Dgas

This may be a stupid question and has probably been asked here before. Is the anyway to watch/stream the TDF in SA apart from DSTV?

I use Garrun insurance. They are bike specific and understand the different bits that make up a bike. Have had very good service from them. Hit a pothole with my deep section carbon wheels, replaced within 2 weeks.

I sent them an email, so far have received no response. Who did you send it to? I used the email on the Web site. its not the R 350, I am pissed of at the lack of communication, they just kept saying it’s going ahead. They must have known a while ago it’s not going to happen. It’s a pity that it has been badly handled, will affect people’s trust in entering upfront. Same company that is promoting the Joburg Classic, not entering that, not getting caught twice. Unfortunately I have entered Satellite, different company but probably the same result.

My new Trek, got it yesterday, rode for the first time today.

Also got passed by the e bike on Spitskop and Long Tom, I would like to ask the e bike rider why bother to enter, what is the point. If you are not capable of riding 150km then enter only one of the stages. Would love to hear the point of view from the e bikers. My wife drove the route behind me in a BMW X5, does she qualify for a medal, can she say she completed the race? Seems about the same amount of effort. In the Panorama Tour last month there were two of the annoying e bike things. Fortunately they had their own category.

Its a great race you will love it. The first stage is cold and then the day gets warmer. Make sure you have somewhere to put the kit you will be taking off. My wife normally follows me around, so kit and breakfast and lunch is taken care off by her. There are lots of hills so make sure your gearing is suitable. Most hills are around 6 - 7 % with the top of Spitskop at around 11% but only for a short bit. Long Tom is 7- 9 % for most of the length. I ride 52/36 oval chainrings on the front and 11/27 on the back and have no problems on the hills. I use the same gearing for the Panorama.

The wind was blowing from the side so the line was spread diagonally across the road. So when I moved over as per the marshals instruction, there was no wheel to hold. This happened a number of times, I was not the only rider and a few got dropped including me.You are correct, had I been stronger I would have been in the front driving the group. I was not complaining about getting dropped, it happens, it’s part of racing. My comment was on the way the races unfolded for me. The marshals were doing their best to keep order. I am also assuming that other groups had the same issue on the highway.

Me and the rest of A and probably a lot of the other groups. I did follow the marshals orders, moved over, nearly hit the cones and then after dodging the cones and being out in the wind I got dropped. The guys that stayed on the left of the cones, stayed on. As somebody mentioned in earlier post we should have stayed on the left side of the highway, which would have created a whole lot of problems at the off ramps.

I got onto the highway with the front of A, to stay out of the wind I ended halfway across the lane open for cars. The marshals kept on trying to get us to go back onto the coned off section of the road. Which is fully understandable, but once there, you were exposed to the wind. The cones on the highway were dangerous I dodged a few. Eventually I got dropped when going back into the safety of the coned of section. Finished on a 2.38 with the second group in A.

There was a crash in A just after the left turn by Heidelberg. Was everybody ok? I missed it by a few bike lengths.

How many riders are in AL? One of the guys from work who is normally seeded C or D also got a AL seeding. Seems like very few entries.

Did the weekend warrior, great fun, lapped a lot of riders but the race was spread out enough that there were no problems with slower riders. Only issue, the organisers should give some indication of laps completed, I realize that is not easy.

A really great race. Great route. Thanks to the marshalls and special thanks to the metro cops who kept the traffic at bay at the intersections. Will be back next year.

Riding this one for the first time. Anybody have a Strava file for the race?

R 7 500 for the oversized pulley wheel system plus a new chain, so just over R 8k. Not sure if its worth in terms of performance but looks awesome.

Got this yesterday, have not ridden with it yet.

Playing on a standard PS 4 but even so the graphics are pretty amazing. Thought about upgrading to a PS 4 Pro that is another 5k at least. So sticking with the standard one in the meantime. Just bought another set of deep section wheels, hard time expalining to my wife why it was vital that I had to spend 25k. Going away to do the Jock this weekend, wife is driving the support vehicle, in other words driving around behind me and my cycling buddy, tried to sell that to her as a long romantic weekend, also planning to do the Jock Tour in September. Convinced her that a new helmet was a great birthday present for me. So another 5k for a PS4 Pro might be a tough sell.

