New look aQuellé Tour Durban attracts big entry
Entry numbers suggest riders and runners welcome the changes.
The new-look 2024 aQuellé Tour Durban will offer cyclists and trail runners an expanded weekend of action on April 20 and 21.
Entry numbers suggest riders and runners welcome the changes.
The event organisers are excited to see that the new additions to the 2024 event – a gravel race and a trail run – have attracted a healthy field of entrants, while the traditional main events, the road race on Sunday, April 21, and the MTB races on Saturday, April 20, are proving even more popular than before, with a significant increase in entries so far.
The extra entries for the event are solid proof that the changes to the route and format in 2023 have been well received, and the new additions for this year look to be a further boost to the popularity of the event.
For this year, the family experience has been enhanced with the inclusion of a gravel race and a trail run on the first day of the weekend’s action. The expanded “off-road day” now gives participants a choice of a 48km gravel ride, three mountain bike races (40km, 20km and 10km) and three trail runs (20km, 10km and 5km), ensuring something for all trail-sport enthusiasts.
The road riders once again have the option of 110km, 42km or 28km distances, with all three routes based around the M4 between the start and finish at Moses Mabhida Stadium and Mdloti. The 110km race also includes a testing climb up the M41 on the second of its three-lap route.
The 110km road event will give the front bunch some extra races within a race – most notably the points-based CMH Nissan King of the Mountain and CMH Renault Sprint competitions, while the Gooderson Leisure team competition is an attractive option for club-based teams to fight it out for bragging rights.
There will be two different King of the Mountain sites on the route, providing three opportunities for the top climbers to pick up points for this category, which will then be totalled to decide the 2024 CMH Renault Ballito King of the Mountain title holder.
The speedsters also have an opportunity to collect points and win prizes based on their top-end speed, with the Magnite Sprint by CMH Nissan Ballito following a similar format as the KOM competition. There will be one sprint point on the race route which will provide riders with an opportunity on each of the three laps of the route to collect points.
Backmarkers can also challenge their mates to a sprint and there will be lucky draw prizes for both the King of the Mountain and sprint competition.
Entries are still open for all cycling events at ROAG.org, while KZN Trail Running (kzntrailrunning.co.za) is taking entries for the trail runs.
Entries close on April 16. The race registration for all cycling events will take place at Cycle Lab at Cornubia Mall on Friday and Saturday April 19 and 20, and the trail run registration will be at the start on April 20.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
