Imagine facing kilometres of the open road on two wheels while praying that you do not incur mother nature’s wrath with regards to the weather.
This is exactly what Lindsay van der Byl and Sibusiso Buthelezi endure on their annual Cycle4Change tour. Rain or shine, this dynamic cycling duo is determined to make a massive impact no matter what it takes.
Cycle4Change is an initiative started by Van der Byl in 2016. It acts as an awareness campaign that addresses social ills that the youth face and promotes the importance of reading. Van der Byl went on the very first tour alone (which proved to be quite a challenge) before he roped in his friend Sibusiso Buthelezi to join him after meeting him at one of his spinning classes which he took to prepare for his 2017 tour.
“We want to create a culture of reading, especially in rural areas. We want to supply them with books so that they can have the necessary resources,” said Buthelezi on the goals they have with regards to their awareness campaign. Both gentlemen come from humble beginnings and began reading which opened a whole new world for them.
The cycling fanatics chose Bloemfontein as their rest point in their tour which began on Friday, 10 August in Pretoria. They spent their day in the City of Roses by visiting two schools (Kagisho Comprehensive Secondary School and Rutanang Primary School) and a number of other institutions where they gave a motivational talk to the learners.
Interviews with local radio stations were also part of the programme. The duo is cycling throughout various parts of South Africa on their way to Cape Town.
“We’ve sacrificed way too much to quit now,” said van der Byl when he was asked about what motivates them when the cycling becomes too strenuous on their bodies. The weather is another factor that might not always count in their favour.
Van der Byl and Buthelezi have invested a lot of their own resources to make the cycling tours possible, but they have gotten much needed assistance which has gone a long way throughout the tours.
The cycling duo strives to give hope to the masses and to make reading a cool activity by getting rid of any misconceptions that are linked with the educational tool. – Molebogeng Malebo
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