Personal message

Riding in and completing the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge is set to be the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced – particularly as I have not yet learned to ride bike!

However, I’m determined to complete the gruelling the 94.7km event through the streets of Johannesburg on Sunday, 21 November.

Maybe I’m crazy. Perhaps ignorance is bliss but I have seen the challenges faced daily by children and teenagers who attend MaAfrika Tikkun’s community centres in Diepsloot, Orange Farm and Alexandra township, and I want to help make a difference to their lives.

That’s why I sincerely hope my attempt to complete the 94.7 Cycle Challenge will raise R1-million for MaAfrika Tikkun – an NGO that is focused on the sustainable transformation of communities. They are doing an awesome job giving youth living in these truly deprived areas a real chance at making a success of their lives.

Sport is a key component of MaAfrika Tikkun’s Youth Development programme as it gives participants a sense of achievement and self-worth. A MaAfrika Tikkun team competed successfully in the 94.7 Challenge last year and will be riding again this year – with me (hopefully) as an honorary member.

If they can do it, so can I – with a lot of support and encouragement from you – and a whole lot of serious training. I will be swopping my gym spinning bike for the real thing when I return from the Edinburgh Festival. Allyson Towle, a seasoned cyclist, and her brother Philip will be helping me to get ready for the race. These good people have also taken on a huge challenge - to climb three volcanos in South America later this year. They are also trying to raise funds for MaAfrika Tikkun so their challenge is yet a further incentive for me.

However, I need your support as well. In fact, I need as much support as I can get. Please give generously – it’s for an amazing cause and it will motivate me through the difficult times ahead.

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