BEN South Africa Annual Report

Bicycle handover at the finish of the 2010 Tour d’Afrique

Tour d'Afrique is mentioned in the 2010 Annual Report for the South African Bicycling Empowerment Network…

"The Tour d’Afrique Ltd is named for its 2003 flagship cycling tour that annually traverses the African continent from Cairo to Cape Town (12 000 km in four months), arriving in Cape Town in mid-May each year. Directly and indirectly, Tour d’Afrique benefits third world countries by organizing and staging transcontinental bicycle tours and races, lasting ten days to four months, today covering four continents and over thirty countries. After four months of cycling across Africa, riders of the 2010 Tour d’Afrique Bicycle Race and Expedition crossed the official finish line at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday, 15th May 2010. “The sense of achievement felt by each and every participant cycling those last few metres of the 12 000-kilometre event is beyond words,” said Henry Gold, founder of the world’s most gruelling bicycle event. “It is one of those rare moments in life when everything seems to be crystal clear, when you feel secure about yourself, your life path, your place in the world and when you say to yourself ‘After this, I can do anything’.” The annual trans-continental bicycle race-expedition, which travels through ten African countries, was welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, embassy officials, family, friends and fans.

While Tour d’Afrique is first and foremost an endurance event for professional and amateur cyclists alike, its mandate is to assist those in ill health, in some of the poorest nations in the world, receive better health care through advocating the bicycle as a viable means of transportation. “Over the past 8 years, together with BEN and other partners, the Tour d’Afrique Foundation has donated and distributed over 1 300 bicycles to HIV/Aids Health Care Workers through Africa,” said Gold, “but preserving the environment and combating global warming by cycling, walking and using public transport as often as possible is the message we’re putting out.” “Cities all over the world are committing to a rational approach towards sustainable transportation which is essential for the future of the planet and the health of its people.” said Deputy Mayor, Ian Neilson. “The City of Cape Town is working closely with BEN and the Non-Motorized Transport Forum to turn Cape Town into a cycle friendly City and in the process, secure a more sustainable and healthy home for us all in the Western Cape.”