Undoubtedly the biggest success
story of the Exxaro Special Jersey
race is Phillimon Sebona. Having won
the title in 2013, 2015 and 2017, he has
gone on to join the most successful
team in the Absa African Special
Jersey competition: PYGA Euro
Steel. Sebona’s steady improvement
over the years is an inspiration to
the riders who followed him into the
Exxaro Development Academy. Now
balancing his training load with a
full-time job at Trail Wolf Cycles in
Pretoria, Sebona has an additional
role to take on. As the senior partner
in his 2019 Absa Cape Epic team, he
will not just be inspiring the Exxaro
Special Jersey competitors, but also
mentoring 19-year-old Pieter du Toit
through the race.
RMB Change a Life’s year?
William Mokgopo and
Phillimon Sebona in 2017
William Mokgopo and
Pieter du Toit in 2018
Since the institution of the Exxaro
Special Jersey in 2013 it has been won
by the Exxaro Development Academy
on four occasions. The Diepsloot
Academy and songo.info have each
claimed one title, leaving the RMB
Change a Life Academy as the only
major development squad yet to win.
Martin Dreyer’s sports development
organisation was founded to provide a
platform for the young men and women
living in the Msunduzi River Valley with
the opportunity to race the famous
Dusi Canoe Marathon. On the river,
the academy has been a resounding
success, and John “Ngwenya” Ntuli
proved the organisation is more
than capable of training world-class
mountain bikers too, when he won The
Munga in 2016 (the 1 070km single-
stage ultra-marathon). It is only a
matter of time then before the RMB
Change a Life riders nab the Exxaro
Trophy at the Absa Cape Epic. Ndumiso
Dontso and Mazwi Smimango will
race as Team RMB Change a Life 1, and
Smimango has already expressed his
desire to step up to the elite ranks. They
will have to hold off their RMB Change
a Life compatriots, Sipho Kupiso and
Bongumusa Zikhali, though, if they wish
to achieve success.
Message from Exxaro
WINNING
EXXARO SPECIAL
JERSEY TROPHY
Lwandiso Njara, protégé of
acclaimed sculptor Angus
Taylor, designed the trophy to
resemble the transformation
and progression of two ordinary
young potential stars from
the township into dedicated,
victorious, mountain bikers.
All the materials used in the
sculpture were sourced from
various Southern African Exxaro
mines and include coal, iron
ore and titanium. The trophy
weighs in at 9.4kg, often giving
the winning riders a surprise as
they hoist it above their heads at
prize giving.
The 2019 Absa Cape Epic will take you along some of
the Western Cape’s most beautiful areas: the craggy
shoreline, the world-famous winelands and into the
silent, blue mountains. At times you’ll think you’ve gone
to heaven. The route will also bring you face to face
with some hellishly diffi cult terrain that will test your
body and your mind. For the past eight years Exxaro
has been a sponsor and offi cial development partner to
the Absa Cape Epic. We’ve witnessed the tenacity and
teamwork that keeps people moving. We’ve been inspired by how success
at mountain biking can be a precursor to success at life. This motivated us
to start the Exxaro MTB Academy as we recognised that by introducing
mountain biking into disadvantaged communities, our young people could
be encouraged to challenge themselves and see the possibilities that arise
from perseverance and determination. One of our riders even went on to
represent South Africa. The Exxaro MTB Academy programme is “bigger
than the bike” as it also provides opportunities for our riders to complete
their studies. This ensures that once riders leave the Academy they are
well-rounded individuals with the tools to carve out a successful future. As
a company, we are proud to be powering this kind of possibility. I wish our
Exxaro teams, and every other participant, the mental fortitude to push
beyond the limits. Everything is possible if you think it so.
MXOLISI MGOJO
Exxaro CEO
The Untamed African MTB Race | MTB | 95