The opportunity of a lifetime for any cycling enthusiast to accompany Etixx Quick Step Pro Cycling Team during this year’s Tour de France is up for auction at an event to be held at Klein Constantia on Friday, 6 March. The informal cocktail event will be in aid of Francois Pienaar’s brainchild MAD CHARITY™ (Make A Difference). This year, Mark Cavendish, one of Etixx – Quick-Step’s biggest, his lead-out man, Mark Renshaw and five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx, the undisputed greatest pro cyclist of all-time, will be guests of honour at the event.
Says rugby legend and former Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar of MAD CHARITY™:
MAD CHARITY™ focuses on leadership development through education with an aim to identify academically talented scholars, who don’t have the financial resources, and offer them support in the areas of education, leadership and life-skills development. MAD CHARITY™ also provides mentoring, guidance and career counselling to help these scholars reach their full potential as the future leaders of South Africa.
Last year’s winning bidder, Cape Town businessman Dirk Fyfe, during the Tour de France.The auction was held for the first time in 2014 and was met with huge success. Five times Tour de France and Giro d’Italia winner Eddy Merckx was in attendance as guests vied for the impressive lots on offer. The fully sponsored trip for two to the Tour de France set pulses racing amongst the cycling enthusiasts in attendance.
The winning bidder was Cape Town businessman Dirk Fyfe, who admits that he thought he should have paid more for “the trip of a lifetime”. Fyfe had come to the attention of the bid via a friend and set out with a colleague to determine what they would pay for such an exclusive opportunity, which included VIP access at the Tour and an opportunity to spend time with the then Omega Pharma-Quick-Step team and crew.
Mark Cavendish, one of Etixx – Quick-Step’s biggest, will be guest of honour at the event.
“We worked out what everything would cost; flights, accommodation and so on, and then added on the ‘priceless element’,” says Fyfe. “Getting to the Tour is a bucket list item, but it was the access to the team and the whole experience that money couldn’t buy that excited us.” When the auction closed, Fyfe had the winning bid. “It was the trip of a lifetime and I hope to be bidding again in 2015!”
Auction items include the trip to the Tour de France, dinner for twelve in the new private Klein Constantia Homestead, catered for by an award-winning chef, an Etixx Quick Step team bike, ridden in the Tour de France and signed as well as a luxury weekend away at Royal Malewane.
Limited seats are available for the Klein Constantia and Etixx Quick Step Fundraiser. Tickets cost R500 and bookings can be made at events@madcharity.org or +27 (0)82 381 5071 or +27 (0)82 303 3377.
I would love this.