Local riders invited to the 35th Ride for Side Cycle on February 18

The 35th Ride for Sight will be held on February 18 at Boksburg Stadium.

This is the 16th year that Dis-Chem Pharmacies will be the naming sponsors of this cycling event.

Retina South Africa, the event organiser, is appealing to all cyclists to support this enduring and popular road racing event.

The co-organisers are volunteers from community clubs and societies, all experts in safety, cycling, logistics and events management.

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Their dedication and commitment to ensure the proceeds from the event go to Retina South Africa’s research and empowerment projects for South Africans with retinal blinding conditions.

These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and a host of genetic conditions that, collectively, affect an estimated one million South Africans from every community.

The event offers two distances – the 116km Super Classic presented by Ensure Gold and the DS 24 62km challenge.

The 116km Super Classic is a seeding event for the two mega rides in the country – the Virgin Active Ride Joburg and the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2025.

There will be cash prizes to winners in all the official Cycling SA (CSA) racing categories.

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Fun riders may opt for the DS 24 62km challenge with a category for para cyclists. The winners will get category prizes of vouchers, hampers, or products.

Linsay Engelbrecht, a para tri-athlete who represented South Africa at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, is recruiting pilots with tandems to pair with people with vision loss who would love to experience the exciting sport of road cycling.

She said there would be special categories for all para cyclists, as they celebrated accessibility and inclusivity in cycling. Contact her at events@retinasa.org.za

Online entries for Ride for Sight are open until February 5, and all pre-entries will receive a Dis-Chem Goodie bag and an R50 shopping voucher from CycleLab.

All entrants are eligible for lucky draw prizes, including a Venter Bike Trailer, a Sealy Bed set, Cycle Lab vouchers, Biogen hampers, Vision Works and Moscon sunglasses and many more.

A superb Orbea gravel bike valued at R45 000, sponsored by CycleLab, is the prize up for grabs on the donation draw and Dis-Chem Foundation will match every donation of R50 or more.

Online entries are open at https://bit.ly/3sidVJb and will close on February 5.

For more information on the event, go to www.retinasa.org.za/events/dis-chem-ride-4-sight or send queries via WhatsApp to 083 306 5262.

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Late entries, if available, will be at CycleLab Lynnwood, Pretoria on February 15, CycleLab Fourways on February 16 or CycleLab Boksburg on February 17 until 14h00.

Fast facts

• Date: Sunday, February 18

• Venue: City Stadium, Jubilee Road, Boksburg

• Distances: 116km Super Classic presented by Ensure

• 62km DS24 challenge, which includes the disability category.