Hey Holla: Q&A with the Robert Family
With the pandemic came a new love for the trails, and for many the start of a new hobby. This is true for the Robert family – Dom, Steph, Claude and Conrad. We interview them and find out how they came to make Holla their second home as a family.
Where are you from? Good old Ballito!
How long have you been riding at Holla? We’ve been riding since the beginning of August this year.
What got you started riding as a family? Where to begin. We had been trying to get Claude to ride his bike for a while and after being repatriated from Swaziland we had to quarantine. It was during this time that Claude took to his bike. Eventually I got tired of running after him so we decided to get a bike so we could follow him. Little did we know this would be how our love affair with bicycles would start. I loved it. So I roped my good friend Cindy into doing it with me, as I didn’t want to be the only inexperienced rider. Dom soon saw how much fun I was having and he decided to get a bike too. We then didn’t have anyone to look after Conrad so we borrowed a neighbours bike buggy and we all set off. We started out doing the park run trail and then extended it bit by bit. Claude is 4 and a half and he now does the short green with us while Conrad sleeps in the buggy (see pic).
Who do you ride with?I make sure to ride at least once a week with my friend Cindy and once a week with the family!
Favourite route? As a family we love doing the short green and we do park run and then just continue to the Fairview dam (Dom built the Holla swing that everyone stops at for a photo) and then back to Holla Trails. I personally love the silver.
Best memory from the trails?Too many. But by far my best one must be when we decided to try the 10km with Claude and he managed all those bridges like a champ and never hesitated. Nothing better than seeing that sense of achievement in a 4 year olds face!
What do you love most about Holla Trails?The trails are amazing and so well looked after and maintained. A lot of thought has gone into catering for every rider, from beginner to pro.
Any words of inspiration for other families with small children looking to find an outdoors family activity?Don’t make excuses, just do it. You will never regret family time and getting out there. We never miss a weekend at Holla and it’s like home now!