A time-honoured tradition within South African cycling circles is to ask a Cycle Tour participant for their PB for the event.
Essentially, as soon as you find out a rider is taking part in the event, you immediately ask “So what’s your PB.”
But we think you’ve been doing it wrong. Instead, we think you should be asking “So, know any good coffee spots along the way?”.
Make your next Cycle Tour a true tour, and get the most out of the all-day road closures.
Kalk Bay - 25km into the ride
You want to build up a slight thirst or hunger before your first pit stop. Kalk Bay is a great place to pull over and watch some cyclists go by while you sip on a flat white or nibble on some banana bread. Simon’s Town is slightly further into the day’s riding and is also a viable option.
Scarborough - 60km into the ride
After the climb out of Simon’s Town and up Smitswinkel, you generate some serious pace past Cape Point Nature Reserve and towards Scarborough. No one wants to stop when they’re doing 50km/h with minimum effort. But once in “Scarbs” you’ll definitely want to pull into the Village Hub. This spot generally hums with ‘Cycle Tourists’ taking it slow and enjoying cake and coffee on the sidelines.
Noordhoek Farm Village - 78km into the ride
This comes hot on the heels of Scarborough, but it’s well worth a visit. The crowd support is excellent at this stage of the ride and it’s a beautiful location to hop off the bike, chat to some supporters, grab a snack and watch thousands of people pedalling past.
Hout Bay - 88km into the ride
You’ve just conquered Chappies! You deserve a break! Hout Bay - Dario’s in particular - is always absolutely rocking. With only a handful of kilometres to go, you could even enjoy a sneaky beer by now. Beware of the locals, though. They like to keep you in their “hometown” for as long as possible. Victoria Avenue in Hout Bay - which eventually becomes Victoria Road and the hill you know and fear as Suikerbossie - is also a festive zone, maybe too festive. A word of caution - if you do stop on Victoria Avenue, your restart will be on a slight uphill. Ugh.
Flat(tish) to the finish
You could take a timeout in Camps Bay before the finish line, but in our experience, once you smash Suikerbossie, you’re quite keen to klap it all the way home. And why not? A large beer tent awaits, full of cyclists ready to share their stories from a day of super cycling.