Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 74, September 2015 | Page 54

Many of the 50 Shades riders will be riding
the Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge for
the Go Purple charity this year.

At this stage, she says it is still an
‘experiment’, but she is confident it will
work very well. The press follows and
supports her, which is awesome for
their cause.
She hopes to raise at least R100 000
through the 947 which will go towards
helping victims who need places
of safety and even assistance with
finances should they need this. Hardly
any provision is made for adults in
need of help in this country and Go
Purple has one place at this stage
called Crossroads in Vanderbijlpark.
These people need protection and
help.
“There is nothing worse than that
feeling of helplessness” says Suellen.
Suellen, her son and the other victims,
as state witnesses, said they received
death threats during the trial. It
was never taken seriously by the
authorities. “Stuff like that should be
taken seriously”.

There are many charities involved with
the Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge,
all of which do excellent work. The
Go Purple Foundation is the only one
riding for adults, and one in five adults
(male and female) has been abused.
That means that of the 20 000 riders at
the 947, 4000 may have been abused.
“So we will certainly hit a nerve with a
lot of people.”

I’m back. I think it needs to be an
inspiration to other people that they
can also do it. You can get there”.
Everybody needs a helping hand.

Suellen says that had she known Go
Purple when she first embarked on her
“thing” as she calls it, it would have
been much easier than only having
met the organisation two years into it.

Suellen’s first ride was at the RideFree
Bike Park, Central Park Trails,
Modderfontein. She said riding down
the narrow paths through the bushes,
she screeched the whole way down
the hill! She got to the bottom of the
hill and her legs felt like jelly. But she
did it and loved it, and said it was a
‘fun feeling’. It’s about conquering
obstacles, real and metaphorically.

“We think our lives come to an end,
when something like this happens to
us, our lives just fall apart and, um...
I’m now back on the tennis court, I’m
now cycling, so I’m doing things that
I would never ever in a million years
have done 10 years ago. I retired for
21 years off the tennis court, and now

Several of the 50 Shades of Mud are
riding for Go Purple with Suellen. And
they will be joined by Gerald de Kock,
David Higgs and Shan Wilson. Come
and ride with us, Go Purple needs
your support, abused victims need
our support, and particularly victims of
human trafficking need our support.

You can find out more about the foundation at www.gopurple.co.za.

50 Shades rider Jean Reynolds
and Suellen Sheehan riding the
Cradle together.

8

After recruiting riders for Go Purple, Hermien Greyling, Jean
Reynolds, Suellen Sheehan, Mel, Deane Zambeti and MarieAnne Meijers stop for coffee.

ISSUE 12 SEPTEMBER 2015 / www.moderncyclist.co.za