KNYSNA CYCLING NEWS - Entries for this year's Knysna Cycle Tour, which has undergone several changes from previous versions of the tour and forms part of the annual Knysna Oyster Festival, will close on 14 June.
The tour, which will take place on 22 and 23 June this year, is one of the most iconic sporting events of the festival and has been running for over 30 years.
The 80km and 50km MTB events as well as the 104km road race act as official premier seeding events for the 2020 Cape Town Cycle Tour.
The 104km road race's course has been altered a little this year to make it more scenic thanks to the inclusion of Buffalo Bay and a section of the historic Seven Passes Road between Barrington and Karatara, which is a 2.1km stretch of gravel road.
With a total ascent of 1 351m and a maximum elevation of 239m, it will also be more challenging than ever.
2 premier MTB races
The shorter 50km road race will follow the same route as previous years however, from Knysna to Sedgefield and back along the N2. There will also be some changes to the MTB events which consist of two premier races – the 80km race for elite riders and the 50km event for experienced MTB cyclists – as well as two family events comprising 30km and 15km rides.
The route for the 15km race, which was introduced in 2017, will also remain the same. Another first and change this year is the new venue for registration on Friday, 21 June from 10:00 – 21:00 at the Thesen Harbour Town Parking Garage. The start for all the races will however still be on Waterfront Drive next to the Knysna High School sports fields.
The third event of the Knysna Cycle Tour weekend is the Spur Children's Tour on the Sunday (23 June) for children aged 10 and under. This popular race will take place on the Knysna High School sports fields in three age group categories; two to four years old; five to seven; and eight to 10 years old. There will be goodie bags for all entrants and medals for all finishers.
As always, and perhaps most important to remember, the Knysna Cycle Tour is organised by local volunteers and is the biggest fundraiser for Knysna Rotary Club, raising substantial amounts of money for local charities every year.
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