94.7 Cycle Challenge 2013

[T-Bag68]

I flew up from the Kaap to do this event for the first time... Got there Friday, I couldn't believe the heat that we had the whole time I was there... And Who took all the oxygen out of the place..hahahhhahh

 

I was looking for a 3.15, but got me a 3.00.11 Can you believe it :-) 11 bloody seconds.... I feel I could have taken a few more minutes off if I was a little more familiar to where the end was... But I didn't .. so hay... 11 seconds it is..... I had a great time riding through the concrete jungle, I was told about long boring sections, but I fully enjoyed..... well done to the organisers ....

[StevieL]

And here's the thing: I started with the initial load and sprinted by bum off to stay on the start line with every start group shift forward. Every time I got to the front, there were more and more riders from the same group who slipped through to the starting groups in front and fell back until our group came up. They should change the rules: If you miss your load you load only in the next available load, no loading passed the current loading group. Simple?

What REALLY hacked me off is the guys who came up on the outside of the barriers, enter the barriers at the Woodmead intersection and then join their group from the front.

Listen, bud. You were late, join from the back, or if you are half the cyclist you think you are, show the whole group your awesome cycling skills, and work your way up after you have crossed the mat.

Equates to jumping a queue. My pet hate.

[shaper]

Yip, cause previous years if I dropped back a bunch or two to ride with a mate my times would be buggered. Yesterday they picked up that I dropped back.

Also noted that, was in Z and dropped back to MM to ride with a mate and racetec have me as starting in MM

[Frosty]

In 2010 & 2011 I was seeded VB but started in the corporate batches X or Y.

My time was based on the start time of that batch (X/Y) to the finish mat for both events.

 

2013 I was seeded F, but started with a friend in I.

Again, my time was exactly the same as my GPS - gun to mat.

 

However, when I last did the Amashova (2009) in VB, I was at the back of the bunch at the start (barely made it to the start on time). When I crossed the line together with team mates that started at the front of VB, my time was about 10 seconds faster than their time (10 seconds was the difference between us crossing the starting mats).

 

Another +1 for ChampionChip where they show both "gun to mat" as well as "mat to mat".

[TALUS]

We had several guys that 1) went to the loo's and then joined the group from the side 2) seeded V or A but planning to fall back. They went to their starting groups but stayed behind to be in front of B. I am not sure about 2) - their prerogative I suppose.The guys from the loo's are morons though.

[Li Mu Bai]

What REALLY hacked me off is the guys who came up on the outside of the barriers, enter the barriers at the Woodmead intersection and then join their group from the front.

Listen, bud. You were late, join from the back, or if you are half the cyclist you think you are, show the whole group your awesome cycling skills, and work your way up after you have crossed the mat.

Equates to jumping a queue. My pet hate.

Aw come now. They have earned the right to start in that group, are you really going to deny them that if their group hasnt taken off yet?

traffic, parking etc are a multitude of reasons that they couldnt thread their way through from the back. And also if there is not a clear passage demarkated or cordonned off for getting to your batch makes the prospect of threading your way through to later batches to get to yours almost impossible.

The race info did state that batch loads would be closed 15 minutes before starts so this should be enforced by the organisers.

 

It seems better organised at the Argus, access up the centre aisle to each batch seems to work better than tunnelling your way up woodmead road through hundreds of guys in your way...

Edited November 18, 2013 by Li Mu Bai

[GaryvdM]

Yip, cause previous years if I dropped back a bunch or two to ride with a mate my times would be buggered. Yesterday they picked up that I dropped back.

 

They use the time you crossed the mat to work out your start group. They use the start time of the group (gun time) to work out your total time.

 

 

mine seemed fairly accurate mat to mat.

 

Did you start at or near the front of the group?

 

What REALLY hacked me off is the guys who came up on the outside of the barriers, enter the barriers at the Woodmead intersection and then join their group from the front.

Listen, bud. You were late, join from the back, or if you are half the cyclist you think you are, show the whole group your awesome cycling skills, and work your way up after you have crossed the mat.

