pbp2007

The Olympic Cycles/Pres Les/Foord Asset Journey 4 Sight n Service is organised by the Lions Club of Kirstenbosch. I am a volunteer assistant to the convener. As financials for this year’s event are not yet finalised, I’ve provided figures for 2010, which offered both a long and a short ride. In 2011 we were allowed to run the event on condition we had only one ride. As a result, this year we lost income from an estimated 200 riders. Although financial details involving paper cups, string and Prestik may be of interest to some, I’ve extracted only the more significant numbers. Bear in mind that we see this as a fund-raising venture for charity. Others might use the income in other ways, for instance to profit themselves, or to offset the entry fees. Suffice it to say that the event’s viability is significantly dependent on sponsors and volunteers – some of whom only come in not because of cycling, but because of the association with Kirstenbosch Lions. INCOME (summary) Online entries: 29 881 Late entries: 41 515 Sponsorships: 42 450 Total income: 120 686 EXPENSES (summary) Pedal Power fee: 11 500 Late entry “premium” paid to PPA: 1 712 Temporary numbers/CSA licence fee: 495 CSA fee (R2 per rider): 2 200 CSA licence fee: 1 274 Traffic department fee*: 8 630 *Reduced after representations – they quoted close to R20 000 Medical team: 3780 Venue hire: 3 500 Marshals*: 12 100 *NSRI, service clubs, Hamnet, etc Medals: 12 350 Total expenses: 68 541 Profit (allocated to Lions Projects Fund): 52 145

I've requested more complete figures. As soon as they're available I'll post them here.

As a rider, I feel your pain. As an organiser, I don't expect your sympathy, but let's be realistic: a 15 km road run in a confined area lasting 2 hours is vastly different from a bike race covering the entire South Peninsula and lasting 4 hours. Our little 75 km ride gets a R20 000 bill from the traffic department alone. Then there's the R12 000 to Pedal Power, I think R5 000 to medical, etc etc. We can't cover all points with volunteers from the club, so we get the help of other service organisations. For which we pay. The wailing of violins must be deafening by now, but I should also add that all the proceeds two years ago went towards buying a specialised unit for Red Cross Children's hospital. Last year, when the NSRI needed a new computer, we paid for it. Etc, etc. I know this has nothing to do with the enjoyment of your ride, and very little to do with how much you pay. Just thought you needed to know. We charge the PPA recommended fees, by the way. And our books are open to scrutiny.

I was involved in IM Austria a couple of years ago... by that I mean that the pbp2007s were JRA around Velden on their borrowed bikes when we were nearly blown off the road by the blue light brigade... the race leader's motorcade. He went past us uphill like he was going downhill. I was told later it was Raynard Tissink. So I can't enlighten you much about the event, but what I can say is that the area is picture postcard stuff - lake district region, holiday destination (there's even a casino, as Mrs pbp2007's sister discovered) and some lovely running and riding if you're just after some R&R. At that time of year, several sports events seem to be scheduled for the Worthersee area. P.S. Been to Vienna several times (sister-in-law and friends live there); we ran the Vienna half marathon this past April and will be back in Austria next April to do the Halstatt half near Salzburg.

I was faced with a similar situation about a year ago. Luckily I was able to try out a friend's 310XT; in my opinion it's worth the extra, as a fitness GPS, especially given the extended runtime (how I miss my 301!), waterproofing, and connectivity with other devices. As far as I could find out, the 310 doesn't support Routes or Waypoints from Mapsource either, like the 305 does. I use my 305 often like that, so this seemed to be a fairly significant omission. I didn't have the money anyway, so I settled for the 305 replacement, which suits me fine because I run 3 times a week and ride 3-4 times a week. For rides that will exceed the 305's runtime, such as Audax, I was thinking of getting a handheld unit like the Etrex/60/70 series anyway.

