08-07-2014: Joburg and its partners stage a Freedom Ride cycle event
"The purpose of freedom is to create it for others." (Nelson Mandela, Robben Island, 1979)
The City of Johannesburg in partnership with the Gauteng Province Department of Roads and Transport, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Joburg Urban Cyclists Association, Cycology, Bicycling Empowerment Network and Linkd Environmental Services, will stage its second 35 kilometre Freedom Ride social cycle event on 20th July 2014.
The Freedom Ride is a social cycle ride to celebrate the spirit and legacy of Nelson Mandela. Designed to link the communities of Johannesburg and Soweto, it will start and end at the Nelson Mandela Bridge in the inner city and pass sites of historical significance, including Newclare Cemetery, where Walter and Albertina Sisulu are buried, the Bill Jardine and Orlando Stadiums, and the Mandela home on Vilakazi Street in Orlando West.
At the Hector Pietersen Memorial in Soweto the ride will pause to give riders the opportunity to take in and appreciate the significance of this historic area and tie commemorative ribbons with a personal message honouring Nelson Mandela. Participants also have the option to load their bicycles onto Metrorail or Rea Vaya buses in Orlando, which will transport them back to Braamfontein
The ride also aims to raise awareness about cycle safety and bicycles as a form of transport and recreation.
All cyclists, from beginners to serious race-goers, families, social groups and cycling clubs are encouraged to participate. It is a social ride, not a race, and at points on the route the front riders will stop and wait for everyone to catch up.
Also participating in the ride will be the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Parks Tau, the MEC for Health in Gauteng Province, and MMC Xedani Mahlangu..
The ride will follow some of the designated cycle routes that the City of Johannesburg is developing to enable the safe use of bicycles as public transport. Road closures will be in effect throughout the route.
Participants will gather at 08:00 on July 20th and after a short opening ceremony, the ride will start at 08:30. Participants are urged to park in Braamfontein and make their way over the Queen Elizabeth Bridge to join the start of the race on the Nelson Mandela Bridge.
The City is asking participants in the Freedom Ride to assist the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN) in raising funds to set up a Bicycle Empowerment Centre (BEC) in Soweto. BEN distributes bicycles to low income areas, helps set up BECs to maintain and service bicycles in these areas, trains recipients of the bikes in safety and maintenance, and encourages cities to implement bicycle planning and infrastructure.
With the funds raised through the last Freedom Ride we were able to set up the first BEC in Orlando and we are hoping through this ride to raise enough funds to set up a second centre in Johannesburg.
ENDS
Read more about how these centres work at www.benbikes.org.za
Participants can register for the ride (for free) at http://freedomride.org.za/registration/
Members of the media can contact the following persons for further information:
• Muhammed Suleman at 2809muhammed.suleman@gmail.com or 0731986927
• Crispian Olver at colver@iafrica.com or 082 568 0415
Our Facebook page is FreedomRideJozi and you can follow us on Twitter @FreedomRideJozi
Issued on behalf of Freedom Ride organisers
