BURGERSDORP NEWS - The staff of Hagenhuis Coffee Shop and restaurant in Burgersdorp had a wonderful surprise on 2 March when 15 cyclists of the Trans Karoo Spirit Ride filled the establishment with friendship, laughter and brightly coloured red and yellow cycling tops. 

These men were doing the Trans Karoo Spirit ride, an endurance charity ride from Clarens to Cape Town covering 800 to 1 000km.

The Trans Karoo Spirit Ride is a journey of purpose, endurance and heart. 

These cyclists cycle along endless Karoo roads, in burning sun, with sore and tired legs, and cramping muscles, but their route also takes them along breathtaking landscapes, quiet moments of gratitude and an unbreakable spirit. 

It is this spirit that drives them to complete the route year after year.

Cyclists are not racing to end up on podiums or to compare race times; they ride for something much bigger: to create awareness, to give back, and to make a difference.

One of the riders, Gordon Reid (52), is an endurance athlete and philanthropist who’s redefining the idea of a “healthy midlife crisis”. 

After 40, he turned his life around through fitness and purpose, completing a Half Ironman just six months later.

“Since then, I’ve covered over 8 000km in events like the Comrades Marathon, the Dusi Canoe Marathon, Run for Rangers and the Midmar Mile, raising millions for charity along the way,” he says.

Now, as a financial advisor, he continues to inspire others to pursue health, purpose and growth with courage and humour.

Reid started out on the Trans Karoo Spirit Ride in February planning to cycle 881km over eight days from Clarence to Cape Town, followed by the Cape Cycle Tour. 

He was raising funds for The Butterfly Home, a rare paediatric palliative care facility caring for orphaned and abandoned children with life-threatening conditions.

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