Sporting (Life) lessons from an Everest Mindset!

It is often said ‘Life is a Journey, enjoy the ride!’ I guess the #FNBWines2Whales has to be the closest one can get to MTB Heaven, so enjoying the ride was simple!

I have been fortunate to ride the past two editions of the #FNBWines2Whales with one of the world’s great adventurers and mountaineers Sibusiso Vilane. I think there are many similarities between the two of us, as deep down we are both very competitive but we have both come to realise that it may be Summits or Podiums we strive for, but it is how we respond to the obstacles, the challenges and setbacks that determine if we will be truly successful or not.

Imagine being left for dead on Mount Everest? Picture it…. you’ve just summited, you are exhausted, facing extreme weather, struggling to find the energy to put your Crampons (climbing boots) on and your Expedition Leader, fellow climbers and Sherpas have started the descent without you (presumably not realising you aren’t in the group). It is just YOU against the World’s most unforgiving Mountain…. there can be no quitting, no raising the white flag on Everest, it is a case of staying focussed on the Finish Line (next campsite 4 or 5 hours away), because if you as much as close your eyes, you will die on that Mountain!

The #FNBWines2Whales appears to get the balance right between the racers and the masses and Sibusiso is one man who knows all about celebrating participation and finishing the task, as opposed to being the fastest. So instead of writing a race report focussing on the race or the podium, I thought I would share some of the lessons we can all learn from Sibusiso.

Let’s put the issue of ‘race’ and results to bed very quickly, because the Isuzu Adventurers team comprising Sibusiso & I were certainly not able to compete, so forget about peeking at the results as virtually everybody would have beaten us in terms of minutes elapsed.  I think Life should be focussed upon challenging yourself with personal goals to become better than you previously were, remembering that he who experiences the most wins. Yes, we had progressed from MTB beginner to Novice and we had done a lot more training in preparation, but will somebody please tell my partner that running not one, but two Full Marathons the weekend before a Friday start is not ideal MTB training.

It was about 25km into Day One when I realised that my partner was in trouble and that the deadly cocktail of his two marathons and my ‘fast’ early pace had combined to kill off any reserves he might have had left in those ‘mountaineering’ legs of his. Only when I detected that his legs were crying out for levity did I start to back off and switch to Plan B, which was survival and finish mode.

Just like the Isuzu TV Ad I knew we were now facing the longer ride and that we had to pull through, while also ensuring we didn’t get timed out at any of the check points and believe me that was a close shave. Sibusiso’s legs may have deserted him, but his mind was as alert and determined as ever as he showed immense resilience and pushed through the fatigue, the pain and the cramps en route to tent town in Oak Valley.

Never once did Sibusiso ask for pity, never once did he try and blame me for the fast early pace, never once did he try and use his double marathon as an excuse, never once did he doubt our ability to finish the day and never once did he utter a single negative word or sentence.

Sibusiso opted to smile (perhaps it was a grimace), he opted to remain positive, he opted to remain focussed upon our task and goal which was to finish, he opted to pick himself up and dust himself off (when falling) and get on with it, he opted to thank the volunteers, he opted to encourage me and he opted to be positive about the experience, the terrain, the views and the challenge. Sibusiso remained resilient and focussed, the hallmarks of a Champion!

