aQuellé Tour Durban date changes to November
Race organiser, Alec Lenferna said the decision to stage the race was done in conjunction with Cycling South Africa and all the local authorities.
THE 2021 aQuellé Tour Durban will be staged on 27 and 28 November with a cap of 4 000 participants as the race organisers aim to give the event the best chance of being held to its traditional scale and standards during the pandemic.
With the country approaching the potential third wave of Covid-19 infections, it was felt that the provisional date in August was unrealistic, given the race’s commitment to ensuring that the event is staged in a safe and responsible manner, and at a level that allows it to contribute meaningfully to the race’s charity beneficiaries.
Race organiser, Alec Lenferna said he was excited by the level of enthusiasm for the 2021 aQuellé Tour Durban based on the number of questions he has been fielding from riders around the country.
He added that the decision to stage the race was done in conjunction with Cycling South Africa and all the local authorities.
Read also: Plenty of positives from 2021 Dusi says organisers
“It is difficult to look into the crystal ball and to try and predict what is going to happen with the pandemic in South Africa,” said Lenferna. “The consensus of opinion from all the experts we have spoken to says that we will in all likelihood not be able to host the event in anything like its usual size and format in August.
“Cycling SA has found us a gap in their calendar at the end of November, and hopefully by that stage we will be in a good place to be able to stage the event, adhering to all the regulations that will be in place at that time,” said Lenferna.
“We will not be fully out of the lockdown by that stage, we are lead to believe, so we have put in place a plan that will ensure that we can stage the event and continue to support The Domino Foundation which is the race’s main beneficiary, in a meaningful way, as well as allow for people to be able to take part in events of this nature again” he added.
Lenferna said that the race will use the popular 45km loop up the M4 to eMdloti and back, and offer a 45km, 90km and 135km option on Sunday 28 November, with the MTB races based in the vicinity of Cornubia Mall taking place on Saturday 27 November.
The road race elite racers will be started in small batches, after which the bulk of the field will be allowed to start in their own time during specific time periods to ensure social distancing is adhered to.
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