The Gqeberha esplanade had an electric atmosphere at the weekend as the 40th edition of The Herald Cycle Tour took over the streets to deliver another exhilarating event with a sprint finish to boot.
Thousands of riders lined up at the crack of dawn along Marine Drive in Summerstrand on Sunday for a thrilling spectacle of speed, power and determination.
The riders were backed by the voices of spectators who spent the day cheering, dancing and encouraging competitors as they watched Tyler Lange and Tiffany Keep steal the show with their victories in the 106km Classic road race.
Cape Town-based cyclist Lange, 22, sprinted to the finish line in two hours, 32 minutes and three seconds.
He was closely followed by Kellan Gouveris and Ryan Gibbons, who both clocked the same time.
In the women’s race, 25-year-old Keep, of KwaZulu-Natal, won her second HCT title after crossing the finish line in 3:04:31.
She was followed closely by Sannara Grove in second place in 3:04:32.
Hayley Preen, 27, came in third (3:04:32).
Herald marketing manager Berna Ulay-Walters said the event marked a special moment for the brand as it hosted the 40th milestone edition of The Herald Cycle Tour.
“What started 40 years ago with just 300 riders has grown into an event that now welcomes nearly 3,000 cyclists from across the country,” Ulay-Walters said.
“We have thousands of spectators with us at the race village today, which is amazing and a real reminder of how far this event has grown over the years, not just in numbers but also in spirit.
“And knowing it’s become a fixture that people across the country look forward to is incredibly rewarding.
“We’d like to say a very big thank you to all our valued partners for their tireless contribution in making this event a huge success.
“Most importantly, we’d like to thank our riders and their families for journeying along with us on this special 40th milestone edition.”
Herald acting editor S’thembiso Msomi said he was happy with this year’s turnout.
“The turnout today, to me, says that we are succeeding in that community-building effort that we are trying to make.”
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