South African cycling fans are in for a real treat during the month of October.

Not only will they be able to see the country’s leading pro, Rabobank’s Robert Hunter, in action at the Pick ‘n Pay Amashoshova National Classic, but they will also be able see him getting down and dirty at the Ride Crater Cruise.

Normally Hunter’s European commitments carry him right through until the end of October, which is why he has been unable to race at the Amashova for the last two years, but now SA fans get two bites at the cherry within weeks of one another!

His first outing will be at the Ride Crater Cruise, which might bring back memories of a somewhat dustier Paris-Roubaix for the “West Rand Wonder”.

The inaugural edition of the Ride Crater Cruise has attracted most of the big names from the SA road cycling world, and Hunter is certainly the biggest.

However, the nature of the innovative race means that there is a strong possibility that the country’s star roadies will be up among the leaders.

Either way, the addition of Hunter means, incredibly, that Parys has become another romantic stop to remember on cycling’s glittering global route map.