Cycle Tour, having got to complete only 70km of last year's race.

"I really would like to make it to the finish line this year, although training has been tough. Most days the Cape wind has been too strong to cycle and it gets quite dangerous when the wind is more than 30km/h. I try to train whenever the wind allows... so not enough."

DPG Howick's principal, Pippa Griffin, is looking forward to an event Wikipedia lists as the first race outside Europe to be included in the Union Cycliste Internationale's Golden Bike Series.

Pietermaritzburg-born Pippa, who concentrates on her branch's rental portfolio in the Midlands and Howick, will attend the race as a supporter only.

"I thought it would be fun to have a weekend away and to support my friends, whose branded cycling clothing has been so kindly sponsored by DPG's head office. I am taking my book-keeper along as well, as she really deserves a holiday - she was too hectically busy with admin to take a festive season break."

Pippa laughs when asked why she is not cycling, saying she prefers walking and bowling to keep fit: "I had a bike growing up on the farm, which was fabulous fun. Then, as a student, I thought a bike would be great to get around on. But I was knocked off the bike in Durban's Berea Road, and that put a stop to all further cycling endeavours! I am happy to watch the cyclists... and must say that I think they are all a bit crazy!"

Pippa loves that DPG has such great team spirit: "The company is all about family and professionalism.  I love the fact that our technology is top class, that our referral system works extremely well, and that when help is required in any form, the team is always there to assist and support."

Pippa's pals, Alex March and his partner Jackie Shaw, will be cycling with the DPG team for the first time.

"It has been on my bucket list for a while, having lived in Cape Town as a student and worked as a horticulturist at Kirstenbosch for two years," says Alex.

He will be riding "on a more serious basis" than Jackie, who is there "more for the entertainment". However, Jackie is a strong cyclist, Alex is quick to point out. In fact, she acquired provincial colours for track cycling in 2016 and 2018, and has been cycling for 10 years on road, mountains and track

 "I will be dressing up, having fun and socialising," says Jackie.

Alex and Jackie, who run Alex's wholesale indigenous nursery and landscaping business in Howick, were last in the Cape about a year ago for the 36One MTB Challenge, South Africa's ultimate mountain bike race, which they completed. Being strong on horticulture, both are keenly anticipating the Cape Town Cycle Tour for the unique flora and views they will come across during the race.

"The Dormehl Phalane Midlands team has assisted me a few times in the property market and it's an absolute pleasure to return the favour and ride with them," says Alex. "The brand is very visible, well-run countrywide, and the staff are efficient and have a positive vibe."

Alex says loads of training is being put in by him before the Cape race as he has also signed up for the Joberg2C event at the end of April - a 900km, nine-day mountain bike race starting 85km south of Johannesburg and finishing at Scottburgh on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. It's now in its 11th year.

Beyers van Niekerk and his wife Marianne, both agents at DPG Moot, will be participating in their second Cape Town Cycle Tour.

An avid hunter and fly-fishing fan, Beyers has been a "serious addict" of cycling since 2017, when he weighed 130kg and made it part of an improved lifestyle.

"I have been building on my fitness every year and completed 7 300km on my bike in 2021. I have also started running this year, three times a week, and plan to make it part of my training routine to try to drop more weight and become more active," he adds.

He couldn't resist again cycling the Cape route after last year's buzz: "It is the most beautiful event I have ever participated in, and the supporters are just amazing. There is so much activity around you that you forget you are in a race. Not to mention the beautiful scenery.

"I am assisting and training two women this year to ensure they are capable of completing the CTCT with their mountain bikes. One is my wife and the other a good friend of ours. So my main focus is to keep them motivated and focused so they can complete the race in time for a medal."

Beyers says he and Marianne aim to start and finish the race together, "with as much laughter and as many pitstops as possible".

Durban-born Estelle Leisegang, based since September in Danabaai, Mossel Bay, after she and husband Roy opened the Montana (Infinity) branch in Pretoria in 2017, participated in the Cape Town Cycle Tour in 2016 and 2021, and is excited to be doing it again this year.

 "I completed both previous races and received the medal, but this year I have no expectations. I would just like to complete the race in time," she says, adding that Roy will be doing his first Cape Town Cycle Tour. He is more of a runner but rides sometimes for cross-training, Estelle explains.

 "We are a family-orientated brand. We share and care for each other. Owen's passion for the industry rubs off on all of us," she says when explaining why she is keen to join the DPG team in March.

Estelle is training twice a week now, but this will increase in the next few weeks: "At least an hour, but up to three-hour rides".

"Cycling is something you can do well into your old age, and there are so many benefits. It's good for mental and physical health, has a relaxing effect and reduces anxiety and depression," she says.

A keen crafter, baker and gardener, Estelle, who studied Physical Education when she was younger, not only enjoys cycling but features it in her life motto: "Life is like riding a bicycle; to keep your balance you must keep moving". Another favourite, she says, is "Be yourself and be patient with others".