Speakers Inc Magazine, Volume 2

LIEZEL VAN DER WESTHUIZEN
Liezel van der Westhuizen and Cindy Jacobsz are the first
African, South African all female blind and sighted pair to
tandem cycle from Manali to Khardung La India, 18 330
feet covering 550km.
Not only was it a triumphant African first
when media personality Liezel van der
Westhuizen successfully piloted blind
fellow cyclist Cindy Jacobs on a tandem
bicycle over the famous Himalayas from
Mandali to Khardung La in India last
month, but the pair also had to battle the
elements of wind, rain, sleet and sub-zero
temperatures whilst being severely
challenged by every imaginable technical
problem.
They covered the mean distance of
550km in 10 days at altitudes of up to 18
330 feet.
Liezel describes it as that ‘once-in-alifetime’
event that cyclists around the
world dream of. The expedition starts at
Manali, which is known as the door to the
heaven of the Himalayas, the route takes
you cross five passes with a maximum
altitude of 5602 meters reached at
Khardung La (It’s one of the world's
highest roads in the world.)
Both being extremely passionate about
philanthropy, the two had decided to use
the event to raise funds for two medical
charities namely Operation Smile South
Africa and OneSight. The former is
dedicated to providing free surgery to
children and adults born with cleft lip
and/or cleft palate, while the latter
provides refractive error services and
prescription spectacles to people
without access to affordable vision care.
“Cycling this distance on some of the
highest roads in the world, is a daunting
challenge, especially because the roads
are non-existent at some places, and
you have to be physically and mentally
prepared to complete it,”said Van der
Westhuizen.
What further sets the event aside, is the
fact that it allows for participation of