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ChrisF

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Everything posted by ChrisF

  1. I am a firm supporter of Santam - VIA A BROKER The concept of switching insurance on and off ..... follow the stolen bikes thread for a while .... a LOT of bikes are stolen from HOME .... Also speak to your broker about "wearables cover", i.e. your helmet, Garmin watch, etc .... (You mention a R30k bike, you may get a fright when you add up the costs of your wearables)
  2. Interesting email - IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN RESPECT OF E-BIKES AT THE CAPE TOWN CYCLE TOUR 109 KM IN 2024 · NO E-BIKES ARE PERMITTED IN ANY START GROUP STARTING EARLIER THAN GROUP 3A. · ALL E-BIKE PARTICIPANTS TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ENTERED AS RIDING ON AN E-BIKE AND THAT THEIR REAR RACE NUMBERS ARE MARKED WITH AN ORANGE STICKER. THIS STICKER WILL ALREADY BE ON YOUR RACE NUMBER PROVIDED YOU DID INDICATE THAT YOU WERE PARTICIPATING ON AN E-BIKE WHEN ENTERING. · SHOULD YOUR RACE NUMBER NOT HAVE AN ORANGE STICKER THIS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE QUERIES COUNTER AT REGISTRATION. · NO E-BIKE PARTICIPANT MAY COMPLETE THE COURSE IN A TIME FASTER THAN 3hrs 50min. · THERE WILL BE E-BIKE MARSHALLS WITHIN THE START PRECINCT TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE. We encourage everyone to read the following in respect of e-bike inclusion and participation. Since its inception in 1978, the Cape Town Cycle Tour has embraced inclusion for all riders and all types of bicycle. The early years were rich in space-age recumbent machines that would often beat the professional riders by many minutes. We have welcomed trikes, unicycles, even a pair of penny-farthings. And in the halcyon years of tandem racing, in the late 90s, more than 1 000 teams would sign up and line up for the most beautiful race on the planet. Most recently, our attention has been focussed on the e-bike explosion, and the thousands of new cyclists pedal-assist machines continue to bring to our beautiful sport. We have created some separate rules for e-bikes, and their riders, to follow, which are in the general rules you all accepted when you entered the 2024, but some of them bear repeating if we are to keep on the path of successful inclusion for all. RESPONSIBILITY E-bikes offer riders some significant advantages, specifically on the climbs where many newer riders are unaware of the speed differential they have over a normal bike. We have had very few real-world problems with this – partly because we keep the seeding system in place so that relatively experienced riders ride with each other, but also because many riders understand that the power wasted hooliganning up Wynberg Hill may well turn to walking up Suikerbossie with a dead battery. But as battery life gets better, and riders take up Giant Bicycles’ generous battery-swap function just short of Noordhoek, the risk of running out of power is reduced and temptation rises… we ask all e-bike riders to keep the spirit of the event in mind and smell just as many roses as the riders around you. It isn’t a race, especially for e-bike riders. The Cape Town Cycle Tour is a celebration of pedalling the most spectacular roads in a safe, happy environment. IDENTIFICATION For the 2024 event, all registered e-bike riders will have an orange stickers on their back number for ease of identification. Any e-bike rider without the orange dot will be required to have an orange dot applied in the start chute, where their category will be updated on our systems to e-bike, and will be required to move back to 3A or lower, if they are in a higher seeded group. We will have experienced marshals checking bikes entering the start chutes in 2024, to make sure the few errors of omission – deliberate or unintentional – are identified and categorisation is spot-on for the safety and happiness of both the e-bikers and the normally-aspirated cyclists around them. There is still time at registration to make sure you are correctly categorised – if you are riding an e-bike (maybe you weren’t going to, but now are, or possibly you missed the tick-box in the registration process) no matter – we aren’t angry, we just want the safest outcome for all riders. If you are riding an e-bike and you haven’t entered as one, you need to let us know at registration so we can update you on the system. If you are riding an e-bike and starting earlier 3A, you will need to drop back to that group, or further, to be allowed to start. We can facilitate this easily and swiftly at registration. Please remember that e-bikes may not complete the 109km route faster than 3 hours and 50 minutes – we have calculated this with some actuarial input as a fair trade off between the fitness of a fast rider on a fully-legal 250w e-bike, and to date it has seemed to be a fine cut-off with very few riders arriving earlier than that time. The penalty, however, for finishing faster than 3h50 is disqualification, so if you are on a pearler of a ride, please just make sure you keep an eye on your time. ACOUSTIC RIDERS For cyclists on regular bikes, acoustic they might be called in a musical world, who are worried about the impact e-bikes might have in the earlier start groups, rest assured we are doing our best to make sure your race will be run fairly. E-bikes in groups earlier then 3A will either be there by mistake on their rider’s behalf, not reading or understanding the rules properly upon entry, or (far less likely) because they are taking a chance. We will have marshals on the start chute gates checking bikes as they come in, but it is a busy time and many of the newer road e-bikes look remarkably like fat-tubed ‘normal’ road bikes, so there is a possibility some might make it through. Self-policing is the only way we can ask you to help us redirect these riders to their correct start groups. Please encourage them to go back to the start gate and ask the marshals for help acquiring a special orange dot and moving back to a more appropriate start group so they can be integrated correctly to our timing systems. Very few will take exception to being shown the correct path when a genuine mistake has been made, and out marshals are fully briefed and equipped to make the process quick and simple. WHAT A DAY! As we have streamlined our e-bike rules and systems over the FIVE years they have been permitted at the Cycle Tour, so we have been able to get a tab on the real numbers of pedal-assist riders joining the rest of us on this magnificent day out. It is significant, and vitally important to the future of the event as e-bike numbers rise into the thousands, that we all welcome ANY new rider to the Cape Town Cycle Tour. The original Argus Tour cocked a snoot at the draconian Apartheid laws with its first event in 1978 being open to all riders, no matter their colour, race, creed or any other nonsensical classification. As an event, that spirit of inclusivity has remained unchallenged for 45 years. We all have a role to play in keeping that spirit going; whether we are personally pro or anti this revolution on cycling, it is here to stay and allowing so many people access to the joy, health and passion we all have for two-wheeled adventure. Good luck on Sunday, see you at the finish in Green Point!
