TWO members of the Cyclone Ryders Club from Kariega, Fredrick Mafiet and John Howard, will be participating in the 109km long-distance Cape Town Cycle Tour, formerly known as the Cape Argus Cycle Tour, set to take place on Sunday, March 9.
The pair are taking part in this year’s cycle tour in memory of their beloved friend, Sydney Bermosky, who passed away in November last year.
Howard (74), who met Bermosky in 1976, shared his favourite memory of his friend: “I remember going to Cape Town with my family and my car broke down. I called Sydney to come tow us home and when we got home, he gave me the keys to his car and told me not to cancel my family trip. Instead, I should take his car and go, for which I was and still am eternally grateful.”
The pair shared their reason for their involvement in the sport. They said their aim was to register Cyclone Ryders as an official cycling club, the first of its kind in Kariega, which is now established. Not only that, but we also wanted to get kids off the streets and get them interested in sports.
Howard said, “With me now in my 70s, sports kept me off the street and rewarded me with a long healthy life.”
This club is one that can help aspiring youngsters who are interested in the sport prepare for big events, like the Cape Town Cycle Tour. “We would like all parents also to assist in helping us help the learners reach their cycling goals,” said Howard.
Mafiet shared, “We understand that kids nowadays do not have much to do nor many opportunities, which is why they resort to wrong things. We want this club to be a home for those kids so that they can do something productive with their lives.”
Howard added, “Like any other sport, cycling can also reward you much like other sports and enable you to become great cyclists.”
Mafiet said that after the Cycle Tour, they plan to visit schools in Kariega and Despatch to motivate and educate learners about cycling.
For more information about the cycling club, Cyclone Ryders, contact Fredrick Mafiet on 082 920 7304 or John Howard on 074 537 2770.
