ANOTHER big field of cycling enthusiasts will take to the roads of Durban on Sunday, 28 April at the 26th edition of the aQuellé Tour Durban presented by Bridge Fund Managers, with a number of big guns surfacing in late entries to spice up the elite challenge for the prestigious classic title.
Three-time winner Nolan Hoffman, winner of the 2018 Cape Town Cycle Tour and a legend of the South African track racing scene, will be back for another crack at the title in the Team Enza colours.
The Bolander, who turned 34 on Tuesday, last won the Tour Durban title in 2013, and more importantly he has been the general behind many of the dominant team performances here in the past decade.
“The Hoff” comes to Durban with a team that includes experienced cool-heads in David Maree and Steven van Heerden.
He will have to square up to the defending Tour Durban champion Gustav Basson (TEG Pro Cycling) who returns with his team mate Jason Oosthuisen to try and repeat their one-two of 2018.
Local fans of the Tour Durban were gearing up to rally behind Kloof youngster Tiffany Keep, who after a storming solo second last year and an equally impressive third in the recent Cape Town Cycle Tour, was really looking forward to the race.
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She has returned from a MTB XCO racing in Namibia in good form, only to fall badly, needing stitches to repair the damage and reluctantly forcing her to withdraw from her hometown major road race.
This race will include the hand-cyclists, now formally recognised as a separate class by the race, and in a new initiative, race sponsor Bridge Fund managers pay the entry fee for every hand-cyclist who enters the race.
Many of those riders will opt to ride for one of the five official race charities, the Domino Foundation, the CHOC Cows, iThemba Lethu, iCare or Focus on iThemba, enjoying the right to a preferential place in charity batches in the 100km and 45km races.
Late entries forms for the three races will still be taken at Cycle Lab Cornubia on Friday and Saturday.
ROAD CLOSURES
Masabalala Yengwa (NMR): 5.30am -2.30pm
Margaret Mncadi Ave: 5.30am-8am
M4 South: 5.30am-8.30am
M7 Edwin Swales and M19 to Pinetown: 6am-9.30am
M19 Pinetown to Umgeni Road: 6.15am-10am
Inanda Road (Springfield Park): 6.30am-10.15am
Riverside Road: 6.30am-10.30am
M4 North and South bound from Argyle Road to Umdloti: 6.30am-2pm
