Cycling club shifts focus to youth development

This year has been fruitful for Mpongo Cycling Club from Daveyton.

The club launched numerous initiatives aimed at promoting cycling in the township while also using their weekly morning rides to create awareness against issues affecting the community.

Mpongo’s impact in Daveyton has grown leaps and bounds. They’ve launched annual community outreach programmes to foster a culture of self-reliance which they said it’s the foundation of any community that seeks growth.

Still in its infancy, it was formed coincidentally by individuals who couldn’t withstand the loneliness created by Covid19 regulations in 2020.

Safe cycling campaign

At the core of their message, is making the roads safe for cyclists. That message is not only directed at motorists but at cyclists as well.

“It’s one of our key priorities. We are engaging all people who are using bicycles on the road to wear bibs and helmets for visibility.

“We have done awareness campaigns at taxi ranks to encourage drivers to share the road with cyclists,” said chairperson Maswazi Mdluli.

This comes after several clashes with motorists in many of their morning rides. Despite clear visibility and adhering to the rules of the road, they were often wolf-whistled by motorists unwilling to share the road with them.

They’ve since partnered with the Pedal Power Association (PPA) on its stay wider of the rider initiative which advocates for a safe passing distance of 1.5m between vehicles and cyclists.

PPA donated visibility bibs which were distributed to bicycle users in Crystal Park and Daveyton and stickers which they handed out to motorists, in particular taxi drivers.

“Our safety campaign is ongoing for as long as we are still sharing the roads with uneducated drivers,” Mdluli said.

Youth development

Membership has grown twofold in the past two years. Young people have embraced the sport and Mdluli and his team are taking a new direction.

“Our objective is to develop youth riders, in particular women. We want our young members to compete in stage races,” said Mdluli.

Despite their fundraising efforts, they still don’t have enough equipment that will aid in their quest to develop competitive cyclists.

“We need bicycles and kits that will be dedicated to youth development. We are looking for any type of sponsorship that will uplift our club, anything that will assist us in our youth development project. We are trying, by all means, to bring change through cycling,” he said.

The agony of watching Daveyton’s future waste opportunities and wound up in the gutter was unbearable for Mdluli. But if the strides made by the club this year are anything to go by, 2023 will be yet another year of fulfilment.

“We encourage the youth not to engage in activities that will destroy their future. We want to give them freedom of choice and show them that football is not the only sport to partake in.”

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