Organisers of the 2017 Cape Town Cycle Tour made the right decision when they announced the cancellation of the 40th Cape Town Cycle Tour on March 12, according to executive head of Alternative Distributions at SHA Specialist Underwriters Simon Colman.
Had the organisers decided to continue with the race they would have faced massive liability risks should any of the riders been injured.
“Organisers have strict rules to follow in terms of providing adequate medical and security personnel, but the participants do agree to a certain amount of risk by virtue of taking part in the event,” he said.
Colman explained that in the context of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, if any of the riders were injured during the event due to the extreme weather conditions, organisers would run the risk of being held liable. Photo: Supplied
“Being blown off a bike due to high winds is not an exposure the average cyclist could expect and therefore the organisers would in all probability pick up some liability for placing the participants at risk.”
It was the first time the event had ever been cancelled. Organisers said that going ahead with the race could have resulted in multiple injuries, damages or even deaths.
Riders would have faced a number of challenges had the event been allowed to take place, including high winds, a fire in the Hout Bay area and potential protest action.
In a statement on the event’s website, organisers said several role players were involved in the decision to call off the race, including City of Cape Town Disaster Management Services, traffic authorities, Metro Police, South African Police Services, Mediclinic, Fire & Safety, and Emergency Medical Services.
Organisers announced that all participants who registered and collected their race numbers for this year would have preferential entry for the 2018 Cape Town Cycle Tour before entries are made available to the general public.
They also said the Cape Town Cycle Tour would be held on March 11 next year and no finishers’ medals would be issued for the 2017 event.
For news and results relating to the Cape Town Cycle Tour see here.
