From Youtube to South Africa on a handbike
On the 29th of September last year I received an email from Youtube telling me that someone had left a message for me after watching one of my Youtube videos, I was interested to find out who had left the message and what they had to say so off I went to Youtube where I found this short message:
Hi,
Invitation to join us in South Africa February 16th to 21st 2008 for a handcycle race and tour. Further details on http://www.ghrc.co.za
Regards,
Hilary Lewis
hilaryl@ghrc.co.za
An invitation to ride in South Africa. Wow! What an amazing thought, I had to find out more. I pasted the link into my browser and arrived at the Gauteng Handcycle Racing Club's website, after a quick scan of the page and a couple of clicks I was at the Toer de Kaap webpage. It sounded and looked amazing, just the sort of challenge I would like to be a part of, so I wrote a short email explaining that I would love to take part but would have to see whether I could manage to get there or not.
Below is the letter of invitation I received to take part in the toer.
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LETTER OF INVITATION: Matt
Cole Dear Matt, We are launching
the toughest, longest international handcycle tour in the entire world
in South Africa in February 2008 and I would like you to seriously consider
participating. We have good daily distances, some nice challenging
mountain passes (by South African standards) and a really great finish
– down the legendary Outeniqua Pass back into George. This 6 day tour
starts on Saturday 16th Feb with a 42km race known as the
OCC, and ends Thursday 21st Feb 2008, covering 499km in total.
The OCC is in its 5th year of running - see their website
for details: http://georgeocc.co.za and to register to participate. We will have
vehicles to carry our luggage and wheelchairs from one town to the next
and a sweep vehicle you can call if you can’t finish the ride for
one or another reason. Space is limited to 10 wheelchair users, as there
is limited accessible accommodation in some of the towns we stay in.
Some of these towns are so small they have never even seen or heard
of a handcycle! If you are
interested, please go to http://www.ghrc.co.za/TdK08.html download the e-brochure and
either email your interest or fill in the autoresponder form. The first
10 people to pay deposits will be on the tour. The entry fee for overseas
riders is EU425.00 (US$530.00) and includes entry fee for the OCC race,
accommodation and 2 meals a day for the duration of the tour and full
support and backup. This is a great
opportunity for northern hemisphere riders to get some early season
training in without suffering in the cold – come enjoy our great weather
and roads. The area we will ride in is a safe rural area with very little
if any crime and no violence. I have just been down to recce the route
and most of these towns are so safe the people leave their car keys
in the cars and unlocked at all times! Our overnight stops are also
safe – so you have no worries about personal safety – this is your
chance to be a part of history in the making! Be sure to
there! This tour is going to become a permanent fixture in the
World Handcycling calendar and we will aim to maintain the longest,
toughest image at all costs! After all, Africa is not for sissies –
once you have done the Toer de Kaap, you will understand this statement
more fully! Hilary Lewis http://www.ghrc.co.za Webmaster Original Vagabond WebMarketing © 2007 |
Toer de Kaap 2008
After having read the letter of invitation I was really excited. The thought of taking part in the longest most gruelling handbike toer in the world made my heart race overtime.
The question was and still is, how am I going to get there? I have applied for a grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation and asked whether they can assist in covering some of the travel costs but the grants aren't issued untill April so that leaves me with one choice, and that's where you come in, I am looking for individuals and sponsors who are willing to help me, directly or indirectly, raise the funds to get me to South Africa so I can ride.
I will be alerting the media and the National Federation for Sport this week to the fact that I am on a fundraising mission and on the look out for sponsors and I will also be updating the website on a regular basis as we approach the starting date.
If you feel that you can assist me in any way, shape, or form, please contact me as soon as you can. My telephone number and contact details can be found on the contact page.
Thanks,
Matt
You must be crazy wanting to go and do something like that but fair play to you if you get out there to do it.