The 35 000 riders who took on the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay cycle tour on Sunday were battered by near gale force winds and by early evening 158 riders had been injured in falls and one contestant had been flown to hospital after suffering a heart attack.
The South Easter battered lone riders on the winding mountain passes around the Cape Peninsula and in the few sheltered spots, soaring temperature took its toll. Ninety four riders were taken off the route by ambulance from crashes, dehydration and heat exhaustion and 84 were treated in medical facilities and 12 were sent to hospital.
A rescue helicopter was called in for the contestant who suffered a heart attack. The man is said to be in a stable condition.
The elite riders, racing the final stage of the Giro del Capo, were the first off at sunrise and they got away with 30km per hour winds, but even at that early stage top riders came down — one being women’s favourite Anriette Schoeman who was forced out of the race when a small group came down on the Blue Route towards Kalk Bay. Three-times Cape Giro winner David George also made cruel contact with the tarmac in the buildup to the sprint finish that was won by British rider Russell Downing. Anke Erlank had a trouble-free ride to win the women’s title.
The wind saved its wrath for the less athletic riders at deep in-field where it battered them at 50km per hour, the strongest winds recorded on the day at Ocean View by 1pm.
The heat was intense at 32C, hitting 35C at Hout Bay and 36C going up Suikerbossie Hill, but the massive crowd had found an endless supply of ice cubes to hand out and motivated the riders all the way up and over. From there, the riders smelled home and their tails were up.
Battered by the winds, fighting through the heat, from kids to senior citizens in all shapes and sizes, the riders toiled on grimly to the finish where smiles appeared for the first time of the day . It’s what the ”Argus” is all about. – Sapa