Meet Digby…
Digby Ryder has loved riding bikes since he was a kid
Digby has loved riding from an early age. “When I was 12 I started an early morning paper round in Jo’burg delivering the Business Day and Sunday Times. This gave me a passion for cycling and I started riding my bike along the Braamfontein Spruit and all over Jo’burg,” Digby recalls. Now he cycles for fun rather than work, but he enjoys the freedom it gives him to explore new places, keep fit and healthy, be outdoors and meet new friends.
So how does BODYTEC support his mountain biking? “It helps me a lot with overall body conditioning by strengthening all parts on my body. This strength conditioning is particularly helpful in stage races when the days are long and one needs endurance and strength to support and get your body to the end of the race,” says Digby. Digby says he doesn’t really have any training concerns beyond this. “I used to log all my training and take a very scientific, serious approach to training. Now I just enjoy my rides and listen to my body and make sure I recover from week to week.”
A regular rider on Table Mountain, Digby says he enjoys pushing himself to the extreme. “Stage One of the Cape Epic from Knysna to Cape Town in 2006 was pretty tough because rain and mud caused brake failure on both wheels, causing me to crash on a technical decent 20km into the stage. I had to get bandaged up before every stage after that,” he recalls.
