2010 Cycling for Mercy...

The Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour is the world's largest-timed cycling event, attracting some 35,000 cyclists, and taking in some of Africa's most scenic roads along a 109 kilometre route around Cape Town's Cape Peninsula. From your rookie riders aiming to finish under the cut-off time of seven hours, to those elite riders racing for the victory in some 2 hours 30 minutes, the event attracts a diverse crowd of cyclists.

I am one of those cyclists who will be doing South Africa's premier race on Sunday 14th March. It will be my twentieth consecutive tour, which is quite a feat considering I am only 26 years old!

For many years my cycling was all about the competition, beating personal bests and improving my seeding for future events. But then God used my cycling to call me into missions. I'll never forget that day early in 2007 when I was cycling along and God spoke to me through a friend those words that deep down in my heart I needed to hear: “I feel God telling me that He wants you to serve Him on the Mercy Ship”. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since that day I decided to dedicate my cycling to God and to ride the Argus Cycle Tour to create awareness for Mercy Ships. This started small in 2007 when I returned from Liberia and rode my 18th tour, with a flag and a Mercy Ships t-shirt. Now, I have returned from the ship currently docked in Togo for a brief two-week visit, and will be riding my 20th tour with a much larger Mercy Ships flag. I have had official Mercy Ships cycling gear made, and will be taking my time around the route – enjoying the scenery and talking to fellow cyclists about the message of Mercy Ships.

And with the strong possibility of the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship (and my floating home), the Mercy Ships flagship M/V Africa Mercy, visiting South Africa for several months towards the end of this year, my prayer is that through my “Cycling for Mercy” campaign God would place a hunger in people's hearts to hear about Mercy Ships and the message of hope and healing that we bring.

(Photos here of me in my first-ever Argus and then again last year in preparation for the Tour.)