In late 2009, a friend and colleague of mine started a website, with the central theme being cycling news, both South African and foreign. Around the same time, I had been writing regular reports for a cycling team that I was part of and was looking to graduate from a roving raconteur to more formal writing. The idea of publishing regular Q&A interviews with top cyclists and triathletes seemed the most appealing option at that time and I started off by interviewing a friend and top veteran rider Tim Carter. I wasn't sure of the sort of response I would get from that first article - raw as it was and all in capital letters! - but sure enough, there was great feedback, which set the proverbial ball rolling for more interviews.
It was due to a by chance reading of the website's comments section that I stumbled on a familiar name in the blog listing, Barry van Jaarsveld, whom I had known many moons earlier from the Western Province triathlon scene of the 1980s/1990s. Barry had left SA many years previously to study chiropractic in the USA before settling in the Netherlands, and we had a few mutual friends. When I emailed him to re-connect and ask if he would be interested in being interviewed, he kindly obliged and set the wheels in motion for what turned out to be an almost two year "Where Are They Now" themed series of interviews with former South African triathlon and cycling greats. It is funny how things just turn out like that.
After completing and posting an interview on the website, I would then set about trying to track down another former great, often utilizing social networking sites, but more often than not being referred by the previous interviewee. Needless to say that I reveled in this sort of investigator/journalist/historian role, pursuing what turned out to be one of my true metiers, to borrow that lovely French term. Their stories were always interesting and what stood out was the sheer passion that these various people had for simply living their lives in the now and to the fullest.
One of the added spinoffs from these articles was the numerous old photographs that each guy/girl would provide to enhance their respective articles. These pictures were often taken out of old scrap books stored in attics/sheds and scanned, before being sent to me via email. A true case of "coming out of the woodwork", so to speak. I was really taken aback by the effort and passion that these folk put into answering my questions. For instance, Mandy Dean posted all of her old photos and magazine articles via registered mail for a piece that I did for the Ironman South Africa magazine. Just one example of the kindness and willingness of all of these individuals in making these various projects happen (I did post them back to her once complete, by the way)
Read the tales of Mandy's adventures here:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Anyway, the photograph that adorns the top of the post is one of my all time favorites and was one of the very first shots sent to me by Barry back in early 2010. The setting is Gordon's Bay, which is a small seaside town on the eastern side of False Bay in South Africa. Home to the South African Naval College, it was once the venue to most of the Western Cape's triathlons up until the mid-1990s.
This particular photo was taken at the start of the 10km run leg of the Longmile International Triathlon, which was the second in a series of "rebel" tests against a team of American triathletes. These were still the days of sporting isolation in South Africa, where no official international sporting tours to or involving South Africa was allowed. Bear in mind that the 1980s were an era of innovation worldwide. South Africa was no different, embracing this "go get it" philosophy to the fullest in the form of various "sanctions-busting" schemes, unofficial sporting tours included.
Triathlon had its own philanthropist-extraordinaire in the form of a Cape Town businessman-turned-triathlete, who basically bankrolled the entire sport in the Western Cape for over a decade. Nic van den Berg not only sponsored most of the events, but also a team of elite local athletes. He even financed the travel and lodging of various groups of elite triathletes from overseas during this time, providing much needed competition for the local stars. In short, there would have been no triathlon as we know it in South Africa had it not been for Nic. He is now a successful singer, songwriter and poet in addition to his various business ventures.
Back to the photograph and the identities of those pictured, from left to right:
Simon Lessing, Andreas Lombardozzi, Mike Myers, Barry Van Jaarsveld, Harald Zumpt, Rob Bistodeau (USA) and in the distance to the far right, Kevin Richards.
All South Africans except for Rob Bistodeau, who was one of the visiting athletes from the USA. I was recently chatting to a friend of mine who also competed at a high level in the sport during that era. I don't know how it came up, but he told me how he and his wife hosted Rob and his teammates whilst they were in Cape Town, taking them around the best sights and locations of the Western Cape. A few years later, when my buddy and his wife spent an extended period working and traveling abroad, Rob reciprocated by hosting them at his home in California, including some flights with his para-glider. Rob divided his time racing as a professional triathlete on the Southern Californian circuit with his career as a fireman. One time, they landed on a beach in the middle of a wealthy enclave with no public access. They had to go around knocking on back doors with para-glider in tow to find a resident willing to let them out.
Another one of the touring party not pictured was a guy called Emilio De Soto, who combined his pro triathlon career with his own clothing brand. Emilio was a Cuban refugee who, along with his family, arrived in America with little more than the clothes they were wearing. A man of many talents, Emilio now has a few university degrees to his name, with De Soto now being one of the foremost sports clothing brands in the USA.
The above stories goes to illustrate the adventurous spirit of all the guys captured in this image, which is a recurring theme in sports like triathlon, surfing, mountaineering and others. All of them are well-traveled and have many a yarn to spin. Their collective life experience would make a few volumes of fascinating reading, the likes of which I only scratched the surface with in those interviews.
Thanks to all for participating. And for the photos, of course.
