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Kombo Bere in action during the recent Cycle Centre mountain bike challenge.

Kombo on his way to World Champs

 

Local cycling star Kombo Bere of Louis Trichardt will soon get the chance to compare his skills to those of cyclists at international level.

Last week, this local cyclist received his official invite to represent Zimbabwe in the upcoming World MTB Championships as part of their mountain biking team. The world championships is set to take place at the Nove Mestro na Morave in the Czech Republic from 28 June until 3 July. It was not an easy feat as cyclists can participate by invitation only, after their UCI (world ranking) points have been scrutinized.

“I will represent Africa, not merely Zimbabwe or South Africa,” said the Grade 12 pupil of Louis Trichardt High School. “It is one of the greatest honours to get to represent your province and country at the highest level,” he added.

Not many know this about Kombo, but he was actually born in Zimbabwe. Shortly after his birth, his family came to South Africa and settled in Cape Town. His father is a professor at the University of Venda, and his mother is a stay-at-home mom who looks after his younger brother.

During 2013, the family relocated to Louis Trichardt. It was in this time, at the age of 15, that Kombo’s natural talent for cycling was discovered, and ever since  then Kombo has dominated the local cycling scene, clinching various podium places.

Apart from local accolades, Kombo also boasts other victories, such as being second overall during the Three Towers Stage Race in 2014, Limpopo U/18 mountain and road-bike champion (in the same year) and the 2015 U/18 Limpopo Champion for XCO mountain-bike and half-marathon racing.

Being selected to participate in the upcoming world championships as part a national team is certainly a dream come true for Kombo. One of his goals is to be able to participate in the 2020 World Olympic Games.

But how does he prepare for all this?

“Hard work, and then some more hard work,” was the simple answer from Kombo.

Apart from balancing a heavily loaded school curriculum, Kombo also follows a specially formulated training programme compiled by the South African Sport Institute. This entails two days a week in the school’s fitness centre with Felix Malan to strengthen his core.

A big part of his exercise programme is participating in local races. One such a race will be the upcoming Kremetart 175km one-day stage race. “Believe it or not, but the Kremetart will help Kombo’s fitness peak, so that he will be able to perform his best during the championships,” explained mentor and fellow trainer Stanley Thompson.   

Kombo will cycle in the Kremetart as part of the Limpopo Tac-Pulse Team, the first ever local pro-cycling team. After this, he will focus on finalizing last-minute details for his trip to Nove Mestro na Morave, for which he has a part of the funds necessary. But help and assistance are always welcome from local businesses and sponsors. Stanley can be contacted at Tel 082 493 3897 for more information on this.

 

Sport - Date: 28 May 2016

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

Email: [email protected]

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