November 19, 2007
By Lesego Madumo
YESTERDAY Herman Fouche was the king of Joburg. The Konica Minolta team cyclist clinched victory in the Pick n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, which he finished in a scant two hours, 13 minutes, and 57 seconds.
The women's race was won by Anriette Schoeman, who finished in a slightly longer two hours, 43 minutes, and 47 seconds.
A few hours earlier, at exactly 5.30am on Sunday 18 November, dawn was breaking as the first group of cyclists lined up to take pedal power to Jozi streets, in the second biggest mass-participation, timed sporting event in the world. More than 25 000 cyclists took part.
While the hordes of riders geared up for the start, dark clouds gathered overhead. But the threat of rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of cyclists and spectators alike. And rightly so - as the day wore on, it became scorchingly hot.
For one day Joburg's roads belong to cyclists
A navigating helicopter scraped the sky, keeping a close eye on the event. The City had pulled out all the stops to ensure that it was well-organised, safe, and secure. There was a strong presence of metro police, Netcare 911 personnel, and South African Police Service officers, who made sure that it was a totally safe ride.
Joburg's safest race
The prestigious bicycle race, which has been dubbed Joburg's safest race, was raced for the eleventh time. It comprised of two races - one of 180 kilometres for professional riders and one of 94,7 kilometres for amateurs.
It set off from the corner of Woodmead and Maxwell drives, in northern Joburg; took the N1 to the Carr Street offramp into Newtown in the central business district; passed over Nelson Mandela Bridge into Braamfontein; went up Jan Smuts Avenue passed the Johannesburg Zoo and Hyde Park Shopping Centre; travelled through Cosmo City and Diepsloot; to finish outside the Waterfall Equestrian Estate, back in Sunninghill.
At one point on a steep slope in Jan Smuts Avenue, when it seemed like the cyclists were losing heart, one obviously elated spectator shouted, "Go, go, go boys, good job," - and there was a visible increase in pedal power.
It got arduous again in Cosmo City, the mixed income housing development in Joburg's far north. A cyclist fell off his bike, and was instantly attended by Netcare 911 personnel. Although minor accidents were reported, none of the participants were seriously injured.
Battle
The battle of the race was between the teams MTN/Microsoft, Neotel, and Konica Minolta. As the cyclists emerged within 400 meters of the finish post, a ripple of excitement went through the spectators.
Riding hard towards the finish, Fouche clinched the win in the elite men's category. He was followed by Darryl Impi (MTN/Microsoft) and French-based South African, Ian McLoud (Francias Dex Jeux).
Expressing his elation, Fouche said he felt great and relieved. "From one point when I was preparing for the race, I knew a win would come, and I'm glad it came today … It was the hardest finish I have ever come across."
In the women's race, Schoeman was followed by Marissa van der Merwe and Cherise Taylor. "The race was very difficult," Schoeman said. "I lost stability along the route, but I bit my teeth and pushed forward." But in all, the experience was "absolutely fantastic".
Fouche, Schoeman pocketed R21 000 each for first price, second prize was R13 500 and third placed got R8 500. All cyclists who took part in the Cycle Challenge received special medals.
Road closures
On the safety front, the City had given permission to organisers to close roads to traffic for the duration of the race, which took riders through Joburg's flashy northern suburbs, business and cultural sites, recent developments, and sprawling slums.
A fund-raising initiative, the Homeless Talk Crèche in Joubert Park is one of the race's primary beneficiaries. It is a daycare facility for the children of
Homeless Talk vendors, which keeps them off the streets while their caregivers work. About 77 percent of the race's proceeds have already been earmarked for charity.
Robert Hunter, a Tour de France winner, and his Team Barloworld colleagues, rode to raise money for that crèche. Every R1 800 paid by each cyclist who joined them for the charity ride, will be donated to the facility.
Some 3 700 jobs were created during the event, which plays a pivotal role in placing Joburg as one of Africa's major sports and business destinations. It was sponsored by Pick n Pay and 94.7 Highveld Stereo, among other companies, and was fully endorsed by the City of Johannesburg.
Organiser Tanya Harford said, "This further entrenched the partnership between the City of Joburg and the Pick n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, which showcases the City's ability to stage sporting events of this stature."
It also gave Joburg residents a wonderful opportunity to share in a day of celebrations of all that was good about Joburg.
Children's challenge
In addition to the main event, the weekend was a cycling attraction "of worldwide significance". On Saturday, 17 November more than 4 000 children between the ages of two and 15 took part in the Children's Cycle Challenge; and about 2 500 cyclists took take part the Mountain Bike Challenge on a tough, specially designed bike track around the estate.
Cyclists in these races also received medals marking their participation.
Eddy Merckx, the World Cycling Governing Body's cyclist of the century was in the country for a five-day social visit, and he joined the race for the first time. Commonly known as the "Cannibal" for his hunger to win every race he entered, Merckx rode with the Tshwane team, Queens Club.
Merckx, whose cycling career spanned about 16 years, from 1961 until 1977, said he was happy to finish in just under three hours. "The race was very difficult, but ultimately this is a great course; it was very safe and fun for all of us."
The Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge was started in 1997 by the Midrand Country Cyclists; only 5 500 cyclists took part. It has grown tremendously since then, with 27 082 cyclists taking part last year. It has been voted Road Race of the Year for 2003, 2005 and 2006 at the annual Pick n Pay Go Banking Cyclist of the Year Awards.
For the first time, this year's Cycle Challenge was flighted on SuperSport 1, with Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the popular Tour de France commentators, as anchormen.
Mayor's support
Executive Mayor Amos Masondo endorsed the Cycle Challenge and dubbed it a major role player in uniting people and communities. It provided a uniquely effective medium for implanting national pride and patriotism.
He said the Cycle Challenge helped to build a positive image of the city. "It [raises] its profile and contributes to the economy through the spending power of locals, visitors and sponsors," Masondo noted, while citing that apart from promoting general health, sport played an important role in communities.
After the gruelling race, however, the day was chilled, with music by local bands such as Love Jones, Harris Tweed, Louise Carver, and Voodoo Child.
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