2015 African Continental Championships

Road

Information Sheet

Dear all

We are hugely excited to welcome everyone to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for the 2015 African Continental Championships for Road. The event is eagerly awaited, and I and my team are already hard at work preparing for the event and we hope that these preparations will lead to an enjoyable time for all, as well as hard and good racing so that we can hail a new crop of African Champions for 2015.

The 2015 African Continental Championships is being staged by Cycling South Africa under the auspices of CAC. The event itself is being managed by Alec Lenferna of Real Events Management and his team and Lenferna has been involved in a number of major cycling events over the years with many events of stature being staged in Pietermaritzburg over the past few years, a brief breakdown being as follows:

  • 2008 Worlds View Challenge – 5 x UCI 1.1 races
  • UCI MTB World Cup – 2009, 2011, 2012 & 2014
  • UCI BMX Supercross World cup – 2009 & 2011
  • 2010 UCI BMX World Championships
  • Msunduzi Road Challenge (UWCT Qualifier Event) – 2011 & 2013
  • 2012 UWCT Final (Masters Road World Championships)
  • 2013 UCI MTB Masters World Championships
  • 2013 UCI MTB & Trials World Championships
  • 2014 UCI MTB Marathon World Championships

The information herein will hopefully assist you in making your planning for the event in February 2015 easier, and should you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Good luck with all the preparations!!

Until the next time, all the very best

Alec Lenferna

Event Director

South Africa – The Host Nation

A sense of pride in what we have achieved in our country in its short democratic history after its tumultuous past is evident in all South African do on the international stage. Since April 1995 when all people in the country could cast their vote for the first time, South Africa has made immense leaps and strides both internally and internationally.

The country on the tip of Africa is the political and economic powerhouse of the Continent and has played host to a number of large international sporting events amongst the largest being the IRB Rugby and ICC Cricket World Cups and the country also recently played host to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the largest sports event on the planet.

Although we are justifiably proud of the eventing capacity and capabilities evident in the country, we are also proud of what our country has to offer all visitors that grace our shores. Friendly people, sea, mountains, wildlife, cultural experiences, wide open spaces and masses of sky all make a visit to the country a memorable one.

For more information on what you can see and do whilst here in South Africa, please check out

The Host City

Pietermaritzburg is the capital city of Kwazulu – Natal, one of nine provinces in the country, and is situated on the east coast of the country, 85km from the coastal city of Durban, the largest and busiest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere. Today’s Pietermaritzburg is a vibrant, busy city ready to embrace the future, but still retains links to the historical past that has seen some of the most important aspects of South African history unfold on its doorstep.

Kwazulu – Natal has a long and proud cultural heritage and is the birthplace and home of the Zulu Nation and is blessed with outstanding natural beauty and cultural diversity. The region has two World Heritage sites within easy driving distance of Pietermaritzburg and for more information on the region of Kwazulu – Natal, go to the Tourism KZN website at

The city is blessed with great weather, especially in the summer months, when it is hot but without the humidity of the coast. The event will be staged in one of the warmer months and there is also a chance of rain – particularly in the afternoons.

For more information on Pietermaritzburg and all that it has to offer, please go to

Wartburg

Although the official host city for the event is Pietermaritzburg, the actual competition venue will be centred in Wartburg, one of the smaller towns that surround the city and located in an agricultural area dominated by sugar cane farms and timber plantations. Wartburg is 32km from the Pietermaritzburg city centre.

Safety

There have been some queries about safety in and around the city of Pietermaritzburg and in SA in general. The best advice for all visitors – as it would be to anyone going to any other city around the world – is to be aware of what you are doing with your possessions and don’t go into risky areas at night etc.

It is exceptionally fortunate that to date, with all of the cycling events already staged here in Pietermaritzburg there have been no unsavoury incidences or security concerns. The city plays host to the largest open water swimming event (11000 x entrants), the largest ultra-marathon (12000 entrants) and the largest canoeing race each and every year, and has had no serious incidences to date. Pietermaritzburg is considered as one of the safest cities in the country and in Africa.