Sibusiso in the company of Tim Duncker & Matt Bind

Important Life Lessons learnt from an Everest mindset:
1. Take responsibility! Take responsibility for your actions, your preparation, your race as playing the blame game will not help anyone and wastes an invaluable amount of mental energy.
2. Remain positive! Strangely enough your Mind can only hold one thought at a time, especially if you are focussed upon that thought. So you have a choice, feed it a negative or a positive thought and if you feed it positives, your chances of success are enhanced dramatically. Feed it negatives and you are doomed!
3. Avoid hosting a pity party! Firstly it will be a lonely party as nobody wants to attend pity parties, so build a bridge and get over the river (of tears).
4. You can choose to face the ‘Ugly Truth’ or the ‘Beautiful Lies’, the former being reality and the latter being the sugar coated excuses that we are all capable of inventing. Sure, it does sound harsh but even if you have an excuse cast in iron (as Sibusiso did = 2 marathons) and you allow your mind to focus and dwell upon it, it will become larger than life. Nobody is interested, so change focus.
5. Smile! Smiling and laughing, even if you are laughing at your own plight has a positive impact upon your situation. Smile often and learn to laugh at yourself, believe me the Sun will still rise again the next day! We joked often about the fact that it’s better to be a Live Donkey vs a Dead Lion, implying don’t take unnecessary risks.
6. Keep on bouncing back. My late Dad always said to me “if you can get up once more than you are knocked down, then you will always be successful!” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to dust myself off, but those words echo in my ears whenever I feel down and out and I keep coming back for more and so can you.
7. Express gratitude! Thank the marshall, the volunteer, your support team and even your situation as it has a positive impact upon your efforts. In an Ironman I am always force feeding myself with positives and thanks, I express thanks to my mind all the time, sometimes for simple things but the more I do, the better I feel and guess what, there is no room for negatives.
8. Be resilient! If you read the paragraph about being left for dead on Everest, you will realise that Sibusiso has learnt that you have to keep on moving toward your Finish Line, no matter what! Imagine going into your next race knowing that waving the white flag is not an option, unless you choose death?

It’s a Special-ized World!

9. There is no I in Team! Sibusiso and I are an unlikely Team, but we both have similar views and outlooks when it comes to sport. It doesn’t matter what sport or event you are participating in, you are always a part of a Team as it is Impossible to achieve anything on your own. So be cognisant of the your team-mate/s, your support team, family, sponsors, etc and remember that there are many pinning their hopes upon you.
10. Ten is for 10 out of 10! Sibusiso, it was a pleasure to be your team mate, it may have been slow at times, but I learnt a great deal as I listened intently while sometimes choosing just to watch and admire your fortitude! Well done on your 2nd #FNBWines2Whales Finishers Medal, mine will be cherished!

No need to go into Days 2 and 3, other than to say my team mate got stronger each day and that we had a great deal of fun, we stopped to smell the roses, we encouraged and were encouraged by some remarkably tough individuals/teams, who themselves were faced with their own challenges and overcame them, well done!

In closing a mighty big thank you to all involved in an incredible event, until the next Chapter, Sibusiso and I wish you all the very best!

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!

The R3 Million Bicycle?

This article on the R3 Million bicycle has appeared in publications all over the world including Los Angeles and London. In case you missed it, best you take a read before blowing your Financial Independance.

This illustrates the true impact of financing abike and how 50k of interest and costs can run into Millions over time.

http://www.biznews.com/wealth-building/2014/10/27/alec-riddle-introducing-first-r3-million-bicycle/

W2W Tips & Experiences

The iconic Wines 2 Wales Mountain Bike events start this weekend with the Adventure and is followed by the Ride and then the Race, 3 events comprising 3 days of the most incredible mountain biking trails, fun and camaraderie. Ironman athlete Alec Riddle joins Sibusiso Vilane, of Mount Everest fame, once again, but this time they are riding the W2W Race from 7-9 November. Riddle reflected upon their experiences as total novices last year and share some thoughts and tips for MTB beginners and Stage Race novices.

It all starts at Lourensford Estate in Somerset West, with the race village at Oak Valley, a place that holds special memories for me as that was where the Isuzu Iron Bakkie vs Ironman TV advert was shot and I got to realise one of my boyhood dreams, to be an actor-if only for a day. The finish in Hermanus would be a particular highlight for me, as I had never been to this iconic coastal town.

Last year I teamed up with Adventurer extraordinaire Sibusiso Vilane to do our first ever Mountain Biking event and talk about jumping in at the Deep End, it took us all of 9 hours to complete Day One (in the rain I might add) which was a solitary minute slower than the leaders combined time for the 3 days. So to say we had and still have lots to learn is an understatement, but I do feel we can offer some invaluable tips and thoughts to novices and a few ‘weekend warriors’.

Life is not always about Gold or Silver, but about Finishing the Challenge. Those who experience the most are the true Victors!

