Litter on the Argus route

[Mushilele]

I haven't done an Argus in a few years but one of the things I do recall is that I was proud of how 'tidy' Argus cyclists were ... they would stash their trash in a way that road runners didn't (you know how there's always plastic detritus within a few hundred metres of water tables in marathons?). Well, things have changed.

 

What disturbed me as I did my ride Sunday was the mass of gel sachet packets on the road ... and how two cyclists (one wearing Pannamor Gel shirt and a unicorn on his head) tossed away their sachets without even considering where they would end up. The wind comes up all the time in the Cape (don't we know it!) and those sachets end up in our sea ... they look like fish. Fake fish. Our marine life suffers. Waste is problem, I know, and I also know it's naive to think that unicorn guy, who can afford the kind of bike he was riding Sunday, have principles and manners.

 

Those who don't stash, what gives? You have pockets ... use them. Or make a plan. Park them in your pants if needs be. Is 2 seconds really worth that level of thoughtlessness? You've been allowed the privilege (not the right) of riding one of the most spectacular routes in the world so it's ok to abuse it? Why should someone have to go and pick up after you, even if they're paid? And what about the litter beyond the watering points? Who is going to collect the rest ... along 110 kays?

 

Those thoughtless cyclists probably wouldn't dream of chucking a packet out their car window. Or maybe they would. Either way, Sunday's behaviour simply gives us all a bad rep.

[Burts]

Well said Mushilele.

 

I also thought about this during my ride. My question is... Is it so difficult to put your empty sachet in one of the back pockets. For %^$& sake there is three pockets. Use the one for the full sachets, the other one for the empty ones and the third one to dump your macho ego in.

[Simpy]

I agree. It was disgusting.

[firewolf]

also saw many guys dumping empty sachets INSIDE THE RESERVE for f88rks sake!

(From B group)

Premix em all into a small plastic bottle.. Hammer Gel makes one.. then there is no empty sachets to dump on the road, your hands stay clean, your inside of the pocket stays clean.

[splat]

I saw plenty of guys chucking their gel sachets.

 

I felt terrible when my bar wrapper blew out of my hand as I was trying to stuff it under my shorts' seam.

On the rivet in Group C through Scarborough and near the front, I wasn't about to slam on anchors to go and fetch it.

(embarrassed)

[TarmacPro]

Good post.

I even saw one guy trying to dump his sachet into the rain water drain.

[Trance Dance]

So the question is... do you explain this to people on the ride? I was so tempted to ask the nob on eastern boulevard if he realised that dropping **** on the road is littering? I decided to bite my tongue, almost crashed after swearing at some guy on the karoo 2 coast after he tossed his coke cup over the barrier coming down the pass.

 

The guy on eastern boulevard was the first of many nobs throwing stuff on the ground, guys who do this should be reported and banned!

[Cyclejourno]

I saw plenty of guys chucking their gel sachets.

 

I felt terrible when my bar wrapper blew out of my hand as I was trying to stuff it under my shorts' seam.

On the rivet in Group C through Scarborough and near the front, I wasn't about to slam on anchors to go and fetch it.

(embarrassed)

I think people should be encouraged to not litter, especially at the start. I care about nature and animals so let's make that clear. I think although there's probably a lot of negligent littering, sometimes it happens by accident, and sometimes for safety reasons. I know around Misty Cliffs you are motoring and it's not always easy to have only one hand on the breaks for two long. It's also the best place to take something in. I got shat on for spitting out a small piece off the top of a gel. Someone told me to stay out of Cape Town etc etc. That sort of aggro attitude is also not helpful. Get people in the right mindset at the start and then get on with it.

[Rodney M]

The litter on all road rides always concerns me, and I was wondering why the anouncer at the start did not make an issue of it.

 

But - I was very suprise how well the route was cleaned up compaired to last year. We normally drive the route on the Monday, and with the exception of one small area, the route had really been cleaned up well! Last year the route was packed with baboons licking the old gel packets, and this year we did not see a single baboon scavanging on the Monday.

 

Well done to the organisers on cleaning up the route so effciently - now lets try stop the cyclists discarding their gel packets in the first place.

[I-FELT-the-FORCE]

Disgusting, to say the least.

I went through to the top of Suikerbossie Mid day and it was horrendous. Gel satchets everywhere. I wonder what their houses look like? Do they dump the empty milk carton on their diningroom floor? Who picks it up then?

It REALLY is not that dificult to quickly slip the empty satchet into your back pocket or alternatively as suggested previously, buy yourself a hammer bottle to store your Gu's in.... What is R27 too expensive for you or you R50K bike???

Common decency and respect for the surroundings people, use your heads

[CatGirl]

ja nee ek stem! daa was plenty people walking around with plastic bags collecting your trash... woman in front of me up chappies sal WRAGTAG ha gu sachet NET da DROP! ek hat ha amper te lyf gegan whilst foaming at the mouth van kwaadgeit!

en die beste van alles is sy het EMPTY back pockets gehad die b..ch!

[MTBer wannabee]

education starts at home. The only thing we can do is teach our children. I agree with everything already said, but i am afraid this is one of those battles we are going to loose. The Argus is just 1 race a year. I see people throw stuff out their car windows every single day. Its discusting

[koukie]

There is nothing that make me so angry when people through their junk in the street.

 

So many times I see people open their car windows and through papers out.

 

What do they think!! The other day I walked up to the car and said to the guy sorry you drop something, he just said sorry and took the piece of paper I picked up.

[kosmonooit]

The PA must choon the okes at the start to stash their trash instead of all that idle chatter and woopa woopa nonsense. This happens at most mtb events now and GUI litter/ mess is not often seen.

Edited March 16, 2011 by kosmonooit

[DaLoCo]

I ride with a frame bag, one compartment for my phone, one for chews and one for rubbish. My full gels I store in my shorts on my thigh, just above the seam.

[Nettie R]

If the Sabie X had a litter free 4 day tour, why can't a one day show?

 

Perhaps spotters on the route to take race numbers of those littering. With their next argus entry he/she will automatically pay an extra R50. This pays for the cleaners on the road and a warning not to do the same with his next race.

If we don't behave, the cape will pretty soon have residents who dislike cyclists as much as Cradle residents do.