ANNELIZE VAN ZYL!
The cheer erupted from the Dirt Addict table when Shaun Peters announced the familiar name.
The morning didn’t start out in a particularly positive way with the expected cold and wet conditions. Everyone’s response to the chill in the air was shared with scrunched up faces and shrugged shoulders, in the attempt to ward off the cold.
But the Dirt Addict Tribe are known for their stupid bravery and ongoing support for one another, which meant encouraging each other to smear up (apply their trusted ASS MAGIC), and do their final bike checks before heading over to the start line.
Out of the 16 women from Dirt Addict who arrived to participate at the Rooibos MTB, 6 chose the 55km distance option.
Annelize van Zyl was one of them.
Convinced by a friend to ride the Cape Town Cycle Tour 9 years ago, she admits that she didn’t always enjoy cycling. The enjoyment only really started after seeing improvements.
Going into this event, she found excitement in the possibility of finishing a new event and not knowing what to expect from it. Also, the post-race beer was a good reward to look forward to.
As Annelize walked up to the podium to celebrate her 2nd place finish, we couldn’t be prouder of what she has accomplished and looks to accomplish in the months to come.
With women of varying levels of fitness, skills and personal goals in Dirt Addict, we hope to connect them so that they find the motivation and encouragement they need that enables them to achieve what they aim for.