As has been indicated previously, precautions that need to be taken in any city here in South Africa are the same that should be taken in any city around the world. To this end, please be aware of your surroundings at all times and some general guidelines are:

  • At the airport – watch out for staged mishaps, this could be ploy to divert your attention
  • When seeking directions, proceed to marked information counters only
  • At your accommodation – store your valuables in the safety deposit box
  • Do not leave your valuables unattended
  • On the street – avoid an ostentatious display of expensive items
  • Make sure you have the number of the car rental company at hand in case you get stranded
  • Keep your handbag closed or zipped, and your wallet in an inside pocket of your trousers
  • In your car – do not leave your valuables where they are visible, rather lock them in the trunk/boot of your car
  • At night – stay away from dark, isolated areas.

(Taken from SA Tourism Visitors Guide)

Event Website

For more comprehensive information about the event and the linked entities, the official event website will be liveand fully operational soon and can be viewed at site will be the best place to get updated information on the event and all developments between now and the event itself. The site will be updated regularly so make it one of your favourites!!

Travelling to Pietermaritzburg

There are a number of ways to get to Pietermaritzburg and South Africa now has three international airports – OR Tambo in Johannesburg (450km from Pmb), Cape Town (1400km from Pmb) and King Shaka International in Durban (90km away) as well as Oribi Airport in the city. This is a regional airport and can be reached on a connection from Johannesburg with a number of daily flights between the two centres.

Most international airlines fly into South Africa and nearly all of them arrive into OR Tambo in Johannesburg or Cape Town. King Shaka International airport has limited international flights arriving there but all domestic airlines fly into King Shaka in Durban.

The best suggested option for teams is to fly into Johannesburg and then either fly directly to Pietermaritzburg, or if schedules do not allow, to Durban and travel by car or with the official transport to the city. Another option is to collect vehicles in Johannesburg and drive to Pietermaritzburg which is situated 450km from Johannesburg and is an easy 4 - 5 hour drive on excellent highways.

Official Airline Partner

The event organisers are very pleased to announce that South African Airways (SAA) is an official event partner and is offering all teams and riders travelling to the event – from whichever departure destination in the world – discounted rates and special travel benefits.

Due to the fact that different routings will be required for all teams, contact can be made with the people from Consolidated Travel who will act as agents for this arrangement and they will be able to put the best routing and pricing structure together for the teams.

The people to contact at Consolidated Travel are as follows:

Rajes Govender T: +27 31 266 6691 E:

Mahesh Naidoo T: +27 31266 6691 E:

It should be noted that discounts will vary dependent on the class of seats booked – this is dependent on when the bookings are made and the fares will be cheaper the earlier the bookings are made.

Accommodation Options

Pietermaritzburg and surrounds is blessed with a large variety of accommodation options to suit most if not all needs of teams and individuals. There are a number of hotels ranging from 2 stars to 4 star grades within the city as well as an extensive mix of Bed and Breakfast establishments and Guest Houses. This is then supplemented by a wide variety of accommodation venues in and around Wartburg itself, although obviously not as many establishments are available in the town.

What this allows for is for teams to be able to make their own choices as far as accommodation is concerned in terms of whether they wish to be in the city with a wider choice of restaurants etc or closer to the competition venues in a much smaller and quieter town. There is also a choice between the type of accommodation that the teams may want or need ranging from hotels to bed and breakfasts or guesthouses or even self catering establishments.

The organisers have been identifying various accommodation venues that could be suitable to accommodate teams for the event and these have been grouped into three categories according to what they are able to offer and what the costs are.

The categories are as follows:

  • A Category: R 500.00 – R 600.00 per person per night ($45.00 - $54.00)
  • B Category: R 650.00 – R 800.00 per person per night ($60.00 - $72.00)
  • C Category: R 850.00 – R 1100.00 per person per night ($ 76.00 - $99.00)

Obviously teams and riders will be at liberty to stay at any venue they may choose in the city but the LOC is probably best positioned to assist any groups that need accommodation for the event and the person to make contact at Real Events is Liz Lenferna and she can be contacted at . Once teams have given an indication what sort of accommodation they are looking for with numbers and the duration of their stay and whether they have any special needs, Liz will be able to match the best accommodation venue with the teams to try and ensure everyone has the best solutions.

Official Vehicle Partner

The organisers are proud to announce that Europcar will be involved in the event as the official vehicle partner. Benefits will apply to teams and riders and depending on their needs, individual packages will be worked out for each team.

Please note that although Pietermaritzburg is quite a compact city, it is advisable for teams and riders to arrange for the use of a vehicle whilst at the event in order to get around.

