DURBAN – The aQuellé Tour Durban opened entries this week with some riders with fast fingers quickly committing themselves to one of KZN’s iconic sporting events within minutes of the entries opening on Wednesday, February 1st.

Within minutes of entries opening, the online entry portal recorded an upswing in activity and since then there has been a steady stream of riders booking their place in the annual event on the streets of eThekwini.

The focus for the 2023 race has shifted to attracting entrants across the spectrum of riders with the organisers planning on creating a “cycling vibe” and turning the event into a weekend of “family fun for everyone”.

Riders have a choice of six events, with three road race distances ranging from the longest 110km, through the 42km, down to the 28km. All the road rides take place on Sunday, May 14th, starting and finishing at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Mountain bikers in the aQuellé Tour Durban MTB powered by Cycle Lab also have three options for their event on Saturday, May 13th, with the more experienced and fittest riders most likely to opt for the 40km route. The intermediate 20km will suit the weekend warriors, while a 10km route has been added to cater for the young and less experienced. All the off-road races will start and finish at Cornubia Mall.

“We have changed the focus at the aQuellé Tour Durban this year and our aim is to make the event more inclusive and try and appeal to everybody who owns a bicycle,” said Race Director Alec Lenferna.

“We want to attract the cyclists who have not ridden for a few years to take his or her bike out the garage and enjoy riding again. We want the person who trundles along the beachfront once a week to come and enjoy being part of the aQuellé Tour Durban vibe. We want the kids from the outlying areas near Durban to come and be part of the fun.

“By including the 28km on the road and adding a 10km mountain bike route we have provided events for the young, inexperienced and unfit riders who just want to be part of this iconic KZN event.

“We have changed the routes a bit this year and the long event will no longer go through the southern suburbs and Pinetown areas as we aim to create a route that is more rider- and spectator-friendly. With full road closure we anticipate this being one of the safest races in KZN.

“With that in mind, the entire route this year is based around the M4 with the 110km riders making a sortie up the M41 where we will probably have a King of the Mountains climb and are looking at some sprint points to create excitement and action for the elite riders.”

The race registration for all events will take place at Cycle Lab at Cornubia Mall on Friday and Saturday May 12th and 13th.

Rdiers can enter at https://roag.org/events/event-info/3995 and see more information at https://tourdurban.co.za/