Bloemfontein will have a Cape Town Cycle Tour seeding series event for 2014! After it was announced earlier this year that the OFM Classic was cancelled, a dedicated operation was launched to ensure that cyclists from primarily the Free State and surrounding areas will still be able to participate in a local event that can be used to seed them for the 2015 Cape Town Cycle Tour.
“During September, we were approached by Free State Cycling to see if there was any way in which local cyclists could be given the opportunity to participate in a local seeding event for the 2015 Cape Town Cycle Tour, the largest timed funride in the world which takes place on Sunday 8 March 2015,” said Pedal Power Association (PPA) chairman Steve Hayward.
“With the Mangaung Municipality onboard as a sponsor, PPA has agreed to come onboard and assist to put on the event, throwing our 30-plus years of event expertise behind the local organising committee to make sure that a top-class event will be presented on Sunday 2 November 2014.”
The new event will be known as the PPA Mangaung Cycle Tour. “We are very grateful to Mangaung Municipality for their commitment to this race as well as the support and commitment from PPA. We hope that the new event will grow in stature and that the benefits of having the event will become clear to all cyclists in the Free State and Central South Africa,” said Pieter Herbst of Free State Cycling.
For 2014, the event will be aimed at the recreational rider. Due to budgetary constraints, no prize money will be offered, although the local professional riders will, as in the past, be most welcome to participate in the event.
“We are proud to announce that any profits of the event will be ploughed back into cycling-related projects in the Free State,” Hayward said.
Participants can enter one of two distances: a 100 km route (which will be the 2015 Cape Town Cycle Tour seeding distance), or a 40 km route.
Entry fees are respectively R220 for the 100 km route (R200 for PPA members) and R150 for the 40 km route (R130 for PPA members).
Entries are open. Online entries will be taken until Sunday 26 October 2014 at 24h00. Late entries will be available at registration on the Friday and Saturday prior to the event, at an additional R80 admin fee.
Please click here to enter: http://www.cycleevents.co.za/road-events/ppa-mangaung-cycle-tour-2014/
Event details at a glance: PPA Mangaung Cycle Tour 2014
- Sunday 2 November 2014 • Start time: From 06h00
- Venue: Old Greys Sports Grounds, Att Horak Avenue, Bloemfontein (opposite Free State Cricket Stadium)
- Discounted entry fee for PPA members (see above)
- Online entries until 26 October 2014: http://www.cycleevents.co.za/road-events/ppa-mangaung-cycle-tour-2014/
- Late entries @ additional R80 admin fee at registration on the Friday and Saturday prior to the event.
- No registration and no late entries on the day of the event.
Queries: Please email info@fscycling.co.za.
well done, that makes sense. maybe a hot local can grab a win as the usual suspects will give it a miss