@ CTCT Ride report: I decided to collect my number on Saturday. The week was just too full of events and family obligations so Saturday got the nod. Entry to the stadium was easy as usual with no hiccups. Walking along fan lane I couldn't help but hear the sounds of about 15,000 Uruguyan football fans singing Jamie Roos "Vamo Arriba la Celeste" ringing back to 2010. Inside, a pretty young blonde lady asked if I want to try the Edinburgh challenge on the Tacx Neo 2T. Why not? Lets just do a 1km TT the day before Fun Ride World Champs. What could go wrong? Nothing it seems, 21st fastest time and I didn't try too hard so I was starting to feel more at ease with this @ business. After I finished, now dripping with sweat, I walked over to collect my number. A friendly face asks If I've been served I said no so she proceeds to ask the next guy if he had been helped. we look at each other and wonder ......WTF?!?! We both exclaimed in unison "I/He said NO !" CTCT sometimes brings the best out of cyclists. The Expo itself was ...well....dull. No vibe. The nicest stuff was the new Giant colour ways, Swift Carbon bikes back in SA looking as sharp as ever, Pave and the huge Ciovita blow out CTCT sale. (I still don't like your cycling tog bag BTW, it needs serious revision.) That night, I can't say I had the best sleep. The prospect of dicing it out with some of the best 20-29 and 40-49 year old men in the country weighed on my psyche. I was up at 3h50, 10min earlier than I had set my alarm for. Did the usual ablutions, had breakie and hopped in the car (it was packed the night before). The drive through was smooth peaceful, not a breath of wind except in Muizenberg. Wind is made in Muizenberg so it always blows). I arrived at the Greek club, got prepped and headed into town with my mates. So this was the first time we'd been seeded together in 30 years of participation. Photos were needed. By 6am we were in our chute. Fashionably late but there was only 198 in @ so no biggie. @ 6h20@ left the Parade,...in a respectable manner. No dashing for the on-ramp, just a smooth considered pace but it didn't last. Our first near crash happened on the M3 just as we exit the on ramp. This happens every year so I expected it. On the way to Hospital bend, two more near misses were recorded as riders did stupid things. Take "Andreas" for example. Andreas was riding a gravel bike like a mountain bike on single track. Andreas was being a knob. Please peeps, don't be like Andreas. Andreas was the cause of lots of foreign language phrases being issued. This continued a long way into the race. So I decided that I need to stay away from Andreas. Hospital bend was negotiated safely from what I could tell. I didn't hear any carbon crunching sounds and then the usual UCT concertina brought out some more colourful phrases from many. The speed was now starting to build. We had a few savages around but they seemed rather muted in race tactics. Edinburgh was where the screws got tightened, charges loaded and a full broad side assault on the legs. Some riders went down with the HOOD, and it would take the survivors till Simons town to catch back up. I went over the top of Edinburgh with the front of the pack and kept the pedal pressure on, staying right of the centre line. Once again there were dropped bottles but handled without panic so none crashed down Wynberg Hill. Along the M3 I decided to just sit in the middle of the first third as the breeze was starting to build from the South. The end of the M3 and into Lakeside was handled well with no one hitting the island as far as I could tell. The speeds were high and we dispatched Lakeside, Muizenberg, St James and Kalk bay without drama. Outside Fish Hoek Andreas caused some mayhem again with his weaving through a tightly packed bunch. Fortunately the guy whose wheel he clipped was a skilled bike handler and even a full on broadslide couldn't bring him down. Surviving that tank slapper took skill. A tapped him on the shoulder and said well done. Simons Town was just a haze as I couldn't see a thing riding into the rising sun. I probably need a new pair of lenses as Oakley lenses scratch if you breath too hard on them. Mybe some D'arcs to lighten the situation? Hitting Martello Hill on Queens Road I could sense the angst was rising. Riders were starting to worry about their positioning for SmitsWinkel. We rushed past Boulders beach, down past Foggies Pond and Smits was looming ever closer. The wind was already starting to pick up as the pace seemed a little too soft. Some okes with nervous energy went off the front only to be seen again a few minutes later before they were never seen again after the reserve entrance. I climbed at my pace and it seemed more than good enough to hold my own. I was feeling confident. The roll down Blue Gum alley was fast and a few dropped bottles added more tension to the air than we needed. Perdekraal added some hurt before the descent to Scarborough. This twisty descent had me on edge a bit as riders were just totally oblivious to others needs for space and line through the corners. I could tell Zwift is common use. Seems like Zwift needs to add some reminder flags like "rider you have passed has not disappeared into thin air. He's still there so give him space". The climb from Misty Cliffs to Ocean view shelled a few more out the back. There was some seriously high Heart rates and heavy breathing but no touching. A bit like Maverick's on a Saturday night. The right hander at the bottom of the hill was taken cleanly and we were on the final burn to the two most talked about features of the day. Chappies and Suikerbossie. The boys started winding the pace up from Sun Valley Mall already. By the time we hit Jakes the bunch was thinning out already. Up up Up little Chappies we rose. Legs still felt good So i knew I could crest with the main group. About 2km from the top someone lit the afterburner and the pace went up. I let the group go a little and started stoking the fire with more coal . I had just stabilised the gap when one of those Zwifters came past and switched me into the wall. Rhythm upset and a sudden movement to clipped the foot to prevent a fall caused a little bit of a twinge in my left calve. I clipped back in and gave chase. I'd lost 100m in this and had to chase hard. Over the top my left calf muscle started to cramp a bit and I had to ease off. "No problem I can catch a big bunch on my own" I tod myself confidently. I've done it before.....But not this time. They were too fast. I chased with a group of 5 guys, into Hout Bay and onto Suikerbossie. The Elastic was snapped. The main @ bunch was going away and my calf wasn't helping. I still PB'd Suikerbossie through the cramp and now had to chase the descent to try and limit the loses. The first tandem came hauling past at the BRT station but I couldn't get on so I let it go. The second one had David and Michele hauling ass down the descent. By now I had built enough steam to up the pressure on the pedals and get onto the bus.. When My turn came I couldn't go around, that's how fast we were going. Never had this problem in the last 6 months so I conceded defeat and let better riders take up the work. All through Camps Bay we hauled. Then the last two challenges came up; the left hander that heads down the hill to the traffic circle on beach road and the right hander onto Beach Rd. At the left hander a rider came down and we scattered. I took the left lane in the gutter and got through behind my chum Marius and got back up to the train now building speed again I took my line into the traffic circle and some .......person decided to try and squeeze up the inside.. I'm not sure how it ended for him but I was still upright, annoyed and chasing.. We caught the David&Michele train at the pool and that's were I stayed. We passed the remnants of the @ accident. It didn't look good. That finish line was the most welcome one I've seen in a while. I didn't bother sprinting for 360th because I just wanted to get over the line to enjoy my Coke. That's the 22nd one down. A highly anxious ride but I'll be back next year, fitter stronger and more matured,.......like a good single malt.
