Argus Double Lap Riders

[Guest Frail4Life]

I THINK my Time will already Show people that I WAS there AS a funrider, Trying to stretch to the LIMIT the TIME in the SADDLE. Giving Moral Support ONLY.

[Werner101]

Rave on

To those riders that did do second laps, riding with their friends and family, chatting, and just being a part of the slow riders. Thank you. Those who had the patience to wait till it was safe to go past and waited, again thank you. And to those fast riders who had words of encouragment, it goes along way. Iroincally the $ group cerevlo rider, who rode with us up Smits and chatted to us, before heading off into the distance on your second lap. Awesome to meet you.

 

Hi Slowbee:

It was an awesome experience riding with all you guys in the lower groups on my second lap and I really enjoyed chatting to you guys along the route.Cervelo $ rider.

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Looks like next year will be my first and only Argus. I will go Postal on any rider telling me to make way with an attitude. I will pepper spray your Assos.

 

Makes me think of that one Yuppie at Oak Valley that was swearing at me as he tried to pass on the "jeep track". I was in the 60km and he in that funride. My Assos is bigger than his and I just stayed put. Rude nut, I don't care if your bike costs 10 times more than mine. Then again I made way for those young riders who showed only the utmost respect for others.

[Edge_Design]

I got a lift to Noordhoek to meet up with my girlfriend for the last 30km's (I refused to push her or let her draft me as I was purely there for moral support and she is very competitive - even if it's just for her own personal best time!)... She is very scared of high speed on her road bike and thus ends up losing a lot of time on downhills and the faster flats, but climbs better than the vast majority of people in the lower groups (did 4:31 without going over about 35kph at all). I was quite disappointed to see how the other riders take up the entire road without a care in the world and she had to continually ask people to move out of the way thus never being able to maintain a rhythm on the hills (and she was there perfectly legitimately). I didn't mind waiting when she passed someone as I could pass when another gap appeared and catch up, but for her it was very frustrating.

 

So, although I agree with the initial rant, I also think there should be marshals encouraging riders to keep left unless they're passing which would eliminate the problem for people who are passing legitimately (or for any other reason).

 

Being out there and not racing also meant I could turn back on my way into Camps Bay to check on a rider who was lying next to the road (turned out he was just cramping badly so gave him my GU sweets and left him to it).

[Cassie]

yeah, i saw a few nutters pushing the pace during their second lap through the alphabet soup and didn't really see the point. sure, i did the good bits of the argus route twice for the atmosphere - edinburgh drive, chappies and suikers - but i'd resolved to ride at the same pace as everyone else and enjoy the vibe.

 

i had a compulsion to want to push some people up the climbs, but got to thinking who do you pick? it's like the most responsible thing to do was simply to stay out of the way, maybe shout a bit of encouragement (which always sounds lame, i know...).

 

anyway, i helped a dude out who'd punctured coming down llandudno (turns out he'd already punctured twice and used up his spare tubes so i gave him one of mine, bombed the tyre back up to pressure - he had a hand pump - and he was back on the road in minutes rather than walking the last 15km's). he also had a pretty rare carbon peugeot which he'd borrowed - quite a thing!

 

 

Brother!! I had that same compulsion!! BUT for the female riders...I sometimes had to keep my hands in my backpockets...not to touch some lovely assos that was riding in front of me... Compuilsion..temptation...who knows...

It certainly made may race soooo much more enjoyable!! Thank you ladies!!

And i mean this in a good way....

[Slowbee]

Rave on

To those riders that did do second laps, riding with their friends and family, chatting, and just being a part of the slow riders. Thank you. Those who had the patience to wait till it was safe to go past and waited, again thank you. And to those fast riders who had words of encouragement, it goes along way. Ironically the $ group cerevlo rider, who rode with us up Smits and chatted to us, before heading off into the distance on your second lap. Awesome to meet you.

 

Hi Slowbee:

It was an awesome experience riding with all you guys in the lower groups on my second lap and I really enjoyed chatting to you guys along the route.Cervelo $ rider.

 

Nice to have met you Werner.

 

, the funny thing is, your $ number caused a huge debate with the Mrs. Got us up Smits tho. She wanted to know why everyone else had numbers and you had $. But she did notice your bike..... which ummmm may be a good thing.

 

Thanks for courtesy, it really made a difference to the Mrs after her fall.

[Slowbee]

@Slowbee - I am fully prepared and patient when going out on the second lap. I use to be a funrider that started way at the back on a MTB with tekkies and a T-shirt not so long ago! So I know what it feels like when some idiot comes screaming and shouting past.

 

My reasons for doing it twice has already been covered in the sub 3 thread.

Helping at least one stranger on the day is one of them I havent mentioned there but one I achieved on Sunday.

If I caused anyone pain or discomfort, feel free to report my ass.

 

Tank, no worries on doing a second lap.

 

Its just how that lap gets done. Helping, pushing, changing tyres, whatever. Its just the guys that want to try and beat the time they did on the first lap. Thats not on.

[Slowbee]

Slowbee, if I may add a little rant to yours...

The same to all the second lappers (and to those who dropped down from the top groups to do this) who then rode with wives/girlfriends and pushed them up every little incline and hill (and somtimes along the level parts as well)..I am sure the girls must be really proud of the times they achieved.

 

dont get me started. I have just calmed myself from my first rant. This will cause me another rant. I agree with you totally.

 

One thing I did see which was good to see, was guys pushing a hand cycle.

