FootballingCyclist

Please bring a tow rope and let us know the seeding before hand so we can either start and try hang on in the same bunch, or wait till you catch up just to wave you on by..

I'm sure you can at registration/number collection at a fee ofcourse. I assume you probably wont be the only one doing so aswell.

Would love to see what they do with the seedings after this event as it is after all a "Premier seeding event" after the SCT cancellation! Alot of people were relying on this race to give them a good/better seeding for the CTCT...

I dont think it's no Vissers, Perhaps maybe just not the 1st drag up to the 4way, So maybe left from Adderley over Vissers?

It's me again posting things, But received in WA group...Perhaps someone who lives in the area can confirm??

Yep, Just go win the 99er Milky, no out and out sprinters gonna be able to take you on up Vissers or Odendaal! Lol

Hi Guys. So an update on the pic which I posted. I was contacted by a member of the PPA who asked for help trying to locate the source of the pic, I then made contact with the guy who posted it out our group and he did some digging as to where it originally came from. The gentleman who created the picture then admitted to doing so and sending it to their group and apparently later on the evening informed the guys it was only a hoax(obviously too late). He has made contact with the gentleman from the PPA who made contact with me initially and they have sorted out thing I believe. The pic was never posted online so it never saw any airtime on FB so they were not hacked, it was created as a hoax. So that is that, the reason for the hoax I do not know.

Hi Guys. I have been contacted by a member of the PPA as I posted that pic initially. It is indeed a hoax/hack or whatever. They are trying to locate the original source of the picture.

Apologies if the post was/is a hoax. I received the picture in our group and immediately shared it here without doing proper research which I take full responsibility for. I should've known better when I looked at the pic and was wondering about the layout(unless my FB is not up to date). Apologies once again all.

Quite possible. What they could do is perhaps offer everyone the same discounted rate for whichever race they choose which they maybe have not entered yet, For example R100 for your next race, all u need to do is provide the discount code on checkout or something? Not too clued up on the way that would/could or could not work to be honest, Just an idea because yeah, 99er is in 2 weeks time, I'm pretty sure a large percentage entered in advance.

I was sent this on 1 of the cycling WA groups. I also couldn't find it on FB to be honest.

Seems I was wrong and can rightfully admit it.

Understand that yes, you reckon it's over R1M though?? Look I agree to cancel was the right decision, I def wasn't complaining when I was in Stellenbosch on Sunday morning, I'm just reading their press releases and playing devils advocate.

So the PPA incurred expenses close to 2Mill according to their press release. My question is this, 3000 entrants and R350 a head R1050000(One Million Fifty Thousand). I highly doubt PPA would organize and run and event where they make almost a 100% loss of 1bar because I doubt they would make 1bar profit on the day from vendors etc. Poor attempt at trying to tell people there will be no refunds or discounts for future races etc.

