![\"ccs-62657-0-24667200-1441868605.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-24667200-1441868605.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Palesa Manaleng is feeling great excitement in taking part in her first international event at the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup Pietermaritzburg from 11-13 September. Photo supplied.<\/span>\n<\/div>\nThe young man from Munsieville in Krugersdorp is lucky to be alive. While trying to disembark a train to Krugersdorp, which was about to set off, his jacket got caught in the closing doors of the train as it started moving and while he tried to free himself, he eventually lost his balance and footing and fell out of the moving train and was drawn underneath it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that moment, I lost everything and had to start my life again from scratch,\u201d he says. \u201cI would use a normal wheelchair to get around and started racing myself on it.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old has been riding a hand cycle since 2012 when esteemed cyclist Hilary Lewis introduced him to the sport. Lewis, who has represented South Africa on many occasions, explained how the hand cycle worked and Makgobela\u2019s interest grew even more when Andries Scheepers lent him a bike.<\/p>\n
\u201cI competed in a TT event in Joburg and I really liked it,\u201d said Makgobela. \u201cInstead of doing three laps, I just kept on going because I was having so much fun. I was trying very hard to follow Andries, and I have been training hard to ride faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Makgobela was entered into rounds one and two of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Italy and Switzerland, and he was generously supported by grant funding received from the Department of Sport and Recreation. This process of developing Makgobela is being facilitated by Cycling South Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready for the World Cup in Pietermaritzburg but I\u2019m not as strong as the others. It will take me time to get there and I\u2019m doing very well – I\u2019m trying my best.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe investment in Simon by Sport and Recreation South Africa has paid huge dividends in terms of fast-tracking the development and competitive ability of this talented rider,\u201d said Cycling SA Para-cycling Commission Director, Dr Mike Burns.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was rewarding to note the respect that was afforded him by the international community of riders with whom he recently engaged in Italy and Switzerland. Simon will be returning to the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport to complete the high performance programme that has been developed for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Makgobela\u2019s message to those who are in a similar situation to him is simple. \u201cYou must not say that it’s the end of the road. Be strong, God is in you and you are still a human being. You can do anything that you put your mind to.\u201d<\/p>\n An even newer kid on the block, Manaleng encountered a life changing experience when the brakes on her bicycle failed, forcing her to ride into a pavement at quite a high speed. The crash resulted in a punctured lung, two broken ribs, hitting her head hard, but it was the dislocated spine that caused the most damage.<\/p>\n As a paraplegic, Manaleng mobilises herself with only her arms. \u201cIt was almost a year ago to the date,\u201d said the keen sportswoman who was never afraid to delve into all types of sport. \u201cI loved cycling and loved testing my endurance. I played all sorts of sports, like hockey, weight lifting and soccer. I really love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Manaleng is feeling great excitement in taking part in her first World Cup this coming weekend. \u201cI\u2019m terrified, but excited. I love the feeling that being on a bike brings me. I feel like I\u2019ve got my freedom back and that I have no obstacles at all.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the 947 Cycle Challenge on TV one day while I was in rehab. I wanted to cycle and my physiotherapist showed me pictures of Pieter du Preez and I knew that I wanted to do this. I think I pestered him quite a bit, but he was so helpful and accommodating,\u201d she chuckled. \u201cI also called Hilary and she invited me to try out her handcycle and helped me with the setup.\u201d<\/p>\n Primedia currently assist the 28-year-old in collecting her from her home and taking her to a place to ride on one day each week in Gauteng.<\/p>\n When asked what keeps her motivated, Manaleng said: \u201cBeing alive, and doing what I love doing.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup \u2013 Pietermaritzburg (11-13 September 2015) will have two competition venues with the time trial competition being staged in the Midmar Dam complex on Friday 11 September and the road races in the city of Pietermaritzburg using Alexandra Park as the official competition venue on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. For more information, visit: http:\/\/www.cyclingsa.com\/2015-uci-para-road-world-cup\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While a World Cup race attracts the best in the world to compete against each other for medals and UCI points, hosting the fourth round of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup in Pietermaritzburg has offered keen South African Para-cyclists the chance to test themselves against the elite in their fields. Considered fledglings to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47058,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[3569,1725,3555,3568],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-19325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-palesa-manaleng","tag-para","tag-para-cycling-road-world-cup","tag-simon-makgobela"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19325"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=19325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a>Considered a fledgling to the sport of handcycle racing, Simon Makgobela is relishing the opportunity to test his ability against his peers at the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup Pietermaritzburg from 11-13 September. Photo credit: Illse du Preez.<\/span><\/p>\n