THE sixth edition of the Nedbank Tour de Great Dyke cycling event was a resounding success after it managed to raise close to $5 million for the education organisation Gifted Children Foundation last week.
It was the first time that Nedbank partnered the three-day event, which spans over 300km passing through Chegutu, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Shurugwi and concluding in Zvishavane.
This time around the Nedbank Tour de great Dyke grew bigger after attracting over 100 cyclists, which is a record for the event held under the theme ‘Riding for sustainability’.
The gruelling race which is divided into three laps, namely the Zimplats lap from Selous to Kwekwe, the Unki lap from Kwekwe to Shurugwi and the Mimosa lap from Shurugwi to Zvishavane, kicked off in Selous on October 26 and finished on October 29.
Basking in the success of the initiative, organisers YA FM’s chairman Munyaradzi Hwengwere revealed that close to $5 million was raised and they are looking to increase the number of children benefitting.
“I believe we raised something in the region of five million RTGS towards charity and we are planning to do a presentation from the tour organisers soon. We would also like to increase the number of children benefiting from the current 100 and double that to 200,”he said.
YA FM and three major mines along the Great Dyke, Zimplats, Unki and Mimosa are the partners in this initiative.
Hwengwere was pleased with the turnout of cyclists and declared that they are looking to attract 1000 cycling enthusiasts next year.
- Platinum miners reject BNC refinery
- Zim platinum H2 output remains stable
- Zimplats splurges US$270m on capital projects
- Nedbank boosts Tour de Great Dyke
Keep Reading
“For the first time we breached the 100 mark for the number of cyclists participating. By the time we got to Zvishavane we had over 130 cyclists. If we compare ourselves, despite our growth, to Tour de Tuli, Tour de Tuli has 20 000 cyclists so we would like to grow tenfold next year in terms of our number to at least a thousand cyclists and ensure that we have a number that comes from the community," Hwengwere said.
“We need to make sure that cycling is not seen as an elite sport and for us to remember cycling is a means to an end. It is a means to connect to the essence of mining companies and communities. We need to grow significantly so that it is known as one of the principal investment tourism attractions in the country.
“It was very good that for the first time we had a title sponsor, Nedbank, coming on board. The title sponsor was not only important because it helped us enhance the profile of the event but Nedbank has been involved in Tour de Tuli and Nedbank has a footprint across the globe so they also brought in knowledge that we leveraged on and also ensured that Tour de Great Dyke is not only known within the great Dyke but across the whole country.”
This year the Nedbank Tour de Great Dyke aligned with schools from Chegutu, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Shurugwi and Zvishavane, who mixed and mingled with cyclists during the race.
The event focuses on the three elements namely charity wellness and thirdly and environmental consciousness.
