Tomorrow the 39th Cape Town Cycle Tour takes place, with 35000 cyclists participating in the biggest annual sporting event in the Mother City, and the world’s largest timed cycling event. The Cycle Tour is expected to add at least R450 million to the city’s coffers.

Pressure will be heavy on the city’s roads, with the Cape Town Cycle Expo being held at the Cape Town Stadium for the first time! For the first time too the Cycle Tour will be held on the first (instead of the second) Sunday in March, as the Cape Town Stadium is booked for an international event next weekend, and the Good Hope Centre now has a permanent tenant.

According to Cape Town Tourism at least 4500 cyclists from overseas are participating in this prestigious event. Accommodation in Cape Town is sold out, and flights have been fully booked for this weekend. Restaurants too have been well booked this weekend.

Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy said: ‘It’s still peak season for our international visitors, and the cycle tour is a spectacle enjoyed by all who see it. The tour provides a fantastic opportunity for international exposure, and it takes place on some of the most scenic roads in the country‘.

A total of 70000 visitors are expected at the Cape Town Cycle Expo this weekend.  Duminy said about Cape Town Stadium: ‘The venue has far better capabilities than the Good Hope Centre. In 2015 it was reported by the expo that 70 000 visitors were expected at the venue, so we anticipate similar crowds, at the very least, over the three days. Cape Town Stadium is right at the heart of tourism in the city, close to the City Bowl and the V&A Waterfront, so tourists are likely to be intrigued by all the activity‘.

The top three cycling events in the Western Cape, being the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the Cape Rouleur, and the Absa Cape Epic, are estimated to contribute in excess of R760 million to the economy.  ‘The economic contribution of the cycle tour is extensive and spreads out across the entire peninsula. Events such as these create a buoyant economic environment and help to generate jobs in tourism and peripheral industries and contribute to sustainability in businesses‘, concluded Duminy.

The #NakedBikeRide in the city centre today was a most unusual warm-up to the 2016 Cape Town Cycle Tour!

Source: iol

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here