jackievs

It was BRUTAL!!! Without Pogajar in the race margins are back to sends and 1 minute... not 5:30 ... hmm...

I agree, not enough daylight to respond to the attitude of intolerance towards cyclists you displaying... why can't motorists not accept to share the road with cyclists? Especially on a weekend day.. why can't we as motorists not try and change our aggressive driving behaviour towards other users of the road..? My simple attitude when I drive and encounter cyclists riding abreast is to slow down and be careful, give them space... it doesn't cost me anything except for a few sounds or a minute a most... ! As far as I know not all motorists can be classified as a FAF! Go to Youtube and watch a channel called Cylingmikey ... aggressive behaviour to other users of the road is a major problem, world wide.. but on a micro scale we can try and contribute when we are drivers .. !

Spot on!

Beyond a response !!!

This battle will continue ... make sure that you as a cyclist drive carefully ESPECIALLY when approaching cyclists on the road!!! And not like the frustrated accountants in their Fortuners racing through the Cradle! It starts with us!!!

You are most welcome.. thank you ..Educating people requires patience .. not just on the bike but also behind the keyboard....!!!

Can I please ask you to quote where these incidences occurred that cyclists impeded free-flowing traffic and on what days of the week?... I do 99% of my riding in the Cradle which as you know is not a highway or freeway .. it is frequented by cyclists on eery dat of the week.. if a motorists is in a hurry to rush somewhere, I think good advice is to avoid the roads / areas known to be used by cyclists...a little planning goes a long way to make the roads a little safer to all its users, including cyclists. And yes I actively ride defensively when I cycle! Drivers in SA need to be educated on an evolutionary scale.... won't happen in your or my life times! I witness behaviour of drivers in SA on a daily basis that when committed in most European countries will result in the suspension of their drivers license! But unfortunately not here... Yes drivers in SA need education that is beyond the scope of our imagination! Sad...sad... sad!

Hmm... I think this applies to most those screaming in their Porches and Mustangs through the Cradle .. oh and also quite applicable to those on their super bikes!

I agree... and do the same! Ride defensively !!! As a cyclists you are so vulnerable and rather try to be safer through your own actions then relying on the goodwill and courteous behaviour of aggressive drivers own our roads.. and I am not referring only to the frustrated accountants in their Fortuners!

True, cyclists are not a threat to the safety of motorists in whatever way or form... the only interference IMHO it causes with a motorist is a test of their tolerance, patience, sense of sharing the road with other users, including cyclists. I read the posts above about groups and cyclists riding wide.. PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOW REFERRING SPECIFICALLY TO RIDING IN THE CRADLE ... this is one of the few, if not the only area I know, where cyclists can and should have the safety to ride wider... what is the rush of motorists to race through the Cradle ... this is not a highway or freeway.. I so often experience motorists with bicycles on the rack behind their cars, having just completed their own rides then drive at speeds exceeding the speed limit past riders still on the road, which is 60km/h along many of sections.. why can't we all not try to exercise a bit more patience and drive in a way that we contribute to safety to all using the road in the Cradle? I try MOST OF THE TIME to ride left of the yellow line when a vehicle approaches from behind, have a little rear view mirror on my handle bar.... frequently the car's left wheel touches the yellow line next to me... there is no oncoming traffic, why not drive a little wider of the rider? In some instances I also need to avoid pieces of broken glass bottles on the shoulder and forced to momentary ride to the right of the yellow line... How much effort does it take from a motorist to veer slightly to the right?? I have frequently been one of the few riders in the Cradle early on a cold morning this winter, going downhill from Bidon to the traffic circle at the bottom of Rhino, a lady in a Fortuner screams up the hill in the opposite direction, overtaking another vehicle with the wheels of the Fortuner touching the yellow line on my side of the road and forces me to the extreme left hand side of the shoulder almost completely off the road .. this section has a speed limit of 60km/h. This happened more than once with different drivers but I have encountered the lady driver in her Fortuner on several occasions... I would love to have a conversation with her and ask why she can't wait a few seconds longer and overtake the other car once they have passed the cyclist going in the opposite direction...??? Why overtake another car in a section where the speed limit is 60km/h? I believe this type of behaviour goes beyond free-flowing traffic.. this I think is a reflection of aggression.. we are in many ways a strange society... this and the behaviour of many motorists I believe is also bolstered by hiding behind anonymity .. I will do it because it is unlikely that I will be identified and I can get away with it... sad sad sad!

It is so sad... going to take several life times of education... I watch a guy on Youtube called Cyclingmikey in London... he has recorded and responsible for many drivers receiving fines for passing too close to a cyclist... It will require a different universe for SA to ever achieve these standards of road use... can you imagine recording bad road behaviour on camera and sending it to the SA Metro Police ...heheheeehheeee

Thank you!!!

Rode from Hermanus to Stand... yes it is a beautiful route! Very nice video, thank you!

We have done the ride from Hermanus to Strand, about 88km, along the coast, past Kleinmond, Betty's Bay , Pringle Bay, Rooi Els and into Gordonsbay. Yes it is spectacular but the road becomes narrow and with the SE rolling down the side of the mountain it can become tricky negotiating space with cars approaching and passing from behind, BUT certainly one of the most scenic and beautiful rides I have ever done... the hill at Kogel Bay a good challenge! We planned properly and rode with the SE from as a tailwind!

We are keen to spend a few days riding road bikes in the Stellenbosch - Somerset West - Gordonsbay area. Are cyclists riding on the R44 / Broadway Boulevard ? What about the R310 from Stellenbosch and turn off on Annandale road too narrow ..? We have done the Helshoogte over the hill to Zorgvliet and to Franschhoek before... a great ride! Will appreciate any advice and feedback... thank you !

Thanks so much for picking up the typo...

It is an ongoing battle... many motorists have the view that cyclists do not belong on the road. IMHO it is due to aggression, a lack of education, intolerance, ignorance and hiding behind anonynimty. Cars speed through the Cradle at neck-break speeds ... Porsches, mustangs and other sports models race through Cradle ... on Sunday a whole troop of motorcycles past me by driving on the yellow lane.. if I stuck my mad out I could have pushed them off their motorcycles... bunch of lazy sons of b.....s, most of them grossly overweight!!!

I have been riding tubeless on the road for about 4 years now... tried Continental GP5000, Hutchinson and Pirelli Centurato! The Pirelli is the best of all the tyres I fitted by far! Good resistance to punctures and max pressure is 6 bar... gives a comfortable ride! Will never use Continental again, almost impossible to insert a tube on the road if the tyre gets shredded by glass... the bead is too tight!!! Centurato not cheap at R1,000 but the best available in my experience! I use the 26mm ...

IM have bought from them before... but they are more expensive than Cyclelab... I avoid them!

And I thank Mitch of Cycle Tibe in Mbombella for being prepared to rescue in case of an emergency!

I did the ride, from White River to Sabie and back to White River, turned off after Brondal... 109km with a total ascent of 2015m... its a monster ride... two major climbs, first one 24.5 km into the ride about 7km @ > 6%... the second on out of Sabie at 47km ... about 8km at 6-7% ... the downhill section towards Brondal turn off is fast and shaky... left lane and yellow shoulder trampled any timber trucks. Traffic mostly good.. always a few motorists that scream past you at neck break speed close to the yellow line ... do this ride if you want a real challenge!

Thank you .. I will contact Anton.

Thank you

Thank you for all your responses!