Kambewa takes up another tough challenge: To cycle 20kms uphill without sitting
Malawian cyclist Stewart Kambewa, who came to prominence in 2017 together with his colleague Kwame Kayira when they cycled 1,755kms from Nsanje to Chitipa and back to Blantyre for charity to raise funds to drill one borehole in nine villages in nine districts, takes up another challenge, this time to cycle 20kms uphill without sitting on his saddle from Thabwa in Chikwawa to Milare.
This comes after he successfully cycled 10kms uphill also whist standing from Zomba Central Business District (CDB) to Ku Chawe Inn on a charity adventure in September, whose proceeds of over MK282,000 that was raised was used to pay for schools fees for two needy Form 4 students — boy and a girl — who are in government secondary schools.
For the 1,755kms adventure also done last year, Kambewa and Kayira set off on October 1 from Marka, Nsanje arriving Chitipa through Lakeshore Road on the 8th before travelling back to Mzuzu to Blantyre through Lilongwe and arrived in Blantyre on October 15.
From the start, the group attracted partnership with Non Governmental Organisation Water Aid, which mobilised other NGOs in the country to support the initiative and a special welcome reception was organised for the cyclists as they passed through Lilongwe where guest of honour was Minister of Sports Henry Mussa and other high ranking officials from NGOs in Lilongwe and other government officials and the media.
For the Chawe adventure, Kambewa was challenging the public that if they thought cycling uphill for 10km non-stop from Zomba Metro shop to Ku Chawe Inn whilst standing was impossible, then they should place a bet of any amount.
Kayira also accompanied him on this adventure as well his other cycling colleague Humphreys Gerald and they completed the task in just 45 minutes. And to prove he was apt to the task of doing it standing all the way, he had the saddle removed from his bike.
At the beginning of this year, Kambewa also went on another adventure of cycling 663kms from Senga Bay in Salima District passing through Lilongwe, Dedza then to Monkey Bay through the Khwerekhere Pass and from Monkey Bay back to his base in Blantyre.
He says he went on this adventure just as his own appreciation of some of Malawi’s beautiful tourist spot which he seldom gets to savour on most times he is travelling by public transport.
“I really enjoyed cycling from Senga Bay because I enjoyed some beautiful places we never see everyday,” he said. “I did it during my holiday and that was a well spent holiday.”
Kambewa also promises that for the Chikwawa uphill cycle, he also shall remove the saddle to prove that he was up to the challenge.
“This adventure shall be filmed and the DVD that shall be produced shall be actioned and the proceeds shall go to a charity to be chosen later,” he said.
Kambewa also has a DVD done for the Chawe Challenge, which also attracted the attention of Ulaya Classic, a body building outfit managed by renowned body builder, Charles Ulaya — one of the founders and pioneers of Weightlifting & Bodybuilding Association.
He chose Chawe uphill route because it is tough and that the issue of students dropping out of school because of lack of fees was in the same context as taking up this challenge.
What prompted him to venture into the Chawe Challenge was that last 2016, whilst he had gone for an interview at MBCtv, he met a woman who had gone at the station to ask for help as she was failing to raise school fees for her son.
“This saddened me but I couldn’t help then. Since that time I have seen and heard a lot os stories of students dropping out of school both in secondary as well as colleges.”
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