Cape Argus Cycle Tour: My Mom Made Me Do it

Most of you by now are very well aware that I am doing the Cape Argus Cycle Tour this year. Yes, me. I have indeed signed up (and paid a ridiculous amount) to cycle 110km over mountains and across the Cape Peninsula (For a map of Cape Argus, click here). My aim is to reach the finish line within 5.5 hours, so yes: I am training up a storm.

“But WHY did you decide that torturing yourself would be a good idea?” I hear you ask. The only answer I have for you is that my mother made me do it. Well, sort of. When the docs found out about my mom’s breast cancer last year, my world came crashing down with all its might. For the first time in m life, I really, *really* realized how unpredictable life can be. The one moment everything is rosy and peachy, and the next one everything you believe is shred to pieces. That is at least how it felt when mom broke the news, just 3 days before Christmas.

All of a sudden, everything seemed so meaningless: the deadlines, the problems with the (now ex) Significant Other, the fact clients refused to pay, the weather, and so many other things. Nothing seemed to matter and during that first day, all I could think about was the fact that my mom was suffering from a disease that could potentially kill her. It is very surreal and there is not enough ink (or pixels) to explain how it feels.

Luckily, mom’s cancer was in a very, very early stage. The tumor was removed completely, and luckily this nasty disease did not get the time to spread. No chemo was necessary, “just” radiation. This week, Mom will have her last sessions of radiation and then she will be done. For now that is: she will have to go for annual check-ups for the next five years or so, but that seems to be standard procedure.

Back to the Cape Argus Cycle Tour and my reason for doing it this year. Look, if my mom can beat a disease like cancer, then I see no reason why I can’t do this race. Seriously. And then there is the element of closing this chapter. No better way to do it while cycling across one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

So now you know: this race is dedicated to my mom (and to my dad, who has been absolute trooper) 🙂