Breaking new ground in development cycling in South Africa
Phil Liggett, Velokhaya patron, with the LCA's Zanele Tshoko and Amos Ziqubu turn the soil to mark the start of construction at the new Velokhaya Cycling Centre in Khayelitsha.
Cape Town, South Africa, 14 December 2007: A groundbreaking ceremony in Khayelitsha has marked the launch of the much-anticipated new Velokhaya Cycling Centre – the first centre of its kind in South Africa.
The ceremonial groundbreaking was performed by legendary broadcaster, Phil Liggett (MBE), the ‘voice of cycling’ and Velokhaya patron.
Velokhaya – which takes its name from the French word for bicycle (velo) and Xhosa word for home (Khaya) – is the fundraising initiative of the Life Cycling Academy (LCA), a not-for-profit organisation which promotes cycling, and individual ‘growth through cycling’, in disadvantaged communities in South Africa. First phase of new Velokhaya Centre Speaking at today’s event, LCA CEO and co-founder Glyn Broomberg said the construction of a BMX track – which would encourage mass participation in cycling and attract young children to the sport – would launch the first phase of the new Velokhaya Cycling Centre.
“Once the BMX track has been completed the Centre’s facilities will be expanded to include accommodation for cyclists and coaches, equipment maintenance and storage and a training facility for bicycle mechanics,” he said. The Centre will also focus on cycling-specific sports science and education and life skills development. Inspiration and achievement Velokhaya patron Phil Liggett said the new Velokhaya Cycling Centre had the potential to significantly and positively impact both cyclists and the community of Khayelitsha.
“The Velokhaya Centre will become synonymous with inspiration and achievement; a facility where new sporting heroes, role models and talented individuals are developed and where the sport of cycling is made accessible to many young South Africans, regardless of their race or socio-economic status.”
Liggett said he was enormously proud to be associated with the new Centre, which places as much emphasis on the educational and life skill development of its members as it does on sporting achievement. A dream come true Co-founder of the LCA, Amos Ziqubu said: “After six years of operating without a formal base, the new Centre is a dream come true for our fast-growing Academy.
“Not only will the Centre provide the LCA with a permanent base in the heart of the community of Khayelitsha, but it will also allow us to incorporate - and make full use of - the knowledge, skills and infrastructural capacity of our international partners.”
The Velokhaya international partners include Team CSC, the world’s number one pro-cycling team, its sponsor, the Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC) and bicycle manufacturer, Cervélo.
"That it is possible less than a year after the launch of Velokhaya, the LCA's fundraising initiative, to break ground on the first phase of their new home in Khayelitsha is a testament to the appeal of their mission to transform cycling in South Africa," said Henrik Bo Pedersen, the executive in charge of CSC's cycling sponsorships. "CSC is proud to have done our part, along with Team CSC and Cervélo, to make today a reality."
Together the LCA and its partners have established a number of cooperative programmes aimed at sharing intellectual capacity, educating LCA staff and raising funds for the Academy.
The LCA has also established a mentorship programme with Team CSC. “The mentorship programme will allow our LCA cyclists to develop a close relationship with, and be inspired by, top professional European cyclists and make it possible for LCA riders to compete in Europe alongside their heroes,” said Ziqubu.
