East Cape Cycling

[Eugene]

Anybody from the region had a look at the results on the EP cycling website?

 

Why is it that the provincial body can never stage an event that offers the best riders in the region? Why is it that the best riders never take part in the EP Champs?

 

Some of the TT times are less than what the E Catagory riders at our club is doing.

 

The U19, the Elite and the VETs 30-39 all started at the same time. The 3rd place Elite rider came in a whopping 1 hour behind the 1st place U19 (and overall winner) rider.

 

I don't want to take anything away from the riders that did take part, I just want to know why our best riders never enter an event which is supposed to show case the best in the province.

[Java001]

Anybody from the region had a look at the results on the EP cycling website? Why is it that the provincial body can never stage an event that offers the best riders in the region? Why is it that the best riders never take part in the EP Champs? Some of the TT times are less than what the E Catagory riders at our club is doing. The U19, the Elite and the VETs 30-39 all started at the same time. The 3rd place Elite rider came in a whopping 1 hour behind the 1st place U19 (and overall winner) rider. I don't want to take anything away from the riders that did take part, I just want to know why our best riders never enter an event which is supposed to show case the best in the province.

 

Good point made, but I think some of the best riders simply did not bother to enter! Road Cycling in Eastern Cape is not having one of its better years and the lack of active clubs and young riders coming through the ranks, are major concerns. Also major problems in getting a functioning Provincial Body together, not at all helped by the challenges posed by the merger of PE & EL as dictated by CSA.

 

Looking at EP Champs it attracted low numbers; it was held in East London for the first time in years and whilst it was extremely well organised, the lack of significant numbers of entries from East London based riders was embarrasing. In some categories, PE based riders travelled 650 km to go and race against other PE riders in EL and I foresee tremendous resistance in future, if EC Champs are going to held in East London every two years, as planned.

 

The other major problem was that it was announced very late in 2012, when many riders had already finalised training schedules and events for 2012. Add to this the fact that we are perhaps the only province to have had our Regional Champs long after the Road SA's and all becomes a bit of a joke. This meant that we could have a rider finishing on the podium that did not go to SA's OR we could have a rider that had a podium in SA's that did not even participate in the Regional Champs.

 

I know the club you refer to - they are one of about two really active clubs in Port Elizabeth, but unless I am mistaken, very few of their riders were at the EC Champs?