The Cooper’s conquer SA’s nine peaks

Father and daughter team Collin and Bianca Cooper kicked off their Nine Peaks Qhubeka Tour on 15 March with one purpose in mind and that was to raise funds to buy bikes for five individuals. The Coopers had nine arduous challenges that lay between them and the goal of donating the bicycles, and that was conquering nine of the highest peaks in South Africa covering a distance of 3 500km.

Bianca said, “ There are nine provinces and therefore nine peaks. To date, this has been done by travelling in between each climb by car. The aim of our trip is to be the first to achieve this without the use of motorised transport, travelling by means of Qhubeka Buffalo bicycles, primarily down dirt roads.”

She explained that they had a ‘back to basics’ approach throughout the tour and they had to make use of simple clothing, basic homemade food, navigation by means of a map and a compass, and camping rather than staying in hotels. “Our Buffalo Bicycles also had to be basic and rugged, the Qhubeka Buffalo’s are designed to last a lifetime and they are locally assembled in South Africa. What makes these bikes so special is that they are single-speed, steel framed and they weigh about 24kg. This means that they are ready for Africa and they survived our month long journey,” said Bianca.

Their journey saw them start off in Limpopo and they worked their way through interesting places like Lydenburg, Bronkhorstspruit, Krugersdorp Game Reserve, Sterkfontein Dam, Midmar Dam, Graaff Reinet to mention but a few and they finally ended up in Seweweekspoort Pass in the Karoo. She explained that they have managed to raise R18 000 for their cause and that they will now be able to give the bicycles to the deserving individuals across the country who need bicycles to commute in order to help out their communities. .

“We have to thank everyone for their support throughout the journey. We cycled for 45 days. It was tough but it was worth it. If anyone wishes to still support our cause they can click on the GivenGain link and follow the instructions.” concluded Cooper.

Details: Nine Peaks Qhubeka Tour charity page: www.givengain.com