With a route which favours the speedsters, ASG Events race director Darren Herbst feels the Emperors Palace Classic road race in Johannesburg next weekend will produce a tight finish.
The cycling festival based at the Kempton Park casino will see road cyclists and mountain bikers gather for a series of events on April 22 and 23.
Most eyes will be on the 98km feature event to be ridden on the same route that was set up for the first time last year.
The organisers decided to make changes due to the rising number of entries and Herbst said the feedback they received indicated the new route had proved a success.
Participants in the Emperors Palace Classic feature road race in Johannesburg on April 23 should relish the quick nature of the 98km course. Photo: Yolanda van der Stoep
He added, though, that the character of the race had not changed.
“The road routes are flat and fast with good surfaces throughout and riders can look forward to a relatively smooth experience.”
In addition to the flowing nature of the route, Herbst said there were no serious climbs to significantly inhibit the speed of participants.
“It does make for an exciting close to the race and the final kilometre is slightly uphill, so it lends itself to a great sprint finish.”
Herbst said they had introduced some changes to the 48km road race to ensure the safety of the riders.
“There are several reasons for the change and after sitting down with the Ekurhuleni Metro Police, as well as our safety and security guys, we made a decision to adopt a route which is similar to the longer route.”
He added that the new route, coupled with improved safety measures such as more than 250 marshals and 150 traffic officers, would create a better experience for the riders.
Saturday will be occupied by the mountain bike events, which will cover distances of 50km and 25km.
“The mountain bike routes are packed with single-track and some fun jumps and berms, so we feel it will be a fun day out for the riders,” said Herbst.
Entries close today.
