Cape Town - After the reduction last year of the race to just 47km due to wildfires, 35 000 cyclists are raring to take on the full 109km route on Sunday for the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the world’s largest timed cycle race.
The 39th tour will start at the Cape Town city centre at 6.15am, with the men’s pro group. The last riders will set off at 10am, long after the winners have crossed the finish line and received their medals.
After starting on Hertzog Boulevard, the competitors will race down the M3 - usually clogged with traffic during the week - heading for Muizenberg. They will then ride along the False Bay coastline, past Simon’s Town and Smitswinkel Bay.
At roughly the halfway mark, the riders will turn inland toward Misty Cliffs, passing Ocean View and Noordhoek, before riding Chapman’s Peak Drive.
The route then takes them past the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton, before a sprint to the finish in Green Point.
Yesterday Tour director David Bellairs said everything was ready for the big day.
More than 3 000 personnel, from police and medics to marshals, will be stationed along the route tomorrow to make sure everything flows smoothly.
Bellairs said 4 500 international cyclists would ride this year’s race.
Roughly 16 000 riders from outside the province were also taking part, giving the city’s economy an additional boost.
Mayor Patricia de Lille said yesterday the race brings “massive economic benefits” to the city.
Last year the Tour injected R408 million into the regional economy. For the men’s race, all eyes will be on Franschhoek cyclist Nolan Hoffmann, who took top honours in the past two years.
“Nolan has a fantastic team around him,” said Bellairs. “But the mountain bikers down for the Cape Epic are going to give him a run for his money.”
The record time for the men’s race is 02:27:29, set by Robbie Hunter in 2008.
Bellairs described the women’s race as “open”, with strong contenders such as Cherise Stander and last year’s champion Lynette Burger not taking part. But the competition would still still be tough, he predicted.
Seven-time race champion Anriette Schoeman stood a good chance of taking her eighth crown, said Bellairs.
The fastest women’s time is 02:44:04, set by Renee Scott in 1991.
While elite riders will be aiming for a time under three hours, more leisurely competitors can take up to seven hours to cross the finish line.
Ahead of tomorrow’s big race, junior riders will today enjoy their own tour at the Youngsfield Military Base in Wynberg. Traditionally held the day before the main event, the junior tour is for children up to the age of 12, who race around a short track.
* Pictures from Saturday’s Cape Town Cycle Tour Juniors will be on www.iol.co.za and on Weekend Argus’s Facebook page later today.
Weekend Argus