WITH just less than a month to go to the popular aQuellé Tour Durban on Sunday 24 April, part-time cycling enthusiasts are blowing the dust off their road and mountain bikes to prepare for the 45km Fun Ride that attracts the majority of the riders taking part in the iconic cycling occasion.
Starting and finishing at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, the 45km out-and-back race takes riders on the recently-resurfaced M4 up to eMdloti and back, with striking views of the Indian Ocean throughout, making for easy and manageable riding for the part-time cyclist.
With cycling safety top-of-mind for every rider, the outing on full road closure provides the peace of mind road cyclists thrive on and the camaraderie of their fellow riders.
The 45km ride always attracts a significant number of tandem teams, hand-bike athletes as well as riders on a variety of other bicycles eager to test themselves over the accessible distance and manageable terrain.
Greg Albert, owner of the Cyclesphere store in Durban, says more and more Durbanites are embracing a lifestyle built around enjoying the city on bicycles.
“The 45km is such a do-able, fun and easy ride,” said Albert. “The biggest advantage of this race is that it starts and finishes at the same place, so there is no hassle at all about getting there and home afterwards.”
He said that there was a large community of active Durbanites with bicycles at home that would easily be able to take on the 45km ride and enjoy the security and accessibility of the event.
“Anyone can do it,” he stressed. “The full road closure is such a bonus and the road to uMdloti and back is superb now, so anyone who has a bike should have the date pencilled into their diaries.”
Albert said that the event was an ideal way for a group of friends or colleagues from work to enter as a team and ride together. He pointed out that every year he gets inundated with questions about entering on the day because riders missed the normal entry deadlines.
“It is that old Durban fever issue. There are more Durbanites riding the Cape Town Cycle Tour than their own race here, which seems crazy.”
Normal entries can be submitted online at www.cycleevents.co.za. For more information, visit www.tourdurban.co.za.
