11 very special South Africans formed part of the 30 000 cyclists from all over the world that took part in the Cape Town Cycle Tour this past Sunday. They are all members of Transplant Sport Western Cape, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Sport Confederation.

#TeamTransplant_SA are all recipients of lifesaving organ transplants and by taking on the 109 km Cape Town Cycle Tour they were attempting to create awareness around organ donation and transplantation in South Africa and show what can be achieved after an organ transplant.

The 12 cyclists that originally entered consist out of seven kidney recipients, two heart recipients and three bone marrow/stem cell recipients. Unfortunately, one of them had to withdraw before the start due to injury.

Most of these cyclists have achieved amazing achievements after their transplants and are now living life to the fullest after being given a second chance at life. Seven of the starters completed the tour within the cut-off time.

The fastest finisher was Michael Bradfield, who completed the race in an impressive 3 hours and 39 minutes.

 

We are very proud of each and every cyclist who participated and in doing so created awareness around organ donation and transplantation in South Africa, said Vivian De Klerk, vice-chairperson of Western Cape Transplant Sport. 

 

All the cyclists are members of the South African Transplant Sports Association (SATSA) and will be competing at the South African Transplant Games in Pretoria in June this year. The Association aims to help organ recipients to stay active and healthy through sport and physical activity. 

 

Organ recipients who wish to find out more about Transplant Sports can visit the website at www.trasnplantsports.org.za
For more information contact: Vivian de Klerk (Media Liaison: #TeamTransplant_SA) at viviandeklerk@gmail.com or 079 523 4026.