During the weekend of the 21st of November, Rodney took up the challenge of his 14th consecutive 94.7 cycle race, an endurance race of 97km.
The Route of Endurance:
The starter pistol went off at the FNB Stadium and Rodney headed onto the Soweto highway for a brief loop, passing the Joburg’s historic gold mine dumps, which are hugging Soweto, before he turned back towards Main Reef Road. He had the opportunity to experience the scenic cityscapes as the route flowed onto the M1 South, cycling in a northerly direction. He then joined the old route on the M1 to tackle a speedy set of undulating downhills towards Woodmead in northern Joburg. He then headed up towards Kyalami for zipping around the world-class Grand Prix Circuit, before he turned onto a new section down Main Road. The first tough ascent came on the stretch of road as he climbs up to Witkoppen Road, which also marks the King / Queen of the Mountain spot. As he got closer to the last 15Km, he then crossed the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge before turning onto M1 South to cycle past Gold Reef City. The finish line was insight on Nasrec Road, after he crossing it, he then rode inside the FNB stadium for the hero’s lap. This was followed by a cold “lemonade” and the sharing of some “war stories” with friends in the hospitality area.
“This event is very unique and stands out from many other events by the full road closures on the day. It is quite an amazing feeling to be cruising down the normally very busy M1 highway with a bunch of riders at 50km/h and you can use all the lanes! The crowd support on all the climbs is also amazing, especially through Soweto, Bryanston, Hyde Park and past the Zoo on Jan Smuts Avenue. Riding across Mandela Bridge is also very special. This is something everyone should do at least once in their lives!” – Rodney Taylor
