Press Release 2012
Press Release 2012
SUN CITY TO TABLE BAY CYCLE CHALLENGE
A decade of strength and endurance
Ten years have gone by and the Sun City to Table Bay Cycle Challenge is still going strong. The question isn’t why these cyclists put themselves through such an arduous ride, it’s why this particular challenge?
“I think the attraction is definitely the distance and the fact that this is one of the toughest rides in the world. For every endurance athlete it’s about pushing your body to the limit and to better your time – that’s what keeps us coming back every year. Also, the camaraderie of the riders is impossible to beat – we stick together through the ups and the downs,” says organiser of the event, Johann Maré.
The team puts in six months of preparation leading up to the event as every one of the riders has to complete the entire distance. This year it’s a gruelling distance of 1,833 kilometres over a period of 8 days. “We average 229 kilometres a day which is difficult when you consider the size of the saddle,” says Maré laughingly.
Stopovers include little towns like Klerksdorp, Christiana, Kimberley, Britstown, Beaufort Wes, Laingsburg and Worcester – none of them thriving metropolises but Maré says this is one of the reasons to ride: “It’s good to get out of the ‘big smoke’, to feel the wind on your face and breathe in the fresh air. The towns are quaint, the people charming and the countryside breathtakingly beautiful – it’s a fun, challenging road trip for all of us.”
The tour consists of 41 riders in total. Alongside the Sun City team of riders there are four riders who have participated in the challenge every year for the last 10 years; Reiner Stolz (Germany), Julandé Maré and Johann Maré (tandem riders) and Shaun Wienand. “Reiner is a stalwart of the team as he’s 70 years old and still rides like a kid.”
The team also includes nine riders from Germany and Austria and an ex-pat currently working in Jordan, and eight lady riders including SA Ladies Time Trial Champion Cashandra Slingerland. The average age of the team is forty-three. Actress Vanessa Haywood will join the rider’s en-route.
“The riders embody the spirit of the event, we all have the same intention – to finish. We are also dedicated to raising money, and we have successfully raised over R4-million during the last decade which we donated to various charities. Sun International is firmly behind us as are a host of other generous sponsors. Two of our biggest sponsors include Fruit Spot and Super Rent.”
Money raised from this year’s challenge will be donated to various Sun International CSI initiatives including, amongst others, Nazareth House, The Aids Orphans Housing Project and Grace Centre for abused woman and children.
Accompanying the team is a SuperSport crew who will film the Tour which will be broadcasted on Super Sport in mid-April. The support team includes; journalists, drivers, paramedics, physiotherapists and a photographer.
The entire team will participate in the Argus Cycle Tour on the 11 March, however, this year they won’t be racing as they have entered as a Charity Bond and therefore they will be able to relax and enjoy the ride which will be very different from the hectic pace they’re used too.
The riders will depart from Sun City on 1 March. Miss SA, Melinda Bam, also a keen cyclist, will be there to send them on their way. The team is expected to arrive on 8 March at their final destination, Sun International’s Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town at 14h00.
