A Life Less Ordinary For Theron And His Garmin Adidas Team

Press Release : News Center

If there is one thing that Francois Theron (Garmin adidas) enjoys, it is a good challenge and it does not necessarily have to be while cycling on his mountain bike.

Actually, Theron proved that he was not one to shy away from a challenge while he was competing in the Tour of Mauritius.

While most of the South African riders who competed in the road tour were quite happy just to relax after each stage, Theron wanted to experience life in Mauritius to its fullest.

Theron’s inquisitiveness led to him facing lions and falling at high speed through the air, just to disappear under the water.

One of the definite highlights for Theron was jumping off a 20 meter cliff into the sea.

“At first I did not think that it was possible for me to do it. But then one of the locals jumped from the cliff and came back to do it a second time. That was when I said to myself that I will regret not doing it.

“I jumped and it was exhilarating. I must admit that there was a moment or two when I was worried because it felt as if I might hit the water face first. I had to work really hard with my arms to get my body into an upright position before striking the water. And let me tell you, when jumping from a 20 meter cliff you reach a stage when you start wondering ‘is this ever going to end’.

“But then, the next moment, you are under the water.  It is a pure adrenaline rush.”

Another special moment for Theron was when he had the opportunity to play with some 14 month-old female lions. However, he was not brave enough to go into the young male lion enclosure.

“I thought that would have been stupid. When those male lions look at you they start licking their lips. You definitely get the idea that they see you just as a meal on two legs.”

However, the most scary moment for Theron was not falling through the air or feeling like just another meal on a lion’s menu, but actually racing on the Mauritian roads.

According to Theron there were no road-closures while they were racing on the Mauritian highways.

“You had to be wide awake all the time, because somebody would suddenly throw a gutter and you could find yourself racing at speeds of up to 70 km/h into the oncoming traffic.

“And when we raced through the sugar plantations you also had to keep your wits about you to stay on the road.  It actually felt sometimes as if we were competing in an obstacle race because there were dogs, potholes, cars, etc. to dodge while racing. But I guess it is the same in South Africa.”

Theron and Buys are at the moment competing in the three-day Mankele Mountain Bike Tour in the Lowveld.

In yesterday’s first stage of 75 kilometers they finished 2nd, about five minutes behind Brandon Stewart and Max Knox (DCM).

Theron said it was just one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong.

“First and foremost I must admit I just did not have the legs to stay with Brandon and Max. You get good days in the saddle and bad days. Yesterday (Thursday, September 24) I had a bad day. I was running on empty.

“To make things worse, both Philip and I had to stop to fix punctures which resulted in us losing even more time.”

Today’s stage is over 80 kilometers. Theron is quietly confident that he and Philip will have a better day in the saddle.

*Note – Team Garmin adidas won the stage today and are now on the same time as DCM in the lead even after an ordeal with a black mamba