Cape Town Cycle Tour cancelled

Cape Town - The Cape Town Cycle Tour has been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. 

With extreme wind expected for most of the route, the organisers of the world's largest timed race have announced on Twitter that riders should not approach the start.

The route was originally shortened early on Sunday morning to 78km due to damage to roads in certain sections along the route as well as expected protest action later in the day. 

Statement from tour organisers:

Based on consultation with all the emergency services, the Joint Operations Centre of the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2017 regrets to announce that they have had to take the unprecedented step of cancelling this year’s 40th Cycle Tour.

This is due to winds in excess of 100km/h on parts of the route, and the need to urgently clear the roads for emergency vehicles to attend to fires.

All riders who have started on the route will be stopped at the end of the M3. They will be contained there and traffic authorities will escort them back on the M3.

David Bellairs of the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust will be holding a press conference at the Southern Sun Cullinan hotel at 10:00.

For more information on the 2017 Cape Town Cycle Tour, please follow us on Facebook, twitter (@CTCycleTour) and on Instagram (@ctcycletour).

URGENT UPDATE. Due to extreme weather conditions, #CycleTour2017 has regrettably been cancelled. Please do NOT approach the start line.

— Cape Town Cycle Tour (@CTCycleTour) March 12, 2017

All riders who have started will be stopped at the end of the M3. They will be contained there & traffic will escort them back on the M3

— Cape Town Cycle Tour (@CTCycleTour) March 12, 2017

I live 500m from the protest action. Along with the wind, the organizers of #CycleTour2017 made the best decision. It's horrid out there.

— Chelsea Harvey (@harvswashere) March 12, 2017

For the first time in my life I saw a bicycle flying this morning. Sad but a good call by the @CTCycleTour to cancel the race. Safety first pic.twitter.com/bGhHFNcmAw

— OG Molefe (@OG_Molefe) March 12, 2017