The Bestmed Tour of Good Hope will have a pink outlook on things when South Africa’s premier road cycle race in the Western Cape takes place in March next year.
In their first association with the race, charity organisation Pink Trees for Pauline have joined hands with organisers ASG Events to raise awareness of cancer and to generate funds for the local communities.
The Tour of Good Hope will take place from March 5 to 9, with the race venue at the Drakenstein Correctional Centre on the road between Paarl and Franschhoek.
Charity organisation Pink Trees for Pauline, who raise funds to assist cancer patients, will be involved with the Bestmed Tour of Good Hope for the first time in March next year. Photo: Supplied
Set up in 2012, Pink Trees for Pauline work to assist sufferers in the communities in which the events take place by selling pink material to businesses or individuals to decorate the trees in the towns or villages on the route.
“We approach the specific municipality to ask if we can use all the trees in town to make them pink for a specific period of time,” said Pink Trees managing director Adri van der Nieuwenhuizen.
She added that they worked with the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) to assist those in need in the local communities.
It is not just about wrapping trees in material, however, as the Pink Trees initiative will also be represented in the Tour of Good Hope.
With the help of Johannesburg cyclist Dorian Wrigley, they will be putting three eight-rider teams into the race to raise as much awareness of their cause as possible.
“We are in the process of finalising the teams and I will be talking to a couple of ex-pros to come on board to help raise awareness,” said Wrigley.
He added that the teams would be a mix of men and women, comprising former pros, semi-pros and riders who just enjoy the challenge of the race.
