
PYGA Euro Steel confirm team for Drak Descent
Off the back of an successful 2021, the PYGA Euro Steel team will have some of their biggest names on the start line for the 2022 Euro Steel Drak Descent in partnership with FNB from 29-30 January.
The team was represented well throughout the year and ended with a solid sixth place in the Absa Cape Epic with Pieter du Toit and Philip Buys also wrapping up the prize for the first all-South African pair at the race.
Heading to the Drak Descent from the team will be Philip Buys and Gert Heys.
Then it was the FNB Wines2Whales to close out the year and once again the PYGA Euro Steel team proved to be too strong with Buys teaming up with Gert Heyns to win the overall title. After taking a well-deserved break, Buys is back into training and looking forward to another exciting year in 2022.
“2021 really came alive in the back end of the year from a racing perspective so it was good to get three weeks off but I’m refreshed and ready to go,” Buys said. “I think it’s going to be easier to plan 2022 compared to the last two years with the pandemic and events being cancelled.
“It made it difficult to train and work out when you need to peak but going forward I think we are heading back to a more regular season.”
The Drak Descent forms part of the team’s build up to the many national races that they compete in, and Buys believes that it is an important event for them on a number of levels.
“It’s really important for us to show appreciation to our sponsors who have stuck with us through such a difficult period over the last two years so we love coming back to their event,” he commented.
“Also the area is such a fantastic place to set up a training camp so we will do some serious training while we are up there for the event.
“It’s a brilliant event for us and we can be a bit more relaxed than usual and enjoy a beer and be part of the whole experience.”
Buys and the team are looking forward to a more consistent season in 2022 and he’s looking back at the past two years as a blessing for him.
“The on and off lockdowns were good because they forced me off the bike and meant I could rest without feeling guilty.
“It means that I’m going into the new year feeling fresh and excited about racing with the first big peak coming at the Epic which is back in its usual slot at the beginning of the year.
“It’s an exciting time for the team and we are looking forward to starting the year well with the Drak Descent.”