Cycling, trees and raising awareness

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GARDEN ROUTE CYCLING NEWS - A group of intrepid friends set out to spend the December holidays in a different manner by cycling from Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay, planting trees and raising awareness of a local charity along the way.

The cycle tour is friendly and fun in nature, and therefore doesn't have an official name, but it has been organised and held every year since 2013 by Cape Town-based trail runner Robbie Rorich, a sculptor by trade, who is currently exhibiting at the Old Nick Village in Plettenberg Bay.

"My father used to do the tour with a few of his friends at a point in time, so I got the idea from him," Rorich explains, relating how he and friends were in Keurbooms in 2013 when they decided to cycle back to Cape Town.

Initially an informal undertaking, it has become a mainstay on Rorich's calendar every year. Fundraising initiatives began in 2015.

"It can be tough at times because not everyone shares the same objectives, but we always find a way to do some form of fundraising," he says. On the 2020 tour, this came in the form of tree planting and raising awareness of a Plett-based NGO.

One of the participants was Frances Weiner, a Plett local and Wittedrift High School alumnus who has worked with the Sabrina Love Foundation (SLF ) for the past four years and has been friends with Rorich for a few years.

Photo gallery: Cycling from Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay

Also an avid trail runner, Weiner was new to cycling long distances when she signed up for the 2020 tour. "I knew it would be a tough and unique challenge, but I am most comfortable outside my comfort zone, so I knew I had to do it," she says. "SLF is close to my heart, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to raise awareness of it on the ride."

The group which stopped over in Knysna. Top, from left: Caitlin Teeton, Timothy Chambers, Amy Rusch and Grant Ross. Middle: Frances Weiner, Richard Symmonds, Ryan McCallum, Andy Goodhead, Alice (WAG VIR VAN), Angus Teeton, Alex O’Riordan, Sarah Kennan and Robbie Rorich. Bottom: Alyssa Ramwell, Celine Gravenor, Nathaniel Boulle, Dom Boulle and Andy Court.

The tour started on Tuesday 8 December with nine participants, and over the course of the next 11 days it grew as participants, with detours through the Karoo, cycled just over 800km to reach Keurbooms on 19 December.

Participants signed up for various legs and there were 18 people when it came to an end in Keurbooms on 19 December. By then they had planted 40 trees, split evenly between Greyton and Van Wyksdorp.

Weiner does not regret her decision to take part one bit. "It was an amazing experience; everyone who took part was immensely supportive, and there was a real sense of community throughout," she said. "It was also a holistic experience, and I learned a lot about myself by pushing myself in ways I never knew I could.

"I will definitely be taking part again in 2021."

The tour offered breathtaking scenery of the Western Cape.

Alex O’Riorden, Ryan McCallum, Alyssa Ramwell, Caitlin Teeton, and Frances Weiner were part of a group of friends who embarked on a special cycle tour from Cape Town to Keurbooms.