INTO the final week before normal entries close for the aQuellé Tour Durban on Sunday 24 April, the distinctive charity-driven athletes in their cow suits are mobilising a “herd” to take part in the popular 45km ride.

The KwaZulu-Natal herd of The Cows has become a distinctive part of the aQuellé Tour Durban, and every year a steadily increasing group of social riders has joined their group, or herd, as a show of solidarity with their ongoing efforts to raise funds for, and profile the work done by The Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa (CHOC).

Last year, one of their stalwart members Gordon Reid rode the aQuellé Tour Durban 45km race on an ice cream cart bike surrounded by fellow Cows who helped push him up some of the hills. True to form the high-spirited Cows engaged fellow riders and spectators with their enthusiastic banter and passionate team spirit.

This year, the race organisers have set aside a batch in the 45km race specially for The Cows. Anyone interested in riding with The Cows herd needs to enter the race first, buy on of their distinctive Cow t-shirts to ride in and then contact Mamma Moo at the KZN herd of The Cows.

“Our motto is simple – Love Living Life,” said Reid. “When it all started at the 2008 94.7 the people involved tried to get matching costumes to ride in and all they could find was six cow suits. That’s where The Cows was born.”

“The herd is really looking forward to the aQuellé Tour Durban this year, and we are hoping to get as many riders that have entered the easy 45km ride to uMdloti and back to join us in the special charity batch,” said Reid.

Any rider keen to join The Cows herd for the 45km race will need to lodge a normal entry first and then notify Mamma Moo at the KZN herd by email at durbsdaisy@thecows.co.za

For more information visit www.tourdurban.co.za