This year’s Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT) was a celebration of this incredible sport and putting life back on track for the 50 participating cyclists from the Nedbank Sports Trust Cycling Development programme and the Sports Trust Cycling Club.
It was thrilling to see cyclists back on the track in Nedbank green demonstrating immense resilience in tough weather conditions, putting their heart and soul into this incredibly tough route.
This year’s 44th edition of the 108 km CTCT was limited to 18 000 cyclists and among the 50 was Vernon Treu, (19) a C3 para-cyclist in the Nedbank Sports Trust Cycling Development Programme who achieved two golds at the South African National Road and Time Trial Championships 2022 in Graskop, Mpumalanga in February this year.
Another of the programme’s rising stars who competed in this year’s CTCT is Lakenzo Britton from Ocean View High School. This u-17 age group cyclist was recently selected for the Western Cape Team who competed in the South African National Youth Championships from 19 to 21 March in Oudtshoorn.
The CTCT cyclists were supported by CTCT veteran and The Sports Trust Cycling Club’s coach, Charlie Stevens, who has made a huge contribution to cycling development, as has Mike Tippett, Manager of the Nedbank Sports Trust Cycling Development Programme.
Now in its 17th year, the programme has been funded by Nedbank since 2005. The programme supplies bikes and supports the training and event participation of over 200 cyclists annually in 12 high schools in the Western Cape, located in the areas of Boland, Cape Metro and West Coast.
“As a founding trustee of The Sports Trust, Nedbank has two core aims through this programme: to encourage learners to live a healthy lifestyle and to stimulate academic excellence. Our objective is to identify and nurture cycling talent during and beyond their school years and to invest in the communities in which we operate,” added Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Group Sponsorships and Cause Marketing at Nedbank.
“Several of the cyclists who have come through the programme and are now out of school and studying or working, are members of The Sports Trust Cycling Club,” says Tippett.
“It ensures continuity in their cycling, it’s a platform for talent nurturing and they help to train the younger cyclists.
“It’s very much a pay it forward ethos and wonderful to see the camaraderie between the older and younger cyclists.”
The club acts as a vehicle for entering competitions as per the new ruling of Cycling SA, which states that any cyclist cannot enter official races unless they are a member of club that is registered with Cycling SA.
All the CTCT cyclists adhered to the Covid-19 protocols and rules of the race, and set out from the designated transition areas wearing their masks until one minute prior to departure. Conditions were tough, as is the race’s character, but the cyclists all said how good it was to be out there doing the CTCT again.
