Hard knocks take Drikus out of Rwanda challenge
After completing well over 500 kilometres, Drikus Coetzee of Namibia was forced to withdraw on Monday from the 998.6 kilometre Race Around Rwanda which got underway in Kigali early Sunday morning.
Coetzee was involved in at least two significant crashes, with injuries to his right thigh, knee, head, hand and wrist.
After barely 40 km on day one, he had a collision against a civilian transporting wooden boxes full of onions on a bicycle, which moved into his lane during a moment of being blinded by the sun at the breaking dawn.
The 32-year-old was in the lead group of the ultra-race at the time. However, the impact left him with a cut and bruising on his right thigh and prompted him to reduce his tempo.
Early Monday morning, around 04:15, he had another crucial mishap while riding down a mountain pass on a slippery muddy surface caused by ongoing rains.
The Namibian reckons his front wheel may have hit a stone, before he had a hard fall over his handle bars which drew blood from the head collision as well as his knee. The impact also caused too much pain in his wrist and hand to continue the race.
“We are taking X-rays of my wrist to assess the damage, which was the main reason I could not manage the handlebar during the off-road riding any longer, due to the pain,” Coetzee explained.
“Also, after my body having taken these knocks and after being released from the clinic, I went for a very gentle ride of about 50 kilometres, but only at about 5 or 7 km per hour. My body had shut down and I had no power left.”
Coetzee, a specialist in ultra-distance challenges, says the Ride Around Rwanda is spectacular scenery and he would recommend participation to anyone who has the opportunity.
“The friendliness and helpful attitude of the Rwandans are also exceptional. After my first crash into the civilian bicycle my cycling shorts were damaged and I was looking to get a new pair of shorts, so at a small village settlement I asked a guy if I could buy a pair from him. He gave it to me for free.
“People everywhere are constantly moving outside – so there was even a guy witnessing my fall at 04:15 in the morning (on Monday). It was God’s grace that the fall occurred close to a village clinic too, so he took me straight to the clinic to clean my wounds and to give me at least an hour and half to catch up on sleep.
“Riding in Rwanda is a unique experience, so if I ever get the chance to compete here again, I would grab it with both hands.”
Tough going
Two fellow Namibians, Pierre Lambert and Nabil Robiati, were still continuing the ongoing Race Around Rwanda by late yesterday. Just before 18:00 yesterday, Robiati had completed over 432 kilometres, while Lambert had made progress beyond 580 km.
The race leader late yesterday was the favoured Benedek Borsos from Hungary, who had already completed 700 km. The 29-year-old finished fifth in the Badlands ultra-race in Spain last August.
However, Guillaume de Spoelberch from Belgium was also within range of him and each rider’s choice of when and how much to sleep would still influence their progress.
