Tubehunter

What is your selection from the available players for the QF? Faf # AB Rossouw Miller Duminy QDK Steyn Abbott Morkel Tahir This keeps AB away from the wickets which he can do but he seems to play better and make more of an impact when he's not doing WK duty too! Drop QDK down the order to take off the opening bat pressure and make sure his WK duties are above expectation! Tough to leave Vern out but Abbott has made a big impact through the tournament already and is clearly in good form!

Was the route the detour years followed when Chappies was out. No major issues there then. Going back up Hospital Bend is going to surprise everyone...

Cat, kom kyk vinnig, some engelsman has taken over your account! Ride safe! Is it a cycle back as well???

................................................. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!

Depends on what time and where... What are you thinking? Most of Saturday is booked up my side. (Setting up venue and music for 70th birthday bash that evening!) Might be able to sneak an early one!

Some more! and this!

Expo should've had some of these somewhere: This one would be awesome if it read: "They" instead of "I"

Have you got anything red you can wear? If it's old and trashed take a permanent marker to it! Write something on the back as a shout out to the firemen!

If they did your suggested route, with Chappies closed that means that everyone living in Hout Bay would be stranded, have to stay home and there would be no motorised traffic in or out of HB for 7 plus hours. What do you think their reaction would be?

Thursday night is Doodles night in Blouberg dude! All the bikers will be there!

Do a ride out to Hout Bay on Saturday. There will be plenty of cyclists out there to share the experience with. Yes, it feels kinda weird to be doing what you are now, knowing you prepped for a race day, but it should prove to be one of the most memorable events in its history and these will remain long after our own memories of individual glory at chasing whatever time we had been prepping and planning for! Shot for coming down and being a part of this dude!

2 weeks ago there was no fire and I rode 115 Kay's doing a practice ride using everything other than the N2 and the M3! How the heck can you be acid that they didn't begin alternate plans with that timeline when there was no sign of fires at that time? This is all a result of fires of this magnitude DURING Lifecycle week!

But if you were DB and you have had 38 successful efforts at doing this event with alternative routes in place for round the South Peninsula, that you've implemented in the past, do you suddenly make a whole host of new recovery plans for a disaster you have never experienced or considered? Is your expectation of this type of planning real or is your expectation based on the sense of disappointment actually being fueled at not getting a long days ride in, with all the typical services present at this event?

What has all this debating been for if you're still trapped on the long route dilemma??? Eish my bru! Gonna make you cough up at least a double banana shake now!

Let's call him guilty by association!

Indeed your point is valid. Hopefully CTCTT learn from this and apply some additional risk protocol to their key priorities moving forward. As the majority of us who have been following the events of the week in more detail than just a thread on this website, it has been somewhat transparent that the Organisers of the race have been held to ransom by the way this fire has moved around the mountain. They were trying to pull a cat out of the bag and held out till there was no possible way to make that a reality, before accepting the inevitable.

As G mentioned the option to ride the long route was very much still viable. Yes, dependent on, as most of the fires on the mountain are typically brought under control and put out within that time period. The elements on this occasion did not make that a reality and its therefore an unplanned, unforeseen natural disaster that has effectively shortened the route to what it is.

Timing will be to ensure you're an official finisher. This event will likely get all the same penalties other races of shorter distances get. It's the only way to ensure consistency across the seeding formula. Make sure you ride one of the other seeding races sometime during 2015 if you're interested in a decent start group for 2016 version.

Nope, no misunderstanding. Monday the option to ride the longer detour route over OKW was still on the table, dependant on whether fire services were able to contain and put out the fire. At that time there was some burning that had happened, but the real issue came through Monday evening into Tuesday and Tuesday night. At that point the route became a figment of full distance imagination. How could they have annouced this earlier?

Even if the conditions are perfect between now and next week, the effect of 4 days of raging fire will still be ongoing come Sunday and there is no way it will be safe for 35 000 people to ride through the heart of the areas the fire has unloaded its wrath.

But the real issues from the fire making it not possible to run across OKW only happened on Tuesday. Til then it would certainly have been noticeable but manageable. How could they have predicted that on Monday and given the early annoucement??

The hold off in the annoucement was to see if OKW was a viable option with the fire services having the opportunity at putting it out. We all know that did not happen and the fire gained in ferocity and then went on it's real rampage through homes in both Monkey Valley and Tokia and shutting down both Boyes Drive and OKW. That essentially forced the organisers to look at what part of the route they could still ask access for and this is the 47kms we will ride with not a single vehicle to share our road space with! VIVA cycling! Thank you CTCTT

Gonna make a day of it. Dressing up in superhero outfits for the better half and myself. Have purchased toy fireman hats to fix to the handlebars of the bike! Stopping just shy of face paint, as that stuff is not sweatproof! Tempted to bring some with to help paint a smile on for most of the distance delirious alternative route brawlers trying to confuse themselves for cyclists..

Dude go join the Cycle Tour Trust and you give it a bash then. Clearly they are desperately in need of someone with your analytical acumen! What could they possibly be thinking, it's only been 38 times they've run it without these kinds of issues before...

M3 = MOTORWAY number 3. Managed by the local authorities. N1, N2, N7 = National Highway number 1, 2 and 7. Manged by the National authorities. Work with us Smimby, or is this just deliberate obstinance?