 

It looked like a young first time hand cycle and the guy was battling. Two cyclists were taking turns pushing him. While one pushed the other cyclists would cycle slowly with the bike, and every now and then they would swop.

[Pookie]

I had more of an issue with some developement riders that were in my general area, shouting people out of the way, only to be weaving all over the road on the next hill because they blew themselves on the downhill (there was a group of around 7 in OC) . I managed to leave them behind on Smits, and had a relatively uneventfull ride from there, except for the dronkie on his way home from the shebeen on his dikwiel, up Suikerbossie .

 

Seriously...If you are a super rider, don't come push the funriders around. I saw more than a few close shaves and nearcrashes with funriders trying to dodge the double lappers and faster riders. Wait to pass untill the rider has space to move out of the way

 

Oh I so agree here. Dev riders were shouting from the right side only to weave into the crowd on the left again. Found it overly congested actually. Oh, BUT, worst was as we were going up (some hill??) and I must have swerved a little (as we are all human) some rude man shouted at me "Swerving BOET" - I am NOT your boet mate - I might have little hair but am SO female. And seriously, if a male cannot distinguish between a male and a female from behind on a bike....OI!!! :clap:

[29pgc10]

Haha, Slowbee, it was good to see you.

I also got lift to Noordhoek to join one of our party doing his first argus at 67 years young, just to learn he was having a breather half way up the pass... Caught up to him and accompanied him to the finish line (no pushing: my wrist is still not healed). Going up Chappies third time in two days, what a pleasure.

[DaLoCo]

And seriously, if a male cannot distinguish between a male and a female from behind on a bike....OI!!! :clap:

 

I think we need some photographic evidence

[Slowbee]

Haha, Slowbee, it was good to see you.

I also got lift to Noordhoek to join one of our party doing his first argus at 67 years young, just to learn he was having a breather half way up the pass... Caught up to him and accompanied him to the finish line (no pushing: my wrist is still not healed). Going up Chappies third time in two days, what a pleasure.

 

oh thats good news. was worried when i saw you sitting on the grass.

[Slowbee]

yeah, i saw a few nutters pushing the pace during their second lap through the alphabet soup and didn't really see the point. sure, i did the good bits of the argus route twice for the atmosphere - edinburgh drive, chappies and suikers - but i'd resolved to ride at the same pace as everyone else and enjoy the vibe.

 

i had a compulsion to want to push some people up the climbs, but got to thinking who do you pick? it's like the most responsible thing to do was simply to stay out of the way, maybe shout a bit of encouragement (which always sounds lame, i know...).

 

anyway, i helped a dude out who'd punctured coming down llandudno (turns out he'd already punctured twice and used up his spare tubes so i gave him one of mine, bombed the tyre back up to pressure - he had a hand pump - and he was back on the road in minutes rather than walking the last 15km's). he also had a pretty rare carbon peugeot which he'd borrowed - quite a thing!

 

thats what i mean. you blokes with all the experience in the world of cycling helping newbies. it just makes the funride champs what it is. awesome.

[Shebeen]

All the other riders (not that you will read this), that took your numbers and chips off. You are cowards.

 

Next time I do this, I will have a camera ready, and I will photograph you, and I will publish the pics everywhere I can.

 

 

the rules are:

9. You may not ride the course a second time after finishing.

http://www.cycletour.co.za/index.php/enter/rules-and-regulations/

(is that how frail gets to do it?

he rides a first lap BEFORE racing - nothing in the rules against that.

then he does his second lap as his race

then he does his third lap - nothing in the rules against that

 

personally they obviously know its going to happen and have loosely discouraged it. if people act like total w@nkd035es racing through the backmarkers then they might get stricter. spoils the fun for everyone. - i wonder how many of these okes acting like tjops are doing big miles for a 180km ride in pe soon, they would explain a lot.

 

i think taking numbers and chips off is the way to go rather, then at least people can see you're unofficial. its not like doing a first lap gives you any rights to a second lap does it?

 

i forgot to enter+substitute etc. this year. ended up doing oukaaps+black hill+da gama park + red hill until the cops told me i couldn't go there.

so instead i just rode the argus route to nooordhoek and came home via ou kaaps. i felt pretty bad doing it initially, but after getting the 4th person back on the road it wore off.

 

can totally agree with slowbee that it's not going to be easy picking your way through the traffic, and being aggressive about it is not on. since you're on a 'training' mission anyway the stop start nature is much harder work. seems to be like it's not enough to do a 'sub 3' but there is some ego trip on telling people how fast your second lap is.

 

funrider 1: oh my gawd, that was so hectic. it took me 5 and a half hours!

jock rider1:ja, took me 4 and a half

fr1:really, i thought you were a pro?

jr1:ja, that was for my second lap, i did a 3:03 for the first one. wanna come check out my ultegra collection sometime??

[Minion]

seems to be like it's not enough to do a 'sub 3' but there is some ego trip on telling people how fast your second lap is.

Not so much an ego trip, since I tend not to tell people about it too much, but I get an immense amount of personal satisfaction from the fact that, in under five years of serious cycling, my time on a second lap of the 94.7 was faster than my time when I did it my very first race. It's a great, tangible indication of how far I've come.

[Slowbee]

Not so much an ego trip, since I tend not to tell people about it too much, but I get an immense amount of personal satisfaction from the fact that, in under five years of serious cycling, my time on a second lap of the 94.7 was faster than my time when I did it my very first race. It's a great, tangible indication of how far I've come.

 

 

nothing wrong with that. just give the fun riders the space to ride in non straight lines