“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny”. Perhaps after reading Phillimon Sebona’s story, you may argue that he is in no way “ordinary”, but be that as it may, having spent a couple of hours chatting with him over a cup of coffee, I came away inspired and re-energised.
Philli grew up on a farm in the Middelburg, Mpumalanga district. One of five children, he grew up, as is the case with so many South African youths, with an absent father, but by all accounts, a wonderful mom. She raised her children to be God fearing and respectful, free from the anger and resentment that can so often poison the future of those born into hardship. Philli’s cycling habit was born out of necessity. It was 24 kilometres to the school that he attended, and a bicycle, bought with the proceeds of peanuts that he sold, was the most efficient means to do the school commute. His older brother was an avid cyclist and raced on the HSBC Pro team for a few years.
The mining giant, Exxaro, started a Cycling Development Programme in 2011, which Philli, riding competitively since 2006, participated in. His cycling prowess earned him a place on the Exxaro Development team, where he rode his first “Tour de France of mountain bikes”, the ABSA Cape Epic, in 2012. Philli rode subsequent Epics, earning himself a place on the Pyga Euro Steel Pro Mountain bike team for whom he competed from 2018 to 2020. It was at this time that he became acquainted with Liqui Moly, prominent sponsors of the Pyga team.
Philli was riding the crest of the mountain biking wave, riding with the likes of Phillip Buys and Matthys Beukes, legends of South African mountain bike racing. By this time, he was a Cape Epic veteran with 10 top finishes under his belt. In 2019, he was selected to represent South Africa at the UCI Mountain Bike World Marathon Championships. Let’s be straight, performing at this level in one of the most gruelling and competitive sports on the planet requires super special ability. The physical and mental strength, allied to next-level discipline and resolve displayed by these athletes, speaks volumes about the character of these men. Little did Philli know how these qualities would be tested to an entirely new level in his near future.
Philli’s 2022 and 2023 Absa Cape Epic races both finished prematurely with DNF (Did Not Finish). “How is that possible?” you might ask. A multiple Epic finisher suddenly pulling up short. “Dave, by day 3 and 4, I had absolutely nothing left in the tank. With utmost respect, a fat lady would have blown me away on every uphill”, Philli recalled when trying to explain to me how he felt when he was forced to withdraw. The reason for this sudden lack of form only became apparent when consulting a doctor about a large lump on his neck, which seemed to appear suddenly out of nowhere. The outcome of the medical investigation was, in Philli’s words, “a death sentence”.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma – a cancer caused by an uncontrolled growth of abnormal squamous cells. Generally related to skin conditions, it is not typically fatal unless not attended to. The word “cancer” or “malignant” strikes fear into the heart of most, if not all. You find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death. I have had my own brush with malignant melanomas, so I am speaking from firsthand experience. For a world-class athlete, it is even worse. Fit and clean living, it seems so out of place and dare I say it, unjust.
Philli’s training regimen became a nightmare of Chemotherapy and radiation. By this stage of his life, he also had his wife Anna and two small children, Helen and Asanda, to consider. Suddenly, life was asking way harder questions of the 31-year-old and his family than Philli had answers. The supremely fit Philli was reduced to a shell of his former self by the chemical assault of chemotherapy and searing radiation. What would his future hold, or was there even a future, was the question which seemed all-pervading.
Philli tells me that he had always known, thanks to his mom’s insistence on her children’s church attendance, that there is a God, but he had kind of kept Him at arm’s length, too busy with the life of a Pro athlete. The cancer changed that radically. Philli found himself developing a relationship with his God as he battled the disease that was threatening his life. Slowly but surely, he responded positively to the radical treatment, and the thought of another Epic crossed his mind. “What was worse”, he asked himself, “a bad bout of chemo, or a bad day out on the course during an Epic?”
2024 was written off to defeating cancer and getting to a point where he could again consider his cycling future. For most of us, that would mean entering an Argus or perhaps a 70 km mountain bike race, but Philli is not your regular guy. He would tackle the 2025 ABSA Cape Epic. He would get answers to his questions in the fiercest crucible of mountain bike competition known to man.
The cancer left him with serious challenges for an endurance athlete. He no longer produces saliva, so sipping water regularly is essential. Suddenly, the distance of a water table was of vital importance. His historic nutrition was also a no-go. Even the textures of food that he tried to ingest on a ride could have him heaving. The ability to eat as he rode was also gone. In the post-cancer regime, he had to completely reinvent himself as an athlete in ways that he would never have been able to imagine. Now here is the thing. Why would you even do it? Why would you put yourself through this torture when you had every excuse to just throw in the towel?
And that, my friends, is what inspired me so much about Philli’s story. This gentle, mild-mannered man with the slight build of a pro cyclist is a giant amongst men. He doesn’t look for excuses, he looks for answers, no matter what the cost. Many of us grew up with the proverbial “silver spoon in our mouths”, yet do a U-turn when faced with adversity, looking for excuses or blaming others for our misfortune. Philli, on the other hand, created his own breaks in life through sheer guts, determination and bloody-mindedness. He struggled to find what would work with the new challenges he faced as he trained for the Epic.
With his teammate Zimbabwean Pressmore Musundi Dhlamini, Philli finished the 2025 Absa Cape Epic in an incredible 33rd place out of 147 finishing teams in the Open Men’s Classification. Riding as team Ithuba Africa, they crossed the finish line after 31 hours, 17 minutes and 1 second of racing the “Tour de France of Mountain bikes”, competing against the world’s best.
So, where to from here for Philli? Perhaps his own journey has influenced his chosen path. The passionate and goal-oriented person that he is, he started a coaching company with the goal of developing children’s cycling talent. He is currently contracted to the Curro school group, where he develops the physical and mental strength of aspirant cyclists.
I believe that life’s journey has prepared him for even greater things. His inherent humility, decency, work ethic, discipline and raw courage will stand him in good stead for all his future endeavours, which, given his incredible life’s journey, should expand to life coaching too. Philli, I salute you! I started this story with a quote, so I believe it is appropriate to end with another: “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it” – Maya Angelou
A shout out to Liqui Moly for their ongoing investment in this sort of worthy cause and allowing us to tell this inspirational story. After my time spent with Philli, I believe it is not only money well spent, but an investment in the future of our country.
