Ironman Tissink still going strong in the Absa Cape Epic

[Matt]

South African Ironman winner, Raynard Tissink is participating in this year’s Absa Cape Epic with Mr. African, Mannie Heymans, in order to raise funds for the JAG Foundation. Team JAG (Tissink and Heynmans) is racing in the well-known black and yellow colours of the JAG Foundation, and is still going strong after Stage 4.

 

Tissink has competed in more than 30 Ironman races around the world and finished in 5th place at the 2010 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. He boasts seven Ironman titles including Ironman Korea in 2002 and 2007, Ironman Canada in 2003, Ironman South Africa in 2005 and 2010, Ironman Wisconsin in 2009 and Ironman Austria in 2005. He further has twelve top five finishes including Ironman South Africa (2nd in 2001, 2006,2007 and 2008), Ironman Louisville (3rd in 2009), Ironman Austria (2nd in 2004), Ironman Western Australia (2nd in 2007), Ironman Malaysia (3rd in 2001), Ironman Brazil (4th in 2002), Ironman Florida (5th in 2002), Ironman Coeur d’Alene (2nd in 2003) and another 3rd at Ironman Florida in 2003.

 

Raynard Tissink during stage 4 of the 2012 Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike stage race held at the Overberg Primary & High School in Caledon, South Africa on the 29 March 2012

Photo by Nick Muzik/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS

 

In his first ever finish at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, he became the first South African to finish in the Top 10. In 2005, he finished in seventh place and in 5th place in 2010.

 

Tissink and Heymans are currently in 20th position overall with a time of 23:19.27,8. Today was a really hard stage for riders, as they were still recovering from yesterday’s long stage and the wind was pushing riders to their limits. Says Tissink: “We thought because it’s a shorter stage, it would be easier. The riding was a lot harder today with the horrendous wind. It was still a long stage - 5 and a half hours isn’t much shorter than our time of yesterday - but yesterday’s 147km obviously meant a really long day in the saddle.”

 

Tissink is grateful to have Heymans as his riding partner and says he is extremely experienced. “He was really nursing me today - I was going through a bad patch coming into the wind but he was telling me where to draft and where to sit in the bunch. Obviously, you know that type of thing but when you’re as tired as I am, you’re not really thinking straight.”

 

Adds Tissink: “I’m definitely still looking forward to the end, and tomorrow is the last stage longer than 100km, so I think everyone is going to enjoy it from there. It’s really tiring and hard and the novelty has worn off, but it’s so great to be out here riding every day in such fantastic conditions.”

 

Heymans says it is getting a little easier every day. “It’s really good to be here and not racing in the front – I think it’s tough up there. We’re having fun and improving daily. I think it’s really motivating for both me and Ray – we can really stick to our guns now. I’m just trying to nurse him to the finish. It’s his first stage race, so we don’t want to overdo it. But yes, we’re having fun. I’m teaching him some new skills - he might even consider doing some Xterra (off road triathlon) after this,” concludes Heymans

 

For those wishing to pledge a donation toward their race, visit: www.raymannieepic4jag.givengain.org

 

For more information, contact Alexa Cunningham on 076 580 4410 or alexa@sagittagroup.com

 

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[dman2]

Hope some more people donate, only R25400 to go until they break even!