eddy Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 Word on the road surfaces of the route has arrived - good for skinny tyres, bar a few pot holes. Excellent ! Lets try it on 48 x 16
LukeV-2 Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 Did anyone else start under the impression it would be 35km there and back and end up riding 55km? djsam, Rob22 and fabs 3
kosmonooit Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 Did anyone else start under the impression it would be 35km there and back and end up riding 55km? Apparently part of the original route was flooded this am so there was a detour.
Rob22 Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 It was a great ride and was better managed than I thought it would be. The Soweto traffic was interesting but special to go to Vilakazi street. The route was nothing like what was posted on the Web but glad I did it and will do it again next year (if it's on) djsam 1
Joeboy69 Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 Enjoyed the race, arrived a bit LTE so started right at the back of the bridge. This have a couple of good opportunities to watch the snake of bikes up ahead :-) No complaints about the organizers, the cops and TB crews had everything under control. No water when we went last WP1 or I just missed it completely! The beers in Vilakazi for WP2 was fantastic though. The longer route caught a few people who were maybe up for a 35, but 35 only took them to the beer-stop, the 17kays back had quite a few people cramping, pushing etc. Was amazed though by all the mechanicals, seems Nissan trails are more tyre friendly than Jhb tar :-) I REALLY hope this is on again next year !!
Uni Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 My first time doing a big group ride. I did enjoy it but I was one of those that took a beating with the extra distance. Up until 40kms I still had a smile on my face, thereafter I learned about bonking There was at least one cyclist hit by a car that I saw, my friends say they saw 3, anyone know if they ok?
Backpacker Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 Where was the full road closure??? Enjoyed it till we got to Soweto then it was a fiasco. Where were the marshalls?? Majority of intersections had no marshalls, wasted energy dodging taxis and buses who had free access to the roads because there was no one stopping them. Saw a lot of very small children riding and as a parent I would not have been happy taking my child along those roads! Vilakazi Street was great, eventually got to see Mandela's house, distance created a problem for those who were not that fit and did not take enough hydration. Only felt comfortable in the Rhea Via lanes. Enjoyed it, but will give it a miss next time ...
Blackadder Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 That was my experience too. Shocking marshalling
djsam Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 Have to say it was a really great day out, was good to be out on the bike with so many other like minded people, thought the Marshals were pretty good whilst the groups were together however as it split seemed to become more difficult to manage... overall definitely will do it again... this time i'll just keep in mind i may get an extra 20 lol...
kosmonooit Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 Yes marshalling got a bit thin from Soweto onwards as the field thinned out, and we had to ride with traffic back to town but there was Metro cops at all the intersections. I can't really complain, given my daily experiences riding here. The general vibe was great, and nice to do a social ride and not be watching the clock, although I did an interval up to the Madiba bridge just to get the pulse rate up at least once in the day.
Woza Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 I noticed that all the intersections coming down Main Reef Road were not manned by JMPD. Probably due to the quick route change. I also noticed that all these intersections were manned be TB Marshals. They cant be at two places at once. IMHO, taking into account that the route changed due to the flooding, both JMPD and TB Marshals did a very good job in handling things. At that left hand turn in Soweto by the shopping centre I saw a TB Marshal standing there on his own indicating to the cyclists to turn left. There was no JMPD with him. Would you face angry traffic in the middle of Soweto on your own? Thank you Mr. TB Marshal!!!! My cap goes off to all that took part yesterday. From the cyclists, to the organisors, to TB Marshals, to ER24 and JMPD.
kosmonooit Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 Our Madiba moment! Yes big ups to the TB Marshalls they did an excellent job. The Soweto roads were very busy with taxis. Hows that highway linking Soweto to FNB stadium? Built as part of the world cup projects? Did you notice that every street lamp pole and associated electrical infrastructure has been looted? I mean the entire high rise poles. You get to notice detail like that when cycling. At least I do. Depressing to see public infrastructure being slowly by surely disappearing unchecked and unabated. I wonder if the big knobs of the City who rode noticed?
kosmonooit Posted February 13, 2014 Author Posted February 13, 2014 Some pics of the ride are up http://freedomride.org.za/wp-content/gallery/the-ride/alexia_webster_freedom_ride_4.jpg
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