17 April 2014
The aQuelle Tour Durban, one of KwaZulu-Natal’s and South Africa’s premier road cycling races, is a tough enough challenge for the average participant, but for David Kleynhans this year’s race will be part of an epic 3 300km journey to raise funds and awareness for the elderly.
Epic journey
Kleynhans, 42, an avid road cyclist, will ride from his home in Welgemoed in Cape Town to Durban, covering the 1 600 km trip in seven days, to arrive in Durban in time to start the 105km aQuelle Tour Durban road race on Monday, 28 April.
After the event, he will set off on his return journey to his home in the Cape.
While Kleynhans is very fit, the trip is more about raising money and drawing attention to the difficulties facing the elderly through his FRAIL charity.
‘My first Tour Durban’
“This will be my first aQuelle Tour Durban,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
“After I started to cycle, I saw the need to support others. Over the last 10 years I have done one or two tours a year, sometimes three tours in a year.”
Kleynhans grew up in the Addo area of the Eastern Cape before moving to Cape Town as a teenager, and spent time in the care of the elderly, and was moved by their plight.
‘Heartache’
“Through family I was shown the heartache that some seniors have to live with,” he said. “I was shown love, and now I wish to share it with our seniors, who cared for me when I was toddler.”
“I am able-bodied and able to care for myself, but who cares for those less fortunate to have any family members?” he asked.
FRAIL
Kleynhans’ FRAIL (Friendship, Relatives, Acceptance, Involvement, Love) programme will benefit from his fundraising efforts, which will be driven by sponsorships and the sale of raffle tickets.
“I am asking people to sponsor me four cents per kilometre. That’s R65 one way,” Kleynhans explained. “Every R65 sponsorship will get an entry into the raffle.”
He will also be interacting with community and local government leaders on each stage of his trip to seek support.
Charity drive
The aQuelle Tour Durban has a very strong charity drive, and through Club Cappuccino the race supports the Domino Foundation, which serves the Amaoti community. Numerous individual riders use the race to either raise funds for charities of their own, or simply ride to raise awareness of these organisations and causes.
KLENYHANS’ SCHEDULE
- 20 April: Cape Town to Laingsburg. 275km
- 21 April: Laingsburg to Beaufort West. 200km
- 22 April: Beaufort West to Graaff-Reinet. 204km
- 23 April: Graaff- Reinet to Queenstown. 280km
- 24 April: Queenstown to Qumbu. 280km
- 25 April: Qumbu to Port Shepstone. 250km
- 26 April: Port Shepstone to Durban. 120km
- 28 April: aQuelle Tour Durban. 105km
- 29 April: Depart Durban for Cape Town.
- 5 May: Arrive in Cape Town.
To learn more about Kleynhans’ ride, or to support him, please visit the following websites: The Hub Cycling Forums, Frail Cycling to Help Old Age Homes on Facebook, Frail David Kleynhans on Facebook, or Frail Kleynhans on Twitter.
