Cape Town - Cyclists and fans of the Cape Town Cycle Tour have welcomed the decision of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust to postpone the cycle race to later this year.
Organisers of the cycle tour said they have been closely monitoring the ongoing developments around the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and decided to postpone the event to a later date in the year.
Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust director David Bellairs said ultimately the decision was about the safety of the participants and the safety of the residents of Cape Town.
“We have been liaising with the City and our medical consultants and we decided that it will be responsible of us at this point to delay the running of the cycle tour in the interest of the health and safety of, not only our participants, but also of the public.
“The safety of all participants and the well-being of the broader community of Cape Town remains our most important priority in the planning and staging of the Cape Town Cycle Tour,” he said.
Bellairs said for several months the organisers have been working with authorities and stakeholders around the possibility of hosting a revised version of the tour but circumstances made the hosting of the event untenable.
“We have presented to the City an event with a reduced number of participants and a different format of start which would have made it a lot of physical distance but given the current situation, to open entries for 20 000 people is going to be very difficult,” he said.
Pedal Power Association chairman Steve Hayward said this is going to be a huge blow for charities the cycle tour supported. However he said under the circumstances cyclists and fans had to understand the health of the nation and the safeguarding of the people was far more important.
Cyclist Mark Frost said: “We welcome and commend the organisers for taking such a bold decision. I hope a lot of cyclists will use this period to further keep fit in preparation for a later date.”
Bellairs said they will continue to explore available options and opportunities open to host a safe and memorable cycle tour
Cape Argus