Serhan

Hey Murrob, No I was the one in the red and white Everyday Athlete kit. Surgery tomorrow, Doctors promise I can zwift next week.

Indeed part of the sport, I was always told you're not a real cyclist until you break a collar bone 😅

I started in group C. While the start was okay for us, things deteriorated rapidly, so many near misses, in the first 30km, with riders touching wheels 🤕 it wasn't long before the first 2 riders went down because someone crossed wheels. Then the mayhem from the A group crash, weaving around cars to pass. Things settled for a bit and we found some rhythm, unfortunately at 65km a rider went down and this crash took 12 of us down. I am not certain what caused the rider to go down, but I unfortunately had no room to avoid the collision. While I can't comment on the incident I got caught up in, as I don't know what the cause was for the rider going down, I can comment on the overall experience. It took 6 years to build up a decent seeding, I always imagined riders in the faster groups would be more disciplined and have higher concentration levels. I am left terribly disappointed. Touching wheels without any real obstruction is just a matter of negligence. A simple signal when moving out of your line does so much for group safety. Both winelands and 99er felt safer than PPA. Having said that I am not negative as a person and put the crash I was involved in, into the racing incident category. I do feel overall rider etiquette must be improved With this crash my hopes for a sub 3 cycle tour 2024 attempt have ended, the infamous collar bone is getting surgery. I will be at suikerbossie supporting friends and all other riders this year, wishing everyone a safe ride !

Yes, I was in a red Jersey with a big EA on it. If anything the crash had me on high alert for the rest of the race.

If we are lucky 2024 could be a possibility without moving the race, current calendars point to first day of fasting on 11th March 2024. Let's hope the Maan kykers concur. My first year riding in the earlier groups, started 1B. The crash happened just to the left of me. Tried to hold on to the front of the group up Edinburgh, got boxed in to the main group while watching the front of 1B break away. Was a good learning experience for me. The start was frantic. I had hoped the guys would be more organized at the earlier start groups. Do things like signalling not apply in the early start groups ? Simonstown area didn't feel like a race, felt more like a coffee ride. Saddle dropped somewhere after Smits, smashed my quads for the remainder of the race. Managed to finish on PB of 3:16. Glad to have finished safely. Lots more training needed before I am ready for a proper sub 3 attempt.