LISTEN: Cyclists react after Cape Town Cycle Tour cancelled
A cyclist who was set to participate in the Cape Town Cycle Tour says they'd received an SMS the night before warning of strong winds but there was no indication at that point that the event would be cancelled.
Aroon Patel from Durban North is one of tens of thousands of cyclists left disappointed yesterday morning after they were told that the country's largest individually timed cycling race would not be going ahead.
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"When we got to the start area, the wind was starting to pick up in the middle of the city. People were looking nervous and anxious. The first few batches went off and after just a few kilometres - the second batch were stopped and pulled back. Our understanding is that the first batch, the elite riders, made it to the 20km mark where they had to be stopped and taken off for safety reasons. At about 7am - we received a message saying the race has been cancelled," he said.
Patel says in all it's 40 years, this has been the first time the event had been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. He would've completed his seventh edition of the race.
Aroon Patel is the the chairman of Cycle Specialists Cycling Club and the Convener of the eThekwini Cycle Safe Forum, formed last year to promote and enhance safe road use practices for cyclists in the city.