Thousands of cyclists brave the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge
RIVERSANDS – The Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge pushes bikers to the ultimate as they cycle through Johannesburg.
Thousands of cyclists from all over Gauteng and even from across the border congregated at Riversands to compete in the 20th the annual Telkom Cycle Challenge despite the gruelling heat.
Brandon Davids took home the bragging rights after crossing the finish line first. He beat Eddie van Heerden from team Hollard and Morné van Niekerk who rode for team Telkom.
Davids, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal said that the win was a surprise as he went into the race without any expectations.
Close to 30 000 cyclists tackled the 94.7km route which saw the City of Johannesburg shut down streets across the city to enhance the safety of the cyclists during the race.
MMC for Community Development of the City of Johannesburg, Nonhlanhla Sifumba applauded the cyclists for their spirit during the race and added that the race was one of the toughest. “This is an epic event that happens in Johannesburg and it is both challenging and exciting at the same time.
GALLERY: 947 CYCLE CHALLENGE 2016
“Our job is to ensure the safety of the cyclists in the race and everything has gone really well after all the preparations were done.”
She pointed out that the race took the cyclists through two iconic Johannesburg landmarks namely the Kyalami Race Track as well as the Nelson Mandela Bridge between Braamfontein and Newtown.
Harry Mahieu of the Randburg Cycling Club said that he completed the race in about three hours and that he was happy to have finished after preparing for it for several months.
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Warren Medina and Debbie Nielson from Randburg said that they had a very challenging race as their chain broke along the way. “We have put in so much hard work into the race. We prepared for three months and we rode for the Paige Project,” Medina said.
The women’s race was won by Germany’s Charlotte Becker followed by Spanish national champion Mavvi Garcia and in third place was South Africa’s Lise Olivier who cycled for team Time Freight.
