Students take up the UCT 1km Cape Epic Challenge

Thirty-eight students took part in the UCT 1km Cape Epic Challenge on campus on Thursday.

In the run-up to the Cape Epic Prologue at UCT on Sunday, students were invited to test their fitness levels by competing against each other for the fastest 1km on stationary Jammie bikes during lunch hour on Jammie Plaza.

To ensure the competition was fair, timekeeping was provided by the UCT Cycling Club. The participants managed to clock some impressive times but no one could finish the one kilometre in under a minute.

UCT Cycling Week

Grant Morris finished in first place with a winning time of one minute and six seconds. The second and third place winners were Eliab Malefhlo and Kyle Wilton in a time of one minute and fourteen seconds and one minute and seventeen seconds respectively. Grant won a pair of Oakley sunglasses, while Eliab and Kyle will each receive a Jammie bike rent-free for one year.

"It was a great challenge," says Jonty Adams, chairperson of the UCT Cycling Club. "There was a lot of interest among students and we had the opportunity to showcase cycling at UCT."

Thanks to an initiative from the University of Cape Town's 80-member strong cycling club, the university declared the week of 9 to 15 March UCT Cycling Week to raise awareness of the advantages of cycling.

UCT's Properties and Services department is also working towards making UCT more cycling-friendly by creating new bicycle lanes and safe areas where bicycles can be kept during the day. Alternative transport is one of the main focus areas for making UCT a more sustainable campus and this week served as an impetus to make students aware of the advantages of cycling.

'Lost bike' on campus

In another competition this week, students are being prompted to take a photo of a "lost bike" on campus and email it to socialmedia@uct.co.za. The competition, which closes on Friday afternoon, offers a pair of Oakley sunglasses to the winner and rent-free Jammie bikes for a year to the two runner-ups.

The highlight of UCT Cycling Week is on Sunday, 15 March, when UCT will play first-time host to the Absa Cape Epic Prologue from 06h45 until 13h30 on the rugby fields. Students are urged to come and watch this premier mountain bike race, coined the Tour de France of mountain biking. There will be a special UCT student chill area at the bottom of Jammie steps. Come join in the fun!

Photo by Michael Hammond

Return to UCT hosts Absa Cape Epic Prologue hub