Tuesday, 08 February 2011

Letter to Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Today, on my 27th birthday, friends and supporters from all over the world are rallying in support of what I hope to accomplish.

Today, over 250 friends from over 18 countries all over the world are asking you to help me.
Why you?

1.I have followed your journeys on ‘The Long Way Round’ and ‘The Long Way Down’, and know you are ‘adventurers’ at heart. I believe that you understand that yearning for the open road.
2.I believe that you can relate to sponsors letting you down because they don’t believe you will achieve what you set out to.
3.Out of all the organizations/companies/people I could’ve reached out to, I believe in you the most.

On 27 April 2011 I will set out from Cape Town, South Africa, to fulfill my dream of becoming the first woman to circumnavigate the entire African continent on a bicycle solo! I have made a commitment, and will launch whether I have everything I need or not.

I believe in reaching for the stars! With what I do I hope to connect, share, grow and learn with and from the people I meet all around Africa. And followers from all over the world. I hope to inspire people to live their dreams. No matter how big or small your dreams may seem. And for people to realize that we are more alike than different from one another.

This journey will see me traveling through 34 African countries and cover a distance of close to 40 000 kilometers.

For little over three years now I have been working at making my dream a reality.
In 2004 I cycled through Israel.
In 2008 I cycled through South Africa.
In 2010 I became the first person to have cycled around South Africa solo, covering a total distance of 5951 kilometers in 100 days.


I started planning my trip around Africa in October 2007. For over three years now I have been trying to show ‘potential sponsors’ that I am serious about achieving what I have set out to do then, by means of my trips through and around South Africa.

And for over three years now I have been turned down by countless companies because ‘they don’t believe I can do it’. It is seemingly impossible that a woman can cycle around Africa by herself.

So it is because I believe you guys can understand where I’m coming from that I am reaching out to you.

Friends are trying to help wherever they can with a piece of gear here, tyres there…even clothing from Australia! So yes, funding is the big spanner in the proverbial wheel.

And so, I am asking for your help.

Ewan and Charley, please help me.

Yours truly,

Jolandie Rust

jolandie.rust@gmail.com

+27761672008


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