Our Adventure got underway on the Thursday with registration at Lourensford Winery and that was the easy part as both Sibusiso and I have been to many event Registrations, but if it is one of your first, try and register timeously between 14h00 and 20h00 on the day preceding your event start. It is worth spending some time looking at the route profiles and the briefing on the TV monitors which are played continuously. It is highly recommended that you browse through the Wines2Whales website and the packing checklist, something I didn’t do as I was too busy, but how I would pay for that oversight.
Look out for the great gifts and value-adds from the organisers Stillwater Sports & Entertainment team and FNB, who are amazing sponsors. I was so impressed with FNB’s sponsorship last year, I changed banks after 34 years and return this year as an FNB client.

Race day dawned and with it lots of Grey clouds which seemed to want to cry all day long and the only silver lining in the early morning was the Bokomo Breakfast and Coffee, which was extremely welcome. Hitting rain along the route is one thing, but starting in the rain is another (brrrr) and mistake #1 I had no rain jacket and forget to check out the weather forecast. Be prepared and know what to expect. PS For those doing the Adventure it looks nice and dry on Windguru.

Race announcers Gerald De Kock and Altus Schroeder spotted the Isuzu Adventurers in batch K (stands for?) and made us sound like seasoned Pros but nothing could have been further from the truth. We were less than a km into our race, when we had to pull over to rectify mistake #2, Sibusiso’s saddle was many inches too low. Ensure your bike has been serviced and is ready to roll and double check everything especially after your bike has travelled. It didn’t take long to realise that Mountain Biking (especially in the mud and the wet) is a whole lot slower than road biking, so my hope of finishing by lunch time soon went out of the window after noticing the first 10km took an hour. Mistake #3 Ensure your mind (body ) is prepared for as long as it takes.

Reaching the first refreshment station was a relief and to see what is available, even for us right at the back of the field was a delight (with no thoughts of Banting on the day). Mistake #4 No need to pack a kilo or two of nutrition and extra liquids, the refreshment stops provide ample liquid for topping up bottles and plenty to eat, so limit stocks to specific needs. One of the beauties of mountain biking is the fellowship and encouragement received (and given) to all riders, something glaringly absent in road races. However, the lessons learnt and encouragement received by my esteemed team mate who has conquered Mount Everest twice was one of my best sporting experiences. I have certainly tried to focus upon the Journey in my sporting life (as opposed to the destination or outcomes), but Sibusiso has such a positive and mature outlook it inspired me a great deal. Seven hours into Day One and the Finish ever so far away, I asked him how he was feeling, his response “Great! Whenever I do something where I don’t have to stare death in the face is very enjoyable.” Now I’m not sure about not staring death in the face on a MTB, as I thought I had on a few of the down-hills or muddy switchbacks. Another funny quip was fired back at me when I asked Sibusiso should we attempt to ride this downhill (steepish) or walk it and his response was “Rather a live Donkey than a dead Lion Alec!” So we walked and that was not a mistake.

So on to the finish and some banter from the folk in the bar, thanks to Brandon, Mark, Silvio, Mike and Richard our only 5 supporters left as most had retired for an afternoon nap by 5;30pm, which was when we crossed the finish line for Day One, wet, cold, bikes clogged in mud and very fatigued. We made a good job of missing lunch, as dinner was starting when we arrived, but maybe being out in the country so long would lead to a lighter Riddler for Day Two, as admittedly my chassis wasn’t finely tuned.

Off to fetch our FNB kit bags and locate our Tents, only for me to discover Mistakes #5,6, 7and 8! Mistake #5 No slip slops or gum boots to trudge through inches of mud to and from the showers, the bike park (bikes get cleaned daily thankfully), the beer tent and the food tent, so my one pair of running shoes were wet, muddy and cold. Mistake #6 The light only came on in my head that I would need a headlamp (or torch) to find my tent in the dark, what a primary school error. Mistake #7 Pack or attach your pillow to your bag properly, mine was attached flimsily and didn’t make the trip successfully, which left me using a T-Shirt as a pillow… eish! Mistake #8 Pack a spare bottle or two in case you lose one.

