Vesting the Bestmed Tshwane Classic as a major sporting event on the African continent is the simple and stated goal for Pretoria’s signature mass participation cycling event, which takes place this coming Sunday.

Councillor Sakkie du Plooy, MMC for Community and Social Development Services in Tshwane, said the race has proven itself in the first two years and the city is committed to growing the event.

“The race has become part of the heartbeat of Tshwane and we look forward to welcoming cyclists to our city on 3 November this year,” said Du Plooy.

He said sport is crucially important for the city and the organizers owe it to residents to present a showcase cycling event.

“It’s time for Tshwane to present a true mass participation cycling race and we will ensure the event receives support to create a traffic free environment for cyclists on race day,” he said.

According to Du Plooy, Tshwane has a strong focus on developing sport, and his office is delighted to see the efforts of the organisers to bring a cornerstone cycling event to the African continent and to South Africa’s capital.

He believes the route is delightful and presents a challenge for all types of riders.

“Whether you’re trying to achieve a certain finishing time or merely just trying to finish – the City of Tshwane has the stated aim of accommodating everyone, making it truly the peoples’ race. We are also calling on residents to have patience on the roads on 3 November. As was the case with the Cape Town Cycle Tour and 947 we really work hard to create an awareness platform around the event and deploying a logistical plan which impacts as little as possible on residents,” Du Plooy concluded.

Besides the signature 98km race, which takes riders past all the 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.

Courtesy of the Tshwane Metro’s support, a total of more than 600 metro police officers, 250 marshals and more than 20km of barricading will be deployed to ensure total road closure for cyclists.

Route maps caption: The third staging of the Bestmed Tshwane Classic takes place next Sunday and presents an iconic route which passes various historical landmarks in Pretoria.

For more information about the race and the different routes go to www.tshwaneclassic.co.za The public will also be able to follow the race on Facebook @tshwaneclassic

Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:

Rekord East
Rekord North
Rekord Centurion
Rekord Moot

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram