Italian sprinter Antonio Salamone, who rides for SA-based team Barloworld, won the world’s largest cycle race when he outsprinted the elite cyclists at the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour in Cape Town on Sunday.
Salamone got his wheel ahead of German riders Enrico Poitschke and David Kopp in a hotly contested bunch sprint after covering the 108km trip around the Peninsula in 2hrs 32min 23sec.
A field of 35 000 riders took on the Tour under blue skies and superb weather conditions. The field set off in batches and by the time the top riders were in, not even half of the field had yet left Cape Town’s city bowl.
”This is a superb race,” said Salamone of the route that took in the scenic climb up Chapman’s Peak for the first time in four years during which time it underwent repairs.
”It is a truly beautiful event. The bunch stuck together over the entire course and I knew I was in with a chance once we began coming into the Sea Point area. I just had to be in a good position for the sprint and it opened up for me.” – Sapa