Important Tip: Pack a good recovery drink for consumption after you finish, I use Muscle Milk which aids recovery and is high in Protein.

Enjoyed a few beers with good friends (and new ones), some good food and slept like a log and thankfully no packing required (which meant I wouldn’t lose anything else), so getting started on day Two was a breeze, only to find my bum was still feeling the effects of Day One. It was going to be a long, long day. We were even upgraded to a higher batch, but that may have been to do with people not finishing as opposed to our finishing time. Packed a whole lot lighter, had dry clothes but wet squeaky shoes and hoped to make it by lunch-time. Not sure if making it back by 2pm (7 hours) qualifies as lunch time, but fortunately it was a couple of hours quicker than the day before. The scenery was magical, so if you are not racing for overall or age group honours, be prepared to pause, take a few pictures and thank the volunteers and marshalls.
The only mistakes made on Day Two were the fact that we hadn’t trained enough, although this was our Boot Camp to aid us to get going for Summer and my lack of skills, which led to a number of falls for me (mistake #9 did not do enough specific MTB training). I was acting as the Body Guard taking the hits and forewarning Sibusiso about the dangers that were lurking.

Important Tip: I learnt to sit further back on the down-hills (hope learnt correctly), which seemed to create more stability and more importantly learnt to anticipate the steep hills and gear down in advance. There is nothing worse than being in too high a gear and you cannot turn the pedals as then it is all about which shoulder may have to take the hit if you cannot un-cleat fast enough.

Day three dawned and we had to rise a little earlier to pack and drop our bags off (to be taken to the finish) before embarking on hours #17-23 and I was starting to realize just why the Cape Epic has never caught my attention, those guys are radical. Another awesome day of mountain biking with incredible views and the most challenging part of the day was what to do at an intersection, which if reached by 2pm meant you could ride through the trails to the finish and if not you could freewheel down the tar road. As we reached the junction with seconds to spare we were given the option and in our state of fatigue we did well to follow the Isuzu motto, which is be prepared to choose the longer route and like life you only realise how happy you are after the fact, that you made the tougher call. PS We did sacrifice a few precious finishing positions as a few behind us took the shorter route, but it wasn’t about position for us, it was about Finishing the race you start.

Awesome views

Hermanus is indeed a beautiful town, but the finish line was like an oasis in the desert, it was the highlight of our three days together, the medal was worth 23 hours of blood, sweat and fortunately no tears. They do say that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but that is only if the dog is unwilling to learn and this old dog is learning all the time and am prepared to. So in 2014 Sibusiso and I will return to represent Isuzu in the ‘Race’ this year, but before expectations run too high we haven’t improved sufficiently enough to convert our 9 hour day one time into 9 hours for the whole 3 days so we will not be ‘racing’, we will be there to participate, to support, to encourage and to have fun and if we crack 20 hours we will be happy!
Alec introduces his MTB partner and fellow Isuzu Brand Ambassador, Sibusiso Vilane who has summited Everest twice, is South Africa’s Chief Scout and loves adventure. 

AR: What do you focus upon a 3 day stage race like W2W? I will focus on three things, “Safety first, enjoy each day & strive to finish, as this is my end goal.”
AR: What to take on bike (nutrition)? Energy gels and race food are important, but learnt that we can carry less as water points have plenty of good food.
AR: Your thoughts on the organisation compared to other major events done? Each event is different, I have not done many mountain bike races or events, but I thought that the organisation of W2W was world class
AR: What to do in your free time during the 3 days? Getting enough rest is important for me, so I spend most of my time doing just that obviously with a bit of networking and mingling.
AR: Your best moment of the ride? I condition myself to live the moment, so every minute is just the best moment for me. This includes even having to push the bike for ages up some dogged hills.
AR: The finish line experience in Hermanus? It was a personal fulfilling moment for me, getting that medal and being cheered by our support team, awesome!
AR: Did you pause to reflect & enjoy the views? All the time, I even took photographs to remind myself of the experience.
AW: Some advice for your fellow riders, in particular the beginners or novices? Keep the end goal in mind, but do not be too overwhelmed by it such that you miss the little things that make the entire race a spectacle! Cherish cherish every moment. Don’t be overly brave, be prepared to get off and push your bike, as I said to Alec last year “better a live donkey than a dead lion!” and that will be our motto again this year!

