Entries open this Saturday for 2013 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour

[Matt]

(Cape Town, 29 August 2012) Entries for the 36^th Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour – the largest individually timed cycling event in the world – open on Saturday 1 September 2012 at 12pm. The 2013 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour will take place on Sunday, 10 March 2013.

 

 

Tour plans flatter route return

 

David Bellairs, marketing and sponsorship director of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust, organisers of Cycle Tour, says an exciting prospect for cyclists taking part in next year’s Cycle Tour is a strong likelihood the event will return to the flatter 109km route option via Main Road, Muizenberg. “Our Operational Team headed by director Renèe Jordaan, have spent many hours working with the City of Cape Town, contractors Civils 2000 and Kayad Consulting Engineers on the various options for 2013 and we are cautiously optimistic that - all going well with the road works between now and early March next year - the Cycle Tour will return to the “flatter” route option via Main Road as opposed to the more “scenic” Boyes Drive option. We are extremely excited about this development and will be working closely with all concerned in trying to ensure that it becomes a reality on the 10^th of March 2013.

 

Overwhelming success of charity entries

 

Based on the overwhelming success of the charity group entries that were introduced in the 2012 Cycle Tour, the 2013 event will again see 5 000 entries reserved for charity and corporate groups across the country.

 

Bellairs furthermore says that, based on learnings taken from the 2012 Cycle Tour, all riders eligible for a seeded start will start the tour before the charity and PPA groups. “In an effort to improve logistics on Race Day, charity groups will be seeded according to their ability. This may mean that charity groups do not ride together, but there is an option for individual riders in the group to drop back so they may ride together as a group. We feel this approach is a win-win for all concerned - competitive riders can finish in the fastest possible time, while the casual riders can enjoy the race without feeling pressurised to make way for the more serious riders.”

 

Entries for South Africans are limited to 30 000 and are awarded on a first-come-first-served basis, so interested riders are encouraged to enter soon to avoid disappointment.

 

How to enter

 

Online entries can be submitted at the Cycle Tour website at www.cycletour.co.za.

To ease your entry process, ensure that you have the following information available:

• Your ID or passport
  
• A valid credit card
  
• Your medical aid details and membership number
  
• An emergency contact number
  

New entry queue system introduced

 

To make the entry process as efficient as possible for all riders, the organisers have introduced a new queuing system on the Cycle Tour website. “Our new Queue IT system helps to regulate the amount of people that can enter at any one time, helping to speed up the process and prevent unnecessary technological glitches. Once you start the entry process you will receive an electronic ticket with your position in the queue, and will be sent an email once it’s your turn, allowing you to get on with other things instead of waiting in front of the computer. The new system should speed things up considerably and we are confident riders will appreciate this easier entry process,” explains Bellairs.

 

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