Continental throws down gauntlet to Kings players

As part of the 2019 edition of The Herald Continental Cycle Tour, Continental Tyre South Africa (CTSA) has challenged the Isuzu Southern Kings to a unique inter-team race at the Corporate Team Challenge.

The corporate event will take place on Saturday 23 February, setting off from Pollok Beach in Summerstrand with the 23km road race leg heading to The Willows Resort and back, after which the 15km mountain bike leg takes riders on a route through the Nelson Mandela University Nature Reserve.

The relay race is hotly contested amongst corporates, and 2019 is sure to be no different as it evokes true sporting competitiveness and camaraderie. In this spirit, Shaun Uys, Managing Director of CTSA, has placed a challenge to the Kings that two of their players go head-to-head with himself and his racing partner Ian Langlands, Head of Sales and Marketing for CTSA.

“This is Continental’s third year as co-sponsor of The Herald Continental Cycle Tour, and we decided to up the ante for the Corporate Team Challenge by inviting our local Isuzu Southern Kings team to compete in the 2019 event,” Uys says. “It will be fantastic to have them participating in the Cycle Tour, but no challenge would be complete without a bit of a friendly wager to spice up the rivalry.

“Accordingly, aside from the obvious bragging rights, the winning team will get to nominate a proxy of their choice to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime flip in the iconic Red Bull racing plane flown by Port Elizabeth’s world-renowned aerobatics pilot, Patrick Davidson,” Uys adds. The aerobatic display will be one of the event’s major highlights at the main prizegiving taking place on Sunday 24 February at Pollok Beach.

Having achieved a record number of entries last year, this year’s 34th edition of The Herald Continental Cycle Tour – the second oldest cycling classic in South Africa and the biggest in the Eastern Cape – is likely to be bigger and better than ever. The action commences on Sunday 17 February with the popular mountain bike race staged in Addo, featuring categories for all levels of riders. It comprises the 500m Toddlers Dash, 5km Kiddies Challenge, 30km Leisure Challenge, 60km Adventure and 80km Extreme races.

Along with the Corporate Team Challenge, Saturday 23 February also sees the hosting of the junior road race events at Pollok Beach, featuring the 500m Toddlers Dash and 2km Kiddies Challenge.

On Sunday the 24th, it’s the chance for the road racers to prove their mettle, competing in either the 55km Pursuit or the tough 106km Coastal Classic.

Entries for The Herald Continental Cycle Tour close on 27 January 2019. For more information, visit: heraldcycletour.co.za