Savour the Moment!

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!

The Big 5

When I used to hear ‘The Big 5’ I immediately thought of five of Africa’s greatest & most dangerous wild animals!

In future when I hear ‘The Big 5’ I will think of five of Knysna’s sporting events. None of these sporting events are overly challenging and none may qualify for ‘great’ status when done in isolation, but when they are all done within a week & combined into one competition, the Big 5 suddenly becomes a very challenging competition and one of the great events in South Africa.

Many travellers & tourists regard a visit to South Africa as incomplete without having spotted the Big Five and I would dare to suggest that if you are a South African sportsman wanting to call yourself a multi-sporter, your career would be incomplete without having tried a Big 5 Challenge, which comprises the following 5 events:
-80km Knysna MTB
-109km Knysna Road Bike (or a swim or canoe race)
-15km Featherbed Trail Run
-Totalsports XTerra
-Knysna Half or Full Marathon

I was fortunate to compete in the old “Voltaren Ultraman” a couple of Decades ago, but was the supporting cast to former Comrades winner & Ultraman Champion Nick Bester in 1990 and 1991, so had an idea what I was letting myself into.

Farmer Glen (Haw), Nick Bester and I renewing rivalries & making the Podium for the XTerra

The Knysna Big 5, spread over 8 days was a daunting challenge, especially as it takes place in the middle of winter and somebody like me is only just beginning to dust off the cobwebs, after a couple of months recovery from Ironman. I rolled into Knysna, not with a 6 pack like the major contenders, but with about 6 kilos too many and when combined with my limited MTB skills, I knew I was in for a very tough week.

Day 1 dawned (80km MTB) and it was icy cold, even with an 8am start and I set off intent on pacing myself, not taking too many risks and enjoying the scenery. I cruised in just under 5 hours and was a little shocked to find I was 2 hours off the winner of the MTB event, but I tried to re assure myself that I was here to train and this was my Boot Camp.

Day 2 dawned (109k Road) and again it was pretty cold and I know the importance of sticking with a bunch, so was intent on sucking as much wheel as possible. Guess I made a Primary School error, as I didn’t recce the course profile before hand and maybe it’s my imagination, but I don’t think I’ve ridden as many hills in so short a ride before. I was going quite well, but blew (lack of bike fitness) about 20km from the end and lost a few valuable minutes.

For the first time I looked at the leader board and discovered I had placed 69th and 9th Master in the MTB ride (eish) and had improved to 5th Master after the road bike. My thoughts starting teasing me, suggesting the 50+ Podium was a possibility…..so much for training & boot camp!

Renewing friendships with Raynard Tissink at the Featherbed Trail

Day 3 and I was in the mid day slot for the Featherbed Trail. Talk about tough, well this was a tough first 4-5km and I recall seeing a sign “Stairway to Heaven”, but that km took me 8 minutes + and it felt more like Hell. My legs were shattered from the two tough bike rides and I was also lugging half a bag of cement in surplus weight up those climbs which added to the searing pain. Received some support from fellow competitor David Black and I tried to pace off him over the 2nd half of the course and over the railway lines. A heck of an effort to make marginal gains on new Masters leader Farmer Glen (Haw), of Sani 2 C , who who showed good running skills to add to his exceptional MTB skills!

Jamie at X Terra

The next morning I could hardly get out of bed to go watch Jamie do his first Xterra and also got sucked into doing the Puma Nightcat Dash. I was invited to join the Celebrity Race and race alongisde Nick Bester, Arnold Geerdts, Raynard Tissink, Dave Bellairs & Altus Schreuder but it was straight uphill, turn around and down. It was fun making up the field and somebody had to come last, but when the cramps attacked me that night I wished I hadn’t lined up.

