Wheels4Life

The Wheels 4 Life riders will be tackling the ride to Sun City on Friday, 19 February. Unfortunately, on the advice of his doctor, Tendai will not be riding, but he will be accompanying the riders by driving a support vehicle on the route. The good news is that we have already collected a lot of money towards buying wheelchairs for the kids from the Hope School and may even be able to do the handover of the chairs before the ride takes place! Keep an eye on the site for more info.

Unfortunately our ride to Sun City has been postponed. Tendai has had to undergo surgery and the rest of the riders decided that they would prefer to ride with him in the new year rather than riding without him tomorrow. Once a new date is set we’ll let you know. Watch this space!

The Wheels 4 Life cyclists will be riding from Johannesburg to Sun City on 9 December 2009 to raise money to buy wheelchairs for 4 children from the Hope School. The school is a government institution for physically disabled children and, due to serious funding issues, it is impossible for the school to provide the individualised equipment which many of the children require to enable them to be as independent as possible. In particular, the budget does not extend to specialised wheelchairs which many of the weaker children require.

The ride to Sun City will be done in one day and will be the longest ride that many of the cyclists have done. We hope to raise enough money to buy wheelchairs for all five children. Also riding will be Tendai Khumalo who will be doing the distance in his handcycle.

If you would like to support our cause you can make a donation by clicking on the “Donations” tab at the top of the page and you will be taken to the Back-A-Buddy site where your donation will be processed. Alternatively, if you would like to sponsor our ride in some other way please send an e-mail to Michelle at micheller@webafrica.org.za.

Wheels4Life fever is catching on: Accenture employee Tumi Mphahlele was so taken back by the efforts of the recent W4L charity cycle, that she has opted to run her 2nd Comrades ultra-marathon in support of the W4L charity. It is an honour to have athletes outside of the cycling community doing their bit to provide wheel chairs for the less previlidged in our communities.

Below is a bio of Tumi, and her athletic achievements:

Tumi Mphahlele started running in 2003 to improve her fitness and has been running recreationally since then. Her focus was initially on short distances and has ran a personal 10km best of 52 minutes and a half-marathon best of 01:56. In 2007 she completed her first marathon in Soweto and proceeded to ultra-distance in 2008. She has since completed a number of ultra marathons, some more famous ones including 2 Loskop Ultras, two Two-Oceans Ultras, one Om-die-Dam and one Comrades Marathon. Tumi is currently running for Ukhozi Athletics Club in Soweto and is hoping to complete her second Comrades this year.

About the Comrades Marathon (taken from wikipedia and www.comrades.com):
Athletes that are running the Comrades Marathon have 12 hours to complete the course. This was extended from 11 hours in 2003. There are a number of cut-off points along the routes which runners must reach by a prescribed time or be forced to retire from the race.
A runner who has successfully completed 9 marathons wears a yellow number, while those who have completed 10 races wear a green number, which is permanently allocated to the runner for all future races.
Medals are awarded to all runners completing the course in under 12 hours. Medals are currently awarded as follows:
• Gold Medals: The First 10 men and women.
• Wally Hayward Medals (Silver centred medal circled by gold ring) : 11th position to sub 6hrs 00min
• Silver Medals: 6hrs 00min 01sec to sub 7hrs 30min.
• Bill Rowan Medals (Bronze centred medal circled by silver ring) : 7hrs 30min to sub 9hrs 00min.
• Bronze Medals: 9hrs 00min to sub 11hrs 00min.
• Vic Clapham Medals (Copper Medal): 11hrs 00min to sub 12hrs 00min.
The Comrades Marathon Back-to-Back medal was introduced in 2005 and is awarded to Comrades Marathon runners who complete their first two runs in succession (typically an “Up” and a “Down”). This additional medal is awarded at the end of the second run – in other words, Back-to-Back runners receive 2 medals at the end of their second run to make a total of 3 medals in 2 years.

