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!