Our budget for Journey 4 Sight n Service is about R50 000.* This includes payments to PPA, traffic police, medical support, groups that assist us, and the costs of comms, venue hire, medals, and plenty of other odds and ends. It all adds up. You could get away with a much smaller budget, but you'll probably regret it. Without generous support from Pres Les, Olympic Cycles and Foord Asset Management we wouldn't have anything much to show after the event. Sorry about the commercial, but it helps keep rides on the road. In case you're wondering where the money goes: the 2010 JFS proceeds paid for a R42 000 cranial monitoring computer for brain injuries for infants and children at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. * For next year (JFS takes place on January 9), pressure from the events office forced us to cut back to just the long ride - an estimated R12 000 loss.

Spat wrote: >I was in this guys blind spot A bad place to be. Not that I'm excusing careless driving.

Easiest for you would be Rondebosch - Pinelands via Raapenberg Rd - Forest Drive) - Jan Smuts Dr southwards - Viking Way through Epping - Vanguard Drive/M7 northbound - Voortrekker Rd (R102/becomes van Riebeeck) all the way to R44/Broadway Blvd Somerset West - via Strand around Clarens Drive to Kleinmond, etc and on to Hermanus.

Self-sufficiency is part of the Audax ethos, so wherever in the world you take part in an event it's effectively as if you were on an individual ride. That said, there's nothing stopping people riding together; actually, locally it's recommended. Those of us involved in trying to organise events are as concerned as everybody else about the hazards out there. In the Western Cape, the plan is to have an escort vehicle monitoring every ride, even every group of riders. Obviously this won't be easy or cheap. Sponsorship is being investigated. Last Sunday, I drove the escort. Generally this isn't (much of)an issue in daylight. Although this kind of arrangement isn't in line with Audax's rule of non-support outside of controls, there is sympathy for our situation. On the matter of payment, I'd say that the main purpose of the entry fee, which is quite modest, is to pay for homologation for those who are interested in earning points or qualifying for PBP. It also gets you a rather nice medal featuring the event distance. And, of course, the cue sheet so you know which way to go.

Fixed.

The English brochure is on the site of the organising club, the Audax Club Parisien, at http://www.audax-club-parisien.com/download/PLAQUETTE-GB.pdf I won't be going next year unless some budget magically drops into my lap. However, I am planning to go in 2015. And to get my left knee fixed before then. Western Cape queries: drop Carinus a line at lemmer att gmail dott com Gauteng queries: Eddie Thomlinson at aurasan att global dott co dott za And you know where to find me (virtually, that is).

It's every four years. The Western Cape is starting off with informal group rides. Actual homologated events are in the planning stages; the intention is to have rides on the last Sunday of every month, starting at Joostenberg at this stage. The provisional calendar has a 150 km on the long weekend Sunday at the end of September, with a 200 scheduled for October. Latrinus is driving this, but I can help with information.

The M5 is a freeway from Wynberg to Athlone, more or less to the slip road flyover from N2 to Red Cross hospital/Klipfontein Rd). This means it is illegal to ride a bike on that stretch. I have yet to hear of a cyclist having been stopped by traffic officers, though. I have ridden there in daytime traffic (fast, but potentially dangerous because of high speed differential between cars and yourself, and the off- and on-ramps you have to cross) and in the early hours on audax rides, when the speed differential is even higher, but traffic is a lot lighter. It's doable, but hazardous. The M5 could be a fantastic riding route if the powers that be created a cycle lane (I'm generally against cycle lanes, but on freeways they could be useful). Main Road, if anything, is more of a problem because of additional hazards such as predictably unpredictable taxis. The heavy traffic also slows you down. You could try Rosmead Avenue-Belvedere/Milner Rd-Park Rd at Rondebosch Common-Liesbeeck Parkway-Lower Main Rd. What is your intended route?

