Pietermaritzburg businessman and cycling enthusiast Tinus Havinga is set on keeping his brother’s legacy alive as he attempts to qualify for the UCI World Cycling Tour Finals in 2014 when he takes part in the Msunduzi Road Challenge on the 26 and 27 October starting in Noodsburg.
Havinga had to travel abroad to Trento in Italy to secure his qualification for the UWCT Final in Pietermaritzburg last year after he missed the chance during the Umsunduzi Road Challenge in 2011. That trip to Trento came about after his brother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, encouraged him take on the challenge in Italy.
Having given up a lot of his time in assisting his ailing brother, Havinga made the trip to Trento and qualified for the UWCT Finals in Pietermaritzburg in 2012. This year he will be back riding in his home town as he takes on the Msunduzi Road Challenge again looking to qualify for the trip to the UWCT Final in Slovenia next year.
“My brother’s legacy definitely inspired me to train with more focus and to appreciate the health that I’m fortunate to have,” Havinga said. “After qualifying for the UWCT final in Trento, Italy last year, the race I dedicated to him, I was determined to qualify for the 2013 Final back in Trento and now the Msunduzi Road Challenge is the next step.”
Havinga has a busy schedule as he jets off to Italy for the UWCT finals from 19 to 22 September in Trento and then returns for the Msunduzi Road Challenge a month later.
“I had some problems because initially I was going to try and qualify in Colombo, Sri Lanka but there were issues and that was cancelled so I qualified in Chania on the Island of Crete for this year’s final,” said a proud Havinga.
The plan is simple for Havinga at this year’s Msunduzi Road Challenge – finish well enough to qualify for the finals in Slovenia next year. “I really want to end in the top 20% because that means that I qualify for the finals,” he said. “We have a number of really good riders in the 60-64 age group so it is going to be a serious challenge to get into that top 20%.”
The route of the Msunduzi Road challenge has changed since 2011 and Havinga believes that the new route is great for the event and for spectators.
“I think the new route is better than the old one and the only drawback is the rough sections of road which could prove to be a little tough to manage but from a spectator’s point of view it would be a lot better because the riders do 40 km laps,” he mentioned.
The Pietermaritzburg resident has entered both the time trial and the road race for the Msunduzi but he feels that he is stronger in the area that he is less experienced in.
“At this stage of my career I think that I am stronger at the time trial even though I only raced in my first one last year. I am still a novice but I think that it is my strongest event,” Havinga explained.
Trying to qualify for a UWCT final adds a certain amount of pressure and using this opportunity is going to be important for all the riders due to the fact that a number of them will not have another chance to get through because of the travel.
“There will be a lot pressure if your goal is to qualify for the final in Ljubljana, Slovenia. So for me there is some pressure because I would love to go, because Slovenia is a place I have never been before!” an excited Havinga added.
