One of the world's biggest cycling events, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, had to be cancelled this morning as thousands of participants battled against winds in excess of 100 kilometres an hour.
Previously called the Cape Argus, the event was founded in 1978 and with 35,000 cyclists participants bills itself as the world's largest timed bike race.
Videos posted to social media this morning showed riders battling to hole onto their bikes and being blown backwards by the wind, before organisers decided to cancel the event on safety grounds.
In a statement the organisers said: "It is with great regret that at 06h38 this morning, we were forced to make the difficult decision to stop the 40th edition of the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
"This morning presented a number of challenges, not least of which were wind speeds considerably higher than predicted yesterday. This, combined with a large fire that broke out in Hout Bay in the early hours of this morning, and the added risk of protest action en route, were all contributing factors to the decision made in our Joint Operation Centre (JOC) by the VOC Commander to stop the event.
"Our priority first and foremost will always be the safety of all our participants and the risk of injury and potential fatality at the start, at the finish and on Chapman’s Peak warranted this extremely difficult decision. Furthermore, we only made the decision after endeavouring to mitigate all risks to keep the event open."
They added: "We are humbled by the outpouring of offers to assist and donate food, product and resources to those in need as a result of us stopping this Cycle Tour. We are in the process of co-ordinating efforts to ensure that goods reach those in need in the fire-affected areas in Hout Bay."
Thats up to you...
Id be tempted to get the Pedro's mole grip version if I hadn't gone down the Rohloff route.
Maybe there's something to be said for Lancashire after all: you know where you are! From the outset they're going to file the most damning of...
In the link you've given, of the delibrate act of hit n run collision, in Nottingham, November 2014......
Winding down the entitlement factor on all sides is the way forward Agreed
Dry and briight tomorrow morning in that there London. Bit chilly mind.
3m wide cycle lane hard shoulder less danger from close passes than many other rural roads....
and for the price of a sportive entry you can probably get a very nice pub lunch AND afternoon tea in a cafe
Do you have any add-ons in your browser? One of those might be causing an issue or some script is running that is slowing it down.
What's the speed limit on a freeway?...