STAFF REPORTER
CAPE Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour organisers are delighted that the annual event – the biggest timed cycle race in the world – has been named by National Geographic as one of the top 10 bike routes in the world.
The Cycle Tour was named at 10th on the list, which was published on National Geographic’s website and printed in its magazine, Journeys of a Lifetime.
The 110km Cycle Tour, which attracted 35 000 riders this year, featured on the list alongside routes in Canada, France, Vietnam and Italy.
David Bellairs, the co-director of the Cycle Tour Trust which organises the race, said he was “pretty excited” to see the Cycle Tour on the list.
Its inclusion was a testament to all the hard work that had been put into the race over the years, Bellairs said, adding that he hoped that people around the world would now put the Cycle Tour on their “bucket list” of events to ride.
The top route on the list was Canada’s Route Verte – the Green Route – which crosses the Quebec province from east to west, running for more than 4 000km along rural roads.
Another North American route, the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, runs through the US into Canada. Number three on the list was Chile’s Ruta Austral.
The Tour de France’s route came seventh on the list.
l For the full list, see http://travel.nationalgeographic. com/travel/top-10/cycle-routes/