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Champion cyclist Waylon Woolcock won the Vodacom Tour de Soweto Cycle Challenge, which took place on a blustery and cold Sunday morning.  Youngsters from across Soweto came out to cycle in the Vodacom Tour De Soweto OVER 1 300 professional and budding cyclists braved the wintry overcast weather of Soweto yesterday to take part in the second annual Vodacom Tour de Soweto Cycle Challenge. The cyclists were cheered on by scores of rip-roaring Soweto residents, who appeared unfazed by the cold and windy weather of Sunday, 17 August; they packed the streets of Dobsonville, in the west of Soweto, to generate a ripple effect of euphoria and excitement while cheering on the cyclists. Their enthusiasm seemed to have had a positive effect on the cyclists' campaign to conquer Soweto; this was later confirmed by Waylon Woolcock, who won the men's elite 100km race to take home R7 000. Noting that although this year's route was very tough and hilly, he said it was worth cycling on. "The condition of the route and the spectators along the route had a very positive impact towards my campaign to come out first," he said after being crowned. The race was worth all the hard work; "I feel honoured." At 26, Woolcock is the reigning Tour of Egypt and Jock Tour champion; he lives in Sunninghill, in the north of Joburg. Neil MacDonald, Woolcock's domestique in Team Energade, came second and Jay Thomson came third. Both cyclists pocketed R5 000 and R3 000, respectively. A domestique is a member of a competitive bicycle-racing team whose role is to assist the team leader, as by setting the pace. In the 100km elite female race, Lynette Burger, Cherise Taylor and Lizanne Naude came first, second and third, respectively. The two races carried the same amount in cash prizes. Prize purse
Soweto's premiere cycle race, the Vodacom Tour De Soweto Cycle Challenge first took place in March last year. It is organised by Tour de Soweto and cellphone company Vodacom and has been endorsed by the City of Joburg. The race had a total prize purse of R100 000.  Budding cyclists and officials look on as Nicholas White and Hanco Kachelhoffer cross the line Although the target of 5 000 cyclists was not met, the race organisers were happy with the turnout. "We will definitely continue to run with the race as an annual event, because we are happy with its organisation and the support of the public," confirmed Gigi Alcock, the managing director of Minanawe, the race organisers. There were three categories: a 25km dikwiel race, a 50km fun ride, and a 100km Sondombili, the main race, which was only open to professionals. All races started and finished at the Dobsonville Mall, with participants in the 25km dikwiel race riding the route once, cyclists in the 50km race riding it twice and professionals in the 100km race doing four laps. This year was slightly different from last year's, allowing for smoother flow of traffic. Cyclists were also able to see some of Soweto's heritage sites and cycle past some of its trendy new developments. From the starting line on Maseru Street, the race climbed steadily towards Heald Road, and reached the 3km mark at the Soweto Highway, a kilometre from the Mandela Museum, Nelson Mandela's old home, on Vilakazi Street. The route then curved past Meadowlands, past its hostels and on to a fast downhill. From there it was straight towards Orlando East on the right-hand side, with the newly refurbished Orlando Stadium in full view. It went left on to New Canada Road past Noordgesig and the newly built Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses of Pennyville. Steep gradient
There was a very steep gradient as the race headed towards the Highgate Shopping Centre, where cyclists turned on to Main Reef Road and raced past the second water point, with Roodepoort on the right-hand side. Here, the course was very smooth, with cyclists enjoying the flow. The race then proceeded along Roodepoort Road, swiftly passing Bram Fischerville's RDP houses - arguably the largest RDP development and informal settlement in the country. From there it was straight back to the finish line at Dobsonville Mall. Traffic was well controlled by 500 street marshals; there was also a heavy presence of security guards, who administered the race. Susan Kie, the public relations officer for Key, the event promoters, had noted that chosen routes had been planned for parts of Soweto with wider roads and less traffic, avoiding traffic congestion and allowing for a better flow for cyclists. Sections of those roads were cordoned off to traffic. Soweto
Soweto, an acronym for South Western Townships, was founded in 1904. By the 1950s, it had become the apartheid government's dumping ground for black people who it evicted from their homes in suburbs around Johannesburg. Today it is a trendsetter, home to diverse languages, cultures, heritages and histories. More than a million people live in Soweto, from every ethnic group in the country, including Sotho, Ndebele, Xhonga, Xhosa and Zulu. The birthplace of a revolution, post-apartheid it has turned into a trendy and vibrant melting pot, punctuated by taverns, tourism attractions, shebeens, historic landmarks, music, dance, sports, fashion, and many other exciting activities and things. Related stories: |
