Riders cycle en masse for rhinos
Dozens of activists donned their cycling shorts to help raise awareness and raise funds for Project Rhino, an anti-poaching effort.
THE participants of the 2016 uBhejane Xtreme MTB Challenge felt a tremendous sense of achievement after their 16-hour long awareness ride when they arrived at the Hilltop Camp in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve at the weekend.
The riders set off at 2am from the Cedence Cycling Performance Centre in Hillcrest and finished the 340km event at 6pm. The day’s programme of endurance cycling also included a 240km Short Horn option to raise vital festive season funding for Project Rhino KZN’s province-wide anti-rhino poaching efforts.
“It was long and it was hard but it was a great day,” said former Springbok captain and 2007 Rugby World Cup winner, John Smit, who completed the Short Horn ride.
“Not many people would normally ride 240km in a day, but it is an unbelievable thing to do, especially because we were riding for a purpose. You go through some incredible places that you’ve never seen before – and you wouldn’t if you weren’t putting your hand up and raising your voice for the rhinos,” added John.
The event was not ridden as a race, but rather a ride and the event concluded with a memorable 35km final stretch through the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve’s bushveld.
Global mountaineer and adventurer Sibusiso Vilane, like John Smit, tackled the Short Horn event and pushed himself well beyond his previous best of 100km in one sitting. The inspirational figure dug deep and completed the task and leaned on the day’s ultimate purpose to drive him on. “It was a very tough, long day in the saddle, particularly for someone like me who isn’t a regular cyclist, but as tough as it was, it was very worth it.
“I adore animals and love watching them in their natural habitat, but that’s where we need to leave them, people must go see them there, take pictures but don’t kill our animals! Many of us are not happy about what is happening as far as rhino poaching – or the killing of any of our wildlife for that matter – goes, but what are we doing to stop it? We all have a role to play, you don’t have to have a certain status to get involved, any ordinary person needs to help be the voice for the voiceless, our animals. The animals need us to talk, even shout, for them and to protect them for our future generations,” said Sibusiso.
Former Sharks rugby player, Jeremy Thomson, threw his weight behind the cause due to his involvement in the Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s anti-rhino poaching efforts.