Night Cat Dash

A highlight for our family was Camryn running in the ladies race (Nightcat Dash) and grabbing the second prize of R1,000 being encouraged & cheered on by Natalie Tissink, Caroline Wyatt & Alexa Cunningham who was shouting ‘shopping’ to my daughter every step of the way.

Camryn in X Terra Lite Relay

Day 4 was my first XTerra, which comprised a 3k trail run, a 25km MTB and a 7km Trail Run. I’ve always admired the XTerra guys, especially Conrad Stoltz, Dan Hugo & Stuart Marais so it was good to get a taste of what they do and now I can say I have even more respect as XTerra is tough. Was grateful I’d been taking my Muscle Milk after each race to aid recovery, so I was still able to push hard (with tree stumps for legs) chasing my good friend Nick Davidson around the course and catching Nick & Farmer Glen in the final km. My son Jamie had warned me that the bike course was tough, well now I know what he was trying to say!

Day 5 was the Half Marathon…. up bright and early, taxi ride into the Forest, huddle at the start line under a blanket (which would be donated to somebody in need), lots of chit chatter with friends & my training partners Mike, Liza, Martin & Craig for what seemed like eternity before the 8 am start. I was now up to 2nd in the Big 5 and hoping to challenge Farmer Glen for line honours for the ‘ballies’ race but even though I ran a reasonable 96 minutes, came up a little short. Glen, it was great to meet you and well done on a fine week of racing!

Stuart Marais with Jamie after the Laggon Swim

Well done to Stuart Marais on a great result and well done to a few of the EC guys Richard Laurie, Warren Dickson, Mike Cannon, Nick Davidson, Nick Chapman, Johan Botha, Johan Britz and Stephen Marais, it was great catching up and thanks for the encouragement along the way.

Relaxing with Michelle

To my best supporter Michelle, thanks for allowing the kids and I to pretend we were on holiday when we were actually at a training camp 🙂

Thanks to all the organisers and sponsors of the individual events, thanks to Mark Collins and Magnetic South organisers of the Big 5, as well as Greg Vogt from Knysna Tourism for the Oyster Festival, it was great fun and very well organised. Thanks to the Big 5 Challenge & Stillwater Sports for the XTerra After Party. Last, but by no means least a sincere thanks to Isuzu who have supported me over the past few years and I look forward to building to a great 2015!

Enjoy the View!

Would you have gone for the Win or settled for a Draw? (SA vs INdia Test)

Many Sportsmen would be prepared to die trying for something as big as what was on offer at the Wanderers yesterday.

So why did South Africa settle for a Draw when History & Greatness beckoned?

It must be remembered that there are dozens of opportunities to win Test Matches (Series), but in a player’s life you are lucky to be presented with a glimmer of an opportunity to achieve something extraordinary; to do something no other team has done in 136 years of Test Cricket; to go down as the Greatest SA Test Team ever and arguably the best in the world too.

I read a comment from somebody within the Proteas set-up that said we would have been crucified if we had lost. Perhaps there belies the problem, a fear of failure after all the disappointments in the One Day Arena.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”- Muhammad Ali

What did they have to lose? They stood to lose a Test and at worse a Series, if they failed to win in Durban. They would still have their #1 World Ranking, they would have been able to say at least we went down fighting. I can guarantee you one thing and that is that every single team member will ask themselves time and time again, “What if?”

In the heat of the battle I can only assume that they only thought of the consequences of a Loss and very little thought was given to the fact that there was a once in a lifetime opportunity to become cricketing legends. True greatness comes from being prepared to risk it all, ask many of the world’s sporting legends and they will tell you so.

Most Australian Test sides would have gone for the win, especially the great ones! (If they could have done what SA did to get back into the game, a remarkable achievement in its own right)

In 99% of Test Matches abandoning the run chase for the safety of a draw may well have been the right option, but this was that 1 in a 100 opportunity, perhaps a 1 in a Million opportunity to achieve something no other team had ever achieved before. This was ‘Man on the Moon’ stuff, or “Sub 4 minute mile” territory if you like, it would have been a record like no other, but now it is gone forever.

