4 Beautiful Years - Jaco Strydom

To those who know him, Jaco Strydom’s name is synonymous with phenomenal courage and inspiration. Always a keen mountain biker, he has successfully completed races including two Absa Cape Epic with his friend “The Pom”. In June 2008 he successfully completed the gruelling Freedom Challenge Race Across South Africa. Up until September 2008 he had had a life that most people would class as near-perfect.

In 2008, this near-perfect life was shaken to the core when Jaco was diagnosed with cancer. “Four Beautiful Years” is the story of his life since that day. Instead of opting to lie down in despair, Jaco got up and has seized each day with a ferocity that leaves one speechless. Planning cycling expeditions between chemotherapy and radiation treatments, solo-circumnavigating Lesotho on his mountain bike, riding Cape to Beit Bridge, and then carrying on to circumnavigate South Africa in 2012...

This is the story of a true hero: a victim who has become the ultimate victor. It will dwell in your heart long after you put the book down, and will inspire you to overcome life’s challenges, one day at a time.

                                                                                                                               Jani Verster - Fellow Mountain Biker