  3. Your start time ? Have a GOOD one 👍
  4. This is getting confusing .. We need Dedicated threads for 1. Bash the cyclist 2. Bash the runner 3. Bash the driver 4. Bash Council 5. Victim blaming ... EDIT - We need a special sub-section for those "eskom workers" that apply loadshedding to their car's lights when driving in the rain and in the dark ..... surely no sane individual will not use a vehicles head lights ...
  5. I recall a no pedestrian sign along a section 👍
  6. Wearing out the refresh button .... Bigger picture - Past a cold front by Friday. Hot weather by Monday. Thus Sunday should be in the 20's, and the typical wind on the out lap. Basically as good as it gets around here. As good a guess as any ....
  7. Dont leave us hanging .... Give us the inside scoop .... These nice things can be testy ....
  8. I had some fun on Sunday morning on Bottelary. Seemed like a marathon, with groups of 3 to 6 runners, heading towards Brackenfell. MOST were considerate. They would leave space so you could still pass them, and remain in the yellow lane. I most certainly DONT want to drive on the wrong side of that line along Bottelary (for what that is worth) TWO groups, the larger groups, nope .... They STAY next to each other, onto the yellow line. I made eye contact, greeted them, then got out the saddle and went STRAIGHT (right along the very far left) .... It was that or stop until they passed me, for which they would have had to narrow their group in any case. PITY that common decency is not so common .... (amongst ALL types of road users)
  9. Even that did not work .... Nope, in the last 8 years, this is thee hardest a tyre has ever fought me !! But the new owner is NOW lining up for her first race on the Green machine. All the troubles forgotten, now for the FUN to start.
  10. RESPECT for what you have achieved thus far !!! I was one of the nay sayers .... GLAD to have been proven wrong. Sure, this system is not "practical". But it is a START !! Imagine the chaos if they "OPENED" it in one go .... If the gate cant keep up with applications, under these silly steps ..... Let's trust the system will adjust as the rush subsides ....
  11. Rebuilt the "Green Bike" 2 weeks ago. MAN !!!! The front tyre would NOT seat .... I re-did the rim tape twice. Double layered. Eventually gerry-rigged a setup whereby I had a straight pipe from the compressor to the valve. After all this agrivation the rear tyre slipped on like a glove. At least now I have a "jig" to get more air quicker to those troublesome tyres ... Saturday's jobbie went silk smooth, no chance to use my new toys ....
  12. Thats my 99er time of 2023. Similar for Winelands this year. But thats me putting it all on the line .. burning tomorrows matches ... 🤣🤣 Would need to seriously up my game to do this day after day .... 30 months ago the thought of doing a 100km ride scared me .... slowly realising our bodies are capable of SO much more !! Please keep us posted as the event continues 👍
  13. Racing, or camera bikes ? Distances per day ? Average speeds for the slow riders ?
  14. Respect !! Thank goodness we have a cader at the weather station .... as usual nothing came of the warnings of the mother of all storms .... lightest mist rain, barely 10mm in 20 hours.
  15. Worth noting for 2025 - do your email bookings with Lani and her team, with payment due closer to the event. We spread the cost of the event .... pay race entry early, then accommodation in April, travel and food costs at the time of the event. PS - we also like the date, but we are not tied to school holidays. As long as it is during the cooler months we will try to make it work.
  16. Shame, the poor Kwid would have been a write-off ....
  17. I got the message of your incident when I was at Toeka. It was a LONG solo ride from there, with lots of thoughts .... Wishing you a full and speedy recovery.
  18. @Johan A Marais I trust you received the I❤Boobies email on Monday. START BATCH 5C START TIME 07H48 It carries on to confirm that if you qualified higher you may start in your seeded group, or you may fall back to start with the Charity.
  19. Back then I was part of the support team. Did my first ride, or was that a swim, in 2022. Entered 2 weeks before the event on a dare ....
  20. NOPE From @Me rida my bicycle towing a buggie, to Tant Ansie in her late 70's no longer capable of the 109km (having done 21 full routes), there is a market for this group. Also it creates an opportunity for @KB280DT to introduce his teenage daughter to the CTCT. Sure, there may need to be a rethink of maximum group sizes, maximum number of entries, etc. But let's see the benefits of the 42km race and work towards a better overall plan for the day.
  21. Very true. Easy to forget there are MANY cyclists to whom the thought of a 100km ride is scary. Was speaking to a Hubber on Sunday. 2025 he wants to do the 42km with his then 13 year old. Nice way to rope the next generation into the 109km CTCT. Badge of honour .... my racetech chip stays laced into my shoe.
  22. Participating Charities - Cape Town Cycle TourCape Town Cycle Tour Based on Facebook posts during the last week, start by contacting: Groote Schuur Hospital Trust Cape of Good Hope SPCA cant recall the name of the third one ....
  23. The date has been discussed in previous years. LOTS of requests to move it to a school holiday. BUT .... will we be able to book out the SANS Park during a school holiday ? ..... Let's see how this plays out. I will update when I get any concrete feedback.
  24. Various charities are urgently trying to off load the tickets they pre-bought ....
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