At 20, Francois is the youngest member of Team http://www.ar.co.za/. He did his first road race at the age of six and the mountain biking bug then bit, winning Provincial and National titles in his age group.
Six years ago Francois did his first adventure race, a 65km at Hadeda Creek in Parys. He was hooked. "Since that day I have been blessed to do many one-day races, from sprint races to 120km; and we've won a few!". Francois took part in the International Schools races (nine-days, 500km) in 2006 and 2007.
One of his long term goals is to qualify for the Olympics in track cycling.
Francois is currently studying mechanical engineering at Tuks and he recently started his own business - http://www.brainsonsite.co.za/ - a company that provides tutors to high school students.
Francois is driven and self motivated. "Although Lisa had not yet met me, in her email introduction of each team member to each other she said, 'Francois is organised with good attention to detail (dots his i's and crosses his t's) and he has consideration and appreciation for his team-mates and others involved in supporting his team'. It’s probably one of the most truthful sentences I have ever read, but it is one that I could never formulate."
Francois says that his best traits are his ability to maintain attention to detail whilst looking at the bigger picture and the stubbornness to never give up.
Francois is a fast and competent runner and his paddling experience is diverse (his family has a place in Parys so he's paddled a lot on the Vaal river and dam in different boats). But, it is his biking dominance that will really add to the team's strength.
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