← All eventsCape Town Cycle Tour
~109km closed-road timed race around the Cape Peninsula — the world's largest individually-timed cycle race (up to ~35,000 riders). ~1,200m climbing over Chapman's Peak and Suikerbossie (2.6km @ ~6%), but the Cape wind is the real opponent. UCI Gran Fondo World Series. Next edition 14 Mar 2027.
The world's largest individually-timed cycle race. Up to 35,000 riders roll out through the heart of Cape Town on fully closed roads, looping the Cape Peninsula on the second Sunday in March.
The route runs out to Cape Point, over the coastal balcony of Chapman's Peak, then hauls up Suikerbossie late on tired legs before sweeping the Atlantic Seaboard to a city finish.
At ~1,200m over 109km it isn't a mountain epic. The Cape wind is. The south-easter can turn a fast bunch ride into a survival grind, so this is iconic and fast, but never a soft day.
Is Cape Town Cycle Tour for you?
- Riders who can hold a wheel. Drafting and echelon skill save more time here than raw watts, and getting shelled into a headwind is the day's real risk.
- Strong tempo riders, not just long-slow milers. The fast bunch and exposed coast reward repeatable threshold power over big climbing legs.
- Anyone chasing a bucket-list global ride. Festival-scale, closed roads and Cape scenery make this a race worth travelling for.
- Riders comfortable in wind and heat. A hot, blustery March Cape day suits those who have trained for both, not just calm conditions.
Training plan for Cape Town Cycle Tour
A training plan for Cape Town Cycle Tour isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- Sustained tempo power into an exposed coastal headwind for four to five hours
- Two decisive climbs: Chapman's Peak mid-route, then a steeper Suikerbossie on tired legs
- Holding position in a huge, fast bunch where drafting and echelons decide your time
- A potentially hot March day, with the Cape wind able to change the race entirely
- 2x20min at 90-100% FTP to build the sustained power that holds a bunch into wind
- Over-unders, 5 x (3min at 90% / 2min at 105%), for the surges that cover climbs and gaps
- Short climb reps, 5-6 x 5-8min at 95-105% FTP, matched to Chapman's and Suikerbossie
- Chaingang and race-simulation group rides for drafting, echelon and race-speed handling
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
