PeterM

R - 7h13 2009 Argus - Z - 7h42 2008 - PD - 9h18 (my first Argus)

!?%$&^*%$*(!%#&*!!! Last year the seedings were posted on the 23Jan09

Bonked 1 1/2 years ago doing the Bay City Funride, going up OuKaapseWeg. Was quite new at cycling. Bonked but rode past the watering point on top of the hill - stupid and arrongant me thought "just pull yourself together, its downhill from here"! Did i suffer! Doing 9km/h on the last 10km sounds about right. At times like these one learns the most about oneself, food intake, cycling....

No helmets! Is this starting to become a "Cape Town typical problem"? I just hope that no-helmets is not the new-cool..... I did a ride to capepoint two days ago and saw too many without a helmet. There was this group of road bikers at redhill without helmets. This is just plain stupid - going fast downhill with no protection on your pumpkin. I have been in a crash where my skull was safed by the helmet (still have the scars on my shoulders). And the baboons at cape point have no respect for roadies - a whole bunch just sat in the middle of the road and did not move for cyclists.

I have looked at the way the PPA calculates the seeding and i have spoken to the guy who does it. It seems that the new approach is better and "cleaner". It takes the concept of % slower than the winner (or best possible winner). So if your index is 30 than you are 30% slower than the best possible winner, plus it makes provision for the nature of the race plus who attends. This is done mainly via a straight calculation plus an added linear regression. But i really think that the way it is done in reality, is not consistent at all. Looking at my own results and the general results within each group seems to confirms that. Now after a few races, little meaningful adjustment / movement within the race starting groups have happened. Now we still have start groups, where the first 1/4 are faster than those 3-5 start groups in front of them, etc. I while ago i was very unhappy about this. Now i just "let-it-be" and rather enjoy the cycling & racing and focus towards the Argus. I think the PPA / Racetec need some more time and more confirming data to adjust their methodology and than start to listen LESS to their cycling advisors regarding the type and qty of linear regression they should use. And just stick to a consistent and confirmed mathematical approach. It's not perfect but i don't want to let it all spoil my time on the bike! PS @ Woofie - great race times!

@Saudiq - I am in the southern subs as well but I also struggled to find a training group. That's why i do most of my club riding in the Tableview/Durbanville area. When i ride by myself I do laps around the Rondebosch common and then go up to Rhodes Mem; or "do"Simonstown etc. 3h20 would be my aim as well. @Woofie - thanks for the great 'n detailed info. Very much my line-of-thought as well. Planning to do some serious training during the next few months as we are staying at home for Xmas. The "weight" and not being dropped by your race bunch (on hills and during low energy spells) are presently my main issues. I really, really like doing the Argus. It is a great event and our national benchmark. 2010 will be my 3rd one.

If you go to New York and buy a set of Mavics and take them home - Mavic and the SA sole-agent can not stop you. Maybe SARS can stop you, but you have no commercial obligation towards the SA sole-agent. Now if you buy from the same shop in New York (who is having a monster sale on) 24 set of wheels and bring them home and sell them to your racing team members, etc - and if you keep SARS happy - its your own activity. Your mates are happy as the price is low and they have a person-to-person sales experience. Especially if you come to an agreement regarding a waranty etc. And you can call it direct-importing.... as you are doing it directly yourself. But it is not very likley that you can buy it directly from the Mavic HQ / factory. The above - there are other variations as well. If the prices/products/services were fairly similar all over our little blue planet than the above would not be an issue....PeterM2009-12-03 09:25:12

Maybe I am missing the point. I understand why the manufacturer would be supporting their official agent by getting tough with an "unofficial supplier". What does "import directly" mean? Do you source directly from the manufacturer? If so why were they taking you to court? I can not comment on how CWC do their importing, but "importing directly" is a spin-term for importing via another source. Basically one gets it for a better price and/or terms from someone else. Either it is a retailer or wholeseller selling at below factory cost (unlikley) or it implies that different markets get the products for a different price and terms (i.e. some countries get a better deal/price) as their market is more competitive. That is sign of a NOT free or open market and which might cause monopolistic trade activities (some markets get milked for the max). And now with our free/quick/easy communications (internet, www) one easily finds out that one pays too much. That abritage advantage (same stuff, different prices at different places) is what some direct/gray importers are making use of. Good for them; good for the consumer - as long as the quality/age/etc is the same!

