Drikus a hero to many

Drikus Coetzee, who recently took on the incomparable Atlas Mountain Race over 1,350 kilometres in Morocco, is a true Namibian hero that inspires people far outside the borders of his own country.After four days and four nights in the saddle and pushing well beyond the limits of human effort, Coetzee, also known as “The Machine”, unfortunately had to call it quits – but not without establishing himself as a serious upcoming force in international ultra-endurance competitions.Due to dehydration, severe exhaustion, malnutrition, lack of sleep as well as hallucinations, he lost consciousness approximately 58 kilometres before the finish line. He got up and rode about 500 metres further before his body completely gave out.A local passer-by found him lying on the roadside in a shady spot under a small tree and called the main event organizer. Coetzee was transported to Essaouira (the finishing point) where he underwent medical tests and a brain scan. After receiving treatment, the Namibian insisted that he wanted to go back to the point where he was discovered to resume and complete the race. If he had been allowed, he could still have finished in second place. However, the doctor who treated him at the hospital mercifully stepped in and refused and explained the risks to him. Permanent organ damage and even a heart attack could have ruined his health and his sporting career.COMPARISONSThe question may arise how Coetzee, physically and mentally the toughest of competitors, could not finish the race. Some will point out that he won the Munga mountain bike race over 1,134 km from Bloemfontein to Wellington in the Western Cape in a new record time (less than 48 hours) on 1 December 2023. One difference between the Munga and the Atlas Mountain Race is that the Munga is mostly ridden on good dirt roads and some tarmac. The vertical climb over the distance is only 6,435 meters.The route from Marrakesh to the Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira runs over the Atlas mountain range, with a total climbing height of approximately 21,140 m. This total is almost twice the height where international commercial flights are undertaken between 8,000 and 11,000 metres.The Atlas route does not have a road over the full length of the distance. The section up to the first control point was the easiest, with passable roads. However, the rest was a nightmare, while riders had to carry and push their bikes with luggage through rivers, dongas, abysses and an “old road” that had not been used for at least five decades.During day time the mercury reached a scorching 48 degrees Celsius and it was cold at night. Participants received no support and had to be self-sufficient throughout. Each rider had to carry any spare parts and tools for repairs to their bikes, as well as food, water, a sleeping bag/tent and spare batteries for the lights. Riders had to buy food themselves wherever it was available along the route.Coetzee said he only slept two and a half hours for the entire period from the Saturday morning until 23:00 the following Wednesday. THE AFTERMATHOne week after the race, he still bore calluses on his hands and a sunburnt face. He has regained some weight since the race, but is still noticeably leaner, with less muscle mass.In an interview Coetzee told us: “This is by far the hardest competition I have ever taken on. I wish I could describe it properly so people can understand it.“Look, I went to Morocco to win the thing. I didn’t go to finish second. Due to my ignorance as a newcomer, I did a lot of things wrong, but next time I will approach the races differently from the expensive lessons I’ve learnt.“For example, I will make sure to definitely sleep two hours every night, irrespective of whether the next rider is in front or behind me. I’m also not going ride at a hard pace again right from the start. It was a big mistake on my part. “Even though I was basically in a trance for a couple of days, I realized that with my time trial ingenuity I could win the races over the last section which is on good roads to Essaouira.“I started hallucinating during the second night. I thought I saw road workers on the road working with shovels, but when I came near the first figure I realized it was reflectors on the road. The process continued and later it only got worse.“My nutrition wasn’t sufficient either. I am still recovering from my ordeal. I don’t know how long the recovery process will take.“My metabolism was slowly but surely starting to consume my body. Before the Atlas Race I had six percent body fat, but food sources and then body fat is first burned as energy, where after your muscles are attacked. This happens if food intake is not regular to maintain your energy levels.“I still have calluses on my hands and some of my fingers have spasms from the constant grip on the handlebars. I still have no feeling in my fingers, because the nerves are damaged due to the pressure.WAR STORIES“Parts of the route were a nightmare. The old road we followed existed only on the Global Position System (GPS). There is no longer a road. I had to struggle down, step by step, through ravines and holes and then it was up again on the other side.“For the first time in my life I had to carry my bike during a race, which was very heavy. Sometimes there were stairs to climb. We struggled through thick desert sand and sometimes through rocky flats where you can’t ride.“I also got lost and in this process I rode an unnecessary 35 km, which gave me a huge backlog. At times my GPS died and I had to guess where I was. “On the last day it was impossible for me to put one and two together. My ability to make calculations or think clearly was gone! With 280 km to go, I was under the impression that there were only 130 km left to the finish line. “(Race leader) Justinas (Leveika, of Lithuania) was at one stage 50 km ahead of me, but when I mentally switched to time trial mode I advanced to within less than four kilometres behind him.“That’s when my body let me know, up to here and no further. I think it was the Lord’s will that my body gave in, because if I had caught sight of the race leader I could likely have done permanent damage to myself.“Within a two-month period I rode the Munga and the Desert Dash (one week later, in a four-man team), I competed locally and then braved the Atlas Mountain Race. I’ve realised it was a mistake. My body simply could not recover enough before the Atlas.“I’m going to ride the Atlas again next year and this time I know I’m going to win.”NEW RECORDIt was Justinas Leveika’s third Atlas Mountain Race and his first win. In 2022 the Lithuanian had to withdraw after a bad fall in which he sustained bone fractures. Last year he finished second, in 96 hours 55 minutes.With Coetzee chasing hard after him, Leveika accomplished the unthinkable to won the race in 91 hours 22 minutes for a new record. The previous record (92:15) set last year belonged to Robin Gemperle of Switzerland. – Watch the full interview in Afrikaans: facebook.com/ntvnamibia/videos/731666419054782/– tielman@republikein.com.na

Drikus a hero to many

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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Drikus a hero to many

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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