November 17, 2006
By Anish Abraham
ONLY two sleeps to go until the tenth annual Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, on Sunday, 19 November, and organisers are expecting about 28 000 cyclists to take part in what has become one of the country's most prestigious cycle races.
The race, sponsored by supermarket chain Pick 'n Pay and 94.7 Highveld Stereo, is 94,7 kilometres long and starts at the intersection of Woodmead and Van Reenen drives in Woodmead. Cyclists will leave in two groups, one at 5.30am and the other about 10.15am.
Come rain or shine, the 94.7 Pick 'n Pay Cycle Challenge will take place on 19 November
"In terms of organisation, everything is going well," said Dex de Bruin, the marketing manager at 94.7 Highveld Stereo. "It's especially helpful that the route has not changed from last year."
The race is fully supported by the City of Johannesburg, which, together with the Johannesburg Metro Police, the Johannesburg Roads Agency and the Gauteng department of public transport, roads and works, is ensuring that the cycle challenge remains Joburg's safest race.
Residents are encouraged to take note of the many road closures along the race's route and plan their trips accordingly.
"We will definitely have a large presence due to the number of streets being closed," said Edna Mamonyane, the Metro Police spokesperson. "It is our responsibility to ensure that the roads are safe for [the cyclists]".
She added that 335 Metro Police officers would be assigned to the road closures, and the M1 freeway would be closed between 5am and 11.30am.
The cycle challenge
With more than R180 000 in prize money up for grabs, the competition has been growing from strength to strength since the first cycle challenge was held a decade ago, with just over 4 000 cyclists participating.
The idea was born when Highveld Stereo and Midrand Country Cyclists decided to organise a race in Gauteng that would be a world-class sporting event, capable of capturing the city's competitive temperament. As such, organisers are expecting it to attract as many as 40 000 participants in the near future.
The route goes through historic Parktown, over the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge, up Jan Smuts Avenue and through the Diepsloot area to the finish at the Waterfall Equestrian Estate, on the corner of Maxwell Drive and the R55 in Sunninghill.
The Johannesburg Metro Police will be on duty to ensure the safety of cyclists and spectators
The end point marks a departure from the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit used in previous years, but De Bruin said organisers were confident the change would be well received by participants and spectators.
Apart from the feature race, there are cycle races of various distances for children, as well as 20km and 40km mountain bike races for adults on Saturday, 18 November.
De Bruin said that rain would delay the starting times for the children's races, but it would make the mountain bike races very exciting. "Even if it does rain on Sunday, the race will still take place. The weather forecast for Sunday is a fine morning followed by showers later and we hope that's the way it remains."
Full details of the road closures are available on the 94.7 Highveld Stereo website, which also offers alternative routes. For more information, contact the call centre on 0862 947 947.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
