VIDEO: Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge route

An detailed 94km route description for the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge has been made public by the event’s organisers.

On Sunday, 20 November, the Cycle Challenge will celebrate its 20th edition. Once again, it will start and finish at Riversands Commercial Park in Fourways.

Johannesburg has an ever-changing landscape and as a result event organisers have made changes to the route in order to accommodate the expanding city. From Riversands, the route then moves through Blue Hills and Kyalami.

• New this year: Off the R55, the route will take a sharp right turn into the NEW Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit giving cyclists the chance to test their speed around this recently upgraded world class track. The opportunity to ride through the newly renovated circuit with its breathtaking views of the city, smooth tarred surface, wide sweeping road and sharp exhilarating bends is something unique.

From Kyalami, the route runs along Woodmead Drive and onto the M1 South. The M1 South is a 17km section of rolling hills and is much tougher than it looks in a car.

• City loop: 2016 sees the removal of the Joe Slovo, Hillbrow and Ghandi Square loop. The route however will continue up the M2 South where you will take a left turn onto the Carr Street on-ramp into the Newtown Precinct and over the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge. Smile for the cameras – this is a favourite spot for photographers!

You’ll pedal on to Jan Smuts Avenue and head towards Zoo Lake and Rosebank. This stretch is very popular with the Sunday brunchers who come out to support. Enjoy the cheers (and beers and braais) along the way. The route continues along Jan Smuts onto Bram Fischer Drive in Randburg. Here cyclists will take a left turn onto Homestead Avenue and wind through Bryanston and onto Grosvenor Road through Douglasdale and then left onto Witkoppen Road.

• Some new twists and turns: From Witkoppen Road, the route turns right into New Market Road, left into Epsom Avenue and then onto Malibongwe Drive. We then travel north along Malibongwe Drive to the Lion Park intersection at the R114 and take a right turn.

• The sting in the tail: Cyclists will then proceed down Cedar Road and up again into the picturesque Steyn City Estate where the views are matched with some tough hills! From here you continue onwards to the finish at Riversands Commercial Park. We’ll level out Steyn City’s bumps for a smoother ride close to the finish.

DOWNLOAD the route map

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