Reliance sponsors Ride the Rhino

8 Sep 2014

In memory of the 1004 rhinos poached last year, Reliance Compost has partnered with the fourth annual Resolution Health Ride the Rhino race, taking place in conjunction with World Rhino Day later this month.

A common goal

Photo credit: Ride the Rhino

Reliance and other sponsors of the event, namely Resolution Health Medical Scheme (Resolution Health), the Renosterveld Trust and Zurreal, all share one common goal: to preserve the environment and more importantly, to assist Poached Rhino's bona fide projects like the funding of DNA sampling machines to enable the logging of rhinos.

Reliance is well known for inspiring communities to live a little greener and have fun doing it. Therefore, the Reliance staff not only promise riders a mouth-watering experience at their one-of-kind water points, but also invite everyone to visit their 'Chill Zone' on the last day at Hillcrest Farm, which promise fun activities for the entire family. Oh, and be sure to look out for the Reliance obstacle course made from its compost bags, just before you think you've made it to the finish.

Cyclists can expect unsurpassed views and breath-taking scenery. The route offers the first of its kind on the West Coast of South Africa, through a rugged and beautiful area with some of the best riding terrain in nature's garden, from rough back roads to sandy tracks to koppies and mountains. The cyclists are not only riding a challenge, but also a challenge to help rescue Renosterveld, one of the most endangered habitats in the world. Today only 4% remains in the Western Cape. The event will run through as many areas of Renosterveld as possible, with 15% of the proceeds from race entries, which will go directly back into the Renosterveld Trust to help with rehabilitation. The objective of the event is to do the same for the West Coast as the Sani2C did for the Umkomaas and its people, in the form of social upliftment and community involvement.

As one of only a few South African carbon neutral businesses, Reliance's mantra is to Grow Greener Generations, and they do this by getting involved in the community by means of sponsorships, tree-planting projects and developing communal food gardens. They are supporters of Trees for Zambia and the Oranjezicht City Farm, among many others. No surprise then that much off their income is ploughed back into the community to build sustainable environments.

The fourth annual Resolution Health Ride the Rhino race is from 26 to 28 September, ending at Hillcrest Olive Farm in Durbanville.

For more information about the Ride the Rhino event, please visit www.renosterveldmtb.co.za or email az.oc.btmdlevretsoner@ofni.