‘No plan B for me’ – Keegan Longuiera

“There was no plan B” says Witbank cyclist Keegan Longuiera as he tells of his amazing adventure across the great continent of Africa.

Keegan Longuiera

“I think that is what this journey has taught me, is that God must always be plan A… period.”

This was a life-changing, faith-building journey that saw Keegan face so many challenges that most will not even experience in their entire lifespan.

With only R70 in his pocket when he went from Egypt to Ethiopia, he had only faith to accompany him as 10 000 kilometers still loomed in the distance.

And just as the strongest metal is forged in the hottest fires, Keegan experienced his fair share of danger and strife at the mere onset. Having barely started his journey, he was nearly robbed at knifepoint, he was left on many a day to eat not merely less that appetizing food but rather less than edible food along the way, sometimes food that had been standing in the blistering sun for days, and the cherry on that cake was a debilitating case of tendonitis.

I had never experienced it that bad and I knew it could stop my journey, so I gave complete surrender to God. In that moment it was not about the record, or the achievement or the fund-raising goals, it was solely about being in the place God wanted me. And I did not know if I would be journeying any further.

Miraculously Keegan woke up the next morning able to move his joints with absolutely no pain. His condition had done a complete 180 degree turn and he was ready to cycle another day, and fulfill a lifelong dream.

His adventure took him through some of the most harsh conditions the continent could provide.

“One of the hardest countries was definitely Ethiopia,” said the cyclist, “with its harsh climate and difficult inhabitants. Even the children threw rocks at me.” It was in this severe country that Keegan realized sometimes a person’s poverty can be so extreme that it totally inhibits them from even having a dream, which is largely the one thing that give people hope and a future.

“It is a wonderful privilege to have a dream.”

He met fellow cyclists along the way, some trying to make their own records and others finding recreational fulfillment. So whilst he had the opportunity to interact sporadically with others in a similar position, Keegan says what he missed the most along his journey when it was just him and the bike, was learning from others.

I feel everyone has a story to tell and I am always eager to hear how others deal with their situation of strife, misfortune or victory so that I can learn from their valuable lessons.

Through valley and hill, rain and shine, rocks and rivers, friend and foe, Keegan managed to travel from the home of the pyramids to the home of Table Mountain, and as he travelled his last leg to the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town on March 2, his victory delight was divided by the overwhelming sense of being home and the fact that he had in fact beaten the Guinness World Record.

After a trip of 59 days, eight hours and 15 minutes, he was home a winner and a hero to many whom he had raised funds for at Operation Smile.

With so many stories to tell of his unbelievable experiences, he will be seeing a publisher shortly to produce a book that can too inspire others to step out of their comfort zones and meet the challenges of their hearts.

This will most certainly be only the first in a volume to collect in future as Keegan continues to take on challenges that are most certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Whilst he is still submitting all his data to the Guinness World Record Organisation, he is one of Witbank’s local hero’s whose name will certainly be written up in history.