City's Cycle Tour a big success in windless Mother City

CAPE TOWN – South African cycling champion Cherise Willeit won her fifth Cape Town Cycle Tour title yesterday, while 20-year-old Travis Barrett took the men’s title on a perfect, near windless day.

More than 31 000 people took part in yesterday’s race, and event organiser David Bellairs said they were happy with how everything turned out.

“Last year’s weather was a nightmare, there was a lot of wind, which was bad for cycling,” he said. “I’m glad we managed to pull it off once again, it was a success,” he said.

Willeit, of Customised Cycling Bioplus, won her fifth Cape Town Cycle Tour women’s title in the 78km cycle in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds. “Every win at the Cycle Tour is special but this was a tough one, my legs were cramping during the sprint,” she said.

Barrett, who is a member of the Officeguru team, took the men’s title in the 109km cycle in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 4 seconds.

“It was a very long sprint and I could sense Clint coming up beside me, but I held on,” he said.

Barrette said he couldn’t believe that he had won because winning the Cycle Tour was what every rider dreamt of.

Willeit Wins Fifth Cape Town Cycle Tour Title. In-Form Barrett Wins Men’s Race.

— Cape Town Cycle Tour (@CTCycleTour) March 8, 2020

Meanwhile, a woman from the US said she was left frustrated as she alleged there had been delays in the train schedule that saw her unable to compete.

She said her train from Simon’s Town arrived late.

It would have been her and her sons’ first experience of the tour. “We missed the start of the cycle and that’s disappointing because we were looking forward to the ride,”she said.

But Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott said the Cycle Race train timetable was published on the organiser’s website as well as at the expo.

“Kindly note that it was agreed that all trains would depart from and terminate at Fish Hoek Station, and not Simon’s Town in case of load shedding and/or windy conditions,” she said.

Scott said the trains were monitored by Metrorail’s control centre and all were operating on schedule.

And that’s a wrap for the 2020 Cycle Tour. See you all in 2021! #ctcycletour2020 #ctcycletour pic.twitter.com/WEocFsxKrH