PE memorial for Swart

TOP South African cyclist Carla Swart’s life will be celebrated at a memorial service in Port Elizabeth on Thursday, February 3.

Fellow cyclists are expected to gather at The Boardwalk Casino’s Vodacom Amphitheatre at 4.30pm.

Swart, 23, was killed when she turned in front of an oncoming truck during a training ride in the Free State on January 19.

“It was Carla’s dream to represent South Africa at the world championships and she did us proud on and off the bike while living her dream,” said the director of Cycling South Africa’s road commission Hendrik Lemmer.

Last year, Swart placed 10^th in the women’s race at the World Road Championships in Australia and eighth at the Commonwealth Games in India a week later.

She joined the American-based HTC-Highroad professional team this year and was considered one of the country’s best hopes for an Olympic medal in 2012.

Swart’s memorial service is timed to coincide with the South African Road Championships and The Herald VW Cycle Tour national classic the day after, as many of the country’s top cyclists will converge on Nelson Mandela Bay for these events.

The national championships take place from February 2 to 5 and The Herald VW Cycle Tour on February 5 and 6.

The Boardwalk will also play host to The Herald VW Cycle Tour’s pre-event expo and registration. Riders can register at the Tsitsikamma Conference Centre on Friday, February 4, from 9am to 7pm or Saturday, February 5, from 9am to 5pm.
 
For more info on the tour, visit www.heraldcycletour.co.za.

Author: Full Stop Communications