The organisers of the hugely popular aQuellé Tour Durban cycle race have moved their event one day later to the public holiday on Monday 28 April, avoiding a potential clash with another event happening in Durban.
Race director Stu berry confirmed that the aQuellé Tour Durban road and cyclo-cross races will now take place on Monday 28 April, after negotiations with regional authorities following news of another major event in Durban on the Sunday.
“Due to a political parade that will be taking place on the same day at the same venue, city officials and race organisers have identified a potentially unsafe situation of staging two national events concurrently at the same venue,” said Berry.
“A joint decision has been made to move the aQuellé Tour Durban to Monday 28th April, a public holiday. All existing entries will be contacted and afforded the opportunity to get a full refund should the new date not suit them,” he added.
The race entry has risen sharply in recent years, mainly due to the return to it’s popular format, and the guarantee of total road closure to ensure the cyclists safety on the roads.
Participation in the event rose even more sharply last year with the event’s confirmation as an official qualifier for the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Challenge.
“Safety of every single rider has always been a cornerstone of the aQuellé Tour Durban,” said Berry.
“We have also prioritised the needs of the city’s residents, and tried to keep inconvenience from the road closures to an absolute minimum.
“This year with two major events scheduled to take place in close proximity, there were too many variables for us to maintain confident that we can safeguard everyone involved in the race, so the decision was taken to move the race out by one day, to the public holiday Monday,” said Berry.
“The race has always enjoyed the benefits of being staged on the long weekend at the end of April, and this year we were able to take advantage of the holiday Monday in our efforts to ensure we minimise inconvenience to the residents of Durban, who have consistently supported the event over the years.
Berry confirmed that the event will remain unchanged, with a 105km road race starting at 6:30 am, a 55km cyclo-cross event at 8 am and the popular 45km ride starting at 8:15am, all starting and finishing at the Moses Mabhida stadium.
The aQuellé Tour Durban road races now take place on Monday 28 April 2014.
