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Most members will know who Jaedon Terlouw is. But not all members will know just what an impressive year he has had. So here’s a short summary on a fantastic season of racing by one of – if not the – best all-round bicycle racer in South Africa currently.
It’s rare for bicycle racers to be able to excel across disciplines. We’re fortunate to live in a time when the likes of Matthieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock make cross-discipline racing look natural. But it’s far from it. Very few have been able to master it and that’s why Jaedon stands out.
In 2024 Jaedon, whose family founded and continue to help support and manage LCC, raced for the Pyga Euro Steel professional team. Although focused primarily on mountain bike racing, the team supported Jaedon’s ambitions to explore his talent on the road. And boy did he make it worth their while.
In addition to crossing over to road, Jaedon also successfully blended mountain bike marathon racing, mountain bike stage racing and mountain bike XCO racing this year. An XCO race is full intensity for 90 minutes on a technical course, while a stage race is more an endurance test of up to five hours a day requiring adequate recovery to repeat it – day after day. Two very different forms of mountain bike racing.
On the mountain bike, Jaedon’s highlights for 2024 included winning KAP sani2c with Michael Foster and finishing second, also with Pieter du Toit, at the Cape Pioneer stage race. They were leading overall until the final stage at Cape Pioneer, when Pieter struggled with illness and a mechanical.
Jaedon claimed the bronze medal at the 2024 South African Marathon Championships in Karkloof and also secured the bronze medal in the Under-23 category at the 2024 South African XCO Championships in Paarl. He was also a perennial podium contender in the Ford Trailseeker Series races, winning the second round at Die Bosveld, Pretoria.
Jaedon contested his first Absa Cape Epic in 2024, partnered with fellow rookie, Michael Foster. It wasn’t a perfect race for the pair, but they learned a lot. Jaedon also represented South Africa at the 2024 World Marathon Championships in the USA. He finished a respectable 40th on a brutal course. While in the USA, he dipped his toe into the prestigious Life Time Grand Prix Series, contesting the Chequamegaon Marathon, where he finished and impressive ninth in a very strong field.
On the road, Jaedon finished fourth overall at the South African Road Championships, claiming the Under-23 gold medal in the process. He then finished 10th at the Cape Town Cycle Tour and third at the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg! Seriously impressive result for a road racer, never mind a mountain biker that dabbles in road…
“I would say that winning Sani2c and the SA Road Champs titles were my highlights of this year’s racing,” said Jaedon, who will continue to race for the Pyga Euro Steel team in 2025.
“Next year will be my first year in the Elite category. My main goals are to contest the gold medal at all the SA Championships – Road, XCO, Marathon and Gravel – and have a shot at winning the Red Jersey for the top African team at the Absa Cape Epic,” said Jaedon.
We’re truly privileged to call Jaedon a LCC member and wish him all the best as he chases his goals on different bicycles in 2025!
