Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU) and a team of 60 riders are set to participate in the world's largest timed cycle race — the Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT) — on Sunday, 8 March 2020.
The team, comprising of students, staff members, alumni and friends of the University, will raise money for the student-led #Move4Food campaign, which aims to end student hunger on SU's campuses.
Among the team, are students from SU's Tygerberg medical campus who have previously twice crossed borders with an ambitious 902km cycle from Vioolsdrift at the Namibian border to South Africa's border at Cape Agulhus to raise money for fellow Maties via the Nkululeko Fund.
"We are looking forward to the CTCT. It is a fantastic way to tour through the beautiful city of Cape Town and an even better group of guys to be doing it with. To top it off — the adventure of cycling on a one-gear-bicycle just brings about a childlike excitement in me — all while raising funds for fellow students," says Breda Reed, who is leading this group of medical students.
Chris Norton, an SU alumnus and owner of the BMT bike shop in Stellenbosch, will be joining the #Move4Food team, accompanied by his BMT Racing Academy riders who all come from the surrounding communities in Stellenbosch. "Our team understand what it's all about when it comes to community support! Therefore we support Move4Food," Norton adds.
For Prof Wim de Villiers, who is participating in his fifth CTCT as Rector of SU, Sunday's race is also a family affair — joining him on the 109km ride is daughter Gera and his son Braam.
“I am honoured to be a part of a team of caring Maties. Our students face numerous challenges on our campuses, but hunger shouldn't be one of them. This affects not only their academic results, but their human dignity. As one of our fundraisers recently said: 'We want to take these barriers from our students. It doesn't take the mountain away, but it does make climbing it easier.'"
He adds: “I'd like to encourage everyone to donate on GivenGain to our champion cyclists who are fundraising for #Move4Food. They have been training and preparing for the big race to ensure that no Matie drops out of the academic race because of a lack of food."
Supporters are invited to join the team at the Stellenbosch University hospitality tent at the finishing line in Green Point, where SU's new Chancellor, Justice Edwin Cameron will be in attendance.
- For more information, please contact Siya Ndlovu via e-mail on ndlovus@sun.ac.za or on tel: 021 808 4456.
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Fotograaf: Stefan Els
