Our Greatest Race
It is midday in Cape Town and a lone man is staring intently down the road. He’s lost deep in thought next to the new Cape Town Stadium. In June and July this year, it will play host to thousands of soccer fans from all over the world, but he’s not thinking about soccer. He is looking at the finish line for the March 14th Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour.
Ken Sturgeon is one of the directors of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust, the non-profit organisation that plans the annual Cycle Tour as well as a number of other prestigious cycling events. Sturgeon is part of a team dedicated to crafting the Cycle Tour into the event it is today – one of the world’s top races, attracting 35,000 riders from all over the world.
“Every year we see more riders from across the country and the world registering for the Cycle Tour. Sometimes the weather plays havoc, sometimes the route changes, but cyclists’ passion for the event never wanes.” Sturgeon says it is the cycling community’s passion that makes Cycle Tour the race it is. One group of riders – affectionately known as the Magnificent Seven – have completed every single Cycle Tour to date!
It all started in 1977 when Bill Mylrea and John Stegmann organised the Big Ride-In to raise awareness of the need for dedicated cycling lanes in Cape Town. The Argus newspaper came aboard as main sponsor the following year, and the name of the race was changed to the Argus Cycle Tour. By 1991 the race had grown to over 15,000 riders, and its name changed to the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour, after the retail chain took over co-sponsorship from M-Net.
To accommodate the growing number of cyclists competing annually, organisers have had to adjust the route a few times over the years. The inaugural event started outside the Castle in Strand Street with the finish line in Camps Bay, a distance of 104 km. In 1981 the start of the race was moved to Hertzog Boulevard, where it remains to this day. Chapman’s Peak was closed due to safety concerns exacerbated by destructive mountain fires in 2000, and it was decided to bring cyclists back along the less impressive Blue Route and through the city centre to the finish.
Four years passed before Chappies was reopened and this sparked a veritable frenzy of entries, with almost 1,700 international entrants that year from all five continents. “The ride over Chapman’s Peak is one of the most impressive parts of the race. When riders get to this stage they are exhausted, but crossing Chappies brings them into a nice downhill home stretch with one of the best views in the world. It’s a profound experience for riders who may not be used to the beauty of the Cape, or those who are simply praying for some relief from the relentless climb!” says Sturgeon.
Since most of the Cycle Tour route runs through a National Park and World Heritage site, the race organisers have a full environmental management plan that looks at every impact the race could have on the environment – from fire risks, traffic management and noise pollution to its new Stash Your Trash campaign.
According to Sturgeon “the Cycle Tour was the first cycling event in the world to incorporate a comprehensive environmental management plan”. Today, the International Cycling Union requires all events under its patronage to have similar plans.
Riders drop about 70,000 energy gel sachets along the way with each race. Apart from spoiling the beauty of the route, this also has a potentially harmful effect on the local Chacma baboon families. “The natural beauty of the Cape is such a core aspect of why people come to the race. It’s hugely important for us to minimise the Cycle Tour’s impact on the environment.”
When riders finish the 33rd Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour this year, they will be greeted by the towering presence of the new stadium. It marks another milestone in the evolution of one of cycling’s great races – and one of South Africa’s greatest events.
Story & Pix © Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust
