Cape Town Johannesburg lockdown cyclist

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Gale force winds force cancellation of Stellenbosch Cycle Tour

Gale Force Winds have forced the cancellation of the Stellenbosch Cycle tour which was set to take place on Sunday.

Cape Town Johannesburg lockdown cyclist

Via adobestock

The Pedal Power Association (PPA) was compelled to cancel the 2020 Medihelp Stellenbosch Cycle Tour which was set to take place on Sunday in and around Stellenbosch due to the gale force Winds in the Western Cape in the past few days.

Gale force winds wreak havoc in the Cape

With a wind forecast of up to 95km/h along the 97km route throughout the day, the safety of the more than 3000 riders who entered the race would have been in jeopardy if the race continued, the PPA said in a statement.

At 3am on Sunday morning, an emergency consultation was held with the venue operations centre (VOC) safety officer, the title sponsor of the race Medihelp Medical Aid, PPA management, and the risk assessment and event managers from ER24.

Gale force winds blow Captonians away

The various assessment teams were sent out to evaluate the conditions and communicated visuals to the VOC of extremely unsafe conditions along the route, upon which the decision was made to cancel the race.

“It is truly disappointing that we were forced to cancel the Medihelp Stellenbosch Cycle Tour due to these extreme weather conditions. Being one of our flagship events, a lot of time and effort has gone into the preparation of this event. The PPA, however, places the safety of cyclists first and foremost,” PPA chairman Rens Rezelman said in the statement.

Newly appointed Medihelp Medical Aid principle officer Ettie da Silva said Medihelp donated the food which had been prepared for the day to The Haven Kensington charity.

“We would like to thank everyone for entering the race as well as all our suppliers, sponsors, and partners for being so understanding on the day,” Rezelman said.

– African News Agency (ANA), editing by Jacques Keet

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