South African adventure enthusiasts, Warrick and Camilla Kernes and Gareth Pickering will be cycling Qhubeka buffalo bicycles from Johannesburg, South Africa to Moshi, Tanzania covering 4630km over a 10 week period. Setting off on July 30th, the trio plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro once they reach Moshi in Tanzania. The goal is to raise R100 000 for the Qhubeka charity, which delivers specially designed, locally assembled bicycles to people in need; to date we have raised just over R57 000.
“Qhubeka buffalo bicycles are rigid, single-speed, ‘Africa-proof’ bicycles. We are excited to be riding these bicycles for our trip although they will make it more challenging. The bicycles weigh 23kg and have only a single gear, which will make climbing a lot tougher,” says Warrick Kernes, an experienced mountain biker and owner of Action Gear.
Gareth Pickering from www.TheFreedomFighter.net, recently made the decision to join the Kernes on this adventure. “Climbing Kilimanjaro is something that I’ve always wanted to do” he said. “I love cycling and am passionate about Africa. Having the opportunity to combine all of these, while giving back to the communities that we’re going to ride through, I didn’t have to think twice to join them! I believe that the way to alleviate poverty is through education and the Qhubeka project, enabling kids to get school is a great beneficiary for our fundraising efforts.”
Using mapping software, Mr Kernes plotted a route which primarily stays on main roads where there are more campsites, fuel supplies and shops along the way. The route goes from South Africa up Eastern Botswana to Victoria Falls in Zambia and then onwards to Lake Malawi. Here the trio will ride along the Western shore of the lake as they head North into and across Tanzania to the town of Moshi at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The trio will be riding an average of 90 kilometres a day over a 10 week period. Rest days are planned for every fifth or sixth day. The distance of each day depends on where the next suitable campsite is, the longest riding day on the single-speed Buffalo bicycles will be 128km.
“Our safety is key to taking on this expedition so we will also have two support crew to drive a Jeep Wrangler with an off-road trailer behind us as we cycle along the roads up to Tanzania. This will also allow us to carry sufficient supplies along the way,” says Mr Kernes.
For more information on the Joburg2Kili expedition and how to make a donation in support of Qhubeka, please visit the www.joburg2kili.com website.
Wow 23kg!