Heat stroke, gastrointestinal problems, exotic wildlife, and an airline workers’ strike – if Andy Preto and Thomas Tetz were looking for an adventure, they certainly found it.
The two have just returned home to the Yukon after fulfilling a long-held dream: to participate together in the epic multi-day Absa Cape Epic in South Africa.
The event bills itself as the “most televised mountain bike race in the world,” and involves cyclists from all over the world competing on a course of around 700 kilometers through harsh, arid terrain.
“I definitely had heatstroke one day. Thomas said I looked like a lobster, and I was violently ill,” said Preto, back home in Whitehorse on Tuesday.
“Probably a low point of the race was when I accidentally ran into Thomas while we were racing. He tried to pass me at the wrong time.”
Tetz said it was still cold and snowy in the Yukon when they left for the race last month.
“It seemed like a shock to the system when we got here,” Tetz said. “It was really hot.”
Preto said the many aid stations along the race route were a lifeline, helping them stay relatively cool and hydrated in the 40 C weather. The two regularly poured ice on their jerseys to keep from overheating .
On the track at the Absa Cape Epic. Preto and Tetz said the biggest challenge was dealing with the intense heat and staying hydrated. (Submitted by Andy Preto)
“You started to hear stories of people being eliminated from the race with kidney failure and collapse, and it started to get worrisome,” Preto said.
“It was challenging, for sure. It had its ups and downs.”
The race is getting ‘harder and tougher, and we haven’t even started’
The event was a long time coming for the pair, and there were many setbacks before the race even began, including a broken leg, an airline job disruption and a global pandemic.
Five years ago, Preto and Tetz took part in another bike race together in Mongolia. Then, the following year, they were made to compete in the Absa Cape Epic.
“We were in Cape Town, and the night before the race, this thing called COVID-19 made the news – and we had to quickly run home because the race was canceled,” Preto recalled.
So, a year ago, they were again training for the South African event. That’s when Preto had an accident while cleaning a chimney.
“I fell off the roof and it destroyed my leg,” he said. “When I hit the ground and realized what I had done to my leg, my first thought was ‘Africa!’…yeah, it wasn’t a good scene at all.”
After surgery and a few weeks on crutches, Preto was back on his bike from last fall, training.
So last month, the day before they left for South Africa, they had to scramble to rearrange their travel plans when the Lufthansa airline was hit by a workers’ strike.
“So before we even get back on the plane, we look at each other and roll our eyes and say, ‘Oh my god, this race is getting harder and harder, and we haven’t even started,'” Preto recalled .
“We’ve certainly milked the planet, but we’re getting there.”
Tetz on the track. (Submitted by Andy Preto)
Starting the race, Preto was a little nervous about how well his leg was holding up, but he ended up doing well. The biggest problems, he said, were the heat and “our guts.”
They also had to contend with wildlife. Tetz went for a training run before the race and saw a huge snake, and part way through the race Tetz saw a road sign warning of leopards.
“Hey [Preto] said, “Oh, this is a joke for tourists,” Tetz said. “And later we talked to a local guy and he actually told us that there were some leopards there.”
Preto said he wondered if leopards actually eat people.
“[He said] “Oh, yes, they do” – so I think the leopard thing is no joke, “said Preto.
Preto thought the signs warning of leopards were a joke for tourists, until a local pointed it out. (Submitted by Andy Preto)
In the end, they finished the race without a leopard encounter, or kidney failure, or any other serious illness beyond heat stroke and stomach problems.
“It’s been like a five-year goal. So, regardless of the weather, we were both happy to be here,” Preto said.
They have yet to plan another racing adventure.
“We don’t know yet. We’ll wait a little bit,” Tetz said.