To sponsor Tumi on her 89km ultra run please click on the backabuddy logo below, all donations will go direct the W4L fund via the backabuddy sponsorship website:

Click to Tumi's sponsorship page

** Press Release **

Four months after the Wheels4Life cyclists completed a 7 day, 740km fundraising ride from Johannesburg to Durban, their efforts have paid off. On Friday, 27 March, people who do not have the means to buy themselves wheelchairs were presented with new wheelchairs which will hopefully give them a new lease on life.

After a lengthy process designed to ensure that the most deserving candidates were chosen to benefit from the charity, 5 candidates were finally selected as recipients. The candidates were then assessed by physiotherapists from Rita Henn & Partners at the Netcare Rehabilitation Centre in Auckland Park and their wheelchairs were designed and built according to each candidate’s measurements and specific needs.

The wheelchairs were presented to the recipients by Tendai Khumalo and Daniel da Silva of the W4L charity. Tendai, who did the ride to Durban on a handcycle, is one of the founders of W4L and has been a paraplegic himself for 6 years. Daniel, an experienced cyclist who successfully led the W4L cyclists on the ride to Durban, has also been very involved in finding the candidates to receive the wheelchairs and attending to the logistics of having the chairs built to specification for them.

First to receive his wheelchair on Friday was 8-year-old Lesibana Maralala who became a paraplegic after being shot at the age of 3. Before receiving his new chair, Lesibana was being pushed around in a chair which was much too large for his small frame. His new small wheelchair will give him increased mobility and the freedom to do things he was previously unable to do.

The next three recipients, Lynne Spilkin, who is afflicted with muscle failure, Jennifer Paul, who became a paraplegic following a motor vehicle accident, and Maureen Du Toit, who has suffered from chronic arthritis for 15 years, all thanked W4L and said that their new wheelchairs would contribute to a better quality of life. One of the ladies mentioned that she had been needing a new wheelchair for 14 years!

The final recipient was 8-year-old Kamogelo Kwenate from the Hope School. Kamogelo suffers from spinal muscle atrophy and is unable to walk or push himself in a wheelchair. As a result, his mobility has been severely restricted as he constantly had to rely on others to assist him when he wanted to go somewhere. Kamogelo received a motorised wheelchair which will enable him to keep up with his classmates.

A successful day was rounded off by little Lesibana and Kamogelo challenging Tendai to a race down the corridors of the clinic and the smiles on their faces were wonderful to see!

The W4L team has started planning their next challenge – this time from Johannesburg to George - which will take place later this year. Should you (or someone you know) need a wheelchair which you (or they) are unable to afford, and would like to be considered as a potential recipient of a wheelchair from W4L, or if you would like to make a donation to the charity or sponsor the cyclists in some way please contact Daniel (082 341 7622) or Tendai (083 327 6841).

Hello All

A quick note to let you know that the gallery has finally (my apologies, I blame the eggnog) been updated with the trip photo’s per day. They will definitely give you a feel for the changing terrain and weather we endured whilst getting down to Durb’s - although a number of shots may require explanation by a member of the W4L team

On a more important note: after taking a well earned break over the xmas period, the W4L team are now hard at work identifying the best channel for donating the wheelchairs raised through the JHB / DBN tour. As important was raising the capital, equally important is the allocation of funds/chairs to the right persons - this is a task we are not rushing into but applying our full efforts. We fully understand the urgency to put all your donations into operation, and will keep you posted every fortnight as to our progress.

Thank you once again for all your support and interest along the W4L journey !!

Keep well
Jody & W4L Team

Natasha (Whoopa), Daniel (Nathaniel) , Almari (lady elbow), Angie ( the herbalist), Bertus (the pure breed), Jacob (Mr reliable), Hennie (Mr fix it), Jody (still in the closet, but on his way out), Gavin (the sledger), Nadine (Ms Thang -), Mhairi, Liam Mariette( The thumb lady), Michelle (Judge Judy), Natalie (Oats), Benedictor ( the crusher) , Nicole, Martinis, Sean and Peter, Craig (the brother), Jonathan (the comedian with hairy armpits and the cow charmer). Your names are engraved in my heart and you all qualify to be in my first 15. For the next challenge, I choose you first…starting of-course with those with less under arm hair… Daniel, Craig and Jonathan, you know what to do.

