The South Africa Bike Ride, which was split into two groups (week one held from October 25 – November 3 and week two from November 1 – 10), raised more than £500,000 for Norwood.
Ian Tate, Norwood’s Head of Challenges, said: “It was one of the most challenging rides we have ever done. For the first three days, we averaged 100km a day in hot, mountainous conditions. But South Africa is a beautiful country, and we met a lot of very friendly people along the way.”
View more photos from the Week 1
View more photos from Week 2
One hundred and thirty five participants experienced the adventure of a lifetime, cycling some of the way along the famous Garden Route, renowned for its lush, indigenous forests. They took in breathtaking scenery and wildlife, and pedalled past white sandy beaches on their way to the finish in Cape Town, perched between the picturesque Table Mountain and the waterfront.
As with all of Norwood’s international bike rides, adults with learning disabilities who are supported by Norwood, took part in the ride on tandem bikes.
“Tandem teams came from our services in London and Berkshire, and they did amazingly well,” said Mr Tate. “This was a very popular ride with around 140 participants taking part, and we are already looking forward to our international ride next year, which will be in Rajasthan in India, where we will cycle past scenery such as the Taj Mahal, on our way to the beautiful pink city of Jaipur.”
Participants interested in signing up for the Rajasthan Bike Ride can do so now. To find out more about Norwood challenges for next year, visit www.norwood.org.uk/challenges or contact: T: 020 8420 6834 or E: challenges@norwood.org.uk.
