The Cycle Tour

This book tells the story of the pros, the amateurs and the jokers who make up the pack, as well as the organizers and the remarkable volunteers who make the event tick. Above all, it captures, in stunning photography, the intense emotions of riding 109km (68miles) through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The route: Looks at the Cycle Tour route from start to finish and includes an extraordinary range of roads and surfaces from smooth, wide-open freeways to tight, bumpy suburban streets. The history: How it all started. The race began as part of a campaign for the establishment of a network of safe cycling paths around Table Mountain. The oddities: The Tour continues to attract an astonishing array of costumes and tandem combinations, some do it to promote special causes and others do it for fun. Behind the scenes: We go behind the scenes and take a look at all the stakeholders - the organizers, the staff and all the beneficiaries. The mainstays - fifteen tours or more: Most Cycle Tour entrants return for another year and many keep on returning year after year. This section pays tribute to those individuals who have cycled fifteen tours or more.