Information
In 1977 Bill Mylrea and John Stegmann, who are credited with being the visionaries and moving spirits behind the Cycle Tour, organised the Big Ride-In to draw attention to the need for cycle paths in Cape Town. The Ride-In, which was held under the auspices of the newly founded Western Province Pedal Power Association (now Pedal Power Association) was a great success and attracted hundreds of cyclists, including the Mayor of Cape Town. The cyclists met on the Grand Parade and rode down Adderley Street to the Foreshore. Stemming out of this the idea of holding a long-distance ride, to be known as the Peninsula Marathon, was born. WPPPA warned would-be riders that it would not be easy - ' a good two months preparation is recommended!'
2009 presented a number of challenges, not least of all the day itself! In the months leading up to the event we were faced with the uncertainty of whether the Tour would be able to go over Chappies, having to divert cyclists over Boyes Drive with its inherent safety problems and potential changes to the finish layout, to name but a few.
And then the day dawned! Never in the 32 year history of the Tour have we experienced conditions like these - fences blown down, banners ripped to shreds, debris flying all over the place. No need to go to the toilet, this year, the porta potties came to you! Just to get started cyclists had to dismount from their bicycles and push hard to pass under the Civic Centre Tower block with winds up to 100kmph. This delayed the start by an hour.
Nearly 30 000 braved the start and just under 27 000 finished. The race was eventually stopped at Chappies at 16:30 and the cut off time extended to 8 hrs, because of extreme wind conditions.
The medics, marshals and all the other volunteer support teams earned nothing but praise for the sterling job they did in the most trying of conditions. At the end of the day there were no serious injuries and by Wednesday practically all those taken to hospital had been discharged.
The Tour was won by Arran Brown in a time of 2:46:32, closely followed by Robbie Hunter and Nolan Hoffman. Jenny Stenerhag took line honours in 3:06:01 in the Ladies Race, narrowly beating Anriette Schoeman in a dramatic sprint finish. The winning time was 3:06:01 with Marissa van der Merwe in third place.
The `Argus`, as it is affectionately known by riders- is supported by locals along the route, encouraging support to all who attempt this strenuous yet fun, family ride!
The Route:
The following is a general description of the route. The start is in the city centre, outside the Civic Centre. You then travel along the M3 to Lakeside where you will be diverted on to Boyes Drive. You will then rejoin the Main Road at Kalk Bay after a steep descent from Boyes Drive. From there you take the coastal road to Simonstown and then go past the entrance to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. You then continue to Scarborough and on to Oceanview, missing the Kommetjie Hill. Then its Chapman’s Peak and up Suikerbossie and along the coast to Greenpoint.