Blind couple embarking on first 947 Ride Joburg
Jessica and Johannes Grib raising money for South African Guide-dog Association
Some are driven by athletics milestones, some by personal gain and others by the shattering of stereotypical limits.
Household names in the visually impaired community, Johannes and Jessica Grib are getting ready to make their muscles ache. The couple are taking on one of the toughest cycle races in the world this weekend, the 947 Ride Joburg. Riding in tandem, Johannes will be piloted by Tammy Visagie, and Jessica will operate under the expert guidance of Donavan Roscoe.
The sense of personal triumph is not the only motivation for the visually impaired pair. All their efforts are in aid of the South African Guide-dog Association (SAGDA) as they join the mission to help raise R100 000 for raising a guide dog. SAGDA will have several visually impaired participants in the 947 Ride Joburg, with the rider who raises the most for the organisation winning his or her own prize.
Johannes and Jessica rely heavily on their own two guide dogs, Lennox and Lucia. Johannes has had his black labrador, Lennox since 2013 while Jessica’s Lucia, also a black labrador, has been with her since 2016. Guide dogs undergo intense training to ensure they provide the life-assisting service. “If they react to an umbrella, a bouncing ball or any distraction we can get badly hurt,” said Jessica.
As for the race, the novice cyclists have been training on stationary bikes as well as doing practice rides with their pilots. “Donavan tells us not to think of it as a 100km race but to break it down into ten 10km races,” said Johannes, dreading the hills of the northern suburbs.
A new litter of potential guide-dog puppies are days away and the Gribs are asking any members of the public in a position to support to contact Yolande van Rooyen at SAGDA, being sure to use the donation code ‘GribTeam’.
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