Land Rover raises diabetes awareness with 16-year-old cyclist
Marco Moolman won’t let diabetes get in the way of him living an action-packed life. To prove it, he’s celebrating his 16th birthday by participating in some of the gruelling routes of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic.
“Mountain biking is a way of life for me – it’s my biggest passion,” said Marco Moolman, who is in grade 10 at Hoërskool Menlo Park.
“I cycle to inspire other diabetics to live their best lives and to prove that this disease isn’t a life sentence, just a lifestyle.”
Marco will join the Land Rover Epic Trippers team at this year’s Absa Cape Epic. Despite his young age, the organisers of the Absa Cape Epic granted special permission for Marco to participate – especially given his cause. The opportunity to participate as an Epic Tripper is an exclusive offering for sponsors of the event, giving media and invited guests an opportunity to get a taste of the Absa Cape Epic, spending two days riding specific sections of the race route.
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Over roughly 150 kilometres Land Rover Epic trippers will have an opportunity to push themselves to the limit while experiencing some of the most beautiful, rugged and challenging mountain biking terrain in the world. Although Land Rover Epic Trippers just get to sample the full Absa Cape Epic experience, their foray into the mountains still sees them climbing a total of 3,800 metres through Greyton and the Botrivier pass. These sections also include Land Rover Technical Terrain – the hand-picked portions of each stage that challenge even professional, world-class mountain bikers.
“We are proud and delighted to give Marco this opportunity. His passion for mountain biking is absolutely contagious. He’s out there, making the most of his world, and taking advantage of every opportunity life gives him,” says Lisa Mallett, Marketing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa.
“Like all Absa Cape Epic competitors, he’s an unruffled hero who pushes his personal strength and endurance limits.”
Moolman has won numerous local races and has been a member of his school’s national mountain biking team since 2015. This team won the coveted Spur National Title both in 2015 and 2016, with Marco on their side. At present, he is in the top 10 in the Youth under-16 age category in Gauteng, and he finished 12th at the 2016 Spur National High School Finals.
He has also been invited to the Team Novo Nordisk Talent ID camp in Athens, Georgia, in the US, which takes place this June. Team Novo Nordisk is a road cycling team consisting only of Type1 Diabetics. They race on the pro circuit in the USA and Europe and will be competing in the 2021 Tour de France. Marco will be the first South African to attend this talent camp and is one of only 40 youngsters invited from around the world.
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“I first got onto a mountain bike when I was nine. It’s a fantastic sport that challenges me and lets me be competitive. There’s great camaraderie out there and we are fortunate to enjoy our sport in the great outdoors,” says Moolman.
“I was diagnosed with diabetes before I turned two. When I first began to understand the condition, I decided that I would show the world, and other diabetics, that this condition doesn’t need to be a limitation.”
The 2017 Absa Cape Epic takes place from 19 to 26 March. The route this year starts at the Meerendal Wine Estate just outside Cape Town. The race concludes with the Grand Finale at the award-winning Val de Vie estate in Paarl.
Source: Land Rover South Africa