Joel Stransky is famous for kicking the winning drop goal to help South Africa win a historic 1995 Rugby World Cup. But on Wednesday he inspired a pink revolution at the Absa Cape Epic to raise awareness for Vision 2020.

Stransky – and a peloton of pink-shirted mountain bikers – made their way through one of the toughest stages of this year’s event – 107km up 2750m of climbing including the infamous grind up Groenlandberg, the Alpe d’Huez of the Absa Cape Epic. Before the stage every rider in the event was offered a free pink riding top and encouraged to wear it for Wednesday’s stage.

“I want to thank all the riders that got behind our initiative today,” Stransky said. “It was overwhelming the support we received and the awareness we gained today is invaluable.

“If you can’t read, you can’t learn and I am privileged that the public profile allows me to raise funds for projects like this. A big thank you to all the riders who got behind it!”

Together with Stransky’s Lumohawk Foundation and Absa, Vision 2020 organised optometry students from around the country to conduct free eye tests along the route of the Absa CapeEpic. The charity is working alongside the Anna Foundation and Qhubeka by providing the children, who are part of these communities, the opportunity to receive the complimentary eye test and appropriate free spectacles.

Stransky is riding his tenth Absa Cape Epic with partner Darren Gallias but his famous Lumohawk is not on his helmet this year as the pair are racing the event more seriously in 2019.

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