An ultra-endurance cyclist, who nearly died in a cycling accident nine years ago, has set off on a tour in aid of 34 children fighting life-threatening illnesses.
Grant Lottering wants to complete his Cross Cape Im’possible Dream Tour – from Plettenberg Bay to Stellenbosch in 48 hours.
Grant Lottering was declared dead after a horrific cycling accident during a race in Italy. Surgeons had to perform an emergency operation at the scene. He broke 12 ribs, his femur, hip, back and sternum. His shoulder was completely crushed, and his lungs collapsed.
Doctors said he would never cycle again. But after multiple surgeries and rehabilitation, he returned to the site of the accident a year later, to finish the race that nearly killed him.
Lottering says since then, he has undertaken various cycling tours in aid of terminally-ill children.
“I had a real bad accident in 2013 which changed my life. So I started riding, calling it Im’possible tours, because everyone said you’ll never ride a bike again. This is a progression of previous tours I’ve done in the Pyrenees and Alps every year, always a thousand km or so, sometimes more, always involving charity, either Laureus sport for good or reach for a dream. Always involving mountains, because people face mountains in life, children face mountains in life,” says Grant Lottering.
Lottering will cycle a total of 835 kilometres and just under 16 000 m of vertical gain, mostly on gravel roads. The Cape Cycle Routes will take him through the Garden Route, to the Klein Karoo, over the Swartberg Pass and through the Overberg, to finish in Stellenbosch on Monday. He says it is all in aid of 34 children through Reach for a Dream.
“34 dreams, around R5 000 a dream. That dream means a terminally ill child who maybe wants to go on a boat cruise in the ocean; he will be able to experience that because he probably will never reach adult age. It’s very important and that’s what’s going to keep me going on the road,” Lottering adds.
Those interested in supporting his campaign can visit Grant Lottering’s social media pages or the Reach for a Dream website for details.
VIDEO: Lottering’s ride for charity
