Faraz Khatieb from Blue Downs delivered a sensational performance at last weekend’s Cape Town Cycle Tour, claiming victory in the under-19 category in emphatic style.
While Ryan Gibbons sprinted to victory in the senior men’s event and Lisa Bone took the senior ladies’ title, it was young Khatieb who truly captured everyone’s attention.
Victorious
The Kinetic Pro Cycling Team rider finished an impressive 22nd overall out of 17 941 participants, placing 22nd among the 14 679 men who completed the race, and first in his age category. His teammate Catalina Lamers also celebrated success, winning the under-19 female race. “I fought hard to win this race this year,” said Khatieb. “I’ve done this race before and even though I didn’t win, I came very close. This year I came out victorious. My motto in life is that a winner was once a loser who kept trying. I was once that loser,” he said proudly.
His mother, Reygana, says the family is immensely proud of his achievement. “I don’t think he realises how strong he actually is, but this weekend’s race showed his true pedigree,” she said.
TygerBurger recently reported on Khatieb after he was approached by a professional cycling team in Italy for a trial period. If he performs well during the trial, he could secure a permanent spot with the team.
Italy
However, Reygana says they are still R6 000 short of the R20 000 needed for the Italy opportunity. “We hope we’ll raise it soon, as our BackaBuddy campaign is still running. We’re also having trouble finalising his visa because of a backlog at the consulate. The war situation has also complicated things. But we still believe he’ll make it to Italy and be successful,” said Reygana.
