Top South African cyclist Lynette Burger, almost fatally injured in an accident last year, showed plenty of fighting spirit when she completed the Cape Town Cycle Tour at the weekend.
Burger, 38, suffered multiple fractures and other serious injuries when she was hit side-on by a minibus taxi driven through a red traffic light while on a morning training ride in Boksburg on September 26.
She has been making a slow but steady recovery ever since and recently resumed competitive cycling.
Team Demacon MaxWax riders (from left) Lynette Burger, Carla Oberholzer, Heidi Dalton and Kim le Court at the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday. Photo: Supplied
Last month she attempted the 116km Ride for Sight, but had to throw in the towel after 85km.
A week later she managed to complete the 108km Berge & Dale with her Demacon MaxWax team as she tested to see what her body could handle ahead of the 78km Cycle Tour women’s race.
“Berge & Dale was the freshest I’ve felt riding my bike since the accident, but I do feel the Cape Town Cycle Tour went better for me regardless of it being tougher.
“I haven’t done any endurance training and I’m still struggling a lot with my lungs, but I’m so happy that I could finish something I started and feel good about it.
“It inspired me to do better and I didn’t even think I’d want to race again.”
She added that she continued to make progress.
“I’m improving my strength, but I can’t improve much on training as I’m still very limited and I do get my bad days. If I get up and I don’t feel well then I don’t train at all.
“I have to listen to my body for the first time in my life. It’s not just mental but physical aspects as well that I need to look at that I’m struggling with.
“I get dizzy spells that have a lot to do with my nervous system not working properly. The major issue is my lungs that both collapsed, and my broken ribs.”
Burger said she needed to be gentle and kind to herself, which she sometimes forgot to do.
“I’ve improved a lot and come a long way – from 59% lung capacity when I left the hospital to 75% now.
“I look at the progress and not the road still ahead of me. It’s been frustrating and there’s a lot of my elements, body-wise, that are not functioning the way they should such as my lungs, arm and shoulder, but I’m dealing with it.”
She added that at least she could ride her bike and was happy, as she had been in a dark place for some time.
“It’s almost like finding your purpose in life again. I know I’m here for my family and everyone in my life, but it’s to find out why I was saved and why God gave me another chance.
“I’m managing to deal with it now and actually move on and find my purpose in life. I think we all look so far ahead to find that purpose when it’s actually right in front of us.”
Burger said five months ago she never thought she would even touch her bike again, let alone race it.
“To be able to race with my team again is just unbelievable.”
The former national road champion said the message she would like to share was that you just have to keep fighting.
“It’s really not an easy life, in all aspects, but you have to keep on doing what you’re doing and live passionately every day while keeping your head high.
“You can sit in a corner and feel sorry for yourself, but it’s about getting up and being thankful for what you have; in my case – life.”
