Promoting unity through cycling
“Doing this with other clubs expands the bond and relationships and being a new club, we are now beginning to feel we are part of the community.”
The chairperson of Capri Wheelers Cycling Club, Selwyn Sanders, has advised the young riders from Mpongo Cycling Club to “keep cycling” because of the endless opportunities in the sport.
“There’s a lot of potential for young cyclists in this country. They must keep cycling. Some of the youngsters I saw today will get there. It’s not impossible,” he said.
Sanders and his teammates, along with cyclists from Ekurhuleni Cycling Club, Team Asidlali Nawe and Hashtag Cycling Club, joined Mpongo on their initiative to bring unity in the cycling community on April 23.
They took part in a 75km ride on road bikes and another 45km on mountain bikes along the streets of Daveyton and then rode to Springs via Kingsway Road and then back to their base at Moz Deli in Mocke Street.
Sanders commended the spirit displayed by community members who cheered them on while on their ride, adding that it’s something rarely seen in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg.
He said unity in cycling, where clubs invite each other to ride together, is rarely seen.
“It’s not something you see often and it’s what we try to do. It’s amazing that we can come to Daveyton where you go through the township and people cheer you on. One of our guys said to me that in our area, you don’t see this. I can assure you that this is the first of many tours,” Sanders said.
Mpongo Cycling Club’s chairperson Maswazi Mdluli thanked Capri for honouring their invite.
According to Mdluli, Capri has been Mpongo’s number one supporter, helping the club with cycling gear which has brought hope to the club’s youngsters.
“They’ve donated cycling gear to our youngsters. We wanted to bring hope to our young riders by bringing Capri, which has been our number one supporter, to Daveyton,” Mdluli said.
Mdluli said the club is struggling with kit and bicycles for their young cyclists but thanks to the donations from Capri, they’ve managed to meet some of their goals.
He said there’s been tremendous improvement in their performance and membership since they started the club in 2020, adding that the spirit shown by their youngsters has kept them going.
“With the resources we have, I can say we are much better because we are able to compete but we are not yet where we want to be.”
On unity in the cycling community, Mdluli alluded to the warmth and support they always receive from other riders on race days as their reason to promote relations between clubs.
“Doing this with other clubs expands the bond and relationships and being a new club, we are now beginning to feel we are part of the community.”
Sanders thanked Mdluli and his team for inviting them and concluded that their relationship will grow from strength to strength.
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