One of Potchefstroom’s most well-known cyclists, Ryno Schutte, sustained a serious injury when he collided with a motor vehicle during the Uprising Race in Soweto on June 16.

Schutte, who is the leader in the men’s section of the Mzansi National Road Series, had an opportunity to extend his lead during this race on Youth Day.

A few kilometres in, Ryno hit a vehicle at a four-way intersection during the race. This vehicle gained access to the route and impeded Ryno, who at that stage was racing at nearly 60km/hour.

“I was busy chasing, and together with a couple of other riders, bumped into the car as we were racing.”

Ryno, a former Potch Gimmie, sustained a broken collarbone and had to be transported via his team car. The ambulance arrived on the scene 10 minutes later, and he was transported to the nearest hospital for treatment. Ryno has since undergone a successful operation and will rest for the next two weeks.

“ I will have to wear a sling for 4 to 6 weeks, and after that I will be allowed to ride again,” said Ryno.

The race was cancelled after the incident, with a charity race taking place thereafter, which replaced the competitive race.

According to the Race Organisers of the 2026 Uprising Race, Buhle Madlala and Mpume Mtintso, traffic management on certain sections of the route did not operate as planned, resulting in public vehicles gaining access to the race course.

“This created a situation that was deemed unsafe by the President of the Commissaires Panel (PCP), who decided to stop the race in the interests of rider safety,” Madlala said in a media statement.

According to Madlala, as event organisers, they had paid all service providers and fulfilled all obligations in preparing and staging the event.

“Following the decision to stop the race, we explored alternative options to provide value to participants on the day. An alternative community street ride was proposed and accepted, with teams collectively agreeing that the available prize money would instead be donated towards the development of cycling through Book iBhoni in Soweto.”

“Given that the event was staged, commenced and incurred all associated operational costs, and considering that the cancellation was due to circumstances outside the organiser’s direct control, we regret that we are unable to do more to mitigate this risk.”

The Potchefstroom Herald contacted Cycling South Africa, which stated that they are aware of the situation. They are currently awaiting the event report from the event safety officer.