Turning up a gear for those who cannot hear

A total of 390 excited mountain-bikers of all abilities flocked to the Rain Farm recently for this year’s Gears for Ears challenge.

The race, which offers riders a 20km and a 50km option, raised R50 000 for cochlear implant surgery candidates.

Race director and cochlear implant recipient, Alan Hook said that while the race is known as a fundraiser, it has now earned its reputation as a fully fledged mountain-biking race, which, Hook says, has attracted a number of competitive and social riders.

“This year is our fifth and is by far the most successful event we have had to date,” said Hook, who added that the decision to host the race at the Rain Farm was superb.

Professional mountain-biker, top ten in South Africa and this year’s ‘King of the Mountain’, Andrew Hill won the men’s 50km race, while local woman Collette Kriek became ‘Queen of the Mountain’ for taking home gold in the women’s event after an excellent display of strength.

With just 180 entrants in last year’s race, Gears for Ears has more than doubled in size.

As there are no other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) devoted to cochlear implant surgery anywhere else in KwaZulu-Natal, Hook, and fellow committee members, Scott Pearmain and Tim Bamber highlighted the importance of the race both on and off the bike.

“We had some local riders saying that they did not know something like this even existed here on the North Coast, so to be part of a cause as original as it is important is truly special,” said Pearmain, who added that there are plans to introduce a children’s race next year.

According to Hook, who received his cochlear implant with the financial support of friends and family when he lost his hearing a few years ago, the total cost of the surgery is R300 000, which makes this pioneering surgery out of reach for the vast majority of people suffering from deafness.

It is for this reason, said Hook, that Gears for Ears set out to bridge the gap between the cost of surgery and the value of hearing.

“I lost 99.8% of my hearing before I received this surgery and I soon realised that you take so much for granted when you can hear,” said Hook, who highlighted just how much the surgery changed his life.

Bamber and Pearmain said that they are incredibly proud to be behind this event.