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With the cycling season in full swing again, there should be a degree of urgency setting in for the dawn dodgers with the deadline for entries into Gauteng’s cycling showcase, the Pick n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, looming ominously close on 15 September.

All the basics of great race control will most certainly be present, courtesy of full road closure and huge support from the city and stunning corporate involvement, but the race is forever evolving.

This year the organisers are introducing a new urban loop to the route. The new 5.6km loop will take the riders through the heart of central Johannesburg before crossing over the historic Nelson Mandela Bridge.

The new section is in the loop, so to speak, courtesy of major development in and around Northgate which has led to that section of the route having to be cut slightly.

The new route addition is over a fast section, but cyclists who haven’t been to the centre of town lately should try and slow down somewhat to check out the massive development that has taken place in Joburg over the past few years.

The second change to the 2008 edition of the Cycle Challenge sees a new finish on the grassy commons of the Waterfall Country Estate, just off Maxwell Drive. It’s adjacent to the old finish and just as tough.

The Cycle Challenge led in the advent of mass participation races in Gauteng with 4000 riders taking part in 1997. Throughout its 12-year history it has continuously lifted the bar to represent an unequalled success story in South African cycling. With more than 25 000 cyclists entering annually it remains as popular as ever.

In their twelfth years of great service, the Joburg Metro takes it in its stride to create safe passage for the massive field, enabling the cyclists to cover 94.7km through some of the busiest streets on the continent without a vehicle in sight.

And what a sight it is when a sea of cyclists have the opportunity of taking this spectacular journey, on a day during which the roads belong to them.

Last year saw the most incident-free Cycle Challenge ever take place, and event organiser Tanya Harford remarked afterwards that the event seems to have come of age, nestling itself within the hearts and minds of Joburg’s residents, and with the scores of individuals who form part of the massive organisation on Cycle Challenge Sunday.

The deadline for entries into Joburg’s Safest Race is fast approaching and cyclists better get clicking to the Highveld website to make sure they don’t miss out. Less than three weeks remain for entries, in and the organisers have warned that they are not going to extend the entry deadline.