Limpopo Tourism Agency launches Tour de Limpopo cycling race

By: Maano Nekhavhambe

The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) in partnership with Cycling South Africa officially launched the Tour de Limpopo cycling race at the Euphoria Golf Estate in Mookgopong.

Representing Cycling South Africa as well as Eastern Cape cyclists and the LTA Board, were Mr. William Newman and Mr. Andrew Dipela respectively. The LTA Board Chairperson addressed the event and spoke about the objectives of the tour as galvanizing the people of the province and taking tourism seriously by making it part of their yearly planning.

The four-stage race is set to take place from the 23^rd of April to the 26^th and will cover over 400km. The race will also attain a 2.2 UCI category rating which are points allocated to each rider and team. Stage one will span almost 100km from Limpopo Province ’s capital Polokwane to Tzaneen featuring the coveted King of the Mountains (KOM) hotspot.

Stage two dubbed the “Queen stage” is expected to be the longest covering 175km with a total of 2 700m of ascent – again giving more opportunities to gather valuable KOM points to participants. The third stage will only cover 39km.

On the fourth and final stage, riders will set off from Tzaneen back to Polokwane on a 96km route. The polka dot jersey for the KOM title will most likely be decided on this last stage covering Limpopo’s tough hills. The race will conclude at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.