Central SA
Bloemfontein riders embark on 6-day journey for a good cause─── HEIDRÈ MALGAS 13:01 Fri, 13 Oct 2023
“We have a friend whose brother attends school at Beudene Daycare, and each year when we go back, we can see the improvement."
A few bike riders from Bloemfontein will be leaving for their annual TT2Sea Charity Bike Run in aid of charity. They are leaving from the Tempé MotoX track to Paternoster.
Wayne Thompson, one of the organisers, said there will be ten riders this year for TT2SEA, with a backup driver in the sponsored Ford Ranger.
He said about a month before the actual event, they go route marking to check whether the routes are safe and achievable by the scooters. They leave from Tempe MX circuit to Luckhoff the following day, then to De Aar, then to Victoria West, then to Sutherland, onto Citrusdal, and finally to Paternoster.
The group will be arriving in Paternoster by Thursday afternoon. Photo supplied
"We are going to try our best to leave at 08:30 tomorrow (14/10) so we will be arriving in Paternoster by Thursday afternoon, which means it takes six days to travel 1 250 km."
Their goal is to raise money for Beudene Daycare in Bloemfontein. "We chose this specific place because it's close to home. We have a friend's brother who attends school there, and each year when we go back, we can see the improvement," he added.
After the first TT2SEA in 2015, they auctioned off the bikes, but it didn't go well because the bikes were quite broken after the trip. They ride only on dirt roads, and they are not designed for that. Nowadays, the riders pay for the trip themselves. Each rider contributes a certain amount, and they keep their bikes.
They ride only on dirt roads. Photo supplied
"It's a friend trip. We come together on Thursdays at Tempé Motocross track to braai, just the guys. We talk and have a good time. That's where the name comes from TT2SEA - Thirsty Thursday 2 sea," he added.
“Human Auto Ford loaned us a new Ranger for backup on the trip, and TOSAS will send its van to collect the majority of the riders to come home.” He mentions that they can't do the trip without great sponsors like these.
They have a Facebook page called the "TT2Sea Charity Bike Run," where people can find more information.