We?ve heard only one side of the story. Now, I don?t dispute that this is how the OP saw thingsplay out. But there seems to be an assumption that the cyclist reacted completely over the top and without any good reason, and that the motorist acted entirely reasonably at all times. T his may be true. What bothers me is the idea of taking the rider?s (admittedly extreme) reaction and developing it into the idea that riders are potentially to blame for being knocked down. I find this a troubling line of thinking. People who drive or ride carelessly put themselves and others at risk. The last time I looked, it was motorists killing cyclists, not the other way around.

Thanks for bringing in some perspective, Foe Fighter.

On behalf of David: Outside Robertson, and travelling better than yesterday.

Or, another good reason to avoid bike lanes. One of at least a dozen that sneaked through to avoid a tailback of, oh, maybe 200 metres. Wetton Road, eastbound on the bridge over the M5 at Youngsfield. This happens often. Consequently, I now treat all motorists as lawless vermin. ... er, except when I'm driving. * At more or less this same spot two years ago I was similarly undertaken. Even though it took place alongside a no-overtaking sign, clearly undertaking wasn't considered illegal. The bizarre thing about this incident that it took place under the noses of a pointsman and three other officers in cars at the pre-Argus cycle tour children's ride. When I mentioned this quite forcefully, I was basically told to buzz off.

Bad idea. Chocolate is one of the three main food groups. The other two are ice cream and coffee.

I usually break the banana into chunks and keep them in a tupperware in the freezer; I prefer ripe to over-ripe. Keeps for about a month. Great for when bananas are on special. My favourite smoothie: 1 1/2 cups frozen banana 1 orange Couple of tablespoons oat bran 1/2 cup of milk (any kind - soya if you like) Few drops of vanilla essence Optional: sugar to taste

Hmmm, looks like I missed the original post. Apologies in advance for being too lazy to edit my rambling thoughts into a couple of punchy paragraphs. I am the customer JB referred to. Apparently I was also Schmidt's first customer in Africa for the SON (Schmidts Originale Nabendynamo). The details aren't to hand, but it could have cost about R2 500 for the hub and the Schmidt E6 light, plus another king's ransom minor charge from Yellow Saddle for building the wheel. I will have a look for the invoices this evening and confirm. I use it permanently on my audax bike, which is also my commuter. My SON is, I think, the 28. This reaches full output about 15 km/h. Lower-drag models are now available; their advantage is that they impose less drag in normal unlit riding, but reach maximum output at a higher speed. This is fine if you're a fast rider anyway. Plus, these days there's a big selection of suitable LED headlights that shine brighter at lower r/min anyway, so the low-drag units make even more sense. I bought the dynamo setup because of Paris-Brest-Paris. In 2006 I was using two Cateye Super Spot 1W (supposedly) lights that I considered OK until I came screaming down Du Toits Kloof at 1 a.m. in pitch darkness and a howling south-easter - skidmark time. A couple of my fellow riders were using units with big batteries (Sigma and Nightlightning) but I was worried that I wouldn't be able to recharge them on PBP, hence my decision to go with the dynohub. I also liked the idea of generating the light through my own efforts. How does it go? If I'm riding home, like today, and it's getting dark, I never have to wonder if I recharged the battery or brought fresh ones. I simply click the switch and there's light. (OK, you have to be moving, though lights are available with a standlight function that keeps them going for stop streets, etc.) So it's no big deal to use the light as a daytime running light. Yes, there's a weight penalty, but I'm guessing that the better class of battery will weigh much the same. And yes, with the dynohub you can't quickly swap your lights from bike to bike. You also have to be careful that you don't rip out the wires when removing the wheel - just the sort of thing that will happen in the dark on a lonely country road. For such occasions, and for reading my audax cue sheet, I use a tiny light that clips to my helmet and runs off a CR302 cell. Oh, and there's always the faint possibility of pretzelling the wheel... but that's why I keep a small battery backup. Drag is something that's not an issue in normal running. With the light on, initially there's a kind of buzz or tingle in the handlebars. According to the manufacturer, with light on, the drag is equivalent to about half a km/h in 10. Even in my worst moments on PBP I didn't feel the need to switch it off and use my battery backup instead, and at times I was barely clocking 10 km/h. The SON hub is said to be good for 50 000 km between rebuilds. By the way, it can't be user-serviced. Some may see this as a challenge, but I'd rather not. It's on about 6 000 now. As for the light itself, until recently the E6 was Schmidt's top-of-the-range light. Its 6V/3W halogen bulb is run over-volted and is rated for 100 hours; I always carry a spare. The current one is on about 90 hours and still does the job for me. The optics throw a trapezoidal beam - vaguely V-shaped - that looks odd at first. The good thing about it is that the beam puts the light in this tightly focused area, with sharp cutoffs at the side and top (oncoming traffic can see you without being blinded). On the negative side, this might lead to a kind of tunnel vision. People using some of the more recent lights may consider the output of my setup laughably low. Fine; I can't argue with the numbers. But subjectively, I feel comfortable descending at speed even in absolute darkness. I will say that, on PBP when the descents got twisty I also switched on my backup Super Spot because it gave me a wider beam. Basically, nobody could keep up with me on downhills because they simply couldn't see as well. On the flats, I usually had people queuing up behind me for the same reason. Trust me, it wasn't because of my pacemaking abilities. A question has been asked about the use of this kind of hub offroad. If offroad means jeep track or similar, I don't see a problem. My SON is built like a tank. However, using this setup on singletrack would be a waste of time, even with the currently available super-LED head units. You'd just be going too slowly or your speed would be fluctuating too much. These things are designed mainly with road use in mind. That also means the light spread should be concentrated on the road surface; off-road, you'll probably want to see a much wider area around you and above you. For short rides and randonnees up to 300 km a good battery light should be sufficient. However, the dynamo setup comes into its own when you have to start riding through the night and you're unsure of your backup.

