Gary Beneke set to toast Tour Durban 25th anniversary

25 YEARS after he won the first edition of the race, cycling icon Gary Beneke will be toasting the milestone anniversary of the aQuellé Tour Durban presented by Bridge Fund Managers on Sunday 29 April.

Beneke was a dominant force as an elite rider and continues to race hard in his Masters age group, and hardly ever missed as Tour Durban, with more than twenty under his belt.

The 56 year old, who lives and rides out of the cycling hub of Glenvista in Gauteng, recalls the buzz surrounding the launch of the race in 1993.

“It was the Tour D’Urban back then.” he recalls. “The event was launched with big fanfare, and me being a keen professional racing cyclist, it was another big national event with status. I was definitely excited and something to look forward to, not only the appeal of the actual race but also an opportunity to go to Durban and enjoy the sea!” he said.

Beneke says the appeal of the race among both elite and social riders has always been its unique place in the national calendar.

“For us it was a race with a holiday feeling and chance to enjoy a weekend down at the coast. The weather is usually fantastic at that time of year, but we have had a few years when it has been ridden in tough conditions, with wind, rain and cold,” said Beneke.

The route has changed a number of times over the quarter of a century of racing, but Beneke said he always felt he had an advantage at the race.

“I was relatively familiar with the route,” he recalls. “The hills and the roads were definitely challenging and undulating, taking in all the hills of uMhlanga, Verulam, Tongaat, uMhlali, Salt Rock and Ballito.

While Beneke is looking forward to celebrating the race’s 25th anniversary at the end of April, he will do so from a distance, as he will be missing the race – a rare blemish on his record at the Durban classic – as he will be away in France attending a wedding.

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