In the midst of all this excitement, joy and praises, I feel saddened that this amazing journey had to abruptly end. I am however more excited now that I have an extend family that I did not have before Sunday the 30th. I can not start to explain how we bonded in this past week and how easily we opened up and became vulnerable to each other. It felt like we had known each other for years…

Some interesting discussions included statements like “ the blind pulling the paraplegic”… this was referring to Gavin (the blind) helping Tendai (the paraplegic) uphill or a discussions around a “brother” going bird watching, or a brother paying R2500 to buy hiking shoes…ok maybe this doesn’t apply to me, but I do remember back in the day when I used to climb mountains (not for fun) in R200 shoes…

The one that took the trophy for me was “tea and scones” courtesy of Judge Judy….ok I have to admit that I kinda enjoyed it and will probably do it again with the little finger etiquette en’ll !!…I can’t say the same though about my brother Benny! He prefers brown bread and jam… I can relate!!

I so want to tell you all about how much we have raised, but unfortunately I have to hold back until we have collected all the pledges. Because of you, we are truly going to transform people’s lives in a meaningful and holistic way. It’s not just about buying a lot of wheelchairs and donating and walking away…it’s about giving real freedom to the less fortunate Paraplegics to purse one’s goals and aspiration with minimal assistance if at all. It’s about investing in the right chair and cushion that is suitable to their individual needs and capability. Only then can we begin the sustained process of changing and improving people’s lives. In order to fulfill this, we have created appropriate relationships to ensure continuity and on-going support.

What’s next?

Some ideas have been thrown around, but nothing concrete. One thing that is definite is that our next challenge will definitely be more extreme than Tour de Durban … touching and changing even more lives of some folks living with disability within the region… W4L has no boundaries!!!

Look out for the details of our next challenge in Jan/Feb.

I spend this past week with my heroes. I met some amazing mothers and fathers this past week. I met some strangers who cheered us on even though they had no idea why we were on this journey. My belief and faith in human kind has been quadrupled this past week and no negativity will ever take this away from me. I am truly honored to be in your midst and I thank for giving me back my legs!!!

Tendai I.K.

Friday was a sad goodbye to Gavin, who could unfortunately not join us for the final day (Gav - you were sorely missed), but it brought new arrivals to the team, Liam and Martinis. Great news – as we had some fresh legs! We had a good hearty meal at Jill and Butch Forrester (thanks again!!) on Friday night which prepared us for the final day to come. We woke up with very mixed emotions on Saturday morning with the final day ahead of us from Pietermartizburg to Durban. A mix of excitement as we were almost in Durban, combined with a pang of sadness that it was all over, plus a whole lot of rain and mist to contend with.

The person who bravely stated “it’s all downhill to Durban” needs a serious mind reading. I think it was all in the great art and tactic of “psychological manipulation”. And then came the 3rd casualty… trying to avoid a very large puddle, Nadine went into the back of Liam and skidded right off her bike. A very well handled situation from Liam, who actually carried Nadine’s bike in the spokes of his back wheel! Everyone was ok though, Nades – you’re a tough cookie!

The Gillett Lions very kindly marked out our 60km point with a brunch hosted at the Gillett Station. We all had at least 3 burgers (go team!) before we set of on our last decent to Durban (which really was downhill). The Gillett Lions support vehicle helped and guided us tremendously, by stopping traffic on the busy roads and guiding us to Sun Coast casino, our final destination.

The end was an emotional experience – come on boys, you even shed a tear! What a phenomenal achievement from our Man Tendai. As we gathered at the end as a team, Tendai told us that we had given him back his legs. We all proceeded to blub a little more

In true “Vaalie” style – we all ran onto the beach – in full cycling kit and had a good “goeff” (that’s for you Dan!) in the sea. It was Tendai first time in the sea in 9 years and all of our first time in the sea in tight Lycra!

