More than twenty ambassadors have confirmed their participation in the Bestmed Tshwane Classic following an event presentation last week at Tshwane House in Pretoria.

The third edition of the Bestmed Tshwane Classic takes place on 3 November this year, starting and finishing at the historic Voortrekker Monument in the capital city.

The excitement at the presentation was tangible and Danish Ambassador Tobias Rehfeld wasted no time in entering a friendly wager with his counterpart from Belgium, Didier Vanderhasselt, on who would reach the finish line first in the 95km race on 3 November.

“This is a wonderful initiative and we feel privileged that the organisation has engaged with us. We are really looking forward to the race. Denmark has a proud cycling heritage and we have a reputation to uphold following our victory in the men’s World Championship road race at the weekend,” said Rehfeld.

Among the ambassadors are some accomplished cyclists, such as Uruguay’s Cesar Rodriguez Zavalla, who is in great shape. He could well upset the Belgian-Danish party on race day.

“The ambassadors will wear a distinctive Bestmed Tshwane Classic branded helmet cover, which will make them recognisable. We will start them in the same batch along with their embassy employees and family members,” said event organiser Mauritz Meyer.

Meyer explained that this is a special addition to the event and an important building block in their drive to market the race to an international audience.

Tshwane MMC for social and community development, Sakkie du Plooy, also attended the presentation.

“This is a major event for the Tshwane Metro and the attendance today shows that the race is popular going into the third year of presentation. Pretoria is unique as far as the significant embassy representation in the city is concerned and it’s going to be a wonderful occasion to see all the ambassadors and their staff on their bicycles,” said Du Plooy.

He will play host to the ambassadors on race day and the city is setting up a hospitality area to welcome them back following their ride.

Vanderhasselt is a cycling enthusiast who also took part in the Ikhasi Ride in Mamelodi earlier this year. He tweeted afterwards that he could not wait for the Tshwane Classic.

At the presentation Vanderhasselt thanked the organizers of the race. He said that he had already entered, but that this initiative makes them feel special.

“We are excited to see the development of this wonderful race. We are giving our full support to the city and will assist to entrench the race,” he said.

Besides the signature 95km race, which takes riders past various major historical landmarks in Tshwane, fun riders are also catered for with the 50km and 20km routes, while kids can have a bash at either 5km or 500m at the Voortrekker Monument.

The course for the Tshwane Classic, which takes a new safer routing through the city this year, presents a well-balanced challenge.

The Tom Jenkins ascent at the back of the Union Buildings, 15km before the finish, provides the final challenge of the day and is the big talking point of the race. It’s 1km in length at an average gradient of nine percent.

“The road surface of the climb is kept as is for the most bit as everyone feels it adds to the character of the event. The Tshwane Metro fill up potholes on the side of the road, but the rough cement surface is left untouched,” said Meyer.

Various embassy representatives have indicated that they are going to purchase bicycles for employees who are taking part and these bikes will be donated to the Tshwane Urban Riders following the event.

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