For the first time in the 38 year history of the Argus Cycle Tour the temporary 47 km route this year will be less than half of the standard 109 km route, due to the devastating fires raging in the South Peninsula, an important part of the Argus Cycle Tour route.

The Route reduction comes ‘in solidarity and support for those affected by the tragic fires burning on the mountains around Cape Town‘.  Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities and keen cyclist Alan Winde has requested participants to wear a red arm band, to demonstrate their solidarity.

The 2015 Argus Cycle Tour Route starts at the Civic Centre as it does every year, goes all the way to the end of the M3, and then returns back to the city to finish at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point.  This means that the notorious Ou Kaapse Weg, Chapman’s Peak, Suikerbossie Hill in Hout Bay, and the route through Camps Bay and Sea Point have been axed for Sunday’s cycle ride.  Th race is the largest timed cycle race in the world, and is organised by the Rotary Club of Claremont and the Pedal Power Association.

The safety of the 35000 participating cyclists could not be guaranteed due to the fires still raging on Chapman’s Peak, and the effect that the heat of the fires have had on the rocks on the famous landmark, causing rockfalls.

Ou Kaapse Weg has also been excluded due to soot and ash in the area, which could hamper the safety and health of the cyclists if the South Easter blows.

The detailed official media release issued yesterday afternoon is as follows:

‘It’s been an extremely worrying and tense week for Cape Town. For the last four days our beautiful Southern Peninsula, that the iconic Cape Town Cycle Tour traditionally passes through, has been on fire. It’s been devastating. Fire fighters have worked day and night battling the flames in sweltering heat as experienced pilots fly choppers to drop buckets of water on the flames. Emergency teams, paramedics, health officials and disaster experts have gone the extra mile, saving lives and preventing homes from burning down.

It’s been very heartening to see how the public has responded to the crisis. They have rushed to bring necessities – eye drops, ice, drinks, food for the fire fighters. They have also pledged donations to buy much-needed resources. They have given much more than money – they have opened their hearts and given their humanity. Cape Town is a city of Good Samaritans – a city of heroes.

And we, at the Cycle Tour, are humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of good. We see that outpouring of good every single year at the Cycle Tour. The Cape Town Cycle Tour is a celebration of good times for the 35 000 people who participate in the event. We also know that so many people working tirelessly behind the scenes to make those good times possible.

This week we’ve seen people from all walks of life responding to the fires and we know that people of this great province don’t only come together for good times but also come together when there is a crisis and we share the concerns of the local community and join in rallying behind these brave firefighters.

For the Cycle Tour to be able to safely cater for the 35000 anticipated participants, we need to start placing infrastructure on the ground by tomorrow morning. For this to happen, a decision on the route needs to be made today. The decision we have made is unanimous and has not been taken lightly. It has involved extensive discussion and collaboration by all stakeholders including the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, Enteleni and their consulting engineers in respect of Chapman’s Peak, City of Cape town Events Office, City of Cape Town Disaster Management Services, Provincial Emergency Medical Services and Cape Town Traffic in respect of Ou Kaapse Weg, MyCiti, Mediclinic and our Presenting Rights sponsors.

Having carefully assessed all available information, it has become clear that the safety of cyclists cannot be guaranteed on Chapman’s Peak and this rules out using this famous landmark for the 2015 event. This is largely as a result of the extensive fire which has destroyed vegetation responsible for retaining the mountainside above Chapman’s Peak. Furthermore, the heat has caused rocks to expand making them unstable and in some instances rock falls have occurred.

With Chapman’s Peak ruled out, our detour option of Ou Kaapse Weg returning to Cape Town via the M3 was considered. A number of key issues needed to be taken into account including access and egress to the South Peninsula by Emergency Services vehicles and local residents who are still under threat of fires raging in the area. The soot and ash covering both sides of the road on Ou Kaapse Weg present a considerable health risk to participants and this would be exacerbated by the likelihood of wind.

The idea of an out and back route via Main Road to Cape Point and back is impractical for an event of this size as road widths in certain areas between Fishhoek and Muizenberg narrow down to a width of four metres.

We understand that many visitors have travelled from far afield to participate in this iconic international bucket list cycling event. We are also keenly aware of the need to reduce the impact the event will have on traffic and other emergency services that are desperately needed elsewhere in the South Peninsula.

With this in mind, we have taken a bold decision and will be staging a vastly shortened version of our beloved Cape Town Cycle Tour in solidarity and support for those affected by the tragic fires burning on the mountains around Cape Town. The route will be a 47km circular route from its normal start at the Civic Centre to the end of the M3 and back the same way to a slightly altered finish in Green Point.

The unfortunate set of circumstances we face this week is unprecedented in 38 years of the Cape Town Cycle Tour. On Sunday cyclists won’t see pristine scenery as they make their way down the shortened route. They should see the smouldering landscape as a source of inspiration and pride because it represents the heroism of the men and women who have – very literally – put their bodies in the line of fire. The ride remains a celebration of Cape Town and this wonderful Peninsula on the southern tip of Africa. The Cape Town Cycle Tour will go on because, as the fighting spirit of the people of Cape Town has demonstrated, nothing can take it away from us – not even fire’.

It’s a shame that the out-of-town cyclists will not ride along our beautiful city’s coastline this year at all, given the reduced 2015 Argus Cycle Tour Route!  It probably will be hugely disappointing for Cycle Tour regulars to have their distance halved, and to have the most challenging sections cut out of the route this year!  Nevertheless, the Argus Cycle Tour is a massive event for Cape Town, contributing more than R500 million to the economy of Cape Town over this coming weekend.

POSTSCRIPT 5/3:  I have been reprimanded by a bloggette about including the ‘Argus‘ in the blogpost heading, and referring to it in the body of the blogpost.  Poor marketing I would say, in no announcements having been seen about the withdrawal of the Cape Argus as race sponsor, after 37 years.  The new name of the race is the Cape Town Cycle Tour,  but we predict that it will still be referred to as ‘The Argus‘ for many years to come!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here