Wheels unite
JOBURG - Cycalive, one of the first projects ever to be endorsed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, embarked on its 18th annual relay cycle ride from Johannesburg to Durban.
The cyclists were sent off by the Steel Wings motorcyclists and the Springs Field Band on 23 August from the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton.
The team consisted of Grade 11 boys from the Torah Academy, Moletsane High School and Pace Commercial Secondary School, and included cyclists from Israel. During the send-off, parents watched as their boys got ready for the road ahead.
The 35 young boys cycled 750km in just five days, from 23 August to 27 August. In a ceremony before the send-off, the boys were given motivational speeches and words of encouragement for the road ahead.
They also had the opportunity of meeting the Minister of Human Settlement Tokyo Sexwale. He shared words of encouragement, “When you want to give up, don’t. Think about the house you departed from and let that encourage you.”
He also emphasised the importance of working together, “It’s about teamwork where unity and a common bond is found.”
The route was along the back roads, mainly on the R103, and the cyclists arrived in Durban to a welcome by the Field Band from KwaZulu-Natal, civic dignitaries and community leaders.
En route to Durban, the cyclists paid their annual visit to the Newcastle Provincial Hospital, where they handed out parcels to patients and sang for them in Sesotho and Hebrew.
The team returned to Johannesburg on 27 August exhilarated after their 750km cycle ride.
