The Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust (CTCTT) has added a shorter route option to its already plentiful options for the 2023 instalment of the festival of road cycling – the 45th anniversary of the popular race.
Next year’s event will boast a 42 km route that complements the celebration of cycling by taking riders out and back along the M3 freeway, just the way the full field did in 2015’s fire-shortened tour.
Riders will start in the shadow of the Castle of Good Hope and make their way southbound on Nelson Mandela Boulevard and the M3 until reaching Steenberg Road (where the traditional route peels off towards Muizenberg) before turning around to head home the way they came, finishing in Newmarket Street in the city centre.
Both events will take place on Sunday 12 March, taking advantage of the full road closure the City of Cape Town affords the iconic event for the safety of the of cyclists who make this pedalling pilgrimage. The simultaneous running of the two events also minimises the impact on residents, with negligible road closure differences in place, as the M3 can be fully isolated from surrounding suburbs.
“The response to the shorter route created out of necessity in 2015 was fantastic,” explained David Bellairs of the race organisers, CTCTT. “In 2015 there was the very real chance that event would get cancelled, but the 42 km route out and back along the M3 allowed us to put on a show for all the cyclists who made their way down to the Cape. After the near-cancellation there was a lot of relief that the event had gone ahead, but we also saw a lot of cyclists who were simply happy to ride 42 km on the day. We have toyed with introducing the shorter route ever since and now, thanks to our excellent relationship with the City, we are able to bring the concept to life as an official part of the tour.”
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who is a new cyclist and a first-time rider, is excited by the prospect of a shorter course. “What a great idea!” he said. “It’s as if they read my mind. Now we beginners, who haven’t yet started training, can also have some prospect of finishing.
“This will open up the cycle tour to thousands of new participants, like me, and will spur the further growth of cycling. The tour is already one of the City’s flagship events for both local and international cycling enthusiasts with the scenery rivalling any other major cycling tour in the world. It’s fantastic that a shorter route is being added to broaden the appeal of cycling, and I look forward to seeing all of you on the day as I take part in my first Cape Town Cycle Tour as the Mayor of this beautiful city.”
With the traditional 109 km event expected to attract thousands of riders and the launch of the short route, the 45th anniversary of the event is shaping up to be a fun-filled day of cycling celebrations.
“We are thrilled to offer riders this new option,” Bellairs added. “It’s an opportunity for those riders who are maybe not confident tackling the full distance to take part in a great day of cycling, and perhaps encourage them to start small before aiming big.”
The 42 km entry fee is R320, with entries having opened on at 13:00 on Monday (5 December). The event is open for riders 11 years old and older. For more information and to enter, visit www.capetowncycletour.com.
