The Cape Town Cycle Tour is more than a mere cycling race. As a world-renowned, the Cape Town Cycle Tour is the biggest timed bicycle race of the world.
Set to take place on March 8, participants from around the world are preparing to participate in the daunting 109km race. With the event mere days away, four Newcastillians are bracing themselves for the event.
“This will be my fourth consecutive race at the race,” says Quentin Ferreira, who is enthusiastic about the upcoming cycling event.
As a member of the Wheelers Cycling Club, Quentin’s cycling journey began one night while socialising with friends.
“I was at an event where the Campbells were performing and one of the guys said, we should do the 94.7 km Cycle Challenge. The event was two months away and none of us had any actual cycling experience, but we made a deal and we went for it.”
As he finished the race, Quentin knew he was hooked on cycling. “I was so badly hooked, that on the way from Johannesburg, I googled entries to the Argus and entered,” he laughs.
Training with Wheelers on a daily basis, riding an average of 35km a day during the week and 100km on Saturdays, Quentin explains his love for cycling is mainly due to his parents’ positive influence.
“I remember as a child, my parents would wake up early to go train and they were both Kings Cyclists and both participated in the Argus. As I grew older, I would cycle with my dad before work in the mornings and over weekends, but when he passed away in 1997, I stopped as my cycling partner was no longer there.”
However, that night with his friends and the 94.7 Cycling Challenge re-ignited the seed that his mother and father had planted all those years back.
Having taken part in the Argus four times before, Quentin explains the atmosphere and camaraderie at the event is incomparable. “There is no feeling that can describe the way you feel when you put in all the hard work and training, then finishing the race.”
With the vibrant atmosphere at the event, Quentin says participants always challenge themselves when entering the event.
“You set yourself a standard and each year, you try to better your previous time. As cycling is not a team sport, you can’t rely on someone else to better your time. If your time doesn’t improve, it is entirely on you.”
As Quentin prepares to take on the Cape Town Cycle Tour, he will not be the only Newcastillian participating in the event.
Fathima Seedat, Rubeena Jadwat and Pranav Gokul will be joining forces to take on the event, as they prepare to cycle for charity.
As part of the Africa Muslim Agency, a humanitarian organisation, the trio will be cycling for the organisation’s #RidingForHumanity, an initiative which aims to purchase bicycles for people in northern Africa.
“We use bicycles for leisure and sport, but there are those who use bicycles as a form of daily transport and for work. It is a necessity for them, and this is our way of giving back to others. Furthermore, I love cycling and have done the Argus before, but having something to work towards, a goal in mind, really motivates you,” Fathima says.
Through raising awareness and getting pledges for the cycling race, the trio is well on their way to make a difference. But how did Pranav and Rubeena come to join forces with Fathima?
Rubeena explains that as she believes in helping others, she thought Fathima’s drive was a commendable one. “However, I jumped into the deep end with only two months to prepare for the event,” she laughs.
Pranav explains that after following Fathima on Instagram, seeing her charity drives, he decided to join forces with her.
“We were training one day, and she asked if I would be interested in joining her at the Argus for the drive and jumped on board immediately,” he explains.
With the trio belonging to the Wheelers Cycling Club, they have been practising on a regular basis, pushing themselves as they prepare to take on the Cape Town Cycle Tour and make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Pixelfish Marketing and the Newcastillian wish Quentin Ferreria, Rubeena Jadwat, Fathima Seedat and Pranav Gokul the best of luck for the upcoming event.
