Some partnerships are measured in years. This one is measured in futures changed.
The 1965Ride is an annual cycle from Johannesburg to Komani that raises bursaries for talented learners who need a hand up. Since 2011 it has placed more than 350 learners in top schools in the Komani district, and many have gone on to become doctors, accountants, engineers and teachers. We have been proud to support and ride alongside the cause for the last 10 years.
This year marked a turning point. The 2026 ride was the sixteenth, and the founders, Jen and Tony, are handing the initiative to a new team carrying a vision of 1000 bursaries a year by 2040.
We will let Tony tell the story in his own words…
The 1965Ride 2026 edition
This was the 16th tour of the 1965Ride from Jozi to Komani/Queenstown. In many ways this year’s edition was a watershed event.
A reminder: The 1965Ride was established to provide bursaries to talented but disadvantaged children who just need a hand-up to change the trajectory of their lives. These learners are given bursaries to attend top schools in the Komani district which provide them with all the support they need to make something of their lives. In 2011 we worked with one school, Queen’s College. Now the community of schools in the Queenstown Education Foundation (QEF) has grown to 13, largely because of the impetus caused by the 1965Ride.
In 2011 at the finish on the Queen’s College Kaya Malotana Stadium track there was a small crowd of about 200, the grades 11 and 12 of Queen’s College. In 2026 the crowd numbered well past the 5000 mark and included all the QEF collaborating schools, parents, teachers and many townsfolk. The ride has become much more than just a bursary-raising project. It is now a movement of impact that contributes to the Queenstown Education Foundation vision of turning Queenstown/Komani into an education destination. There is significant buy-in from all quarters of the community. Much of this success is the result of the high profile of 1965Ride and its nation-building vision.
The 2026 edition was a signal success. 16 cyclists broke virtually every average speed record on the way and raised significant monies to pay bursaries and add to the bursary endowment fund. This was one of the most cohesive cycling teams in the history of the 1965Ride. It made all the difference!
2026 is an important year as the 1965Ride Founding Management and Leadership team are handing over the future growth and development of the initiative to a new and dynamic team.
So, it was also a tour of nostalgia. It was a tour of goodbyes and new hellos
The new team has created a Vision2040 aimed at growing and developing the initiative into one with the aim of distributing 1000 bursaries each year by 2040.
None of the achievements of the past decade and a half would have been possible without our amazing sponsors. Barker Insurance has been at the forefront of these since Day1 and have stuck with us and helped to make these wonderful achievements possible. Most important, apart from the nation-building aspect, is the fact that we have awarded more than 350 bursaries during these years and many of the recipients have gone on to become doctors, CAs, engineers, teachers and more.
As members of the outgoing management, we say a HUGE thank you to the entire Barker team for their fabulous support and encouragement over so many years. None of this would have happened without you. Siyabulela!!!
– Jen and Tony, The Founders
