Qhubeka was invited to be part of the MTN Tour of Legends MTB race held in the Waterberg from 15 to 18 August, at Legend Golf and Safari Resort.
James Louter, Qhubeka Donor Relations Manager, gave a presentation about what Qhubeka does, and there was an auction of a brand new BMC carbon dual-suspension bike donated by Velo-Life, worth R82 000.00, with all proceeds being donated to Qhubeka.
Bidding kicked off with bids in intervals of R10 000.00 to start with and James notes that it was heated. The final bid of R76 000.00 was made by the two teams from Mutual Safe and Security, comprising Jason Storm Green, CEO; Andrew Simpson, Mutual Safe & Security Johannesburg, Branch Manager, William Simpson, Group Projects & Installation Manager; and James Ross, Marketing Manager.
“The opportunity to support the Qhubeka cause was the primary factor in us deciding to bid on the BMC bike,” says James Ross. “Our team is all about giving back and our CEO was obviously hypnotised by the flamboyant auctioneering abilities of Max Cluer, who was going to go all the way to make sure we could contribute to this cause.”
After the event, Mutual Safes decided to contribute the full retail value of the BMC bicycle towards Qhubeka, adding a further R6 000.00 to their auction bid.
“Our day 2 ride, which can only be summed up as a mountaineering biking experience, gave us 5½ hours of riding to discuss the auction of the night before,” explains James. “We came to the conclusion that it’s a beautiful bike (a huge thank you to Velo-Life!) and we wanted the recipients of the Qhubeka bikes to receive the maximum benefit. It was then only a pleasure to raise our bid to the full retail price.”
James adds that the Tour of Legends was an unforgettable experience. “What a well organised event with exceptional people with one thing in common: a love for nature and mountain biking,” he says. “We set out to have as much fun as possible in three days, and I think we did a pretty good job of this. We took in the wonderful scenery, wildlife and freedom the African bush brings and we had big smiles (except on stage 2). The four of us stuck together as a team and finished together each day. This is truly a tour for the bucket list. What a legendary event!”
The main objective of Team Mutual Safes is to raise awareness against Rhino poaching. Mutual Safes donates R 1 for every KM raced towards the Rhinos, with a wide spectrum of riders participating for this cause.
James Louter extended his thanks to MTN for the invitation to be part of the tour, and to Velo-Life, Max Cluer and Mutual Safes for the money raised for Qhubeka projects by the auction of the BMC bicycle.
“Special thanks to Velo-Life and Mutual Safes for the R82 000 that was raised from the auction of the bicycle,” he says. “The funds raised will help us to get more people on bicycles and change their lives by giving them their own transport.”
James Ross and Team Mutual Safes are already looking forward to next year’s event. “See you next year at the 2014 MTN Tour of Legend,” says James. “Team Mutual Safes will be a proud continued participant! A Special thanks to all involved – the riders, sponsors, organisers, venue and staff were all fabulous – and a special thank you to Max Cluer for gelling everyone together so that we are felt like a family for the tour.”
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