... and before I forget, go to zonefivesoftware.com and download SportTracks. (No connection to the product other than being one of many satisfied users.)

After recording a track, you can use it to create a course in Garmin Training Centre. This course can be uploaded to the unit. An alternative if you haven't ridden the actual route and recorded a track is to create a route in Garmin Mapsource. (The software comes free with the device.) Remember to limit your waypoints/locations because if I remember correctly there is a 100-waypoint restriction. When you follow the route using the unit, it will beep and give a visual indication at each turn or waypoint. Not quite like the big autorouting versions with voice assistance, but it does the job.

Officially the FR305 has a 9-hour runtime. The 301 had 13 hours. The problem with the 305 and recharging is that you need to use the special docking station, which is yet another gadget to forget to bring along (assuming you need to recharge away from your usual base). At least the 301 had a mini-USB port. pbp20072009-02-04 09:34:49

I use the FR305 mainly for riding and running. Before that, I used the FR301. The bike-specific models do have the advantage of being bike-specific (of course). I take it that means a bigger display and the ability to interface with the various bolt-on goodies such as power and cadence sensors. If all you're using your device for is riding, then there's a strong argument for a bike-specific unit. I'm more of a rider than a runner, but I still prefer the superior portability of the Forerunner and the fact that I can wear it on a wrist. I don't like its smaller display (compared with the 301) and almost inaudible beep. Battery life... well, that's a whole 'nuther story.

Off the top of my head, I have set my climb zone thresholds at -2 % for descending and +2% for ascending. In other words, anything less than -2 % is recorded as a descent, anything greater than +2 % as an ascent. Grades between -2 and +2 are regarded as essentially flat. I find that this filters out a lot of the "noise" caused by road bumps, minor drags/slopes and GPS errors. On the other hand, if you simply set your threshold to 0, you'll probably wind up with impressive-looking (but not necessarily meaningful) climb/descend totals. Once you've recorded a workout, play around with the climb settings and notice the effect on your ascent/descent totals. As you probably have seen, one of the advantages of SportTracks is that you can correct workout data, including GPS track, heart rate and elevation. On SportTracks 2 there is an elevation correction plugin as well, to further optimise your elevation data. If this hasn't answered your question, feel free to PM me.