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Cycle Tour 2016

A warm welcome in more ways than one

” Sunday, October 30th was probably the hottest day of the summer so far. It certainly felt like that for the group of cyclists who swept down William Nicol Drive, escorted by several Johannesburg Metro Police cars, sirens blaring, at the end of the Cycle Tour of Hope, Rays of Hope’s annual flagship fundraising event. But the temperature, hot as it was, could not compete with the warmth of the welcome radiating from nearly 80 well-wishers who had gathered in the amphitheatre of the Rosebank Union Church to bring them home. Large umbrellas were scattered around the grassy amphitheatre, boerewors, burgers and chicken kebabs were sizzling over red-hot braai fires, cool drinks and beers stayed chilled in large tubs of water, packed to the brim with hefty chunks of ice. Cycle Tour of Hope Welcome Home Braai,The welcoming crowds lined the road through the church grounds, their applause rising to a crescendo as the exhausted riders finally came to a stop. It was a fitting welcome for a group of dedicated people who had not only ridden all the way from Golden Gate during a three-day battle with the distance, the headwinds and the heat, but had also raised close to half a million rand between them for the privilege. Then the festivities began in earnest. Bikes were parked, cleats removed, tired bodies plonked down on the grass and vast quantities of cold beverages consumed in a matter of minutes. Everyone queued for their meat and salad, dispensed by sweating volunteers, before settling down to hear the vote of thanks to everyone from Sihle Mooi, Director of Rays of Hope. Then Charis Erasmus, the event organiser, handed out tokens of gratitude to a number of important role players in the successful event. Cycle Tour of Hope 2016 Awards King of the Mountain Slowly, the crowd quietened down as bodies cooled and tummies filled. Children listened eagerly to what their moms and dads had achieved on the road; groups of cyclists, drinks in hand, reminisced about what had been the toughest, or the funniest, or the most memorable aspect of the Tour. Later that afternoon everyone drifted off. It became quiet and people were left with their thoughts: sure, it had been a tough journey; definitely, raising all that money had been a challenge. But, now that it was all over, what focused everyone’s mind were the people of Alex and all their needs: the orphaned children without families; ladies making baskets to eke out a living; the Girls Support Group helping one another in crisis times; the Rose-Act kids finally achieving a distinction in maths; the crèche-owners with new skills; the Ignition students attending their first university graduation. Indeed, it had all been worthwhile, even in the heat.

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