Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Highveld Radio Cycle Challenge

In 1997, 94.7 Highveld Stereo (Cycle Challenge owners) together with Midrand Country Cyclists, decided to organise a cycle race for Gauteng. The idea was to create a world-class mass participation sporting event that would touch the heart of Joburg and capture the city's competitive temperament.

4 500 cyclists participated in the event that year making this the biggest cycling event in Gauteng. Great fun was had by all, but it was clear that this was no Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour. The Pick 'n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge had quite a way to go before it could claim the status of Gauteng's biggest sporting event.
A sponsor had the foresight to realise the value to be gained from an association with such a race. In line with their commitment to the pursuit of health and the development of community events, and in the belief that sport plays a major role in helping to unify our nation, Pick 'n Pay became the naming rights sponsor of the Cycle Challenge in 1999.

By then, the race figures had almost doubled and the Cycle Challenge was beginning to take shape as a prominent feature on the sporting calendar. In Pick 'n Pay's first year of involvement, 10 500 cyclists joined this yearly ritual and took to the streets of Joburg. Seeing the sudden growth in race figures, the organising committee approached Johannesburg Disaster Management with the view of instituting safety standards - a collaboration that led to the race attaining partial road closure in 2001.

As Joburgers' pride in their city grew, so too did the number of participants. Through the years, they came in all shapes and sizes and claimed this race as their own. Never before had a sporting event so clearly defined this city, its aura, its competitiveness, its strength, as did the Cycle Challenge. It was becoming clear that this was a race for the City of Joburg, through the streets of Joburg, by the people of Joburg.

The growth rate has been phenomenal. The theme "Joburg's Toughest Race for the World's Toughest People" had obviously touched a nerve. Here were people who thrived not only on meeting the challenge, but overcoming it - and this race was just the shot in the arm for them.