Some Feedback (2nd): So this lunch time i checked the Racetec website to see if my Die Burger race time / start group has been adjusted - Yes it was!! (21min change in race time) Many thanks to Racetec for a painless process and correction! Note to myself - don't ever be late for a big race! Even if you start from the back one still loses out on the pre-race preperations and the faster bunches. PeterM2009-12-02 07:41:43

Some Feedback: When I phoned racetec during the late morning regarding my Die Burger race timing / start group - they did a few checks on their PC and then said that "it's fine, your race time will be adjusted to show that your start group is P (and not the seeded G start group). And it will show the adjusted time after the IT re-run sometime during this week". So that seemed quite painless - will check my time during the week and hope that the race time is adjusted accordingly.

Naa, I reckon they definitely picked my starting with G group up, cuz I started my clock as I went under the start banner, and my racetec time was pretty much identical, I dont believe they'll give you a time if you dont go thru the start(so I obv did without realizing where the mats were), it would be way too easy to just climb on the bike 5km before and ride a killer time. Yeah, you are right - I thought about it and they must have picked up your chip at the start.

Ha Ha! No more coffee for you My question was - how best to tackle something like this with Racetec. Just to learn from others experience etc before Monday morning and to see if it happened to other cyclists as well. Nothing more, nothing less. So long, and may plenty of speed be with you in the next race!

We must have been in the same group. Also had a G starting number and most properly started in P. So we are in the "same boat". I timed myself at +-3h15 but Racetec's time gives it at 3h38.

But what i do not understand is - i went over the timing mat at the start and at the finish. So why did Racetec not use the given and recorded time? There were quite a few in that late start group who also had a much lower starting numbers. Did it happen to them as well?PeterM2009-11-29 11:05:56

The traffic to Die Burger was really bad. 2km trafficjam on the N1 and then slow bumber to bumber to the venue. I left Cape Town at 5am and got close to the start just before 7am. Big panic as i missed my start time. I parked next to the road 5km away and raced to the start. Once i got to the start i just joined the next starting group which was N or P. Had a good race despite that bad start. Now i saw that Racetec used my original starting group as my starting group and time - and that makes my race time terrible!! My question: has this happened before and how does one best "tackle" Racetec to get my race time changed (or rather my starting time changed)??? I have emailed them. Thanks,

Traffic delays were a massive problem. great race otherwise

City Cycling - nice big & active club or The Outriders ( I joined them, works very well for me, despite that they are far from my home. Full spread of riders/rides: from grannies to league racing [3 teams]. mtb & road. www.theoutriders.co.za ) or Club 100 (racing is their main focus)

Congrat's to your first funride/race. I hope the bug has bitten. Good luck with sorting this out - just stay "on their case" until it is fixed. When i compared some starting groups results (Klein Joostenberg) it was interesting to see that in the tandem section there were 2 riders without the 2nd rider. My friends who ride in tandems pointed out that a few races ago one tandem had 3 riders (identical times) ....

Some pedestrians are a pain; I often do laps around the Rondebosch Common which is a great training loop that has cycle lanes and lanes for runners and walkers (and the road). But some walkers insist on walking off the tarred walking/running path and in the cycle lane. Drives me nuts as i must make a choice of either stopping / drive into the walker / move over into the car traffic, coming from behind. Normally i slow down and tell them (with my harshest voice and an ugly look) "please move over" Most runners & walkers are okay to move back onto their path. But 1 or 2 do not (always the same ones!!). As i get angry i normally stop the laps as one might do something stupid... and do some hill training at Rhodes Mem which is quite punishing... PeterM2009-11-12 04:17:07