After a ‘Hoopla’, and the crack of the starter’s pistol, riders head past the Cape Town Castle, before hitting the first challenge of the day – Nelson Mandela Boulevard. A swift swoop through Hospital Bend, before spinning past UCT and Newlands Forest, and suddenly you will be on Edinburgh Drive. Also called Wynberg Hill, this steep ramp reminds you why you needed to train, before the fast 25-odd kilometres to Simonstown restores your faith, a little.

The long drag up to Smitswinkel and the entrance to the Cape Point Nature Reserve almost brings you to the halfway point and, if the South Easter is pumping, some welcome relief from the niggly headwinds. The traverse through Scarborough and Misty Cliffs is restorative, after your guaranteed too-fast start, with a cool breeze and the best view of the ocean all day.

Then it all gets hard again, with the flat run back to Fishhoek straight into the South Easter softening the legs for the Chapman’s Peak/Suikerbossie double-feature. Chapman’s Peak is a two-part trial; Little Chappies is short and steep, but over quickly and buoyed by the spectator support at its foot. The main climb is longer, but flatter, and offers distractions aplenty (force yourself to look) as you ride one of the world’s most beautiful roads. After a speedy descent into Hout Bay, it is time to face the demons of Suikerbossie.

A kilometre-and-a-half of purgatory – it is the same for everyone, dig in and use the spectators for inspiration and distraction – will be over sooner than you think, and then it is fifteen glorious downhill and flat kilometres to the finish, through Bakoven, Camp’s Bay (the little kick up to the old finish in Maiden’s Cove will wake your legs up), Clifton and Sea Point.

ONCE YOU'VE CROSSED THE FINISH LINE
Please don’t stop as you cross the line. Keep moving, grab your Coke, Powerade or water, your medal and enjoy all that the Race Village has to offer. Stay and enjoy the beer tent and hospitality area. Comtel will be providing Wi-Fi at the Start and Finish Villages.  

MEDICLINIC MEDICAL AREA
Got a few aches and pains after cycling 109km? Visit the medical area as you exit the fencing chutes after collecting your medal, and the awesome team from Mediclinic will help you make those pains a distant memory!

SECURE BIKE PARK
No bikes are allowed in the Finish Village, so you are encouraged to leave your bike in the Bike Park at Green Point Cricket Fields. Please ensure that your number board is cable-tied to your handlebars, so you are able to check your bike in at the Thule Bike Park.