'Mould'ed by cerebral palsy

Update

PLETTENBERG BAY SPORT NEWS - Cerebral palsy usually takes over every aspect of life for those who suffer from this neurological condition, but not for former Plettenberg Bay local Toni Mould. In her case it is cycling that rules her life.

The 36-year-old is currently preparing for the Paracycling Road World Cup in Italy in May this year and a week later, the World Championships in Belgium.

She also has the Tokyo Paralympics calling her name after being placed on a list of potential athletes to represent South Africa at the event in August and September this year.

Not only is this a major feat considering her condition, which affects all her muscles, her balance and her speech, but also a great accomplishment as she only started cycling in 2013.

Mould grew up in Plett, but she now resides in Stellenbosch after her tertiary studies took her there.

'Affects balance, speech and all muscles'
She said it often felt like cerebral palsy affected her entire life, although she tried to avoid letting it "rule" her life. "It affects everyone differently, but it affects my balance, speech and all my muscles. It also causes chronic fatigue due to the amount of energy I use for even the simplest things such as dressing and eating. Due to my disability I can't drive a car or work a normal 9 to 5, Monday-to-Friday job."

Mould said she first started cycling after she gave in to a friend's "nagging" for her to try out the sport. "I had always had a passion for sport growing up but being in Plett, I didn't have any opportunities to participate in sport for the disabled. During my time at varsity I did participate in ballroom and Latin dancing for the disabled but due to academic pressures I couldn't pursue sport at that time. In 2012 I reconnected with a friend who had just been to the London Paralympics in paracycling and she encouraged me to start because she knew I enjoyed cycling and had an old tricycle."

After only nine months of racing in a local league, an event organiser saw her potential to race at national level. "I needed a newer, lighter trike. It took us 18 months to raise funds for a new trike and in February 2015 I took part in my first South African champs. Since then I have attended every year's nationals, been to four World Cup competitions and three World Champs in four different countries."

'Cycling opened up opportunities'
She said cycling has not merely impacted her life, but taken it over "Cycling has brought so much richness to my life. It has given me the opportunity to see more of our beautiful country and go to countries like Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands."

Mould said on a physical and health level, cycling has had a big impact. "I am stronger, healthier and fitter than I was before. I started cycling in 2013 for two main reasons: to get fit and keep healthy and to enlarge my social circles. The fact that, since 2019, I have been a full-time cyclist has not only given me the space to train and compete but also allowed me to put my health first. With cerebral palsy, it is essential to keep fit, keep the muscles loose and strong, and so forth."

While she has raked in many achievements over the past few years, she believes her biggest accomplishment is still being in the sport.

"Due to financial issues, Cycling SA hasn't been able to pay for our trips and training for the past four years, so everything has been self-funded. When you need to take a friend as your assistant on every trip, it means flights, hotels, food and fees are doubled. Without big corporate sponsors, keeping up with the financial side of things is a challenge. I also train myself because I don't have funding for a coach, so being in the mix with the top paracyclists in the world who have coaches, physiotherapists, dietitians and more behind them, I think it counts as an achievement."

Due to these financial implications, Mould has started a crowd-funding initiative on BackaBuddy to help her on her way.

Plett paracyclist Toni Mould participates in cycling events across the globe. Photo: Supplied