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Mix the Western Cape’s most sought after 3-day mountain bike stage race with an exceptional wine estate and a charity that activates efficiently and effectively – and you make magic. ILoveBoobies and Cansa screen 60 women at Paul Cluver today; Thursday, 14 November. This was made possible by joint initiative between Paul Cluver Wine Estate and ILoveBoobies; along with the gracious support of the riders who took part in Wines2Whales, three weeks ago.
The Wines2Whales mountain bike race is held at the end of October each year. It features 3 events; the Chardonnay, Pinotage and Shiraz races. Each race is 3 days long and in total the 3 races attract a field of nearly 3 600 mountain bike enthusiasts to enjoy the fantastic trails from Somerset West to Hermanus. Along that route the race crosses over many award-winning wine farms; including Paul Cluver Wine Estate, in Elgin.
Paul Cluver Wine Estate, is a 4th generation family business that has been farming in the Elgin Valley for more than 120 years. They focus on producing world class wines whilst being mindful of their actions both on the environment and on their community. More than half the estate is protected as a private conservation area. This area is criss-crossed by an extensive trail network which mountain bikers can ride at any time of the year, but which is also used to host events like Wines2Whales and the Woolworth Cross Tri. At the heart of trail network is the Amphitheatre, which hosts outdoor concerts, but also boasts spectacular bridges which are a thrill for mountain bikers to ride across.
The Cluver Family, owners of Paul Cluver Wine Estate, have a great philanthropic spirit. As such they invited ILoveBoobies NPC, for the second year running, to create a breast cancer awareness campaign amongst the Wines2Whales riders. This was achieved by decorating the famous bridges after the Amphitheatre in pink and with ILoveBoobies banners. In keeping with the spirit of the 2019 Wines2Whales’ #SeriousGees motto shouts of “ILoveBoobies” rang out among the trees as riders raced over the bridge.
ILoveBoobies raises funds by partnering with corporates to create social responsibility programmes. It also sells socks and active apparel from its online store and the profits are used to provide health screenings to women who do not have access to these facilities. Buying a pair of socks or a buff allows the average South African to participate in a fund-raising programme, knowing they have contributed to saving a woman’s life. To date ILoveBoobies have sold 17 000 pairs of socks.
“We like to go back to the farms that have supported us and make sure that the women in their communities get screened, today we screened 60 women who work on Paul Cluver and the surrounding wine farms” said Kim Webb, spokesperson for ILoveBoobies NPC. “Our mantra is early detection can save lives. We realise that many South Africans, particularly those from rural or historically disadvantaged urban areas, only seek out medical treatment when they are already ill or in extreme pain. In the case of cancer this is often, sadly, too late. The mobile cancer screening operations are therefore play a key role in the early detection of potentially cancerous lumps. If any are found in a woman who comes for a screening life-saving treatment can hopefully begin while the malignant cells have yet to spread.”
To contribute to the #EarlyDetectionCanSaveLives campaign, or to find out more about the charity, visit www.iloveboobies.co.za.