International Road Cycling Stage Race set for South Africa

Cycling South Africa is pleased to announce that they have today signed an accord with SweetSpot to create an Elite International Road Cycling Stage Race to be held in South Africa in the first quarter of 2018.

The event will attract the world’s top professional teams to what is initially planned to be a six-day multi-stage race.

One of the intentions of the event is to create investment into cycling through an overriding Non-Profit Organisation that will govern the event, and oversee the distribution of benefits generated by it.

South Africa’s Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka (pictured here at the SA National Road Championships) and other International riders relish the opportunity to compete in an Elite International Road Cycling Stage Race on South African soil. The cycle tour, created by Cycling South Africa and SweetSpot, is scheduled to be held in the first quarter of 2018. Photo credit: Stuart Pickering/Cycling Direct

William Newman, President of Cycling South Africa, said: “This is a significant milestone for Cycling South Africa as it fills a huge void on our racing calendar. Having this event will allow our very own Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka and our other International riders to participate on home soil, allowing the South African public to really see how good they are. The event will also allow our local riders the opportunity to participate against the best riders in the world. This will further encourage and motivate the youth to take up cycling as a sport, which is one of the key objectives of Cycling South Africa – to grow our sport and create opportunities for all.

“With Cycling South Africa’s commitment to the development of women’s cycling, work will happen simultaneously on the presentation of a women’s event in the future.

“Having a renowned company like SweetSpot on board with their extensive experience in presenting the Tour of Britain amongst other events, will ensure that we have a high quality event.

“Besides the sporting benefits that the event brings it will also play a huge role in showcasing our beautiful country, thereby contributing to the tourism industry and boosting the economy. This further illustrates the role that cycling plays in the development of a nation.

“We look forward to a great event of which we will all be proud.”

Commenting on the announcement, Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of SweetSpot Group said: “The team at SweetSpot are thrilled to have been invited to work with Cycling South Africa to create this potentially iconic road race. We have already taken soundings with several of the world’s top professional teams who are very keen to be involved, as many of them already come down to train in the off season.

“A blue ribbon event in South Africa has been conspicuously absent for some time now and with their strong cycling heritage allied to an almost fanatical appetite for all things cycling they surely deserve a first-class race.

“We look forward to being Cycling SA’s partner in this venture and will now be inviting commercial partners and brands from the highest echelons of the corporate world to join us in order to establish the firm foundations we need to create an enduring event of which South Africa can be proud.”

Douglas Ryder, Team Principal: Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka concludes: “An official cycle tour in South Africa is long overdue. SweetSpot is known as an organisation that always goes out of its way to look after the teams and deliver in terms of quality and professionalism. We are proud to support them and Cycling South Africa to ensure that the race is sustainable for years to come. This cycle tour will undoubtedly showcase to the world what South Africa has to offer with our beautiful landscapes, talented local riders and cycling fans who love and support the sport of cycling.”