Cape Town Giants at Durbanville HS FUNRIDE!

[lucmccann]

So going into this ride I had decided to drop down to M to do "domestique" duties for a less fit mate of mine. Considering the near 700kms i'd already done this past week I was more than happy to push him up the climbs, pull him on the flats and stop to help others that had punctured. I was having an awesome, slow training ride and met loads of great people.

 

That was until around 3kms to go where a couple of us were greeted with an out-of-tone chant of "GET LEFT!", we took up single file and hugged the tiniest bit of tar on the left-hand side, giving the entire lane to the bunch coming through...but, to my disappoint, instead of being passed smoothly I was given a strong elbow to the back by 1 of the Cape Town Giants riders, resulting in me riding a few metres in the gravel and luckily staying on my bike, I figured it was an honest mistake so i'd leave it.

 

But it seemed I was wrong, over the next 2kms one of the Cape Town Giants riders dropped a water bottle and instead of warning the others in the bunch, about this potentially very dangerous obstacle, him and one of his Cape Town Giants mates had a nice little chuckle about it. There was also an elbow to a guy on a MTB in these dying kms, ending with him not so gracefully meeting with the gravel gutter off the side of the road. (hope you're alright dude?)

 

I decided then that I wasn't too happy with all of this, so I went to the front of the bunch and told one of the Cape Town Giants riders to get his group to calm down and ride with a little more respect, to which I got the response "Jy, if you can't handle it then don't ride in a peloton!"

 

I personally felt it was more of a group of a$$h@les than a peloton but, considering we were about to hit the last "bump", decided to take his advice anyway and dropped them faster than a college girls delicates.

 

So basically Cape Town Giants, if you are going to be that aggressive and that much of a deck on a bike, you need to be able to back it up...or just be a bit friendlier and then others will probably return the favour.

 

Happy Monday All!

 

P.S. I'm glad you didn't ruin my ride, but you might have ruined others'.

[Wannabe]

Yip, encountered their bullying tactics too, saw them "manhandle" a poor youngster on her Mtb when she did not give way for them fast enough. Girl almost ended up in the ditch when they violently swerved infront of her.

 

WTF guys, this was at the tailend of the race (I'm talking well into the M-P groups already) You were not gonna win this race.

[Sworks20]

This isnt the 1st time something like this has happend with the Cape Town Clowns. On weekend rides they think they pull similar stunts with riders on the road. The 1 day in Camps Bay a lady was crossing the road at the zebra cross with a baby in a pram and this total full and his mates proceeded to not event stop or show any consideration to herself or her babies safety. When they stopped I approached them and told them to be careful and she had the right of way.

 

Needless to say I was told my mother s P..S and so on which is pure class. I told them exactly what I thought back and told them they have no place in the sport.

 

They think they some Pro race team when they a bunch of middle of the group funriders and no more.

 

Well done for dropping them.

[DJR]

1. Contact the Giants club chairmen and make a formal complaint.

 

2. Depending on his reaction, lodge a complaint with the race organizers.

 

Wilful dangerous riding like this endangers all of us and cannot be tolerated. Physically forcing 1 rider off the tar and causing 1 to crash, all within a few kilometres, is simply unacceptable.

[DMC007]

There 1st race Team started in K-L and apparently won the Group. Must have been them....But Yes, absolutely not acceptable.

[lucmccann]

1. Contact the Giants club chairmen and make a formal complaint.

 

2. Depending on his reaction, lodge a complaint with the race organizers.

 

Wilful dangerous riding like this endangers all of us and cannot be tolerated. Physically forcing 1 rider off the tar and causing 1 to crash, all within a few kilometres, is simply unacceptable.

 

I think i'll be doing that... might just point them towards this thread to try get a public response as to how they'll handle it.

[Sworks20]

No disrespect to anyone lower down but the racing happens up front not in K-L, they won nothing except a prize for being pathetic and caught up in there own world while endangering others.

[Iegshaandyson]

It's interesting to see how people jump to conclusions after only hearing one side to a story lets first get too the bottom of things before we make an already sensitive situation worse. The road is for all of us to use guys & if cyclists start beating each other up we will lose the little respect we have from the motoring community. I think that races should also be organized a bit better meaning full road closures as cycling is a fast growing sport & limiting the space for such big events is a disaster waiting to happen, just my two cents worth

[Bloukrans]

It's interesting to see how people jump to conclusions after only hearing one side to a story lets first get too the bottom of things before we make an already sensitive situation worse. The road is for all of us to use guys & if cyclists start beating each other up we will lose the little respect we have from the motoring community. I think that races should also be organized a bit better meaning full road closures as cycling is a fast growing sport & limiting the space for such big events is a disaster waiting to happen, just my two cents worth

What is the other side of the story? Please enlighten me before I jump to conclusions.

[Flowta]

It's interesting to see how people jump to conclusions after only hearing one side to a story lets first get too the bottom of things before we make an already sensitive situation worse. The road is for all of us to use guys & if cyclists start beating each other up we will lose the little respect we have from the motoring community. I think that races should also be organized a bit better meaning full road closures as cycling is a fast growing sport & limiting the space for such big events is a disaster waiting to happen, just my two cents worth

 

Are you part of the Cape Town Giants?

[lucmccann]

It's interesting to see how people jump to conclusions after only hearing one side to a story lets first get too the bottom of things before we make an already sensitive situation worse. The road is for all of us to use guys & if cyclists start beating each other up we will lose the little respect we have from the motoring community. I think that races should also be organized a bit better meaning full road closures as cycling is a fast growing sport & limiting the space for such big events is a disaster waiting to happen, just my two cents worth

 

I'd love to hear their side of the story, which is why i started this thread, in the hope they would see it and provide their input.

 

As far as full road closures go...well that just isn't logistically possible for every race...especially the smaller ones like this was.

 

Many rides that are a lot bigger than this was don't have full road closures and also don't have these sort of issues...it was just a matter of no accord being shown by their riders and egos that are alot bigger than they should be.

[Sworks20]

It's interesting to see how people jump to conclusions after only hearing one side to a story lets first get too the bottom of things before we make an already sensitive situation worse. The road is for all of us to use guys & if cyclists start beating each other up we will lose the little respect we have from the motoring community. I think that races should also be organized a bit better meaning full road closures as cycling is a fast growing sport & limiting the space for such big events is a disaster waiting to happen, just my two cents worth

 

Which Cape Town Giant were you on Sunday??

 

Not to sure how you can say things are being made up when I have personally had 1st hand experience with members of the club and seen them in action on rides over weekends.

 

Wonder if everyone is out to get them and makes this up??

[dee_biker]

Are you part of the Cape Town Giants?

 

Clearly he is... I saw the same "windgat" attitudes at the One Tonner... Luckily I was calm and enjoyed my slow training ride too much to even be bothered, but give me that *** attitude and arrogance when I am in race mode, boy...

[fabes]

It's interesting to see how people jump to conclusions after only hearing one side to a story lets first get too the bottom of things before we make an already sensitive situation worse. The road is for all of us to use guys & if cyclists start beating each other up we will lose the little respect we have from the motoring community. I think that races should also be organized a bit better meaning full road closures as cycling is a fast growing sport & limiting the space for such big events is a disaster waiting to happen, just my two cents worth

Your point???

 

Say it, we waiting...

[Madlight]

Totally unacceptable behavior. Big thumbs down to the Cape Town "Giants"...... giant a-holes...

[urbanroyal]

Your point???

 

Say it, we waiting...

 

I think he has made his point about the road closures ....etc ...I read nothing else in his statement....if you see anything else ...let us know ....