From the organisers THE CANCELLATION OF THE MEDIHELP STELLENBOSCH CYCLE TOUR 2020 A decision to cancel a scheduled event is never an easy one – inevitably there is disappointment from all those who trained and prepared for the day. The one thing that any event organiser cannot do though, is put its participants at risk. That is the Pedal Power Association’s (PPA) number one responsibility and we will always put the safety of the riders first. It was for this reason that we were compelled to cancel the Medihelp Stellenbosch Cycle Tour on Sunday. As an organisation we have spent many months and hours ensuring we would have a high-quality event in 2020 and we were also extremely disappointed to have to make this call. Given the extreme weather conditions experienced in Stellenbosch on Saturday, we are confident that this was the responsible thing to do. When we announced the cancellation at 04:26 on Sunday morning, Helshoogte Pass had major tail winds, whilst the wind along the R44 was cross winds blowing at 40 knots (74 km an hour). These conditions made it impossible to erect visual safety signage such as markers and banners along the route. The roads along the route were covered in debris and there was simply not enough time to clear the roads, prior to the race even if we delay the start. The race did not have full road closure and the traffic, combined with the weather conditions, would have made it extremely dangerous to send riders back to the start should the race have had to be cancelled after starting. There was also the risk of participants being exposed to weather elements for prolonged time whilst trying to get over 3 000 riders back to the venue safely. According to information received, the weather was also predicted to worsen throughout the day, with strengthening wind and rain. Gusts were only set to get stronger and with the amount of debris on the road the rain would have caused a dangerously slippery event. This could cause potential mass crashes and serious injuries. We quickly realised that there will be no way around it and made the responsible call to cancel the event. Naturally, there have also been questions around entry fee refunds and we trust that participants will understand that we are unable to provide any refunds as the PPA has already incurred expenses close to R2 million for this year’s event. All suppliers had been booked out months in advance and payment for their services had already been processed. All our suppliers arrived on Sunday morning and were ready to go and we truly appreciate our suppliers for supporting our decision. For full transparency in our decision making, here is the timeline that led to the PPA cancelling the event: On Saturday,18 January 2020 two route vehicles went out on the route to sweep the route and to put up 80 cautions cyclists boards for extra safety along the 97km route. Suppliers such as fencing, toilets, tents all came onto site to add additional security to the structures in order to be able to withstand the strong winds. At this stage, all event preparations were in place to continue with the event with the only concern being the crosswind gusts. Later that afternoon, a final route drive took place and sections on the route that had debris and fallen branches were taken note of to be cleared on Sunday morning. At 03h00 on Sunday,19 January 2020, the route marking team and official vehicles were sent onto the route to evaluate the situation. The VOC operator had briefed all on the scaling system to be used: 1-4 being safe to continue; 5-7 being able to continue by implementing neutral zones on course; and 8-10 being too unsafe. All feedback and visual images coming back to the VOC was on the 8-10 scale. The event management team, safety officer, VOC operator, ER24 events manager, ER24 head of risk management, Stellenbosch traffic and Medihelp representative had a long discussion to weigh up all the options regarding the possibility of continuing in the conditions and the safety of all riders in the conditions. At 4h26 on Sunday, the difficult decision was made to cancel the Medihelp Stellenbosch Cycle Tour As suppliers and crew left the venue between 07h00 and 09h00, we received additional feedback that there were sections where trees and big branches fell on the road causing additional havoc to the route. We trust that you understand that this decision was not taken lightly and we hope to see your participation in future PPA Events. Thank you for your continuous support.

Problem is 99er isn't organised by PPA, it's organized by Al-Shaddai Christian School in Durbanville. So that's not going to happen. I reckon a discount to their own "Tour De PPA" would be a nice touch, But DEF won't hold my breath for that LOL

How did you get a 4sec google search right with the internet problems we having due to the damaged underwater cables? Lol

There is obviously an element of risk butbi reckon alot less than the CT Cycle Tour. After the Hells descent which is pretty straight, there aren't really any climbs with fast descents and sharp bends etc to deal with. Yes the wind is going to be hectic, but I'll much rather ride down the R44 with a cross head wind back to Stellies than descend Chappies and Llandudno along the coast in the wind.

I'll see you there, I'll look out for the oke in the dikwiel, I'll be on the Black and Lumo yellow Scott Foil

That race I will never forget, got to Stellies with my Alu wheels on, rain looked like it had passed, Put my Carbon wheels on amd was in a it of a rush, put on the back wheel, changed to carbon blocks, put on the front wheel, removed Alu blocks, needed a pee, went to the loo, came back and group was lining up, ran across the field, got to the start, it started raining again, instantly regretted changing wheels but thought if be ok, started the race, halfway up Hells needed to brake to avoid a crash, pulled hard on the brakes,front lever touched handlebars,( thought a cable had snapped), avoided the crash, carried on, started descending Hells, tried touching brakes for slower rides infront, heard a funny sound, looked down, had forgotten to put in my front brake blocks, So I had 50mm carbon wheels, massive crosswinds amd pouring rain, and no front brakes, Needless to day the bunch dropped me on at the bottom as we turned right as I had to really slow down to the weather and also only having rear brakes. Rode the rest of the race solo avoiding bunches which came past because I didn't want to risk not being able to brake in time.

I cannot see the pic all too well, But is this not maybe the same McDonald fella who has just changed his 1st name on FB?? Def looks similar if I zoom close enough.

Saw this on FB... Alarm bells should've rung the minute this ad was posted, I mean 5k and it's brand new, DEF a "too good to be true" story...

Saw this on FB... Alarm bells should've rung the minute this ad was posted, I mean 5k and it's brand new, DEF a "too good to be true" story...

Yeah I reckon Brendon is catching me halfway up... LOL... Might not be a bad thing as his Pops is 26ft so I'll have some shelter in the wind blows LOL

Anyone starting in 1C and also confident they will be caught by atleast 2C before the top of Hellshoogte, drop me a msg.. LOL