The third Velo Mondial bicycle planning conference kicked off today in the Cape Town International Conference Centre, welcomed by a specially-choreographed 'bicycle ballet' by Dance For All, lotto-funded dance company. Hundreds of delegates from around the world are here and they were addressed by no less than three government ministers in the first two hours.

BIKEBIZ ON TOUR: Velo Mondial, Cape Town, South Africa

BikeBiz.com will be reporting and podcasting from this conference all this week.

Many of the delegates are also staying on the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay tour on Sunday, the world’s biggest one-day bicycle ride. This sees 36 000 cyclists riding 119kms around the dramatic Cape penisula.

In South Africa, cycling is largely seen as a recreational, white, middle-class pursuit. Cycling as transport, in urban areas at least, is unusual.

More from Velo Mondial later.

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