We sprayed one another and drank champagne like true pros.

So - 735km down, tired legs, great friendships made, strong bonds formed, goals met and memories that will last a lifetime! Next time … Zimbabwe!

Tash

Greetings from Mariette and Almari (physio’s) and Arlene (Medic). This is the penultimate day of one of the most meaningful weeks of our lives. The previous evening was spent at the Argyle Arms Country Inn, of which we were the only guests. We were richly spoiled with a home cooked meal with plenty of veggies – as ordered. Thank you for your hospitality and well wishes! The team returned the favor by inviting two local cyclists: the waiter, Travis and his dad, to accompany us out of Mooiriver. We left Mooiriver at (not so promptly) 07h00… Overcast, with the promise of rain.

The D O W N hill routes leading to Howick were exhilarating for the cyclists and breathtaking to the support team – who actually had time to enjoy the view J. At Howick, homemade cake was a rare, but welcomed treat, compliments of John’s mom. Strangers, yet again, reacted to the well branded vehicles and donated money to this worthy cause.

From the perspective of the front vehicle : A team supporting each other up the hill with a needed hand on the back. A shout from the back “Go! Go! Go!” means that we can change to third gear as we hit a downhill…. Yeah we are speeding! Smile,. Support, Giggles and Tears…

Upon embarking the long downhill from Hilton into Pietermaritzburg, Bertus and Tendai lead the team with great confidence despite the extremely wet conditions and the consistent spray of water in their faces, which emanated from the back of their tyres. Upon entering Pietermaritzburg, the team were escorted to the City Hall by Traffic police, and were welcomed, with open arms, by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Mervin Dicks and treated like VIP’s. Journalists were waiting patiently to interview Tendai and Gavin. Blue lights and sirens brought this town to a standstill as Tendai and his team passed through.

After settling in at our overnight accommodation, we visited Kenosis Orphanage-what a humbling experience! This again made us appreciate the small things in life and made us realize that Wheels4life is not only about wheelchairs, but learning the art of humility.

Tonight we are spending the evening at the home of Jody Forrester’s parents, who have graciously accommodated us with a scrumptious meal and good company. A great big THANK YOU to Mr & Mrs Forrester for their superb hospitality.

PS : The physio’s were given an “official” evening off whereby allowing them the opportunity of socializing with the team. Thank you everybody, we appreciate the gesture.

MARIETTE, ALMARI and ARLENE

Today, although the shortest distance of The Tour so far, was definitely the big “mountain stage”. The start was deceptively gentle as we left from Winterton at a serene pace with a stunning view of the Drakensberg to our right. Notwithstanding the easy start, the day wasn’t going to continue in the same vein and we had to earn our breakfast stop in Estcourt with a big climb as we approached the town. We also had to bear in mind that there were bigger hills to come between Estcourt and Mooi River and we had to save some energy for our “out of category” climb looming just before Mooi River.

After a short respite on the rolling hills out of Estcourt, and the persistent question, “Is this the hill?” emanating from within the group, we eventually came upon the monster – 4,2km of climbing on a 9% gradient in the midday heat. It was a superb team effort to get to the top, some towing, some pushing, some cheering and cracking jokes, some suffering in silence and others doing some birdwatching and talking to the cows (?), all doing what we came here to do – make a physical sacrifice to change the lives of those less fortunate. When we reached the crest of the hill there were very few dry eyes in the pack – and it wasn’t only because the cows were still refusing to answer John! I’m sure everyone on the tour from the cyclists to the support team will agree that it was a definitive moment of the tour and it took the long descent in to Mooi River for most of us to compose ourselves.

We arrived in Mooi River to the wonderful sounds of a threatening Midlands thunderstorm and after stretching, checking in to the Argyle Arms and making ourselves more presentable, we treated ourselves to tea and scones and a relaxing afternoon at Hartford House up the road.

It has been a great tour so far and in no small part to the experience today. It has been an honour to participate in such an event and with such wonderful people!

Cheers for now,

MICHELLE (aka Judge Judy)