Cyclist pedals up a storm for rhino conservation
Ewan Cochran aims to hit the 2000km mark to raise much-needed funds for Project Rhino.
HILLCREST cycling enthusiast, Ewan Cochran, completed his first uBhejane Xtreme MTB Challenge last year and has set himself a massive target of completing 2 000km on a bike to contribute to the annual Project Rhino fundraiser.
Cochran, who is more a road racer than a mountain biker, toughed out the 250km Short Horn ride last year in testing heat, winds and thunderstorms.
The 46-year-old returned determined to do the ride again as a personal challenge.
“Whether you do the full 340km or the 250km ride, it is a long day in the saddle and a personal achievement to complete. Project Rhino is a great cause, so I decided to set a goal of completing 1 750km in training for the ride, and then the 250km of the actual ride to take me to a 2 000km uBhejaneX.
“It is a cunning plan to try and make a meaningful contribution to the Project Rhino fund-raiser,” he said.
“I am not very good at this fund-raising thing, so I am asking people to donate 20 cents per kilometre, which will only come to R400 when I complete the 2 000km. Everything I do in training is there on my Strava account, so anyone can check that I am doing the miles,” he said.
ALSO READ: Support paws in at SPCA’s trail run
Cochran’s gruelling training regime involves three days training on an indoor static bike at the Cadence Cycling Performance Centre in Hillcrest, doing 60km a day, riding 50km each Friday, 100km every Saturday and 60km on Sunday.
“Then I head for the couch for a day,” he laughed.
“It is a personal challenge, but the fund-raising side is suddenly taking off and has become a double motivator for me, because I know feel that every km I ride is making a difference to the Project Rhino programmes, which keeps me going.”
He can be reached via his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ewan.cochran.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Highway Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
