PPA cut cord with CSA

[Niner]

Agree wholeheartetly.

 

What you guys forget is that PPA does NOT oragnise races....they merely faciclityate....they do not check that they organiser has enough water tables, marchals etc. PPA advises and that does the timing...that is it!

[Niner]

Your entry goes to the organisers. The chip you pay Racetec for - they made it after all, or at least need to resell it.

 

PPA pays Racetec to time the event. Obviously that has to be covered somehow and it comes out of your membership money. Make sense?

 

I understand that, but why do you have to be a member of PPA to see your time online once you have a chip and paid for the race?

[Bike Mob]

http://www.pedalpower.org.za/about-ppa/where-does-the-money-go/

 

The reason why only PPA members receive times/results, is because PPA pays for electronic timing at events (Racetec) in order to assist the organisers to keep costs (and therefore entry fees) down. PPA members therefore get results as a direct benefit of being a member. At events where the organiser pays for the timing (like Die Burger), everyone gets a time. At this stage the option is not there for non-members to pay an additional levy to get a result.

 

The discounts you get from participating in only a few events virtually pays for the membership cost. Plus you get seeded so you can race with people your own strength. and you also get discount at Cape Storm!

 

I really don't know why Covie is so upset with them - the benefits FAR outweigh any failings, and most of the failings, like in another thread people complaining of marshalling IS NOT the PPA, but they take the brunt anyway.

[Bike Mob]

What you guys forget is that PPA does NOT oragnise races....they merely faciclityate....they do not check that they organiser has enough water tables, marchals etc. PPA advises and that does the timing...that is it!

 

The PPA DO check on the organiser and have a long list of checkpoints and debrief post race on a monday and score the organiser. They then revert to the organiser and tell them where they can do better in future events.

[Agteros]

Yes, there should be one seeding system used for all races countrywide, using all "registered" timing chip companies, and not restricted to just one, like it currently is for certain races. It's an abuse of "market share" and is not good for competition.

 

This is the responsibility of CSA and not the race organiser, hence my reason for saying that I hope this will see the end of the so-called monopoly. At the end of the day, let organisers choose who they want to use for timing, without being "penalised" by being excluded from seeding at other races.

 

 

I spoke to a Gavin at Cycle Events about the data security of the online entry system on cyclelab's website. He mentioned that a new seeding system will be put in place (yeah, I know CSA have been "threatening" with that for many aeons). However this sounds like it might actually be on the www.saseeding.co.za (MTB seeding) website.

 

Who knows, maybe things WILL change? (for the better? That is another question in total!)

[Bike Mob]

Who do you think the rest of seeding companies learned from in the first place? Yip the PPA and racetec and David Bellairs himself who openly gave them the information

[Velouria]

You obviously havent heard common opinion from the about ex PPA members about the org the races and their charges/costs, with no apparent benefit except being seeded in PPA events, which btw are'nt bucket list items most of the time.

 

Bottom line is we are stuck with organizations like PPA and CSA if we like it or not, and we have no influence if they provide any value to the sport or not. And frankly I am past the point of caring, i just doing join these organizations and i wont till i see them make a tangable differnece in the sport.

Try as I might, I can't make sense of this post. Do you even read what you've typed before posting?

[DJR]

I understand that, but why do you have to be a member of PPA to see your time online once you have a chip and paid for the race?

A couple of people have already answered your question. If you don't want to understand, then you won't. Bad luck. My advice is to simply time yourself. At least then you'll have some legitimate complaints against the timer.

[ti guy]

Sure PPA has its failings, any organisation has problems.

 

But think about it where can you go online, enter a race in 5 mins, pay as little as R70 bucks, then pitch up, have organised starts, refreshment stations, bike marshals, traffic cops and do this pretty much every weekend. IMO they do a great job. I do plenty of other events, running, trail running, triathlon, adventure racing etc... PPA offers the best consistent service and price.

 

Agreed!

[(Deon)]

I understand that, but why do you have to be a member of PPA to see your time online once you have a chip and paid for the race?

 

you pay telkom for line, pay IT shop for router, pay isp for bandwidth but still can't read email. You have not paid for mailbox..

[ricochet_rabbit]

Yes, there should be one seeding system used for all races countrywide, using all "registered" timing chip companies, and not restricted to just one, like it currently is for certain races. It's an abuse of "market share" and is not good for competition.

 

This is the responsibility of CSA and not the race organiser, hence my reason for saying that I hope this will see the end of the so-called monopoly. At the end of the day, let organisers choose who they want to use for timing, without being "penalised" by being excluded from seeding at other races.

 

THey seem a bit like ROAG here in KZN. ROAG are a company that organise races and have their own seeding system. They generate their income from the Race Host, advertising etc. They also have a "virtual club" for which the cost is nominal, abt R50.00, through which you buy your CSA license no.

[Java001]

The LOTTO, as funding arm "owns" SASCOC, who in turn owns CSA - if any of these bodies tell CSA to jump, the only question is "how high, boss?" CSA accordingly is tasked with carrying out whatever Government Agenda it is instructed to carry out and the current obsession is Olympic participation. There are also great concern on the part of SASCOC that the CSA Board is perhaps a bit to "pale", so expect some meddling here in due course ......................

 

Quite an eye-opener to see how things work in other provinces. Eastern Cape (Port Elizabeth) & Border ( East London), despite geographical challenges, became East Cape Cycling two years ago, to align itself to the one province idea. In the Eastern Cape region there is no PPA or similar bodies; there are 22 clubs - 14 in Port Elizabeth and 8 in East London. Only 6 are active in Port Elizabeth and 6 are active in East London, so there are 10 inactive clubs.

The cycle shops sell a lot of bikes ( +/- 10 mtb's for every 1 roadbike), so there are many cyclists, but many on the roads are triathlon or Ironman orientated, who do not belong to clubs and clubs struggle to get cyclists involved. This results in weak and inactive Clubs who are neither interested nor equipped with enough manpower to get involved in the provincial structure.

East Cape Cycling is soon having an AGM, but have struggled to obtain nominations from Clubs to fill the vacant positions caused by the entire 2011 executive stepping down.

Most people also realise that becoming part of the Provincial Body affiliated to CSA, means buying into CSA ideas, plans and agendas and with great negativity here about CSA, are not prepared to get their hands dirty.

 

Maybe affiliating with PPA might become a viable option ?

[Niner]

 

 

you pay telkom for line, pay IT shop for router, pay isp for bandwidth but still can't read email. You have not paid for mailbox..

 

By entering a race surely you have PAID for the result?

[(Deon)]

By entering a race surely you have PAID for the result?

 

by paying telkom you have surely PAID for email? You have ADSL, why no email?

[mallo]

Welcome back PPA hopefully you guys will start up in all provinces again. Len get ready to start GPPA again back to the good old days of proper inter-club racing at affordable prices.

[DJR]

By entering a race surely you have PAID for the result?

By belonging to the PPA you have paid to see the results that the PPA have paid for out of membership fees. Perhaps it would be possible for them to add an option when entering a race online, where you can choose to pay, say R30, extra to have your time for that race displayed. Come on PPA, think about the extra revenue. There are clearly people out there who would like to be timed but not as members of the PPA.