Background
The Cowbell National Cycling Tour is the flagship race of the Cycling Federation of Ghana in collaboration with Promasidor Ghana Limited under its Cowbell brand.
The National Cycling Tour was born out of the desire of the Ghana Cycling Federation as well as Promasidor Ghana Limited to have a world class race that local cyclists could participate in every year as a way of taking their cycling careers and performance to a totally new height.
Since the inception of the Tour, the standard of professional cycling has increased drastically and with the Tour looking to become international from 2014, the benefits derived by competing cyclists are only set to improve.
The event, which was rekindled in 2011 has since risen to become one of the foremost cycling tours in West Africa.
The race
The Cowbell National Cycling Tour will this year see 72 professional cyclists coming from 12 cycling clubs competing for honours in the 13-day race. Riders will compete over a total of 11 stages in the 13 days making up a total riding distance of 1,313 km.
From the grand start in Accra, riders will power their way through the coastal plains leading up to Mankessim and Takoradi before winding their way on the third day through the hilly country that will bring them to the Ashanti capital Kumasi. Day four will see the race head from Kumasi into Sunyani and then followed by a criterium show down in the ancient northern city of Tamale where riders will have an additional opponent that will be the sweltering heat.
From Tamale the race will work its way down through Buipe, Kintampo, Techiman to Kumasi again where a day will be dedicated to the famous Kumasi criterium at the Asafo interchange which has always been one of the most electrifying stages of the Tour. The Kumasi stage is sponsored by BIC, one of the major Tour partners.
The high-adrenaline criterium in Kumasi will be followed the next day by a grueling mountain stage between Koforidua, Mamfe and Adukrom. This will lead to the final stages of the Tour where riders will attempt to settle all scores on the windy coastal plains between Ada, Dzodze and Denu.
The final stage will see riders in an exhibition ride from Ada to Tema where the final race will take off through a series of laps through some streets of Accra and culminating in the grand finish at Trade Fair, La.
Objectives for the tour
• Contribute towards the growth of lesser-recognized sports in Ghana.
• Rekindle and boost the National Cycling Tour of Ghana, which has been abandoned for over a decade.
• Encourage healthy living through sports, nutrition and a clean environment. (Green transport)
• Develop an assorted number of young but international class talents that will win our country laurel at international competition including Olympic Games.
• Encourage both local and foreign tourism.
Quick facts about the tour
1. The 2013 Cowbell National Cycling Tour of Ghana will commence on Tuesday 27th of May from the Accra Sports Stadium with the final stage finishing on Saturday 8th June at the Trade Fair Complex, La.
2. The race will be made up of 1 prologue and a total of 11 stages with 72 cyclists from 12 clubs across the country competing for laurels.
3. The Cowbell Tour of Ghana is modelled after the leading cycling event in the world, Le Tour de France or Le Tour as it is universally called. Le Tour de France has been in existence for 95 years and is the third largest sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.
4. The race is broken into daylong segments called stages. An individual’s time to finish each stage is aggregated to determine the overall winner at the end of the race. Cyclists are transported from the finish line in one town to the start line in another in some cases.
5. The Cowbell National Cycling tour is structured under the technical direction of the Ghana Cycling Federation with support and recognition from the International Cycling Union and will be supported by over 200 staff, media personnel, clubs and tour officials.
6. The Tour is officiated by a team of officials comprising commissaires, judges and timekeepers. Collectively, these officials manage the race
7. The 2013 Cowbell National Tour of Ghana will pass by significant land marks of Ghana such as:
Natural Landmarks
• Weija lake
• Kintampo waterfalls
• Black Volta River
• White Volta River
Historical Landmarks
• Elmina Castle
• Cape Coast Castle
• Ghana’s Oldest and Largest Market (Techiman)
• Ghana’s Oldest Pottery Centre (Sunyani)
Cowbell National Cycling Tour of Ghana 