LONG-TIME friends, Wayne Keet and Warwick van Breda, have taken on the daunting challenge of competing in the Absa Cape Epic cycle race.
And if cycling roughly 700km over the course of eight days through the Western Cape is not challenge enough, they’ll be doing it while wearing woolly cow suits.
They are on a mission to raise R150 000 for the CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation SA.
By Saturday, March 9, they had hit the half-way mark, and they’re giving it their all in the final stretch, urged on by Absa’s promise to match it if they manage to reach their goal.
Keet and Van Breda, now affectionately known as the “Epic Cows”, have been busy since the beginning of the year to prepare for the Cape Epic. The first race they took on with the suits was the 2019 Momentum Health Attakwas Extreme in January.
It was quite an eye-opener.
“The supporters were amazing; they really did keep us going. We had a blast.
“From a preparation point of view, some lessons: we probably need to cut down weight a little bit, that climbing was quite intense and climbing in the suit is like somebody turns a microwave on,” said Van Breda, a 38-year-old entrepreneur from Johannesburg.
Keet (45), who is based in PE, also learned a thing or two about the heat during the Attakwas.
“We cooked; when the sun came out, we cooked. By water point five we both had that glazed look. I was at load shedding stage five.”
Despite this, and the various other races they’ve taken on in the last couple of months, the two are more determined than ever to take the Cape Epic on. Fortunately for Keet, he has completed the Cape Epic twice before.
This year is Van Breda’s first time, however. Keet said that though they were aware of the challenge the cow suits, in particular, would pose, it still paled in comparison to some of the challenges people were faced with when fighting cancer.
A number of sponsors, led by Innova – The Creative Techs and SJW Civils & Construction – have put their weight behind this campaign.
Keet and Van Breda, as the “Epic Cows” will compete in the 16th edition of the Absa Cape Epic from this Sunday, March 17 to March 24.
Anyone willing to help them reach the R150 000 target can support the cause by donating on their GivenGain page at www.givengain.com/ap/theepiccows4choc/.
For more info, go to www.cape-epic.com or follow the 2EpicCows Facebook page.
