GALLERY: Table Bay Charity Cycling Tour group donates 40 bicycles to 40 staff members

This year is no exception and adding to the celebrations of Sun City the Table Bay Charity Cycling Tour group donated 40 bicycles to 40 staff members at the resort.

August 22, 2019

Annette van Schalkwyk 2 minutes read

Staff members getting ready to try out their new Qhubeka bicycles during the handover on August 17. Photo: Annette van Schalkwyk.

FOR years a group of enthusiastic cyclers pedalling on the South African roads are making a difference in other people’s lives.

This year is no exception and adding to the celebrations of Sun City the Table Bay Charity Cycling Tour group donated 40 bicycles to 40 staff members at the resort.

“Making a difference in somebody’s live is what we strive for. Cycling all those kilometres is just for one purpose and that is to give back to the community,” said the tour group leader, Johan Mare. “This year we thought of handing 40 bicycles to 40 staff members who represent five different collaboration areas at Sun City and this will also coincide with the 40 years of Sun City’s celebration.”

Most of the recipients will get on their own cycle for the first time in their lives. The 40 bicycles were handed over to the beneficiaries on August 17.

Sun International has been involved with the Sun City to The Table Bay Charity Cycle Tour since 2003. Charities supported by four of its properties, namely Sun City (North West), Flamingo Casino (Northern Cape), Golden Valley Casino (Western Cape) and The Table Bay (Western Cape) benefit from the initiative.

“Over the years, the Sun City to The Table Bay Charity Cycle Tour has helped raise funds and awareness for important causes, thereby making a meaningful contribution towards improving the quality of life for many underprivileged people. We thank the team for their tremendous effort which has afforded us this opportunity to give ‘wheels’ to 40 deserving people,” says Mike van Vuuren, general manager at Sun City.

Over the past 17 years, the Sun City to The Table Bay Charity Cycle Tour has donated approximately R10.5-million to various charity organisations.

According to Mare the group is open to any cyclists who want to become part of the charity initiative. “We have numerous cyclists who join in every year. We set out a programme for them to follow some three to four months before we actually go on the road to cape Town.”

“Some of the cyclists fall out or don’t have the ability to do the endurance tour, so we end up having a smaller group than initially started with. But that is the group we take the roads with and they raise money for the beneficiaries at the end.”

The group cycled a distance of 1 749km from Sun International’s Sun City to The Table Bay in Cape Town, covering a distance of 218km per day. The cyclists successfully raised and donated R528 000 to various children’s charities as a direct result of the 2019 charity tour.