6 days ago
R70 000 to repair potholes
Wynand de Villiers
Wynand de Villiers of De Villiers National Cycling, who has been involved in cycling for 24 years and worked side by side with the previous Cycling South Africa president Raoul de Villiers, said they have already had to pay R70 000 to service providers to repair potholes so that races can take place.
'It cannot be window-dressed. It is becoming increasingly difficult to host road races.' Besides the poor condition of the country's roads, he said Covid-19 has also had a major impact, with sponsors not returning to the sport.
'Without sponsors and numbers, it is difficult.'
Entries at most major races, such as the Montecasino and Emperors, have dropped. Some of the races he is aware of that have also been cancelled include the Carnival City and the Race for Victory.
De Villiers said cycling is his passion, and he will continue to host races as long as he can and that the entries for this year's Montecasino on October 12 look good.
Danie Botha – president, Mpumalanga Cycling
National road cycling has a very big challenge, and in my opinion, the period it takes for approval from authorities and the condition of roads that change overnight means that many of the big races this year have to be cancelled or postponed.
The biggest challenge we have is to find roads that will allow us to ride safely.
'With the passing of Oom Hendrik and the incredible knowledge he had, there was no one else who wanted to take over the races, and I think the period to get everyone's approval will not just happen overnight.
'I am currently looking at options to give road cycling a strong foundation again in Mpumalanga, but one's starting point is always the safety of riders and then the rest.
' I hope to get a road cycling race in place in 2026 that will attract people and also many of our riders who ride abroad, the right month just needs to be chosen.
'Eastern Transvaal used to be the mecca of road cycling, but with the condition of the roads, the grand tours aren't going to happen. I always look at the trends happening internationally, and I believe that cycling as a whole is undergoing a metamorphosis.'
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Colin Hoffman – veteran cycling journalist
Road cycling is certainly dying out.
The general condition of the roads, and the extremely high cost of hosting races these days play a big role in this. Hosting the Cape Cycling Tour already costs in the region of R1m just to keep the traffic arrangements running smoothly.
Another factor is the high entry fees.
The absolute incompetence of Cycling South Africa also has a lot to do with it. It's a bunch of people who sit at the office all day and don't do much.
Cyclists themselves are also to blame. Most are true prima donnas, and there is never a shortage of opinions. Everyone always has solutions to 'fix' things, but as soon as you ask them for help, they disappear like mist before the sun.
The future of cycling definitely lies in mountain biking and gravel racing, and to a lesser extent, criteriums like the former Il Campione or the Zoo Lake Kermesse. Gravel racing is just as good as our road racing, with all the 'potholes'.
However, these disciplines will never be able to develop tough road men and women.
My biggest dismay is that track cycling is also at its end. The Velodrome in Bellville seems to me doomed. And if this one falls (and it will), it is the end of track cycling in the country. The rest of the tracks are in a terrible condition, and of the 32 tracks we had in 1989, only seven remain.
And still, FSA fails to do anything.
Jaap Beyers – Chairman of the Middelburg Cycling Club
The safety of our roads plays the biggest role.
It has also become attractive with the wave of MTB stage events, with the bonus of exploring nature with friends that road cycling can no longer compete with. As students, we organised big road cycling tours, but the hassle of applying to the various road agencies and authorities and the cost of road events today is the final 'nail in the coffin'.
I was a road cyclist for years and have organised many road as well as mountain bike events over the past 35 years, but will not organise road cycling events again… due to the above reasons.
Cycling SA also plays a role… but I don't want to stick my head in that beehive.
