Stellenbosch is multisport's Mecca

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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 16:53

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The Bosch is Boss

by Dan Hugo

Between December and March, Stellenbosch rumbles with European multisport talent, basking in sunshine at the foot of the Helderberg Mountains. The pilgrimage is now status quo for the summer here, but their presence reminds me how The ‘Bosch is a privileged little gem, and anything but ordinary.

The Hero Kilo
Typically everyone stays in the space of one square kilometre. So you’d see more Olympic medallists and World champions daily than you’ve got fingers to count on. That’s intimidating and inspiring at the same time. You could be arriving at the quaint 33.3m outdoor pool with intentions of cruising an easy 3km, to see multiple World champion Javier Gomez crunching 400m sets in 4:30. Makes you second-guess your cruise session.

On one occasion I brushed past Beijing gold medallist Jan Frodeno to hear of his five-hour ride out past Malmesbury. I’ve never biked that far out before. The classic hilly 10km run loop in Jonkershoek is not the same after hearing of Tim Don and Gavin Noble ticking through three laps in under two hours on a Sunday morning long run. There are favoured loops, routes frequented by us all. You’re sure to pass and be passed any day, and you could join any number of packs heading to the open roads.

The full spectrum make the trip, from the just-quit-work-on-a-shoe-string type who makes every dime count, to those demanding a penthouse at R15,000 monthly. As a kid finishing high school at Paul Roos, it was fun connecting the dots... not all full-time triathlon is glamorous.
Multisport athletes aren’t the only aliens seeking sun. A few track and field teams have made Stellenbosch their winter base as well. Seeing a six-foot blonde Swedish gal wearing bare essentials and large headphones down Dorp Street is so out of place, yet so befitting of Stellenbosch.

The support crew

The masseuse used by most athletes is Francois Retief, a biokeneticist who keeps limbs firing through the high mileage of base phase. You’re bound to get news on whose on, who’s off and who’s in town. An athlete tabloid in the best sense. He’s as part of Stellenbosch to us athletes as the afternoon breeze is to the Cape. Kelly Holmes owned property here for a while, to have a base close to physiotherapist Benita de Witt. That’s the level of expertise about here.

Let’s talk about food

A lot less threatening than all this activity and dedication is the daily lunch watch at Greengate, the Deli that supports my hunger with a complimentary lunch of the healthiest cuisine. Here you’re able to gauge who dished how much of what. Mountains of food I’ll have you know. Lene Byberg who raced to a World Cup MTB Series second for Specialized put my good-sized helping to shame. And she must be half my body mass.

After relocating to Stellenbosch at age 14 for triathlon-specific ambitions, I am still bewitched by the fine detail that makes Stellenbosch the cult training base it is. I hope to see you in the ‘Bosch between December and March - or anytime in fact - sometime soon?
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