Cape Town Cycle Tour: route, climbs and how to prepare
- Distance
- 110 km
- Climbing
- 1,368 m
- Highest point
- 171 m
- Categorised climbs
- 9 · up to 11 %
- Shape
- Loop
Measured on the Discover route you ride free. The organiser's own figures are below.
Elevation profile
3–171 m · 9 categorised climbsThe 6 biggest of 9 categorised climbs, in the order you ride them.
The Cape Town Cycle Tour is a 109 km loop of the Cape Peninsula, from the Grand Parade in the city centre to the finish at Green Point, over four climbs: Edinburgh Drive, the long drag to Smitswinkel, Chapman's Peak and Suikerbossie. The next edition is on Sunday 14 March 2027, with a 42 km route on the same day.
Cape Town Cycle Tour at a glance
- Where
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Official website
- capetowncycletour.com ↗
- Next edition
- 14 March 2027
- Routes
- Cape Town Cycle Tour: 109 km · 42 km route: 42 km
- Terrain
- Hilly — repeated climbs
- Facts checked
- 4 November 2026, against the sources below
Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Free to ride. This course is one of Discover's Iconic events. Ride it free
The routes
The Cape Town Cycle Tour offers 2 routes.
| Route | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Town Cycle Tour | 109 km | — |
| 42 km route | 42 km | — |
What the course asks of you
The climbs come in the second half. Edinburgh Drive is a short, steep ramp early on; then the road follows False Bay south to the long climb to Smitswinkel, crosses the peninsula and climbs Chapman's Peak in two parts — Little Chappies, then the longer main climb above the Atlantic. Suikerbossie, a kilometre and a half that the organiser itself calls purgatory, comes with the most distance in your legs.
None of the climbs is long, so the day is decided by how evenly you ride them and by the wind on the exposed coast roads. Cut-off points along the route send slower riders to the finish by sweep bus.
How to prepare
The general shape of a good preparation, which Event Coach turns into a plan for your fitness, time and date:
- Train repeated climbs: several efforts of 8 to 15 minutes close to your threshold, with short recoveries, copy the rhythm of the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
- Build the long ride towards 109 km, so the final climbs are not the first time your legs have been out that long.
- Add a few short efforts at low cadence on steep gradients, for the ramps that come late in the day.
Pacing mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost riders the most on a day like this:
- Answering every climb of the Cape Town Cycle Tour with a surge: repeated climbs reward an even effort, not a burst on each ramp.
- Spending the most on the famous climb when the hardest part of the day is still to come.
- Letting the pace of the group on the flat decide how tired you arrive at the climbs.
Prepare the Cape Town Cycle Tour with Cycloscape
Tell Event Coach you are doing the Cape Town Cycle Tour, your route and what you want from the day, and it builds your preparation towards 14 March 2027: structured workouts held by your trainer in ERG, Race Pacing for how to spend your effort, and Performance Lab to see whether the work is landing. Full preparation and course training require Event Coach Pro.
Frequently asked
When is the Cape Town Cycle Tour 2027?
On Sunday, 14 March 2027, according to the organiser.
How long are the routes of the Cape Town Cycle Tour?
Cape Town Cycle Tour: 109 km; 42 km route: 42 km. The 2027 routes as the organiser lists them; the organiser publishes no climbing figure.
How many riders take part?
Around 29,000 entries were announced for the 2026 edition, according to the UCI Gran Fondo World Series.
Can I ride the course of the Cape Town Cycle Tour in Cycloscape?
Yes, free: it is one of Discover's Iconic events. Event Coach adds the preparation around it.