Young township riding team join Cape Town Cycle Tour
Cape Town – Sixteen young cyclists from Masiphumelele will be taking part in this weekend’s Cape Town Cycle Tour.
They are all enrolled at Songezo Jim’s cycling academy, which has been running for two years in Masiphumelele.
Jim started cycling in 2005 when he was still in high school. At the time, cycling wasn’t taken seriously in the townships, according to a GroundUp report.
“It was when I started travelling and taking part in races that I saw that it could be something that I could make a living out of,” Jim told GroundUp.
He started participating in races around Cape Town, then other provinces, and four years later he had the opportunity to go to the Tour de France in Europe as a spectator.
“That trip became an eye-opener… I told myself I want to be a professional as well and be part of the race one day,” said Jim.
Jim has participated in numerous international races and grand tours. He came sixth in the African Continental Championship in 2012. He was elected best combative rider and came fourth at the Ninth Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2014 (Tour du Gabon).
“I have done some of the big events in the world – Giro d’Italia (2016) and Vuelta a Espana (2015)… The things I have done are beyond what I had imagined for myself when I started,” said Jim.
Source: news24.com