Organisers of The Herald VW Cycle Tour have opted to follow last year’s winning recipe for the 30th edition of the Port Elizabeth road race on Sunday, February 1.
According to race director Julie Briggs of Mountain Events, the overwhelmingly positive response from participants had cemented their decision to continue using the 2014 route for the 106km Classic.
“The changes, which included the introduction of the new Lake Farm climb, were really well received by the riders,” said Briggs.
“From a safety point of view, it’s absolutely the best option. Still the same stunning views and great racing but without dual traffic on Seaview Road.”
She said The Herald VW Cycle Tour had become an institution on the national racing calendar.
“Cyclists are very loyal to our brand, so we have a big responsibility to deliver another awesome event.”
Briggs said commemorative cycling shirts bearing the 30th anniversary logo would be on sale for riders wanting to get into the spirit of the event.
“It’s also one of the premier seeding events for the Cape Town Cycle Tour, so it’s a great opportunity for locals and out-of-town riders to improve their seeding ahead of the 2016 race.”
Many of the top pro teams are expected to descend on the Friendly City for South Africa’s second oldest national classic, which was won this year by three-time champion Nolan Hoffman of Team Abantu.
Local pro Anriette Schoeman of Africa Silks-Bestmed secured her 15th title in the women’s race.
Briggs said she hoped that the public would turn out in their numbers at the start/finish venue opposite Hobie Beach to witness top national racing and support family and friends.
“Riders can also sign up for the Ultimate Quest, where the challenge is to complete the road and mountain bike feature races in the shortest aggregate time.
“It’s really quite an achievement to do the double, so I’d encourage those who are fit enough to give it a go.”
The road component of the event starts with the shorter races on the Saturday. Sponsored by Powerade, these include the 21km Leisure Ride, 10km Sprint, 2km Kiddies’ Ride and 500m Toddlers’ Dash.
The mountain bike events run concurrently from the Addo Polo Club in Addo.
On the Sunday, the 55km Pursuit and 106km Classic bring the weekend festival of cycling to a close.
For more information, or to enter, visit www.heraldcycletour.co.za.
Issued by:
Full Stop Communications
Coetzee Gouws
082 575 7991
041 368 4992
coetzee@fullstopcom.com
www.fullstop.co.za
Media enquiries:
Anica van Wyk
pr@fullstopcom.com
079 875 4299
On behalf of:
The Herald VW Cycle Tour