Route overhaul for popular Emperors Palace Classic
The public can look forward to witnessing top-class, European-style racing
ENTRIES are now open for the popular Emperors Palace Classic, presented by OR Tambo International Airport at Emperors Palace on April 9 and 10 next year.
Billed as “the race of dreams”, the event’s offering is stunning and includes both road riders and mountain bikers.
The big news is that the road race route for the ninth edition of this race has undergone a significant overhaul to cut out the busy sections in Rondebult Road on the way back to Emperors Palace for both road race distances.
The incredible increase in race entries over the past two years has made the move to a new route unavoidable to enable the event to host the increased rider totals.
The racing starts with the 20km and 40km MTB races on the Saturday, followed by the 40km and 98km road races the following day.The Sunday offering includes the Emperors Palace Kids Classic, which caters for youngsters aged 3-5 and 6-8.
The circuit spectacular will once again bring the curtain down on the weekend’s racing programme.
This invitation-only, 30-minute criterium race sees South Africa’s top pro riders face off in a high-speed battle on a circuit near the main entrance to the casino resort.
The Emperors Palace Kids Classic starts at 10am on Sunday and the circuit spectacular at 11am.
It includes entertainment provided by Emperors Palace and is followed by the prize-giving at noon.
The public can look forward to witnessing top-class, European-style racing, which is rarely seen on South African soil.
It’s a real crowd pleaser and the circuit spectacular and the kids’ races have been moved to a more visible and accessible spot to allow more spectators to get in on the action right next to the main gate at Emperors.
Although the road race routes have changed, the nature of the event hasn’t. The road routes still offer fast and flat circuits with good surfaces throughout. The total ascent on the 98km ride is 358m while the 40km ride presents 240m of vertical ascent.
For further details, contact the race office at eventsupport@asgworld.co.za or call 076-621-1807.
