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aQuellé Tour Durban (Road & MTB) [POSTPONED]

The organisers of the aQuellé Tour Durban cycle race have taken the decision to postpone the 2020 edition of the Durban classic to a date later in the year, following the national government state of disaster announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last night in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are working with the relevant role players in a bid to locating a suitable weekend in spring that can host the two days of events as planned. We will do all in our power to ensure that the event, which clearly has a very large following, can go ahead, and at the same time to retain the benefit to The Domino Foundation that is the beneficiary of the race.


The road races will take place on the 26th April 2020, once again coinciding with the Freedom Day long weekend, and will include a new 115km elite classic, and a new 90km race to go with the popular 45km ride on the M4 on full road closure.

The cyclocross event has been replaced with two new MTB races to be held on Saturday 25 April, starting and finishing at the Cornubia Mall.

Another new addition to the programme on Saturday 25 April is a race for the athletes from districts each training centre run by the KwaZulu-Natal Cycling Development programme.

Saturday will also see a new junior race and a kids trike race at Cornubia Mall for the younger riders keen to get in on the action of the weekend of cycling events.

The revised program is aimed at offering an expanded choice of rides for cyclists that have supported this popular event in the past.

New event director Alec Lenferna says the 115km route is aimed at providing a challenge for the elite men’s field that always supports the Durban classic as well as the fitter cyclists.

He added that the route, designed in close conjunction with the city’s traffic management team, would take riders into a new section of the city.

“It is essentially a reverse of the old 100km route,” he said. “From the race headquarters at Moses Mabhida Stadium it heads north up the M4 past Mdloti and turning at the Watson Highway circle before heading back towards Durban.

“Then we turn onto Riverside Road and then along North Coast Road and onto Queen Nandi Drive and cross the Mgeni River on the new Super Highway into Pinetown before descending on the M7 and returning to the finish on the South Coast freeway,” he explained.

The new 90km race would create a new option for riders who had comfortably finished the 45km race in the past and are looking for a new challenge. Both the 45km and 90km races will use the popular M4 lap from Moses Mabhida to Mdloti and back. This is also the route that will accommodate the various racing women’s groups.

The race remains steadfastly geared towards raising money for the Domino Foundation, that runs a variety of programmes aimed at supporting, uplifting and empowering the Amaoti community north of the city.

“That is what makes this race special,” said Lenferna. “It is a chance for Durbanites to join cyclists from around the country to enjoy riding the roads under full road closure, on a long weekend, and in the reliably good Autumn weather, the whole time knowing that they are making a massive difference to the lives of the people supported by the Domino Foundation.”

To enter the road races, click here:
http://www.cycleevents.co.za/road-events/aquelle-tour-durban-2020/

To enter the MTB races, click here:
http://www.cycleevents.co.za/mtb-events/aquelle-tour-durban-mtb-challenge-2020/

Details

Start:
April 25, 2020 @ 6:00 am
End:
April 26, 2020 @ 5:00 pm
Cost:
R250 – R450
Event Categories:
,
Website:
http://www.tourdurban.co.za
Distance(s):
115km, 90km, 45km, 40km, 20km

Venue

Moses Mabhida Stadium
Moses Mabhida Stadium, 44 Isaiah Ntshangase Rd, Stamford Hill,
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 4023
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View Venue Website