MEMORIAL RIDE FOR GUGU
Hundreds of cyclists pay tribute
A WHITE-and-orange bike covered with tributes stood next to a shrine of flowers and a portrait of a beaming Gugu Zulu.
Cyclists flocked around the bike to write messages paying tribute to the late motor racing star’s life or to pose for a teary selfie.
Within an hour, there was hardly space left to write on the bike, including both its wheels.
More than 100 cyclists from various clubs in Gauteng gathered at Northern Farm Diepsloot Nature Reserve, north of Johannesburg, on Saturday to take part in the 20km Memorial Ride in honour of 38-year-old Zulu.
Actress Hlubi Mboya and television presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen, who are both cyclists, attended the event that included dozens of youths from the Diepsloot Mountain Bike Academy.
Zulu died last week while attempting to summit Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the Trek4Mandela team – an initiative to raise funds for sanitary pads for underprivileged girls.
His death was reportedly caused by high altitude sickness and sent shockwaves across South Africa, with condolences pouring in from all corners, including President Jacob Zuma, who described him as an “inspirational young man”.
“Gugu was an amazing man who was liked by everybody beyond racial lines, age and economic status, and that is represented by people who are here today,” said Garth Humphries, who had done national cycling races with his friend Zulu and helped design the “ghost bike”.
Ole’ Ledimo, fashion designer and cyclist, donated the bike.
Ghost bikes are sombre memorials for cyclists who are killed or hit by cars on the road and are usually intended as a reminder to passing motorists to be considerate on the road.
“It was a privilege to be part of this. It took us about two days to assemble it. One guy sanded and repainted the bike. I went onto Gugu’s Facebook profile and asked people to write a word or a sentence that best describes Gugu for them. We printed those words and put them on the ghost bike,” Humphries said.
Property developer Maurice Mdlolo shared anecdotes of his rides with Zulu in Cape Town during which Zulu helped push an exhausted female cyclist’s bike to the finish line.
He also urged cyclists to support Zulu’s family.
“Please look after his wife and daughter. I know he always spoke about how he’d like to see his daughter grow [up],” he said.
The event ended with a big “Gugu jump” by all the cyclists.
Zulu’s memorial service will be held at Kyalami racetrack tomorrow and he will be buried on Thursday.