![\"ccs-62657-0-42072000-1475596122.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-42072000-1475596122.jpg\")
<\/a>Improved infrastructure at the start and finish area will improve the experience for riders in the Bestmed Satellite Classic near Hartbeestpoort Dam on October 22. Photo: Supplied<\/span><\/p>\nASG Events chief executive Wynand de Villiers said they had invested each year in the infrastructure since moving to the new venue at Saloon Route 66 three years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have placed a lot of focus on ensuring a seamless experience for the cyclists,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecifically we have tarred a section of road to serve as the start and finish area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year the tarred section will measure more than 500 metres and we\u2019ve also made it a metre wider to ensure the riders do not experience any hassles.\u201d<\/p>\n
With about 3 000 participants expected to enter the three events, De Villiers said they were aware of the need to try to avoid traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an agreement in place with the neighbouring farm to create more parking space so that we aren\u2019t dependent on Route 66 alone for parking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe implemented the extra parking space last year and it really made a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ASG Events boss said the Classic had a \u201cnicely balanced route\u201d and provided a useful barometer of riders\u2019 form heading into a number of big races \u2013 including next month\u2019s 947 Challenge in Johannesburg \u2013 towards the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first half is fast and riders get plenty of free \u2018Voyager Miles\u2019 if they can stick in their group,\u201d said De Villiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they hit Hekpoort 30km from the finish things change very quickly.\u201d
He said the 4km climb at Hekpoort had an average gradient of 10 per cent and it was made even tougher because it came in the second half of the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Hekpoort the famous Poeierbult has to be overcome. Although it is only 1km in length, it\u2019s a real challenge on tired legs.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the route we have set up, the overriding feedback from riders over the years has been that if you ride a good Satellite Classic, you\u2019ll have a good 947.\u201d<\/p>\n
De Villiers said the less demanding 60km, which was introduced for the first time last year, would provide another option to riders \u201cwho may be a bit undercooked after the winter\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 60km route is undulating, but it takes place on a beautiful road surface. It offers a wonderful alternative for the riders and is by no means a difficult ride.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Providing a premium experience for the riders is at the heart of the Bestmed Satellite Classic road race and there will be tangible evidence of that this year with an improved starting and finishing area. This year\u2019s road cycling extravaganza \u2013 which includes 60km, 80km and 106km events \u2013 will take place on October 22 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":39872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2134,523],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-17553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-bestmed-satellite-classic","tag-satellite-classic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17553","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=17553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17553"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=17553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}