Tubehunter

The route will be too congested for people to do a second lap. Because it's so short the volume of riders making it back in time to consider doing this will make it a non option for everyone. Especially when the temptation to do it twice and get closer to a full distance will be such an option for most of the first half of the field! Send the organisers a mail and ask them if they'll refund your 2nd lap entry. I don't see any reason they wont do this, if they are the one's stopping this add on feature to the event.

Cap, the fire, she is still burning. How can the Organisers ask the fire fighting services to move out of the way so that they can deploy waterstations, EVEN IF THE CATCHNETS ARE IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER? The reaction to Chappies is based on the fact that there was enough heat generated by the fire to cause significant expansion of the rock structure on the top of the mountain. What the impact of that will turn out to be is unknown and certainly will not be determined within the next 3 days. How many lives would be put at risk, attempting to push the race through is original route? What are the chances the city will sign off on plans like these??? Is this really that much of a stretch for people to grasp????????????????

Hey, I enjoy debating on this platform with all of you ous, checking out all your diverse opinions on whatever we bring up for discussion but you know when you get to that point where you feel you have thrashed a topic to death and you arrive at that place where the common sense required to grasp what is actually going on, will just forever seem to escape some of the people adding new flames to a burnt situation. Those of you who cannot see beyond your own emotional ouburst at invested time and resources to come down and race for their PB this year and would somehow like to justify this investment as a dig at the Organisers for not offering you some other form of race opportunity for a second Sunday in March somewhere in Cape Town, should really consider whether lining up on Sunday is a good idea. I would suggest it is probably not your year for participating then. The rest of us, that want to ride in the area the race ALWAYS goes through, that is close enough yet safe enough for us, to see what has happened on this Mountain we care about AND STILL SHOW some form of collective appreciation to the communities directly affected by this natural disaster, will try to make a day of this from the joy of our bicycle seats!

How much chaos would this be in comparison to 35 000 cyclists who would try and do a ride of their own without any form of cohesion whatsoever? Have you seen what 1 000 cyclists with their own ideas on a stretch of road look like???? Without any marshals or road closures? Whilst emergency services are still trying to get to some areas and probably be putting out fires? Ja, cancelling the event would have been so much better...

More nought dude! Read the last few pages and you'll see that all your points have been debated already. Do it. I dare you...

Yep, sitting in Randburg you can make a comment like that! IF you were in Cape Town and saw even a little bit of what was actually going on at the ground level, your entertainment area with its thatch roof laps would be about as popular as this post! The fire has no predetermined areas it is picking and there are a couple of hundred people sleeping in makeshift camps as they have been evacuated from their homes with nothing more than their wallet and their phones!

Nice one dude! Dropping back to somewhere near mid pack to ride with some mates in honor of my mate who passed away in Jan. Heather and I will be wearing some red superhero outfits for the Firemen too! We should be easy to spot! Banana milkshake for breakfast sounds like the bomb!

Understand Slowbbbbzzz, that you will never make EVERYONE happy all of the time. If you moved the ride into a different part of the Cape there would be people complaining about transport issues getting to and from the new start and finish venues, before you got the first approval from local government about a route change. How many community members would disregard marshals and traffic when trying to get out of landlocked areas because they made plans for the weekend and only now have found out they are confined to their homes for the day. Just one of those eeedjits pulling out into a road into oncoming racing groups? Picture the scene then! I woulda loved to see a new route myself, but then I have over 15 of the events completed. Some new comers would probably not want to ride it if it went somewhere else, just cause it's not the CTCT then... You have been given a gift my man. You now have to ride twice as slow to still take as long as you normally would! Enjoy the day sucker!

Shorthand speak for - Not Quite Our Class Darling Us old toppies need to research this...

Alternative route plans around the South Peninsula. There is no way of getting there, let alone back with both Boyes and OKW out of commission. Any other alternative routes would have had to be advertised with the local communities in the area weeks, if not months in advance to ensure the City took into account any valid reasons not to grant a permit to the Cycle Tour Trust. Is your expectation that the Organisers really had a completely separate and backup route ready to roll in 3 days given they have never ever needed this in the history of the event before?

It should still count as long as you ride with your chip and you get timed. The event will be official, so your finish should be too! Follow same procedure and get to line up twice and sing HHHHHHOOOOOOOOOPPLAA a second time, savouring the joy klapping it twice. The route is too short for any meaningful seeding I think.

It's at the bottom of Boyes Drive, so literally almost at the halfway point! Toad on the Road it's called I believe...

Yes, there used to be defined shifts as the racer crew came and went, then the semi serious guys taking the baton and finally the social crew arriving to wonder what all was on offer at the start of the day... Now it's quite likely they'll all be there at the same time at some point!

