Cyclists gear up to raise R50k in ride from Pretoria to Pinetown
The four men aims to ride from Pretoria to Durban on their mountain bikes in six days.
FOUR mountain biking enthusiasts, Philip Riggien, Shaun Knowles, Bruce Knowles and Luke Dinkel, have set themselves a challenge to ride from Pretoria to Pinetown in six days to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Rainbows and Smiles.
The four men will set off on their journey on Saturday, 24 October and, during their ride, hope to raise R50 000 for the charity.
They will ride throughout the day and plan to sleep under the stars to save on accommodation costs.
The team will also have a back up driver following them, in case any emergencies arise.
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These four passionate mountain bikers chose Rainbows and Smiles as it is a charity very close to Philip’s heart.
His wife, Debbie, is the KZN Child Support Manager for Rainbows and Smiles and for the Riggien family, creating awareness for childhood cancer is a huge part of their lives.
In 2009 their younger daughter was diagnosed with a rare cancer, she was 15 at the time. This diagnosis was a huge shock to the family who were not aware of the warning signs for childhood cancer.
Their daughter was declared cancer free one year later and has been cancer free for almost 10 years.
“Riding is my passion and childhood cancer awareness is my family’s passion, combining the two, to raise funds, just seemed like the right thing to do,” said Riggien.
Shaun and Bruce Knowles love the challenge of long distance cycling and have been raising funds for charities, through cycling events, for a few years.
Philip, Shaun and Bruce have been friends since their school days and taking part in this fundraiser together simply fell into place.
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“Covid-19 saw a lot of cycling events postponed or cancelled and we really wanted to do an ultra long distance event together. Supporting a charity is an added bonus and we have seen first-hand how hard this charity works to provide love, support and care for little children fighting a horrible disease,” said Knowles.
Luke Dinkel is the youngest rider of the team and is Riggien’s nephew. When Luke heard about the ride, he was excited to jump on board.
“This ride will be challenging, but I’m ready for it. This ride will honour my cousin who fought cancer,” he said.
A fundraising account has been set up through Back A Buddy for donations and all funds raised will go to Rainbows and Smiles to help them continue with their work.
To donate, visit: www.backabuddy.co.za/pta-pt-mtb-for-rainbows
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