DO IT NOW Magazine article 03-07-12

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Words by J.P Waites, Founding Director of Eventworx Photos by ????????????????

J.P Waites, Founding Director of Eventworx

joBerg2c reignites my mojo

In the middle of 2011, I sadly lost my Dad to cancer, despite his valiant efforts to beat it. I didn’t realise it at the time, but whilst dealing with all the emotions of that particular life experience, I lost my own ‘mojo’.

I just couldn’t get fired-up or passionate about anything I was doing or what needed to be done business, personal or family wise. While I thought I was still functioning at my best, I was simply on autopilot. I'm certain that it showed in everything I did for quite sometime, but thank goodness for the great people around me.

My Dad had always been my sounding board, as well as a rock solid foundation from which I launched my own life – business and a family life. His calm, solid presence gave me the courage to be bolder in ventures and the daring to take some improbable risks.

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A few months later, as I was flicking aimlessly through the SuperSport channels, I stumbled across the highlights of an off-road biking experience; guys riding on mountain bikes for nine days from Heidelberg to Johannesburg and all the way to the sea in Scottburgh over 900km away. Spontaneously, I decided that this was exactly what I wanted to do to honour the contribution my Dad had made in my life.

The joBerg2c mountain bike experience is a team-based event.

Fortunately for me, my really good mate Andrew, who has heaps of multi-stage and endurance event experience, agreed to take on the challenge despite my novice status. His experience and strength on the bike would turn out to be invaluable for me to complete the event. With the planning and preparation mapped out, we were ready to ride - almost a year to the day after my Dad’s death.

I set about this new undertaking with vigour and enthusiasm. I bought a new bike, upgraded my gear and hit the trails as often and as hard as I could. I only realised later that being on the bike was slowly reigniting my long-lost desire for doing different things.

Finally the big day arrived and we were off, a somewhat demanding but invigorating ride ahead of us. Each day brought something different and took me to a new personal level. While the ride itself is simply awesome, what struck me the most were two important aspects that were intrinsic to it.

Passion. This event is extraordinarily well organised, and as the co-owner of an event management company I know just what it takes to plan and present a great event. This one hosts over 600 riders along with numerous medical, safety, media, support staff and crews, crosses more than 100 farms and goes through some of the most remote areas of the country. As each day unfolds, a great breakfast is followed by some awesome biking; the arrival at the next camp brings a welcome break and a hot shower; your personal gear is waiting for you in your tent, in addition to a wonderful lunch. This is all wrapped up with dinner and a show, interspersed with a lot of banter about the day on the bike; the spectacular work of a very talented photographer, who has captured the essence of the day’s activity; and a sneak peek at the SuperSport highlights package to be flighted a few hours later. Repeat this for eight consecutive days and you'll understand what an enormous effort and fantastic accomplishment it is!

Two farmers, Glen and Gary, are responsible for putting it all together, with the help of an advertising guy, Craig. They don’t do it for the money and after covering costs, the rest goes back to the local communities that also assist with the race. Each of these guys takes ownership and responsibility for a portion of the race and stamps it with his own signature style. Their strength actually comes from working together to create this great event, with its uniquely welcoming festival feel. It’s amazing just what can be achieved with real passion and dedication. 

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Partnership. Strange thing about passion: it’s very infectious.

While the organisers clearly set the race’s tone, it’s actually the partnerships they have with the people and communities that give the event its true spirit. Each overnight stop is hosted by the local community and their investment of themselves is immediately evident. Dads are braaing the steaks, Moms are running the kitchens and the kids are cleaning bikes, building the tented camps and moving bags. All are volunteers! Even the event sponsors invest in this spirit and throttle back on the usual marketing push. The appreciation of this effort is tangible amongst the riders at each overnight camp.

The organisers get a fabulous commitment from the local people, who are enabled to raise funds for their own needs while enjoying the festival feeling that the event brings to their town. It’s a winwin situation! Having ridden the previous two joBerg2c events, my riding partner had raved about the camp atmosphere and now I was experiencing it. Until you have done this event you simply can’t begin to appreciate how valuable this partnership is.

Speaking of partners, had Andrew not been so patient and determined when my knees began to show the damage of years on the soccer fields, I am certain I would have bailed long before the beach. I hadn’t considered that while riding my bike with him through the numerous mielie farms of the Free State, dropping off the escarpment into KZN, crossing numerous rivers and climbing all those seemingly endless hills before ultimately riding onto the beach, I would come to realise that little in life can be attained without a deep desire and the help of essential people around you.

I have my mojo back.•

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More articles in DO IT NOW Magazine:

❱❱ Mountain Bike World Cup - DO IT NOW Magazine Vol. 4 Issue 3 ❱❱ 2012 Mountain Bike Race Season Preview - DO IT NOW Magazine Vol. 4 Issue 2 ❱❱ Shuttle Days - A Fun MTB Ride for Everyone - DO IT NOW Magazine Vol. 4. Issue 1 Visit the Mountain Biking Category page for more fascinating stories.

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