Equates to jumping a queue. My pet hate.

 

This is why I think it would be a good idea to change it to mat to mat for open seeded groups, and to educate people about this. Take the incentive away to push to the front, and maybe people will stop doing it.

[Frosty]

And I am sure that mat to mat will make a difference for you guys.

It took us 40 seconds to cross the first mat.

I timed group H while waiting for group I to start - 1:50 by the time the last person crossed the line.

[StevieL]

Aw come now. They have earned the right to start in that group, are you really going to deny them that if their group hasnt taken off yet?

traffic, parking etc are a multitude of reasons that they couldnt thread their way through from the back. And also if there is not a clear passage demarkated or cordonned off for getting to your batch makes the prospect of threading your way through to later batches to get to yours almost impossible.

The race info did state that batch loads would be closed 15 minutes before starts so this should be enforced by the organisers.

 

It seems better organised at the Argus, access up the centre aisle to each batch seems to work better than tunnelling your way up woodmead road through hundreds of guys in your way...

Not saying that they can't start in that group, but at the point they are joining from the front, there is still a good 40 minute wait before that groups start. So why not just join from the back?

The people that are in the front at that stage have been standing there for a good hour before Mr. Late comes and squeezes his wheels in (bumping everyones bike out of the way.)

[Peach.]

And I am sure that mat to mat will make a difference for you guys.

It took us 40 seconds to cross the first mat.

 

Took us about 3 min to cross the start after the gun, I thought the whole start arrangement was a bit stupid.

The groups were spaced so far apart it took a while to move forward to the next holding position and then when they finally said go we didn't even know if it was our group because everyone was still moving forward.

 

Whats the point in having a start Mat if they are not going to use it.

[GhostSixFour]

I forgot my chip... Do technically I never showed up...

 

I still ask myself how I didn't think to attach the damn thing

 

Did you ride with a garmin or similar? They can give you official time from that. needs to be GPS though - not speedometer

[Li Mu Bai]

Not saying that they can't start in that group, but at the point they are joining from the front, there is still a good 40 minute wait before that groups start. So why not just join from the back?

The people that are in the front at that stage have been standing there for a good hour before Mr. Late comes and squeezes his wheels in (bumping everyones bike out of the way.)

What you say bugs me too. Will it change? not unless the organisers police or secure their barriers, or provide a side access passage to each batch load point.

[Andrew Steer]

If anyone knows a kind young lady in red kit who donated her giant mini-pump to a stranded fool on the N14 who had run out of bombs and had a malfunctioning adapter - please put her in contact with me.

 

I am said fool and extremely grateful to her for the kindness she showed. At least a hundred people past me without blinking. I usually always have a pump as backup. I setup a meeting place with her for after the race, but I guess she couldn't find it or couldn't remember it - wish I had gotten her name or race number at the very least... She would I guess be in around groups G - L, around 5.6 in height with blonde hair if I recall.

 

It's not an expensive pump, but I would still very much like to return it to her and say thanks

Chunky

[shaper]

I was not at the front of the batch I rode in and started my garmin at the mat and stopped it at the mat, I have a difference of 2 seconds between the time I recorded and racetec official time, so to me was mat to mat !!

[dracs]

This is why I think it would be a good idea to change it to mat to mat for open seeded groups, and to educate people about this. Take the incentive away to push to the front, and maybe people will stop doing it.

If it was mat to mat the race tec results would get the group winning order wrong - every time - guy in lead bunch who starts near the back but finishes 10th will likely be shown as the winner if the other 9 guys in front of him started near the front of the group.

 

Cycling cannot work mat to mat - unless you want to change the rules of cycling...

[Wyatt Earp]

If it was mat to mat the race tec results would get the group winning order wrong - every time - guy in lead bunch who starts near the back but finishes 10th will likely be shown as the winner if the other 9 guys in front of him started near the front of the group.

 

Cycling cannot work mat to mat - unless you want to change the rules of cycling...

 

What you just said, made no sense.

For your logic to work there should be a straight line start.