Cava

Seems unlikely as it's not indicated anywhere in the race rules. Where did you guys see this?

That's not entirely accurate. The club introduced an additional group tier last weekend in an attempt to reduce the size of one of the larger batches. If a group is too large, they will be split before the ride starts. The challenge is that a group can easily double or triple in size on the way to the cradle and often these are non-members joining up, so there is very little control in terms of which group they join along the way.

Not having full control of the behavior of each and every bunch rider (a mixture of club members and non-members) does not equate to not taking any sort of responsibility. And also don't assume that riders misbehaving are not given a talking to or that it's the same person offending repeatedly. I have experienced people being asked to leave a CL group because of undisciplined behavior, but unfortunately by then the damage is done. It's easy to try and simplify the solution, but in reality you are dealing with adult individuals and it only takes one to have bad judgement for a few seconds to create the perception that the bunch is not disciplined.

I have noticed that often cyclists in the cradle will try to push their way into passing bunches rather than joining from the back. Others will just increase their speed a bit and sit on the inside, not trying to join the bunch but also not allowing the bunch to return to riding two abreast in the yellow lane. Obviously it's a public road and you are entitled to change or maintain your pace at any given time, but maybe appreciate that the request would have been from a safety perspective and not to bully you.

They shouldn't have been, most large sport events should be prepared for acts of terrorism, i.e."the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims." In this context, we can't simply call it protesting, even if we sympathise with the grievance, which in this case apparantly was about land, not the loss homes due to fires in Hout Bay.

If you remove the physical strain out of cycling, it becomes less enjoyable, because you miss out on the endorphin rush. The addictive part of cycling, for me. So whilst it makes sense as a commuter option, I'm not convinced that it will last on the trails or ever be considered a part of the sport. At some point, you are going to look at the guys on the unassisted bikes and just feel a little inferior. Sure, it might be fun, but that's what they said about fat bikes as well. Cool if you have the spare cash to have one standing around, but do you want to do it every weekend?

I ended up with someone else's chip in my back pocket. Can only assume that I got there during the crash. I remember riding with you on and off and saw you when you came into the medical tent afterwards. Well done for finishing though. I'll PM you the chip number.

Then I apologize for failing to appreciate your brand of comedy.

Nonsense, it's a valid question and many people probably wondered the same as they are under the impression the contents of goodie bags are sponsored, but it seems that it does add to costs from what we have now heard from Gerald.

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OP quoted a Facebook post of a friend, so I'd say the story is missing quite a bit as it's not open to scrutiny. I've ridden with CL in the Cradle a few times and have also been passed by them many times when riding there on my own. My experience has been positive like that of many others here, with greetings and encouragement rather than pushing people off their bikes. Admittedly, when I just started out cycling, I did take offence to people yelling that a group is coming past and I should hold my line.