Cape Town
Gear up for the largest individually timed cycling event in the world
Set to take off at the sound of the starting gun on Sunday, 9 March 2014, the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour – usually referred to as ‘the Argus’ – will once again see scores of cyclists from all over the globe gear up for the largest individually timed cycling event in the world.
Started in 1978 to raise awareness about the lack of bike paths in South Africa, the cycle tour, in its inaugural year, was a simple ride-in that drew hundreds of eager riders and the Mayor of Cape Town. While the organisers, Bill Mylrea and John Stegmann, were impressed with the turn-out, there’s no way they could’ve anticipated the event’s explosive popularity in years to come.
The starting line for the 2014 Argus is in Hertzog Boulevard at the Cape Town Civic Centre, and the route – it’s 109 km – will take riders onto the N2, down the M3 along the False Bay Coast past the entrance to the Cape of Good Hope, along the Atlantic coast, over Suikerbossie Hill and on to the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point.
While the original route was intended to take cyclists on a 140-km circular stretch, including a leg through Cape Point, the nature reserve declined entry and the route was reduced to between 104-km and 110-km, passing over the scenic Chapman’s Peak.
Registration and Entries for the 2014 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour
Entry for the 2014 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour opens on Sunday, 1 September 2013 at 1pm, and applications can be lodged via the www.cycletour.co.za website. The race's capacity is set at 35 000 cyclists, and once this limit has been reached, entries will no longer being accepted. There is a discount on entry fees for Pedal Power Association (PPA) members.
| ENTRY FEES FOR THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES | ||
| South African Entries | R360p/p (non PPA members) | R330p/p (PPA members) |
| Africa Entries | R400p/p | |
| International Entries | R550p/p | |
| Corporate and Charity Group Entries | Consult www.cycletour.co.za for more information. | |
Do note that entry fees do not include RaceTec chips; these timing devices must be purchased separately. In order to compete in the cycling race, participants must turn 13 years old in the year of the event, and children accompanying parents on the back of a tandem must be 11 years of age or older. For more rules and regulations, consult www.cycletour.co.za.
For those interested in increasing their seeding index for future cycle tours, a number of seeding events are still to come for the 2014 race; for more information, visit www.cycletour.co.za or follow @CycleTourTrust on Twitter for regular updates.
Registration for the 2014 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour will take place at the annual Cape Argus Lifecycle Expo at the Good Hope Centre in the week before the race. Riders can collect race packs on behalf of one another; please make sure that the absent cyclist has a RaceTec chip, otherwise they will not be allowed to access the start of the race.
Do note that registration will NOT take place on the day of the race.
Fun facts about the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour
- The fastest men’s record was set by Robbie Hunter in 2008; who completed the 110-km course in 02:27:29.
- The fastest women’s record was set by Anke Erlank-Moore in 2007; who completed the 110-km course in 02:48:29.
- The fastest average speed of 47.48-km/h was set by Wimpie van der Merwe in 1993.
- Penny Krohn set the record for the highest number of consecutive wins – 25 – within an age group.
- The oldest man to complete the race within the allotted time (7 hours) was Japie Malan who did the race on a single bicycle in 2010 and on a tandem in 2012. He was 92 years old at the time.
- Mary Warner is the oldest woman to complete the race within the allotted time (7 hours), in 2006; she was 80 years old at the time.
Date: 09 Mar 2014
Time: 06:00 - 14:00
Venue: Cape Town
Location: Western Cape
Price: R330p/p - R550p/p
Phone: +27 (0) 21 681 4333
Email:
