26 April 2019 Back to more news...

Meet one of this year’s Black Mambas

 Derrin Smith (right) and his riding partner Mike Posthumous at the finish of the 2017 sani2c.

Derrin Smith is a timber and sugar-cane farmer from Mid-Illovo, and he spends a lot of time on a mountain bike. He will be riding his tenth KAP sani2c race, the much-loved 3 day mountain bike stage race that takes riders from Underberg down to Scottburgh. Completing his tenth gains him Black Mamba status, a title reserved for riders who have completed ten events. This year is the 15th sani2c.

Derrin will be partnering with Mike Posthumous from Cape Town for the 6th year, the pair now riding for team dormakaba. Having taken the sixth spot overall in a competitive field of full-time athletes in 2018, Derrin is certainly a rider to keep your eye on come 16 - 18 May.

For Derrin though, sani2c is more than a race to compete in: “The local communities come together to look after 4000 plus cyclists. The work the event has done in uplifting the communities from Underberg to the sea is incredible.  Especially focusing on schools and underprivileged areas, it really creates a happy environment for all involved. I know, coming from a farming community that needs to keep schools running, it is a huge task.

Derrin has many happy memories from his nine sani2cs: “In 2017 when it rained so much that people were pulling out left right and centre, we endured the night in tents at Jolivet and then the debate was to whether we should take on the last day in the wettest conditions I have experienced. We rode and had the most fun on a bike that I’d had in ages.”

You can watch the KAP sani2c unfold on social media on Facebook: sani2c, or on Twitter: _sani2c or Instagram: _sani2c.

The Trail version of the KAP sani2c is from 14-16 May, the Adventure is 15-17 May (entries sold out) and the Race is 16-18 May. Entries close 6 May.

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