Chris Froome to take part in #Unite4Mandela race in South Africa

2013 Tour de France winner will join a mix of local teams and other European pros in the short race in Pretoria

Chris Froome gets treatment after a crash on stage four of the 2014 Tour de France

(Image credit: Graham Watson)

Chris Froome will take part in a 67km long road race tomorrow in Pretoria, South Africa, as part of #Unite4Mandela event, to celebrate the 67 years Nelson Mandela dedicated to social activism.

The Team Sky rider will be joined by South African WorldTour pros Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEDGE), Reinhardt Janse van Rensburg (Giant-Shimano) and Louis Meintjes of MTN-Qhubeka, which was granted UCI Pro-Continental status for 2015 earlier this week.

Local teams Team Bonitas, Team Abantu, Europcar SA and Lights by Linea will also join the field in the race which takes place this Saturday, November 22.

Froome has returned to South Africa, where he spent part of childhood, to prepare for the upcoming 2015 season, where he will be looking to improve on his grand tour performances of 2014. the 29-year-old also confirmed earlier this year that he would joing teammate and friend Richie Porte at a criterium race in Tasmania in the early part of December.

A women's race will also take place on the same day and will feature former world champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank) and top South African rider Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Momentum).

Both races will receive exactly the same prize money, with the winner getting a pay out of R100,000 (£5,836) while a charity of their choice will receive R50,000 (£2,918), according to the Department of Sport and and Recreation in South Africa.

The #Unite4Mandela day will also feature two running races as well as fun walk , while President of South Africa Jacob Zuma will fire the start gun to set off the riders taking part in the road race.

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Richard Windsor

Follow on Twitter: @richwindy


Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.


An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).