Buzzapp Master 
Seventeen cyclists from the Fresh Start Cycling Club in Ocean View excelled at the cycling Youth Festival on Thursday 4 July. PHOTOS: Supplied
Fresh Start cycling club, founded a decade ago in Ocean View, has grown to support 28 underprivileged children, helping them excel in cycling. This year, 17 young cyclists from the club were selected to represent Western Province at the Youth Festival in Oudtshoorn, winning numerous medals. Co-founder Sageda de Klerk and her husband Abduraghiem provide training and a supportive environment, making a significant impact on the children’s lives.“It is a beautiful feeling to make a difference in a child’s life,” says Fresh Start cycling club co-founder Sageda de Klerk.
The club, a non-profit organisation (NPO) initially founded 10 years ago in Ocean View to help train three learners for the Cape Town Cycle Tour, has since grown to 28 children from underprivileged backgrounds.
With dedication and passion for the sport, 17 cyclists from the club were selected to represent Western Province at the Youth Festival in Oudtshoorn on Thursday 4 July.
“We are affiliated with the Western Province Cycling League, so we do league rides and from those rides they select kids for the youth festival each year. This year they chose 17, the most ever chosen from our club,” said De Klerk.
The club consists of learners from Kleinberg Primary, Marine Primary and Ocean View Secondary schools ranging from the age of seven to 17.
Medals galoreLeena Delcarme (10), one of the riders who participated in the Youth Festival u-11 girls category, took home gold in the mountain bike, track race, road race and overall performance.
She is one of nine riders from the club who walked away with gold while 10 others walked away with silver medals and eight with bronze.
The cycling Youth Festival was held in Oudtshoorn from Thursday 4 July to Saturday 6 July. PHOTO:
“Leena started at the club in November last year,” said De Klerk. “Our children come from underprivileged homes where some are raised by grandparents and it is such a pleasure to work with them.”
She added that the young cyclists are coached by volunteers who take them on road rides every afternoon.
“The learners practise every afternoon, weather permitting, with longer rides on Saturday from Ocean View to Scarborough, Simon’s Town or Chapman’s Peak,” she said.
“Cycling is character building for them because when they first start off they are quiet and as they build confidence on the road they are so talkative.”
Home away from homeDe Klerk, who co-founded the club with her husband Abduraghiem, says their home is always open to the young cyclists whose home circumstances are not always ideal.
“Our house is a home away from home, where the children come over and I cook for them because sometimes they do not even have breakfast.”
Reflecting on when the club first started 10 years ago, De Klerk says her husband, who had experience in cycling, was asked to help train three learners.
“I was working at Ocean View Secondary School and they asked my husband whether he would help with training kids for the Cape Town Cycle Tour and after that we talked about some serious racing,” she recalls.
De Klerk added that working with young riders has become a calling.
“It is a calling for us and a nice feeling to be able to help,” she said. “Some parents are on drugs or they are alcoholics, so it is a safe space where they feel loved.”
Abduraghiem says he always encourages young cyclists with the motto: “There are no limitations to what we can achieve.”
Commenting on the cyclists’ achievement, Abduraghiem said he was very pleased with the results.
“The results achieved at Oudtshoorn make me extremely proud of our kids and tell me that what we are doing is beneficial to these kids,” he said. “Self-confidence, character, inner strength, purpose, respect, and discipline become part of their daily lives because that is what we at Fresh Start try to instill into our athletes,” said Abduraghiem.
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