Cyclist Neil embarks on epic voyage
Halfway Toyota is the main sponsor of Neil's odyssey.
The adventure Tar2Turf is set to begin this Thursday (1st), with Neil Lamble (65) of Scottburgh aiming to cycle 1800km from Durban to Cape Town.
And no, it’s not some kind of April Fool’s joke.
Rather, Neil is aiming to raise funds, R1-million in total, for his alma mater, Durban High School (DHS), where he matriculated in 1973, in order for the school to build an astroturf hockey pitch.
He is hoping to raise funds through friends of the school sponsoring him an agreed rate per kilometre, with whatever contribution they are comfortable with.
Updates will be given on the Tar2Turf Facebook page and anyone wishing to donate can get the banking details there.
The bank account is managed by the CEO of the DHS Foundation, Andrew Shedlock.
Neil will start with four other cyclists for the Durban to Park Rynie stretch, along with two runners.
They should arrive at the Halfway Toyota dealership in Park Rynie at about 11.30am.
Halfway Toyota is the main sponsor of Neil’s odyssey.
Then, his son Trent will join him for the second day.
After that he’s pretty much on his own, save for his sister and brother-in-law, Robyn and Keith Botes, who will be driving his caravan for the (roughly) 26 days he is hoping it will take him to get to the Mother City.
Some have joked about this adventure, suggesting it borders on insanity, while others have asked if his car has broken down, hence his need to use a bicycle to get to Cape Town.
His wife Di said he was very stubborn – others may say determined! – and that he usually cycles in rugby shorts, with the resulting nickname ‘Kort Broek’ coming from friends. The cycling shorts would be a test, she said.
Neil, meanwhile is feeling well prepared and looking forward to the ‘trundle’ down to Cape Town.
He admitted that days three and four were the ones making him the most nervous – the climb from Port Shepstone to Kokstad via Harding.
“A similar trip was done by Henry Parsons the year he retired,” he said.
So, he is quietly confident he should make it to the finish line.
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