Tour of Ara 2015.

[Stan Engelbrecht]

Entries open 1 June 2015 at 12:00, and positions are limited - visit the site for details.

 

tourofara.co.za

 

The Tour of Ara, named for the Southern Hemisphere constellation of Ara, is a prestige race that is ridden on vintage South African-built steel bicycles in the proud tradition of the early Italian multi-day stage races.

Open to only 35 racers, this second edition - 26 September to 1 October of 2015 - will take riders, predominantly over hard gravel roads, from the tiny village of Die-Dorp-Op-Die-Berg over the Cederberg mountains to the settlement of Algeria - the next morning will be spent with the local community before heading off to Clanwilliam. From Clanwillian the route climbs north to Calvinia, and then turns south to the little hamlet of Middelpos. Next is Sutherland, after which the last stage will be a race to the finish in the heart of the Karoo at the famous Lord Milner Hotel in Matjiesfontein.

 

 

It's a race against the clock, and stages will be very difficult and challenging, predominately over varying quality dirt roads, with the longest day being about 150 km. Riders will encounter soft sand, corrugated roads, loose stones and sharp tyre-shredding rocks, and possibly even rain and snow.

On the sixth and final day, all competitors will race to a point outside Matjiesfontein, where the clock will be stopped. When all active racers are together, there will be a sprint for the finish line outside the historic and majestic Matjiesfontein Hotel. The sprint finish time will be added to their final overall time.

 

Tour of Ara is completely independent, and paid for by the entrants ; there are no sponsors or patrons, and no prize money - we aim to keep it that way. This race is ridden entirely at ones own risk. You cannot hold anybody but yourself responsible for what might transpire during the Tour of Ara. So don't come crying if you get a flat or lose a finger. Prepare, train, and know your abilities and limitations before entering.

 

 

In August 2014, the first edition saw 35 cyclists race nearly 700km of gravel in six days, from the mountains of Franschhoek to Robertson, north to Touwsriver, then south of the N1 to Laingsburg. From there north-east to the little town of Merweville, then a climb into the west to Sutherland, after which the last stage to the south was raced to the finish in Matjiesfontein.

 

The images below are from the 2014 Tour of Arae...