Voith Turbo (Pty) Ltd supported the 25th Annual Dis-Chem Ride for Sight Cycle Challenge, held on 17th February 2013, at the Boksburg City Stadium in Gauteng. “Social and community responsibility are high priorities at Voith Turbo and we are very proud of our continued support of over 20 consecutive years, of this worthy journey to raise funds for Retinal degenerative (RD) diseases,” says Terry-Lynn McIntosh, Marketing Coordinator, Voith Turbo (Pty) Ltd.

Retina South Africa is a non-profit, patient-support organisation working towards bringing clinical trials and therapies for Retinal blindness to South Africa. Thousands of young South Africans are facing a lifetime of vision loss and dream of a treatment or cure for their Retinal blindness. The most common RD diseases, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Macular Degeneration (MD) and Usher Syndrome (US), affect thousands of South Africans and millions worldwide. There are, on estimation, between 80 000 and 140 000 young children and adults living with a genetic eye condition in South Africa, with one in five in the population probable unwitting carriers of a single copy of a genetic mutation for Retinal blindness. The organisation actively supports patients and their families in dealing with Retinal vision loss and the resultant emotional trauma this brings, raising funds from both public and corporate sponsors and special events such as Ride for Sight.              

Hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni, the Boksburg City Stadium was a-buzz with more than 6 000 entrants, as well as sponsors, supporters, family, friends and enthusiasts. The Voith water team, under the expert guidance of organiser and co-ordinator, Karina Venter, reported for duty at their usual place – water point number 4 - at 06:30 to prepare the area in readiness for the cyclists. Donned in crisp white Voith shirts and caps, they enthusiastically offered much needed refreshments to relieve thirsty cyclists who started speeding by at 08h15 and they did not let up until the last participants had passed more than five hours later. “We also appointed a road cleaning team who was responsible for ensuring that the road was clean and free of plastic sachets, 1km beyond the water point for the safety of the cyclist,” continues Terry-Lynn.

Two eminent international researchers have offered to include young South Africans in their clinical trials which are restoring vision and funds are needed to support this worthy endeavour. “The efforts of this event in fighting blindness are nothing short of remarkable and The Ride has become a regular fixture on the Voith Turbo calendar,” says Voith Turbo Managing Director, Graham Russell, who is also an experienced cyclist. Graham has maintained the company’s involvement with this wonderful event since it was fist started by previous MD, Mervyn Lornie. “Voith Turbo is thus the longest serving corporate partner of the Ride for Sight,“ says Graham, adding that the company has won the Water Table Trophy almost exclusively since it was introduced.

“I am extremely proud of the Voith family who once again rose to the challenge by volunteering their time. The team did an amazing job yet again! This was not only an amazing day out, it was all for a most worthy cause!” concludes Graham.The first Ride for Sight, held in 1989 with a field of only 500 riders, has grown steadily over the last 24 years to become one of the top ten cycling events in South Africa, attracting the cream of South African professional cyclists. The 2013 Ride, with Dis-Chem Pharmacies once again the naming sponsor, is a seeding event for both the Cape Argus Pick and Pay Cycle Tour and the 94.7 Cycle Challenge and is also a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) event. The 116km Ride for Sight and the 62km Vita-thion Challenge cater for both the serious and the novice cyclist. The Ride is manned by over 400 volunteers and cyclist’s safety, road quality and closure remain the focus of this event which has ensured that both sponsors and cyclists come back year after year. All proceeds go directly towards funding research into fighting retinal blinding conditions such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Macular Degeneration and are not filtered through an events promotion company, another contributing factor to the continued popularity of this event.