KNYSNA NEWS - Grant Lottering, an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, completed his 2019 Im'possible Tour on a cycle on Sunday 26 May at Reuben's & Co Restaurant, The Yard, at Val de Vie Estate in the Paarl-Franschhoek Valley.
A part of his route took him up and down the Prince Alfred Pass and through Knysna en route to Oudtshoorn. According to support team-member Max Sullivan, Lottering reached Uniondale after sunset and had to tackle the pass in darkness, which meant he would take a few hours to complete the stretch.
"He underestimated the number and extent of uphills on the pass, but he pushed through," Sullivan said. He added that Lottering started to look a bit bumpy towards the end of the pass, but the respite of heading down the N2 into Knysna felt like heaven. This meant he was two hours ahead of schedule when he reached Oudtshoorn after 32 hours and 550km without any sleep.
The sportsman ended up completing the 1 314km ultra-endurance cycle from Patensie, just east of the Baviaanskloof in the Eastern Cape, to Paarl in the Western Cape, in 66 hours and 12 minutes. It has been labelled as the most brutal, nonstop fundraising ride ever attempted in South Africa as Lottering cycled for three days and nights, climbing 17 mountains, a total of 12 000m, while overcoming both tar and gravel sections on a road and mountain bike respectively. This he did at an average speed of 19.9km/h with only two-and-three-quarter hours of sleep.
Commenting at the finish, Lottering said this Im'possible Tour took every last drop of strength, determination and will power to complete. "I have absolutely nothing left. I had to endure levels of pain for hours on end, comparable only with my first Im'possible Tour in 2014 while still recovering from my near-fatal cycling accident in the Italian Alps in 2013."
Lottering added, "Fighting up the ruthless and agonizingly steep Swartberg Pass before sunset on day two, after having already cycled 560km, almost destroyed me. It was when my support team came up next to me and read supporters' comments from Facebook which inspired me greatly to continue – I will never forget that!".
Aside from completing this brutal and extreme challenge, Lottering also managed to raise over R100 000 for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
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