Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 74, September 2015 | Page 53

CYCLING FOR
GO PURPLE
BY MARIE-ANNE MEIJERS

A

young, sporty, enthusiastic and pretty girl
got an opportunity to be coached by a
tennis star three decades ago. What could
be more exciting?

But then her life was shattered ... Nobody believed
her, and she had no one to turn to. Many years
later, the truth is revealed.
Some have said: ‘isn’t Bob Hewitt too old to go to
jail?’ but then wasn’t Suellen Sheenan too young to
have sex when it happened? It’s been a long and
hard ride for Suellen and the other women in this
much-publicised trial, but justice prevailed.
I became involved when, while shopping, my
telephone rang and it was one of the other 50
Shades riders. “Was I riding the Momentum 947
Cycle Challenge?” she asked. “Yes,” I answered.
“Would I like to ride for the charity Go Purple?” she
asked again.
And then she told me about Suellen, who was
going to get on a bike for the first time, start training
and ride it and that we could ride with her for
The Go Purple Foundation. And this charity has a
story involving human trafficking and abuse. The
organisation stands for hope and healing. I said for
sure and that I was pretty certain there are other 50
Shades riders who would be keen.
Riding the Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge has
been on my bucket list for a long time, and this is
the year I feel I’m ready. Suellen is going to ride it
just like that. That’s courage. And maybe a story
that should be told. So she came for tea and an
‘interview’ (I’ve never done that before).
Suellen arrived that morning, an elegant, tall, darkhaired woman with beautiful eyes, and we sat on
the patio with tea and coffee and chatted. I told
her I had never done an interview before and she
told me to relax, she had done many!
One of my first questions to her was: “Why the
Momentum 947 Cycle Race?”
“Ok... so what I decided, and this was at three
o’clock in the morning, was, um... let me ride the
947....”

Then Suellen told how at first she thought of walking
to Cape Town, going from town to town to raise
awareness and speak to the kids at schools, as
she seems to be able to connect with them. She
then spoke to a friend and they thought of cycling
from