On 23 November, the Breitling Triathlon Squad competed in the Coronation Double Century, a gruelling South African road race named after its distance of over 200 kilometres. For the second consecutive time, Squad members Jan Frodeno, Chris "Macca" McCormack and Daniela Ryf were joined in Swellendam by Breitling CEO Georges Kern and some of the world's most talented cyclists. These included Swiss Ironman champion and duathlon specialist Ronnie Schildknecht, South African cyclist Nicholas Dlamini and Italian cycling champion Vincenzo Nibali, one of only seven athletes in the world to have won three Grand Tours (one victory in La Vuelta, one victory in the Tour de France and two victories in the Giro d'Italia). Breitling acted as official time trialist for the race and the cyclists raced in support of Qhubeka, a global charity based in South Africa that provides bicycles to people in communities across Africa with limited transportation options. Qhubeka distributed 100 Breitling-funded bicycles to 100 pupils at Usasazo Secondary School in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, bringing to 350 the total number of bicycles delivered to the school as part of the student mobility programme organised by Qhubeka and supported by Breitling in 2019. The school's pupils have entered into 12-month agreements in which they promise to commit to attend school and achieve good academic performance as a sine qua non for receiving the bicycles. With them, they can get to school more easily and have easier access to libraries, sports activities and other opportunities. The Coronation Double Century marked the first anniversary of Breitling's partnership with Qhubeka, celebrated the day after the race with a visit to a Qhubeka community. On this occasion, the 100 bicycles were shown to 100 pupils, who participated in a relay race together with some of Breitling's guests. "It is incredible the difference a bicycle can make," said Georges Kern. "It allows a pupil to go to school or provide medical care for a family member, things we take for granted. Even though we were exhausted after the race, meeting the students and seeing the Qhubeka team at work was a source of energy for all of us, and a great reminder of why we were there."
