Holy Cow on a Bike!

Have you seen people dressed as cows on ice-cream bikes at a cycle race? These are the CHOC Cows, who have raised R55 million (and counting) in support of children with cancer. The movement of Cows also has a Catholic link, as Terence Creamer explains.

It is increasingly popular for South African amateur athletes to run or cycle for a cause when taking part in the country’s many mass-participation sporting events, such as the 947 Ride Joburg or the Comrades Marathon. In many such events, the CHOC Cows are not only an ubiquitous and happy feature but also an increasingly popular brand around which many generous weekend warriors rally.

The success of this fundraising machine belies its humble beginnings 16 years ago. It began after one of Alberto “Alby” Riccardi’s colleagues, Kerrin Bain and her husband Grant, lost their 20-month-old daughter Jessica to cancer. Amid the trauma, fellow colleague Cordi van Niekerk felt he had to do something. Together, Albi and Cordi persuaded the former’s triathlete brother Roberto “Rob” Riccardi and their extreme-athlete friend Richard Laskey to use the 94.7 Cycle Challenge of 2008 as a charity fundraiser for the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa, widely known as CHOC.

Given that running or cycling for a cause was still a nascent concept in local athletic circles, they decided to do something “really different, and with added physical discomfort” to attract sponsors. All being fit individuals, Richard decided that it would be a “good idea” to ride the race on a one-gear ice-cream bike, fully equipped with the ice box — while dressed as farm animals.

But there was a hitch in the plan: the costume-hire shop refused to allow them to ruin all their farm animal costumes. Instead the group procured eight cow suits for themselves and the friends whom they had convinced to help ride and “push” the ice-cream bike around the course.

The fundraising target was R50000. In the end, they raised in excess of R230000 for CHOC. The group felt that they had completed their mission and resumed their normal athletic activities.

Movement of Cows

That was not the end of it, however. The following year, CHOC reached out to say that people were asking to be “Cows” in the 2009 94.7 Cycle Challenge, asking whether the Cow membership base could be broadened. The guys’ initial reaction was: “What are Cows?” Slowly they realised that with their novelty appearance in the 2008 cycle challenge, they had created a movement.

Thus they fully embraced the idea of the Cow movement and agreed to ride 2009’s cycle challenge with others. The goal that year was to raise R1 million, so as to buy a house alongside the existing CHOC House in Soweto, which was unable to cater for all the children. They ended up raising over R2,4 million — and they consolidated the CHOC Cows brand in the consciousness of cyclists, who were increasingly keen to ride for a cause.

The CHOC Cows are now a regular feature of various cycling and athletic events. For the more competitive riders, who want to race rather than ride an ice-cream bike with the main herd, the “Apocalypse Cows” have emerged, a pun on the title of a famous war movie. And competitive they must be, every Apocalypse Cow must commit to two Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg laps and be in good enough shape to complete the first lap in under three hours. They also must be willing to raise more money than the other Cows, and to assist all other Cows when completing their second lap and help push ice cream bikes.

By the end of 2023, the CHOC Cows had raised a whopping R55 million, having done so while having tremendous fun and building an incredible community of fundraisers around them. They all agree that the secret to their success has been about keeping bureaucracy to a minimum while prioritising fun and community.

Cow climbs Kilimanjaro

The cause became deeply personal to Richard Laskey, whose wife Melanie, mother of their three children, had contracted cancer. During this tough time, Richard continued to work with the Cows to help others afflicted with cancer.

Richard has become a fixture at many athletic events, including extreme events such as the Comrades Marathon — which he has run more than ten times dressed in a full Cow suit. He has also completed the Joburg2C cycling event, from Johannesburg to Durban, as a CHOC Cow. And to top it all, he has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in the Cow suit!

Richard continues to do this as a way of highlighting the plight of cancer sufferers and in memory of his loving wife, who passed away in 2010. He downplays his contribution: “I merely believe in being a decent person to others and assisting wherever possible. Helping others is the most precious gift we can give while we are still on this planet.” Richard loves to cite the lyrics from the song “Exodus” by Bob Marley: “Are you satisfied with the life you’re living?”

Inspired by faith

All three co-founders were educated at the Catholic St Benedict’s College in Bedfordview, Johannesburg. Richard was raised a Methodist, but Rob and Alby Riccardi are members of Malvern’s Blessed Sacrament parish, where Alby’s wife and daughters have played active roles in the catechism programmes and choirs respectively.

Rob’s three children are all at Catholic schools, and he has taken on the role as chairperson of the St Benedict’s Alumni Association, which under his stewardship is becoming increasingly active.

Alby and Rob had solid Catholic upbringings by their parents, Nando and Lucia, who have been active in the Catholic community of Johannesburg. Lucia has been a long-serving member of the Catholic Women’s League and helped make many vestments for priests and altar servers for over 30 years.

Asked what role their faith has played in their charity work, Rob and Alby both point to the Catholic grounding they had received at home and at St Benedict’s, which they say instilled in them the importance of trying to help others.

“Looking out for others and being a charitable person is never as easy as it sounds,” the brothers acknowledge. “Sometimes life gets in the way, and you just try keep your head above water. So, you have to work hard at it. But, when opportunity strikes and you find yourself in a position to do some good, you should always take advantage and make the most of it.

“You will be amazed as to how all the lessons you’ll have learnt — faith, hope and charity — go a long way in alleviating other people’s suffering. And when you take a bold, brave step, never forget that you cause ripples — and that’s how Love enters the world.”

The various 947 Ride challenges in Johannesburg are taking place in November this year. For more on the CHOC Cows movement, visit choc.org.za/choc-cows-fundraising/

Published in the July 2024 issue of The Southern Cross magazine