Indoor cyling marathon to raise funds for cancer

Enthusiastic indoor cyclists and corporate teams are encouraged to take part in this year’s CanCare Indoor Cycling Marathon, which will take place at Mosaïek in Fairlands on 3 and 4 February this year. The event is aimed at raising funds for cancer support and will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance cycled on a fixed cycle over a 24-hour period.

This is the second indoor cycling marathon to be hosted by CanCare – Friends for friends with cancer, as well as its second Guinness World Record attempt, which is this year being sponsored by Clover.

CanCare managing director, Riani Redelinghuys says the Clover CanCare Guinness World Record attempt follows the success of the 2010 record attempt, which saw six women clock up the longest distance on a fixed cycle over a 24-hour period. “This year, we have entered a team of six men to break the USA-held record of 1,335km in this category,” she says.

The Clover CanCare Guinness World Record team has begun an intense training programme under the supervision of Michele Wicks and Anzel Steyn. The record attempt will begin at 17h00 on 3 February and the cyclists will ride through the night into the following day in pursuit of the record.

Redelinghuys says a cycle session for corporate and sports teams will kick-off at the same time with teams of six cycling for three hours aimed at clocking up the longest distance. “A second session will start at 21:00 for serious cyclists and static bike instructors, as well as a special Remembrance Ceremony where people will be invited to light an electronic light candle in memory of loved ones,” she says.

In addition, a midnight ride will be held for fun cyclists and novel riders. “The midnight ride is aimed at getting the CanCare Clover Guinness World Record Team through the graveyard shift and participants are encouraged to dress-up, have fun and make the session count,” says Redelinghuys.

While the CanCare Clover Guinness World Record Team will ride through the night, one (single participants) and three-hour sessions (six people) will begin the following morning at 08h00. These will be followed by additional sessions throughout the day for serious, corporate and casual riders (see full programme below).

“The idea is to generate a huge amount of excitement at the event where the public teams and the CanCare Clover Guinness World Record Team feed off each other’s energy, as was the case in 2010,” says Redelinghuys.

The funds raised by the indoor cycling marathon will be used to provide support for families under stress due to one of their members suffering from cancer – in line with CanCare’s byline, which is “Friends for friends with cancer”.

Redelinhuys says CanCare’s mission is to alleviate the symptoms of the crisis through practical intervention in the running of the household. “This is done by implementing various tools to empower family members and housekeepers to be as self-sufficient as possible and enable them to step in and fill a void that has been left as an effect of the illness,” she says.

Clover Executive: Brands & Marketing, Chris Lerm says by reaching out to families that find themselves in the midst of a debilitating crisis, CanCare is providing a critical service to society. “Clover recognises this and is honoured to be involved in an exciting event that has the dual purpose of attempting a Guinness World Record and supporting the families of cancer sufferers,” he says.

Visit www.cancare.co.za for more

CanCare Indoor Cycling Marathon 2012 programme

Friday, 3 February 2012
15h00: Registration starts
16h00: Opening ceremony
17h00: Guinness World Record attempt starts
17h30 : Cycling session 1 starts
21h00 : Cycling session 2 starts
23h00 : Midnight ride starts

Saturday, 4 February 2012
07h30: Registration starts
08h00: Cycling session 3 starts
13h15: Cycling session 4 starts
17h00: Guinness World Record attempt ends
18h30: Closing ceremony