The severe drought in the Western Cape will not prevent two major races taking place this year, race organisers ASG Events have assured cyclists.
The Bestmed Tour of Good Hope (March 5 to 9) and the Liberty Winelands Encounter (April 13 to 15) will go ahead as planned, with measures having been put in place to deal with the situation.
With both taking place in the Cape Winelands, ASG Events chief executive Wynand de Villiers said they were ready to host the events without impacting on the current scarce water resources in the Western Cape.
Race organisers ASG Events have given cyclists an assurance that the Bestmed Tour of Good Hope will go ahead as planned from March 5 to 9 despite the water crisis in the Western Cape. Photo: Robert Ward
“I want to assure cyclists that they do not have to worry about whether the events will take place or that their quality will be compromised,” he said.
“We have been assured by the City of Drakenstein that it will be business as normal during the staging period of these events.”
He added, however, that they were aware of the need to conserve water.
“We are sensitive to the situation and we ask riders who are staying in guest houses and hotels to use water sparingly.”
De Villiers said mass-participation events faced a real challenge in the current environment, but that these two events would have minimal impact on water usage.
Race organisers ASG Events have given cyclists an assurance that the Liberty Winelands Encounter from April 13 to 15 will go ahead as planned despite the water crisis in the Western Cape. Photo: Ewald Sadie
“We have gone into forward agreements with our bottled water supplier and we have more than ample stock available for both events.
“We only use water from a reputable supplier (Aqua Belle) for meals and water points, so we don’t use municipal water at these offset points.
“The only municipal water used is for flushing toilets and showers.”
Furthermore, he said they had set up a waterless bike wash in a further effort to save water.
