Relay EMS ensures ‘safety first’ at The Herald Cycle Tour 2026

The Relay EMS team look forward to supporting the 40th milestone edition of The Herald Cycle Tour next month and providing top-notch medical services to all riders tackling the MTB and road race events. Photo: Richard Pearce

While cyclists are gearing up for The Herald Cycle Tour 2026, to be hosted in less than a month, organisers and specialist teams are hard at work to make this 40th edition of the tour one to remember.

The mountain bike races will take place on Sunday February 8 at the Addo Polo Club in Addo, and the road races will be held over the weekend of Saturday February 14 and Sunday February 15 from Pollok Beach in Gqeberha.

Entries are still open for the most scenic and well-organised cycle tour in the country, and participating cyclists and spectators can expect an exceptional race event celebrating four decades of cycling in the region.

Relay EMS has been the official medical service partner for The Herald Cycle Tour since 2020, providing top-tier emergency medical care for participants and spectators on the routes and hosting a fully equipped medical centre at the finish lines on both weekends.

Relay EMS special medical services sales and marketing representative Craig Hamilton said the company valued the long-standing partnership with the event and looked forward to celebrating the milestone 40th edition of The Herald Cycle Tour.

“We look forward to continue providing support for cycling safety and participant wellbeing with our partnership, and ensure that we adapt and evolve our medical services to meet the growing demands and scale of the event,” Hamilton said.

Ensuring a safe environment for participants, officials, and spectators included deploying ambulances for the lead races and at strategic points along the routes; sweeper ambulances to confirm no cyclists were left on the routes; and motorbikes and response vehicles provided as needed, with medical personnel stationed at the finish lines.

Hamilton said Relay EMS’s proven life-saving capability at previous races also meant reviewing statistics and incident data from previous years to identify potential high-risk areas along the routes.

“The analysis of these high-risk sections guides our medical resource deployment and allows for rapid access in areas where ambulances may be delayed.

“This ensures a medic is quickly available on scene should an incident occur,” he said.

Central co-ordination will take place from the venue operations centre on race day, for optimal rapid response and rider safety.

In addition to the emergency medical care, sponsored water points will be provided during the race weekends, staffed by Relay EMS non-operational team members.

For more information about The Herald Cycle Tour 2026 and to enter, visit www.heraldcycletour.co.za.

Online entries close on Monday February 2.