When I did the FNB Wines to Whales MTB stage race last month, I asked Isuzu Brand Ambassador Sibusiso Vilane (Summited Everest twice) if he was enjoing himself. His response was “Anything I do where there is no fear of death is enjoyable!” That said a lot about a man who scales mountains and is prepared to look death in the eye, in pursuit of his Goals.

In this Test vs India, if we had lost nobody would have died, so why not try to achieve something you will in all likelihood, never, ever have an opportunity to achieve again in your career or lifetime? Greatness comes to those who are prepared to risk it all, but that is seemingly just not cricket!

“If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”- Vince Lombardi

A few possible reasons why the Proteas didn’t go for the win:

1. Can the Coaching Staff afford a Loss with so much at stake? (I say this with respect to Russell Domingo and Adrian Birrell, as this would apply to any new coaching staff.)
2. Are the Proteas comfortable with their #1 World Ranking?
3. The team had worked hard to turn around an almost certain loss into a potential win and were seemingly not prepared to risk it at the end?
4. Safety first even though Greatness beckoned?
5. Because this is Cricket and we played for an honourable Draw.
6. Indian Cricket Board rule the World? (tongue in cheek)

I am the first to admit I am not a Cricketer and don’t know a great deal about Test Cricket, so my comments may be totally off cue here, but the beauty of sport is that we can voice our opinion and I felt like voicing mine. I also recognise and applaud the team’s immense fightback, led by the likes of Vernon Philander, Faf Du Plessis and AB De Villiers.

I also believe that you Play for a Draw when there is no chance of victory, but when the opportunity presented itself?

Use it or Lose it!

What if Oscar made an innocent mistake?

Who are we to Judge? I’m in mourning for the Steenkamp family and having lost a son, have a small sense of the emptiness and the questions that must be racing through their minds. It is a terrible time for Reeva’s Parents and friends. I do not know Oscar Pistorius or his family, but spare a thought for his Parents and family too. As Parents they will all be dumb founded, searching for answers.

Can we also stop all the speculation, the rumours, the sick jokes as once the Media Circus is over two families have to rebuild their lives and none of the critics will be around to comfort them then.

I’m not saying Oscar is innocent but have you paused for a moment to think, what if he is telling the truth? What if he was so paranoid about crime or intruders that he made a terrible mistake and shot the woman he loved? Can you imagine the heart ache, can you imagine the pain and suffering he will have to live with for the rest of his life?

A murder accused does not have to make a statement at a bail hearing, yet Oscar wanted to do so, even though it may incriminate him. He has access to the best legal team and forensic expert, yet they allowed him to make that statement, which leads me to believe that they not only believe him, but that their forensic evidence may possibly back up his statement. His Defence Lawyers would no doubt have cross examined/questioned him before allowing himself to make that statement and must be confident it can’t be shredded. The alternative is that they have condemned him to a Life (Death) sentence.

If they thought he was capable of Murdering a loved one, or if they felt it was a fabricated story, made up to try and cover up a terrible crime then surely they would have convinced him not to make such a statement and would have advised him to try and get a reduced sentence based upon temporary insanity, or something similar? These are the best Legal Minds available after all. Yes, he has admitted to shooting what he thought was an intruder and he will have to face a very serious number of charges.

Cops have already leaked confidential information to the media (bribes perhaps?). The Prosecutors may well be under pressure in the highest profile murder case this country has ever seen and mistakes can and will no doubt be made.

I have read that Oscar has had a number of girlfriends, but so have many other young, handsome men. I have read that Oscar has a temper, but so do many other high profile people, or sportsman and I’m not condoning it, but does it mean he is capable of pre meditated cold blooded Murder? I would rather not speculate and hope that our legal system brings the truth to the fore.

Ryk Neethling tweeted the following on 16 February, Sean Fitzpatrick once told me re media: “believe half of what you read and none of what you hear.” Not bad advice for the coming weeks!

In closing my sincere condolences to Barry Steenkamp and the Steenkamp family and my sympathies to the Pistorius family.