The LOC will be supplying each federation with 1 x vehicle at the event so if an additional vehicle is required (or in fact more than one), the best person to liaise with is Deirdre Deetlefs at Europcar and her email address is .

Event Vehicles

Each national federation will receive 1 x vehicle to be used as a team vehicle during the competitions. These vehicles will be allocated to the teams in Pietermaritzburg and will be released to the teams upon the payment of a cash deposit of $ 300.00 for potential damages which will be returned to the federations when the vehicles are returned.

If there are any damages to the vehicles, the deposit will be used to affect the repairs.

Transport to Pietermaritzburg

For those teams that will arrive into Durban, a transport service to get riders and bikes and equipment to Pietermaritzburg will be in place organized by the LOC. The costs of this transport will be for each national federation’s account. Factors such as numbers of people, amounts of equipment and time of travel will determine what the costs will be and this can be arranged through Liz Lenferna – .

Visa and Passport Arrangements

Every person seeking to enter South Africa must be in possession of a valid passport for travel to South Africa and, where necessary, a visa. Enquiries can be directed to South African diplomatic representatives abroad or the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria. Visitors who intend traveling to South Africa's neighboring countries and back into South Africa are advised to apply for multiple entry visas. Visas are not issued on arrival at South African ports of entry.

VISA Requirements:

  • Passport valid for no less than 30 days after the expiry of the intended visit;
  • Passports must contain at least one unused page for entry or departure endorsements;
  • Payment of the prescribed fee, if applicable;
  • A vaccination certificate, if required by the Act;
  • Statement and/or documentation confirming purpose and duration of visit;
  • Two identity photographs (see website for details);
  • Proof of financial means; and
  • A return / onward ticket.

In terms of existing arrangements, passport holders of certain countries are exempt from visa requirements. Tourists must satisfy immigration officers that they have the means to support themselves during their stay, and that they are in possession of return or onward air tickets. They must also have valid international health certificates.
Further information can be found at:

And link:

For those riders that require support documentation from the organisers to make their visa applications, this will be gladly arranged and Liz Lenferna is the person who will be able to assist with this.

She can be contacted at and details that need to be supplied that will need to be included in the letter are as follows:

  • Full names of travelers (as it appears in passport)
  • Passport number of each traveler
  • Arrival and departure date of each traveler
  • Accommodation details

Routes

The organisers, in conjunction with the UCI technical delegatehave finalized the event routes with the distances of each competition and for each category being as follows:

Team Time Trial (lap of 24km)

  • Elite Men and Men U23 (48 km – 2 laps)
  • Elite Women (48 km – 2 laps)
  • Junior Men (24 km – 1 lap)
  • JuniorWomen (24 km – 1 lap)

Individual Time Trial (lap of 24km)

  • Elite Men and Men U23 (48 km – 2 laps)
  • Elite Women (48 km – 2 laps)
  • Junior Men (24 km – 1 lap)
  • Junior Women (24 km – 1 lap)

Individual Road Race (laps of 24km & 42km)

  • Elite Men and Men U23 (161km – 4 laps)
  • Elite Women (104 km – 3 laps)
  • Junior Men (65 km – 2 laps)
  • Junior Women (42 km – 1 lap)

The route maps and profiles can be viewed at

Event Schedule

The full and official event schedulefor the road competitions as signed off by the UCIis as follows:

Mon 9 Feb / Team Time Trial / All Categories / 9.30am - 12.30pm
Tues 10 Feb / Individual Time Trial / Junior Men & Junior Women / 9.30am - 12.30pm
Wed 11 Feb / Individual Time Trial / Elite Men & Elite Women / 9.30am - 12.30pm
Thurs 12 Feb / Road Race / Junior Men & Junior Women / 9.30am - 12.30pm
Fri 13 Feb / Road Race / Elite Women / 9.30am - 12.30pm
Sat 14 Feb / Road Race / Elite Men / 9.30am - 2.30pm

Entry Procedure

Entry into the event will be managed by Cycling South Africa and can be done online or by using an entry form. Online entries will be done on the Cycling South Africa website at and entry forms can be downloaded from the website too.

If manual entries are being done, forms are to be sent to Prudence Pietersen at Cycling South Africa at . Any queries around entries must be directed to Prudence either on the email or at +27 21917 1736.

Entries are to be completed and submitted by 9 January 2015.Late entries willNOT be accepted.