Into the Valley


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On any given Race Day, way before dawn, Martin Dreyer fires up the CAL bus (courtesy of the kind people at Idube Airports) and heads into The Valley of A Thousand Hills. It is a rough and tortuous road for 'The Duke', but decades of racing The Dusi (as well as a host of other international races) has prepared him for long days, short nights and major challenges. On the way from picking up his development squad, plus their bikes and their boats, they cross the Dusi. For the young CHANGE A LIFE athletes who train with the Martin Dreyer Academy, this is their 'River of Dreams', and it symbolises a tenuous lifeline when it comes to determining their futures. Despite dollops of determination and natural talent, they need fuel to perform. USN sponsors some of the product that helps them perform at their peak.
The Valley awakens as the CHANGE A LIFE development squad cruises the highway of life, en route to one of the multi-sport races that keeps each and everyone ofthem focused. And hungry. Lucas, a 1.6m powerhouse, preps his bike. For him, racing IS all about winning and losing. It means food, it means clothing, it means sponsorship and, at the end of this epic battle, it might mean a brand new future. Richard, getting into race mode and mood. There is always time for a smile, no matter what the circumstances. Lucas stepping out, hanging tough in the Top 10. The shoes are sponsored by HI-TEC, and it helps him keep pace with the cream of multi-sport athletes here in KZN.
Kwanda, powering uphill on his stock-standard Mongoose. If only the MTB suppliers out there would wake up to the fact that these guys are the future of the sport, not only regionally, but nationally. Put this dude on a top-of-the-line bike, and he'll kick serious ass. The CAL riders compete against prime athletes, most of them on R50k-plus MTBs, and backed by the latest technological and nutritional advances in sport. Yet they hammer hard, never giving up. And you see them on the podium, race after race. Today, the duel is on between two CAL comrades-in-arms, Eric Zondi and Kwanda Mhlophe. They charge across the line in unison, in joint third position. There is no love lost on the course, but once you cross the line, it is 'United we stand'. This is Mart's motto, as is 'Never Give Up'!
And when the racing is done and dusted, it is back into The Valley, to where the kids and moms (and wives-to-be, I suspect) await. As part of the CAL programme, the athletes get food once a week. This not only insures their nutritional intake, but often that of their extended families as well. It's not much, but so often this is the difference between just surviving, and going to bed with a full stomach.
    
Photos 1 - 16 out of 32 | Back to Albums
Description: Change. Life. Two words. The change can be big or small. Life has to be lived, in the best way possible. In the Valley of A Thousand Hills, a vast and undulating rural patchwork encompassing much of KwaZulu-Natal stretching inland from Durban, a beautiful story of grit and determination is unfolding. Here, within the meandering roil of the Umzindusi Valley, Martin Dreyer has done the impossible. Over a period of three years, the Dusi King has dug deep to mould a dream; not only for himself, but more importantly for two dozen young paddlers and their families. Through hard graft, unblinking commitment (and with the support of forward-thinking sponsors such as USN, HI-TEC and of course COMPUTERSHARE), 'The Duke' has immersed himself in a process which saw a handful of young herd boys put up their hands to become true sporting heroes. The pictures below tell the the story of just one day in their story, the saga of CHANGE A LIFE. It is inspirational to be, in a very small way, part of the process, and I wish there was a way I could tell it to 10 million people.
Location: Nagle Dam, KZN

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