Countdown to Cape Town Cycle Tour
IN HONOUR of this year’s landmark 40th anniversary of the prestigious Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT), Velotex which is a CTCT partner, has designed a new cycling kit.
The limited souvenir range of vintage-inspired cycling jerseys and caps has got Cape Town Cycle Tour fans talking.
The first “Argus Tour”, as it was known in 1978, had 575 entrants and in honour of these first riders, only 575 individually numbered commemorative jerseys will be made.
Similarly, only 302 retro-styled cycling caps will be made to acknowledge Lawrence Whittaker’s 3:02 winning time in the first race, which started at the Castle and finished in Camps Bay, a distance of 104km.
The styling of the cotton-elasthane jerseys evoke those trail-blazing days of the early “Argus Tour” with authentic flockedon details and matching vintage-style caps.
At the time of the 1978 Tour, a top-end bicycle cost between R300 and R500 and you would pay R100 for a new standard 10-speed tourer.
Cyclists were turning to next-gen textiles, but leather strip and hairnet style helmets were still around.
Whittaker, who also served as chairman of the Pedal Power Association from 1988 to 1999, was presented with commemorative jersey Number 1.
CTCT’s David Bellairs snapped up jersey number 575. “The kit is top class and the novelty of the ‘retro’ design, added to the fact that it commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, gives it enormous appeal.
“Anyone who wants a jersey and especially a specific number, will have to get on their bike! This kit is going to fly,” said Bellairs.
These commemorative jerseys and caps are available to the participants of the event, along with a host of other official event souvenir merchandise, at the Cape Town Cycle Tour Expo, which takes place from March 9 to 11 at the Cape Town Stadium. – Staff Reporter