Durban Tour 2015

From 15-18 October the club will be cycling from Germiston to Durban, taking in 663Km ( +6629m / -8249m of elevation change).

25 club members are taking part, of which 3 will be driving back-up IMG_4962 (1280x850)vehicles, and some of the cyclists sharing driving duties in the 4th car. Proceeds from the Tour will be donated to the SPCA (Germiston & Bedfordview branches – a charity the club has supported over the year and will also be riding the DurbanTourMomentum 947 Cycle Challenge in the charity group.

Day 1 takes us from Albemarle, Germiston along the R103/R23 passing Heidelberg, Balfour, Greylingstad, Standerton, Perdekop and finally onto Volksrust for our first night – a total of 224Km with the hope that we have the prevailing winds on the day (a tailwind).

Day 2 starts in Volkrust and follows the N11 passing through Charlestown and Newcastle, including a nice drop over the escarpment before arriving in Ladysmith – a total of only 157Km which is the shortest of the first 3 days.

Day 3 is a favourite among many of the members, but not the first 80Km, which has a fair amount of climbing before we get to ride through the KZN Midlands. Starting in Laysmith, we follow the N11 out of town and turn left on the R103, passing through Colenso, Frere, Escourt and Mooi River. We then hope to stop in Nottingham Road to savour some local cuisine/beers before continuing through the midlands passing Howick, Cedara, World’s View and then down Town’s Hill into Pietermartizburg – a total of 176Km.

Day 4 is the shortest day, but it is also the Tsogo Sun Amashova Durban Classic race over 106Km. We all start together in the buddy batch, and might have to push a few members up Fox hill to ensure we can maintain a steady pace to Durban. It’s a late start at 08:14, leaving us little time to spend in Durban after the race, before we have to return home later on Sunday afternoon.

We hope to share our experience during the tour, on social media and then a full report afterwards on the website.