Boksburg’s Fouche wins 2014 Dis-Chem Ride for Sight
Boksburg's very own Herman Fouche (26), won the 26th edition of the Dis-Chem Ride for Sight cycle race, held at the Boksburg City Stadium on Sunday, February 16.
The Bonitas cyclist crossed the line in 02:35:49 – an impressive six minutes faster than 2013 winner, Pieter Seyffert.
Fouche was closely followed by team Abunto’s Reynard Butler (02:35:50), and Europe Car’s Ryan Gibbons (02:35:50), who finished second and third, respectively.
“It’s a fantastic race to win,” he said, after being asked to describe his feelings from the win.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my team. I’ve been waiting for a long time to win this race, because it was the only major race I had not won,” says Fouche, who has also won the Cape Argus and the 94.7 Momentum Cycle Challenge races.
The champion then proceeded to taking a moment to hail the race’s successful organisation.
“This was an excellent race and very well-organised. I would like to thank Dis-Chem, Ekurhuleni and all the race organisers for this fine effort.”
An estimated 5 400 cyclists took to the streets of Ekurhuleni in support of fighting retinal blindness. The event is one of the highlights on the Gauteng cycling calendar, and is organised and staffed by volunteers.
“I think the event has grown compared to last year, and I think it will keep on growing,” said Atwell Sijadu, Ekurhuleni’s director of Sport and Recreation.
“A great venue like the Boksburg Stadium makes it that much easier to host the event, and we will be looking at different ways to improving it.”
Pretoria and Velo Life cyclist, Lise Olivier, clinched the ladies event and was followed by Leandri du Toit, who finished as the runner-up in 03:16:04. Olivier pulled away from a group of three to finish in 03:15:28.
“I’ve obviously always liked this race, and always wanted to win it, because it’s for a good course,” said the 30-year-old in a post-race interview.
“I didn’t think I was fit enough to do it coming from the Nationals, and I could feel the burn in last 10 kilometres. “I couldn’t have done it alone, and my teammates really helped.”
* Men’s Elite results: 1. Herman Fouche (02:35:49); 2. Reynard Butler (02:35:50); 3. Ryan Gibbons (02:35:50)
* Women’s Elite results: 1. Lise Olivier (03:15:28); 2. Leandri du Toit (03:16:04); 3. Heidi Dalton (03:16:04)
