Tour de Falcon race registration on

Muzingaye Ncube Sports Reporter
REGISTRATION for the popular Tour de Falcon cycle race enters its second week tomorrow with over 220 participants having already confirmed availability. The country’s biggest event in terms of participation is set for 6 July and the route for the 56km main race starts at Fazak Home and Hyper in the city before ending at Falcon College in Esigodini where a prize giving ceremony will be conducted.
There are also three other off road races that include the 60km, 10km and the 21km.

Registration, which closes on Saturday at Old Miltonians offices, is being conducted at Falcon College Bulawayo office, LNA Stationeries and Zonke Zizwe offices.

Race organiser Peter Ward expressed hope that this year’s entries would exceed last year’s.
“We expect a bigger turnout of riders this year that can go up to 500 cyclists. Last year we had 450 participants including foreign racers from Botswana, however, this year they haven’t yet confirmed their participation at the event,” he said.

Ward said everything was on course and they were looking forward to a more entertaining race this time around.
The race, which is on the country cycling calendar, is organised by the Falcon College Parents Association and will see riders battling it out in eight categories. These are: elite men, social men and women, off-road men and women, under-16 and 18, four team men/women and tandem bike.

Ward said Ekhaya Bikes had donated some of the prizes for the event and that there would be no financial prizes this year.
Majority of the racers are expected to come from Bulawayo where the sport has had a marked increase over the last few years.

Chrispen Kazingizi, who doubles as coach and race organising committee chairman for Bulawayo-based Flying Eagles Cycling club, said his team was working round the clock for the race.

“Preparations for Tour de Falcon are going on well and the guys have been practicing very hard, cycling over a distance of 120km from Bulawayo to Mbalabala and Amarula in Plumtree for the past few weeks,” he said

Flying Eagles have in their ranks the youngsters Bukhosi Ndlovu and Lawrence Khumalo, seniors Nkulumo Dube, one of the fastest racers in the country, Dos Santos, Rab Sinclair and Knowledge Khuphe.