There was an overnight stop in Jwaneng on the first day while yesterday, cyclists paddled along the Kalahari Highway heading to Kang where they put up for the night. The last lap will see the riders head for their final destination in Gantsi where they arrive later today. The cycling challenge is held in honour of the late former Debswana Mining Company General Manager, Albert Milton, who was a cyclist. Milton, who started the Morupule Cycling Club, would have turned 62-years-old this year, hence the 620 kilometres distance from Gaborone to Gantsi. The AM620 is the third instalment of the cycling challenge, which began in 2020 with the Majwe AM570 Challenge, which raised P2.4 million followed by the 2022 Komatsu AM600 where P1.8 million was realised. This year the backdrop is different as the peloton paddled heads in the opposite direction instead of the usual A1 Highway up north.
It is not a competitive challenge but an event to raise funds for charity. First Lady Neo Masisi motivated the cyclists on Tuesday evening and she was in the line-up when the challenge started on Wednesday, riding along with the group for almost 30km. The cycling challenge has attracted cyclists from Botswana, South Africa, and England. Speaking to MmegiSport, Albert Milton Foundation Trustee, Albertina Milton, said the first leg of the challenge was hectic but enjoyable because they are doing it for a purpose. “The first stage of the journey from Gaborone to Sejelo was tough because of brutal winds but it was nice because male riders were in front shielding the women and they were pushing. Climbing Polokwe was also hectic but they managed to pull through because they were riding as a team. From Sejelo to Jwaneng, we were cruising because there was a tailwind.
Sometimes there are circular winds, which are the worst winds you can think of. For us it is not about the wind because we are used to it, it is also not as bad as in other countries,” she said. Albertina said they started the journey with First Lady Masisi, and according to her pace, she did well, with an average speed of 27km/hr but on a normal day without the wind, they could have averaged 35km/hr. “The First Lady has been supportive of this initiative since the beginning of AM570, some of the initiatives that we do resonate with her because she believes in sustainable projects. What we are doing is not for us but for the country because we are giving back to the community. There is nothing appealing like someone's smile when we donate. For instance, when we were donating the AM570 classroom block in Mokhomba, the kids were excited, that was the highlight,” she said.
Milton said the focus is not only on rural areas, because even in Gaborone there is a need, hence the donation of a library at Boswa Primary School. They have gone to places like Mokobaxane. Albertina said her dream is to establish a cycling academy in Botswana because there are a lot of young people who are passionate about cycling. Meanwhile, Tshidi Bujabe, a Motswana from South Africa, who is based in the United Kingdom, said she flew all the way to come and support the initiative. “I think what Albertina and her team have been doing to uplift different communities in Botswana is amazing. It is my first time to take part in this challenge. I met Albertina last year because we did a ride together from London to Paris and during the ride she talked about her own initiative and what the Foundation was doing.
I felt compelled that it was a great initiative and an excellent mission,” Bujabe said. Regarding the ride, Bujabe said the pace was fast because they had strong riders, but the sense of the team was to arrive together. She said the ride was made difficult by the wind but the stronger riders were in front of the peloton to shield others from the wind. Moleko Majama from Tsela Riders said the first part was tough due to the direction of the wind. “We knew the first day was going to be short (170km) compared to the other two days, today (Friday) we did 280km, just 100km to that, it took mental strength to overcome that. To prepare for the challenge, we did long rides, the longest ride we did as a team was 280km, and most of them were between 200km and 250km. You just have to put time on the saddle and condition your body,” Majama said.
