It was a blistering hot day in March. Mercury levels were rising well into the forties, refreshment stations were running out of water and some 36 000 riders were taking strain in the heat.
Ask anyone who completed – or rather, attempted – the 2012 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour (now the Cape Town Cycle Tour) and that’s probably what they’ll say.
The terrific 25ers. Photo: Supplied
Ask 75-year-old Olga Basson, however, and she’ll tell you about the day she reached a milestone of epic proportions – becoming the first woman to ride 30 Cycle Tours.
One might think such an achievement would have been highly publicised, but that was not the case. There was no fanfare, no mention of her in any of the tour’s publications, no interviews, no congratulations – nothing.
Janet Moss, another veteran of the event who, along with Marje Hemp, was due to complete her 30th Cycle Tour the following year, saw that this was not up to snuff.
“I decided that I would make sure Olga and all the other women who had kept at it for 25 years or more would get some kind of recognition,” says Janet.
And, in 2013, the Most Cycle Tour’d Women – or the Terrific 25ers as they later ended up calling themselves – was born.
A lot has changed since Janet put pedal to the tarmac at her first tour in 1982, even more so since Olga’s first in 1979, just one year after the inaugural event.
Back then the 102km race, which attracted 525 riders, was more of a recreational meander, starting outside the Castle in Strand Street and finishing in Camps Bay.
After two years, it was already being advertised as the biggest cycle race in the Southern Hemisphere, attracting some of the top national and international riders of the time.
The women, especially, were getting faster and faster with each passing year and in 1986, barely a year after taking up cycling, Cathy Carstens set a record time of 2:49:55. Cathy dominated the race for the next few years with five consecutive wins.
It was in 1991, when Pick n Pay came on board, that the event became known as the Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour.
Another name change occurred six years later, when the tour was renamed the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. By this stage it was attracting over 30 000 entrants.
In 2014 the cumbersomely named Cape Argus Pick n Pay Momentum Cycle Tour was officially rechristened the Cape Town Cycle Tour in recognition of its global status and international appeal.
Speaking at the launch in September last year, chairman of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust, Steve Hayward, said the world’s largest timed cycle race had enjoyed a remarkable 37-year journey.
He said the one thing that had stayed constant over the years was the extreme weather, which often left race organisers and riders anxious.
“Having been rained on for the entire race in 1986, I hope that it does not rain this year,” says 63-year-old Janet, who will participate for the 32nd time.
“I would also love to have a wind-free year like we had once in the early 90s when I managed my best time (3:09).”
Although Janet was born in the United Kingdom, she has represented South Africa 15 times on the road and track. She still oversees the Terrific 25ers, which now total 28 members.
They range in ages from 37 (Julie Beamish) to 79 (Maisie Swaboda). The latter rode her 30th tour last year and was crowned the oldest women ever to finish.
A further 96 have completed 21 tours or more, with another 23 set to join the group this year.
According to Janet, most would agree that it is the fantastic organisation and the camaraderie that keep these tenacious ladies coming back.
She particularly enjoys the enthusiastic cheers of “go lady” when riding up Suikerbossie, the final and most punishing climb.
“The crowd support really helps,” she says.
Janet firmly believes that each Terrific 25er deserves a special mention. To this end she is currently in discussions with the tour to hold a celebratory party.
“Any woman who has raised a family, held down a job and managed to find time to train and complete all these years deserves recognition.”
Janet believes it is important to encourage them to keep going and to swell the female numbers that ride the (now) 109km race.
“Women, by merit of their very tenacity, will stick at something and see it through to the end once they are committed.
“That’s the amazing thing about cycling – particularly for women. It builds selfconfidence and creates a feeling of wellbeing that nothing else can do.”
Cycling legends Eddy Merckx and Mark Cavendish will be part of around 35 000 riders expected to take part in the 38th edition March 8.
