"I'd rather be seen on my bicycle than on a park run" - Quote from the dark side

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Preview: 94.7 Cycle Challenge


This Sunday Anette and I will ride the 94.7 Cycle Challenge. As the name suggests, it is a 94.7km race. The distance comes from the Highveld Stereo 94.7 radio station, who is one of the main sponsors of the event.

This is one of the biggest cycle races in the world with 35000 cyclists that will be lining up at the start. I must admit that this is the biggest challenge for me... not the distance, but riding between thousands of other cyclists.

Crowded roads will be my main challenge.

I committed to doing this race with Anette in June this year when I was getting more and more cycling done in my recovery from the stress fractures I had in my right femur. We will do the race together as we have done our preparation.

We joined Team FNB and will be riding in our new kit...


The advantage of riding for the team of the bank we both work for is that they pay our race entry, fetch our goody bags and qualify us for an earlier start time. There will also be a FNB tent at the finish with refreshments and space to recover.

This is a tough race. Johannesburg is not flat and there are some testing hills on the route. The profile certainly shows this.

Route profile.

There is also a topographic map available. I am mostly looking forward to the part where we will be riding through the streets of downtown Johannesburg. All roads are closed for traffic and we also ride on the highways around the city. I love Johannesburg and have never lived or worked anywhere else but here. I have run a lot of the roads that make up the route before.


It will be testing but certainly a lot of fun. A year ago I never thought  I'd be doing this race but now I am really looking forward to it.


Lets hope that the heatwave we are currently experiencing gives us a break on Sunday. If you are riding... all the best and see you out there. Have fun!


4 comments:

Karien P. said...

Yikes - that's quite a route profile...!

Will is also really looking forward to the race - good luck to all of you! Fingers crossed for some great weather on race day.

Char said...

Who wouldn't join your team with all those benefits on offer. And the colour of the kit is really nice - that's coming from someone who thinks colour's important.

coach dion said...

Good Luck for the weekend, don't worry about the crowds, it's only scary if you are racing, but riders like us are in it for the party... I have the Argus next year and it's a 110km party!

Robin said...

Looks like a great event for you both to do!! Fun. Can't wait to hear about it. That's a lot of bikes...stay safe.