365 days ago when the planning for 2015 CTCT started they did not picture a scenario where every access road to the South Peninsula would be closed due to a natural disaster. This is the 37th (I think) running of the event and the FIRST time something like this has happened. I have some disaster management responsibilities and given that track record I would also not have factored in a complete deviation of the route as another instance of the Argus\CTCT. Doing that would essentially make it a different race altogether.... But hindsight is 20-20 vision. Heck, even I speculated on a different route earlier on this thread, fully well knowing it was pie in the sky, as all the events permissions and tabled requirements, would have been based around using the Southern Peninsula. We're effectively being given whatever the City will allow us to use of that route! Thank you Cycle Tour Trust for getting us somewhere to ride without any cars on Sunday, WHILE the mountain is still burning! FULLY APPRECIATED!

Eishhh, sorry! My bad! Collateral fire aimed at the moaning crew...

No worries Warren. Any time you're ready to organise the road closures with all these new burbs and communities affected and make sure the trouble intersections are effectively closed for 7 hours of the day with adequate support from traffic department and marshals and somehow pull this all off with approvals from the various authority groups in 3 days, you let us know and we'll line up with you!

Ride through the finish area on to Hout Bay and back. Add the Glen and Signal Hill if the legs are looking for more climbing miles!

Where's the start and finish venue that can host 35000 riders plus their families and supporters? Hands up ANY Events Company who would take this on and have it ready for 3 days time...

Why cancel if there's already so much sunk cost to the event and many people are already in Cape Town? What do you think 30 000+ people trying to find a ride of their own on a Sunday in Cape Town will look like???? Kudos to the Organisers for managing to get the City's approvals given the circumstances! Looking forward to riding with people who remember the simple joy of why we started riding a bike in the first place! HHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPLLLAAAAAA!

So there is STILL a fire that is burning on the mountain whilst we sit here, but how many would like to ride their bike on a closed highway on Sunday? How many would like to share the vibe of thousands of other cyclists lining up with them for the original reason the ride was started? How many would like to forget about all the timing chart variables and taking into account their own strengths and thinking through their strategies of where to position themselves in their groups for which breaks could occur where for just one year and look up and smile at all the spectators that come out in support lining the course every year? (Many of whom are motorists we shout at in the other 364 days...) How many are going to dress up in something red in support of the firefighters on the day? I'm stoked that there is still a ride of any shape or size, knowing that the Organisers could easily just have canned the ride altogether and then be subjected to the disorganised chaos of 35000 people trying to find somewhere to cycle on Sunday with no cohesion whatsoever!!!! I'm looking just as forward to the moment I shout HHHHHOOOOOOPPPLLAAAAAAA when the gun goes off! I'll stay late at the 70th birthday party on Saturday night, instead of avoiding the obvious party later! I'm gonna dress up in a weird outfit I had made a few years ago when the better half wanted to ride it for fun but couldn't cause she fell ill. (We'll be rocking those outfits this year for sure!)

Yoh, I'm liking this idea dude! Let me see if I can organise a board on the bike rack!

Come do the ride and if you still feel like riding your bike after, than go past the finish and ride into Hout Bay and back! Plenty of other super scenic areas in CT too!

And WE WILL WELCOME you here dudes! Looking forward to sharing the spirit that will be the lasting memory of this years ride. Years from now, when many other people have become cyclists and competed in this event, the question will be, "Did you ride the first year of the CTCT when the fires ravaged the mountain and the race still went on!" Lets not forget that there's a strong possibility the fire could still be burning when we line up to do this ride! Wear something red if you have it, as a token of support to the firemen still working the mountain!

Come on guys! Jeez, can't you give the crew half a break? There's a fire that is STILL burning as we sit here debating this and they've taken the call to at least offer people that have travelled here the opportunity to all ride together and share the spirit of thousands and thousands of riders in the safety of riding on a closed National Highway as an extended coffee ride. Most of you didn't even see an opportunity for the ride to happen in any way! Give those that want to ride the chance to enjoy all the services that come with the event even if it's less than half the normal route distance!

Respect that there are many that would rather see the event cancelled as it will not have the same feel as previous years and yes the original route is spectacular as it winds its way round the ocean front surrounding the peninsula! But do these same people respect that there are many others who would like to show support for the efforts being put in by the crews of firefighters battling this disaster and some solidarity for the people affected who have lost homes, by still choosing to pitch up, invest their money and time by being here? Get some route together and let these people ride. Come on Cycle Tour Trust, you can do it! Show us your back up plan!