Liezel van der Westhuizen to take on biggest challenge

Liezel van der Westhuizen will be taking on the Himalayas together with her partner, Cindy Jacobsz.

At the age of 16 Jacobsz was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, Stargard leading to eventual blindness, in spite of this she had gone on to achieve remarkable things.

“I was extremely honoured and excited to be asked by Cindy to partner with her. She is a remarkable athlete who despite the challenge presented by her blindness has gone on to earn national colours for cycling. I am going to have to be on the top of my game to keep up,”laughs van der Westhuizen.

Experience like no other

“This is an experience of a life time and I would love to arrange similar events for blind cyclists in South Africa to give other blind & visually impaired cyclist the opportunity to experience MTB cycling and the beauty of South Africa. I am raising awareness and encouraging athletes with visual disabilities to participate in sport and to reach their dreams and goals,” says Jacobsz.

Van der Westhuizen and Jacobsz are using the event to raise funds for two medical charities namely Operation Smile South Africa and OneSight.

“This ride is about more than ourselves. We wanted to find a way to make a real difference with every pedal stroke and so it was a natural decision to support these two incredible charities who essentially give people their smiles and help others see them,” explains Van der Westhuizen.