I also have a PS4, games are around the 1k mark and more if you buy a special edition. Before buying I do a lot of reading of reviews to make sure its something I am actually going to play. Also use Gamespot and Metacritic to see what the game has scored. Learnt the hard way, anything that has a score below 8, will not be all that great. Currently I am playing Horizon Zero Dawn, worth every cent I paid.

Thanks, found on maps and loaded in the BMW system. With a bit of luck, wife will be there with lunch.

My wife has "volunteered " to be the support vehicle for a few of us riding the race. I have done the event before and she has been there with me but has always been in the car with somebody else. This time she will be on her own. We can find the first stop at the school in White River on Google maps, cant find the second stop at Sabie. Does anybody know if the school changed its name? or does anybody have GPS co-ordinattes?

Unfortunatly it is very difficult to get money out of people just for charity, hence there is a bicycle race and you are happily parting with your money. No bicycle race, no charity. This year they got their money. Five more years of protests, no bicycle race, no charity. I have no doubt they feel they need to make their case heard and they probably have reason. But in my opinion they are targeting the wrong event. The CTCT is, in all probability, a mostly white event. A demographic that has very little, or less than none, power in government. Pissing a few cyclists of is not going to get anything done apart from a few posts on the hub, which is not exactly a political powerhouse.

Dude, I am not wealthy, I have a job which I look after and do everything that I can to keep. I do deserve what I have, I would have the same whether I was living in Europe or USA or anywhere else. I would have the same level of education and I would earn accordingly. By the way, SA labour is not cheap it cost more to build and construct here than in most other countries. To get out of the poverty cycle the country needs more bussiness. The CTCT is a business and a very profitable one, the CTCT is not there for my benefit but it is there to support that business and to bring money into the Western Cape area. I am guessing here, but the timing of the race is very closely aligned to a periodical downturn in the tourist industry in Cape Town in March. Falls very neatly in between the Christmas holidays and Easter. The majority of the riders are from out of Cape Town and hence bring in much needed money. The money does not go directly to the protesters or shack dwellers, but some of them or their family will be employed in restaurants and B&B and shops that I will go to. There are also a number of charities that the CTCT supports which goes to the poor of the Western Cape. I do realize that the shack dwellers haven concept of this, all they see is a bunch of rich whites having fun on their bikes, the value of which could feed their family for a year. The CTCT will go ahead next year, but there maybe be a few people less, especially those that are coming from out of town. And less money will finds its way to those protesting. You cannot take away from me to solve SA's problems, you cannot tax me more to make SA a better place. You need to create wealth by supporting business in whatever form. Business creates work, which creates jobs, which creates salaries, which take away hunger, provide a roof over your head, and in cases like mine buys bicycles. If you make it difficult for business, such as the situation is in SA, investment goes somewhere else and more poverty comes our way.

If you must know, my bike is worth somewhere around 140k. Pinarello,Di2, SRM power meter etc. Busy planning to buy a F10, so soon my bike will be worth around 200k. I also have three other bikes worth around 100k. I worked hard to get those bikes and I do not feel one bit of guilt. I did not ride the race today and glad I did not come to CT although I had entered. Would've cost me a lot of money to go there and I would have been completely pissed off. Its not just the money, its the months of training and planning that went into it. The protesters should be targeting the ANC government and not my hobby / sport.

I entered the race, but about a month ago took the decision not to go. With a few mates we are training for the L'Etape and my training is not where I want it to be, too many long rides in the legs, etc. For me the only reason to go and ride the CTCT would be to target a sub 3. Last year 3.02, I was devastated. For me the cost of going to Cape Town from JHB is in the region of R 25k. Flights for me and the mrs, car hire accommodation,etc. The weather cannot be controlled and its just one of those things. Protest action is another, seems like the race was targeted. Who is to say it's not going to happen again next year. Unless the organizers can guarantee that the route will be clear, I am sure they can't and will not, I am not spending 25k plus to go to CT and ride a shortened route or not at all. It's a great route and it is iconic, but the costs and uncertainty of the race going ahead will keep me away.