Caption: an elated Joan Louwrens with her team
Garden Route
“It was awesome doing the race for something bigger than just me alone” said competitor Richard Muller from the Garden Route.
R2000 was raised at very short notice by the George team. "The response and support from the public has been so encouraging said a Landmark representative. We hope this is the start of many more competitors taking on the challenge by wearing the yellow Racing for Leopards shirts in future events”.
Racing through the kloof the children cheered the leopard racers on while farmers and their families manned the food stop wearing yellow, proudly showing their support for the protection of wild leopards in their valley.
Caption: Freek Conradie, Willem Greef, Heindrich Romer, Allan Pillay
Caption: Billy Teeton and Martin Cloete
Port Elizabeth
The Woodridge Prep eco club raised money to sponsor their teacher, Billy Teeton to “Race for Leopards” with his cycling partner Martin Cloete. The Grade 7 eco-club is busy with their very own leopard research project in the Van Stadens River Valley with the Landmark Foundation. The team achieved excellent times for the first 100km but took a blow with mechanical difficulties and could not finish the race. Billy wrote these words for the students:
“Get out there, don’t just sit around the house! Martin and I felt extremely proud to be carrying the flag for the Landmark Foundation. We have to bounce back from the disappointment at not completing something that has consumed us for several months; when one looks at the bigger picture of life and the harsh reality of conservation efforts. Daily sadness and disappointment greet those in conservation as they work tirelessly to protect the beauty we see in nature”.
All the way from Pretoria and Johannesberg Freek Conradie, Willem Greef, Heindrich Römer and Allan Pillay also raced for the wild leopards!!
THANK YOU!!!! TO EVERYONE!
Letter from Joan Louwrens
The Trans- Baviaans Mountain Bike Marathon of 230 km, from Willowmore, through the magnificent Baviaans Kloof and on to the sea at Jeffrey’s Bay- is certainly one that fires up the imagination and gets the nerve ends jingling. Add to this the idea that it passes through a Wildlife Reserve where Buffalo, and Rhinos wander freely amongst Kudu and Baboons while watching from the rocky summits, the odd Leopard could be perched.
This year, Landmark Foundation, an organization involved in the conservation of predators, and specifically, the magnificent and endangered Leopard, were an obvious presence at the race. They used the occasion to inform and educate about the precarious lives of the leopards in the area and hoped also to raise some much needed funds by selling T shirts and Cycling Shirts.
I loved the idea of cycling in my startling yellow and black “Racing for Leopards” top and it got me thinking and dreaming as I rode of the chance of being close to one of these amazing felines.
I had over 13 hours to think of them as I kept my legs spinning. The brilliant scarlet aloe flowers against the green riverine bush with folds of rock behind, presented vistas of incredible beautybut it was the magical 5 hours of night riding which set my imagination romping. The sickle moon lay on its back sending out a watery loom and the smells and sounds of the night felt accentuated. Momentarily, my lights caught the yellow gleam of an animal’s eyes – not a leopard- but I can always dream!
I finished the race with my two cycling buddies, feeling overwhelmed at the privilege of having participated and completed such a magnificent and rare journey.
We certainly need to take precious care of such a heritage.
Letter from Teacher: Billy Teaton
Anyhow, what am I having to learn from this experience? We have to bounce back from the disappointment at not completing something that has perhaps consumed us so much over the several months, when one looks at the bigger picture of life and the harsh reality of conservation efforts. Daily sadness and disappointment greet those in conservation as they work tirelessly to protect what beauty we see in nature, and no more so than in Leopard Conservation. There really is no parallel between not finishing a recreational mountain bike race and seeing the struggle of conservationist to secure the survival of an animal species for future generations and the good of our planet. As a teacher who enjoys getting out into nature and who is part of the chain to get future generations to do the same, I have to learn to cope with setbacks, as so many of my charges are going to experience hiccups along their journeys. Knowing how to council them in their hour of disenchantment will be important for them to get up and carry on their journey, whatever that may be. No matter who we are or where we come from, we all have to endure trials in varying forms. It’s not the trial, but how we respond to them that helps us grow!
Walking at 8pm without lights along the Poortjies road at the bottom of Bergplaas, in pitch darkness, did make me nervous, but also gave me a moment of humor. I thought of the Landmark foundation, and leopards and hoped that they would perhaps not notice this hapless person pushing his bike along the road. I would have to take off my windbreaker, I thought, and show them my Racing for Leopards cycling shirt to try and convince them to take no further interest in me. Anyway, it would be far more fun chasing those other guys who every few minutes were flying past me.
Kate, Janet, Eco Committee and Woodridge pupils, thank you for your support and encouragement, Martin and I felt extremely proud to be carrying the flag for the Landmark Foundation. We can’t wait to see the first photograph of our ‘Van Stadens George Leopard’.
