East Rand Classic replaces Emperors Classic
This change will have little effect on precious race routes.
The Emperors Palace Classic Road cycle race, previously held at Emperors Palace, has a new name and home.
The event, which consists of mountain-bike races of 50km and 25km on April 27, and road races of 98km and 48km on April 28, is now called the East Rand Classic road race.
According to Erick Oosthuizen, chief executive of race organisers ASG Events, the decision came after Emperors Palace announced that they could no longer host the race.
“It is a great pity and we thank them for their hospitality over the last couple of years,” Oosthuizen said about the casino and hotel resort.
But, the show must go on and luckily for racers the new venue is up the road from the old one. The ACSA parkade is adjacent to OR Tambo International Airport. This will have little effect on the previous race routes.
“We are excited and want to thank Acsa for helping us out,” Oosthuizen said. “We understand that it might not be the most scenic of venues, but we believe it is the perfect fit for what we need.”
He added that organisers opted for the new name because people are familiar with the region.
