Seventeen cyclists departed on Wednesday morning on their bicycles from the Beit Bridge border post in Musina on their way to Durban in a bid to raise awareness about environmental and climate-change issues.

The cyclists will also supply information regarding the COP (Conference of Parties) 17 conference, which will be held in Durban from 28 November to 9 December. This is the conference of the states that have signed on for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).The parties have been meeting annually to assess progress in dealing with climate change since 1995.

The cyclists are expected to arrive in Durban on 25 November.

The Southern Africa Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Department has organised buses from different locations in the country that will arrive in Durban on the morning of 25 November in order to welcome the cyclists.

The cyclists, who will cycle a total distance of 1 335km from Musina, were bidden farewell by Musina Mayor Carol Phiri. She praised their dedication and encouraged community members to care for the environment and to support the COP 17 Conference. “Even though environmental issues like pollution and global warming are big problems, there are lots of little things we can do to pitch in and keep the planet healthy.  As communities, I believe we have the responsibility to teach our people to care for our world," she added.

Father Mike Deeb of the SACBC says the cyclists will travel for a total of 17 days. “They will also rest 17 times in 17 towns to highlight these environmental issues. We have done all the preparations for this trip and we will arrive in Durban as planned.”

One of the cyclists is 70-year-old Victor Coutries from Jabulani in Soweto, who has been a professional cyclist for the past 30 years. “All the cyclists are ready and we have trained hard for this haul. We have no doubt that our trip will assist in highlighting the issues of environmental awareness and the promotion of the COP 17 Conference,” he said.