The Cape Town Cycle Tour is an annual 109 km individually timed cycle race around the Cape Peninsula, held on the second Sunday in March since 1978. Formerly the Cape Argus Cycle Tour, it starts at the Grand Parade, crosses Chapman's Peak and finishes at Green Point next to Cape Town Stadium.
The Cape Town Cycle Tour traces back to 1978, when Lawrence Whittaker won the first edition of what was then a fledgling club ride around the Cape Peninsula.
With as many as 35,000 riders on the road at once, the Cycle Tour is recognised as the world's largest individually timed cycle race, and it was the first event outside Europe admitted to the UCI's Golden Bike Series
The circular route runs down the False Bay coast through Muizenberg and Simon's Town, skirts the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park, then returns north along the Atlantic seaboard through Scarborough, Kommetjie, Chapman's Peak and Hout Bay before finishing at Green Point
Past fields have included Miguel Indurain, Jan Ullrich and Lance Armstrong alongside tens of thousands of amateur riders, and the event stands alongside the Comrades Marathon and the Midmar Mile as one of South Africa's three largest mass-participation sporting events by entrant numbers
The tour grew out of the Peace Race concept of a car-free celebration ride and still opens with a moment of quiet before the mass start at the Grand Parade
a nod to cyclists who have died on South African roads
It has also long served as the closing stage of the Giro del Capo professional stage race
run until 2010
Dates TBA · Usually March
Base the route around Cape Town, then leave extra time for temporary streets, queues or late return traffic.
Cycling kit appropriate for a coastal March morning that can shift from cool and misty at the start to hot and windy by the finish; many riders carry a light wind vest for the exposed...
For Cape Town Cycle Tour, choose safe viewing points, watch weather and leave extra time around starts, finishes or releases.
For peak dates, book flexible lodging near reliable routes into and out of Cape Town.
Check official or local sources for ticketed areas, paid stands, and same-year access rules.
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Cape Town Cycle Tour is listed for Past edition: 8 March 2026. Always re-check the official or local source close to travel.
The festival is listed in Cape Town, South Africa. The map coordinate is a planning reference, not a guarantee of a ticket gate or exact venue.
One day is the listed festival span. Add time for arrival, local transport, queues, and any route changes during the event.
Official source linked. Eventisimus separates source confidence from travel suggestions, so check final details before booking.
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Small: 30000
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