The following article is written by Peter Norton, resident of Jock’s Bay, who suffered a stroke in 2008 which affected the right side of his body and his speech. Undaunted, Peter, a man of great courage, determination and tenacity and a great zest for life, now regularly runs the Betty’s Bay parkrun, is a regular Hardcore Hacker and has just completed his 13th Argus/Cape Town Cycle Tour.
2026 CAPE TOWN CYCLE TOUR
This was my 13th Cape Town Cycle Tour since my stroke.
I was excited, a little bit nervous, but I was determined to go for it. As the event approached, I had lots of encouragement from family and friends. Jenny, my sister, and Charles, her husband, were staying at Bietou (B2) in Cliff Road, and were very encouraging. I wanted to ride the Tour in my seventies – I am 72. I started training twice a week in July last year, riding for about one hour at a time, then extending it to two hours and eventually to three hours, once a week. This helped me to get saddle-ready and strengthened my legs. I always ride with a heart monitor to keep an eye on my heart rate.
In the weeks before the racer I spoke to two different groups of people about my ride – the Hard Core Hackers that I hack with every Wednesday, and the congregation at St. Francis Chapel in Betty’s Bay. I had determined that my ride would be a fundraiser for the chapel. There were a few people in the congregation whose husbands had also had strokes, so they could identify with me and my difficulty in speaking. I explained that after my stroke in 2008, I had no problem with balance and riding a bicycle. However, because the right side of my body was affected, my right foot had to be strapped on to the pedal otherwise it would slip off. I didn’t have much feeling in my right arm, and my hand continually slipped off the handle-bar, but I still persevered. I had always been very active and this was something I knew I could do.
I started the race on Sunday 8 March at 7.48 am and all went well until just past Simon’s Town, when my right eye became very sore and I found it difficult to see. I stopped at an emergency roadside clinic (MEDIC) and a nurse washed out my eye. I carried on cycling, but had to repeat this later and had a doctor look at my eye. This got me thinking that, although I was determined to finish this race, my eyesight was more important than riding in another Cycle Tour. This was going to be my last one. Although it took me 7hr10min, I felt proud that I had finished.
When I think back over the past 13 Cycle Tours, the following stages stand out in my mind:
- Muizenberg – riding along the road with the sea on my left-hand side.
- Glencairn – seeing Tony (my son with Cerebral Palsy) at Dixies, waving and making a big noise to get my attention.
- Simon’s Town – lots of people encouraging the cyclists.
- Boulders – didn’t see the penguins this time – last time there were many.
- Just past Boulders – saw at least 200 cormorants.
- Smitswinkel Bay – having been cycling into a 20-km headwind, then turning a corner and suddenly cycling with the wind!
- Scarborough – “screaming” along down the hill, and seeing the sea, and having a feeling of contentment.
- Chapman’s Peak Drive – seeing the sprays far below. Exhausted at the end of this section.
- Hout Bay – after the climb up Chapman’s Peak, it was great to be going very fast downhill to the town. I notice the leopard statue keeping watch!
- Suikerbossie– going up this hill was a little bit of a strain.
- Camps Bay – watching the signs showing how many kilometres there were to go; got to one kilometre and I got to the finish line!
Outlines of my talks to the two different groups about riding in the 2026 Cape Town Cycle Tour.
Hangklip Hardcore Hardcore Group
(Presented to 40 people)
1) I had a ‘stroke’ 17 year ago, after I ran into a car.
2) Which affected my speech and the right side of my body.
3) Early on, I wanted to do 2 things:
- a) SCUBA, (You don’t talk underwater!)
- b) Cycling.
4) However, I was determined to ride in the Cape Town Cycle Tour, But for the first 3 Tours my right-hand and foot were strapped to the bike.
5) I am 72 year old, will be riding 109 km on 8 March, the 13th time since my stroke.
Leader of the Hack, Chris Geldenhuys, responded:
“Peter Norton, your enthusiasm is mind-blowing! Your brief has touched us all deeply, and be assured that you’ll be in our minds when you take on the Cape Town Cycle Tour on the 8th!”
St Francis Anglican Chapel
(Presented to 60 people)
The fundraising team asked if they could get people to sponsor my ride to help raise funds for paving for the Chapel. My talk touched many hearts, especially those who had family members with strokes. My participation in the cycle tour was well-advertised and raised R 8666! I had a lot of encouragement before and on the day, with many messages of congratulations afterwards.
Rachel, my wife, remembers waiting at the finish line for one of the many races:
“I knew it would be a while before Peter finished, but I kept a look-out for the yellow and red top he was wearing. Of course, there were many other people riding with the same top on! I had to keep concentrating. Suddenly I heard, ‘Hello!’ shouted by a cyclist on the far side – it was Peter! What joy I felt when I saw him, especially after the difficult ride. My heart was filled with love, and I felt so proud of him and his determination to finish the race. Just amazing!”
Peter Norton
And indeed, we who know you are very proud of your achievements too, Peter! Well done! With your positive attitude and your amazing spirit, you are an example to us all.