![\"ccs-62657-0-55040300-1544101418.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-55040300-1544101418.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The Takealot Tour of Good Hope is set to attract interest from international cycling outfits after the five-stage road event received UCI status for the 2019 event. Picture: Rob Ward<\/span><\/p>\nHe said it was the national body\u2019s aim to develop more UCI-classified races and they had, therefore, approached race organisers ASG Events to consider this option.<\/p>\n
With the documentation completed, the Tour of Good Hope has received UCI 2.2 status. It joins the only other event in South Africa with a similar ranking, the Tour de Limpopo.<\/p>\n
Bradley said their top priority was to create more opportunities for South African riders to earn UCI points.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving these sorts of races is important, particularly at this time because from now until October it is Olympic qualification year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means the higher our riders rank internationally, the more we will have to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving UCI status helps from a strategic point of view, allowing our riders to earn points in events close to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then, even when they do have to travel, at least they have collected UCI points and this makes them contenders to be considered for Continental or Pro Continental outfits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more SA cyclists we have in those teams, the better for the development of the sport in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradley said another benefit of having UCI status was the potential to attract strong foreign outfits.<\/p>\n
\u201cInternational teams don\u2019t look at anything that\u2019s not UCI-rated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have already had some interest from teams abroad for the Tour of Good Hope and have put them in touch with the race organisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to attract international competition to local races as it provides stronger competition for our cyclists and prepares them better for what to expect overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He felt the Takealot Tour of Good Hope would grow and attract international riders, which would have a positive spin-off for local cycling.<\/p>\n
Besides overseas competition, Bradley said several African nations had shown an interest in riding the tour \u201cand there are some very good riders in those teams\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added that a 2.2 classification was the starting point for any race wanting international status and that the UCI prescribed a minimum prize fund.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut an event such as the Tour of Good Hope already provides well above the prize-money required so it was really a matter of providing the necessary documentation to gain UCI status.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 2.2 category, he said, accommodated club teams, regional teams, local professional outfits and Continental and Pro Continental teams.<\/p>\n
A unique element of the Tour of Good Hope is that it allows amateurs to compete in the same event as professionals, albeit in separate starting groups.<\/p>\n
Apart from the general classification for individuals, next year\u2019s amateur race will have a strong focus on the overall team competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Takealot Tour of Good Hope\u2019s elevation to UCI status for 2019 will ensure that one of South Africa\u2019s premier road tours is a drawcard for local and international competitors. It is the first time that the five-day race, which takes place in the Cape Winelands from March 4 to 8, will have UCI points […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-15649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15649"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=15649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}