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Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, pro-cyclist and sports champion is collaborating with Khaltsha Cycles in Khayelitsha to improve the lives of teen girls in the area. The team completed their first Cape Town Cycle Tour.
Some of the team members were unable to cycle a year ago.
"We have this great vision of what this centre can do for these girls. To be able to empower them, with the help of tutors as well. To have a computer centre, to do their studies in the afternoon and then once they finish their studies they can get on an indoor trainer, and they can ride on a platform like swift where I can join them from abroad, and they can be in a safe environment where they don’t have to worry about traffic and punctures and all these things." Moolman-Pasio told Africa News.
Khaltsha Cycles is an initiative that trains cyclists and provides a space for them to study and network.
Also read: Jonathan Ancer | I love the Cycle Tour, but it seems the feeling isn’t mutual
"The aim here is to empower the girls through the bicycle," says Moolman-Pasio. "So we are using bicycles to firstly, give the new riders a sense of belonging, and to help them grow in their confidence."
"When I went through the finish line, I felt like, 'Yeah! I can do more. I can go do bigger races. Be number one, even'. I feel pretty good. I feel excited. I don’t have words. I’m speechless," said team member Ncali Similela.
Moolman-Pasio rode her first cycle tour as a teenager because she was following in her mom’s footsteps and her victory in 2012, in the very early stages of her career, gave her the belief that the life of a professional cyclist was a reality.
