[Event] Medallion Tour De Stellenbosch

[Skubarra]

Rode Cat 3 today. Unfortunately at about 60kms not sure what happened but collided with a bike and crashed. Nothing serious just a graze.

 

I really want to thank the man who basically sacrificed his race to help me up. He lost the group because of me. He paced me back to some people and told him to hang onto my wheel to recover unfortunately never saw him again.

 

Whoever you are thank you ! The rest of the race was just really hard and incredibly windy and hot. Became about just crossing the line.

 

I think it happened just in front of me, rider in front of you suddenly slowed down on a climb and you had nowhere to go but into him?

 

Well done for getting up and finishing the race, and well done to the guy who sacrificed his race to help you!

[la.ct]

Yeah thats possible and thanks for pointing out as I really couldn't understand how I landed on the tar.

 

Oh well I am sure he never did that on purpose. Bad luck :-(

[milky4130]

 

 

Yep. It was our "first" outing. The bike wasn't setup for us. We stopped just after paardeberg, only for my partner to realize he's unable to continue.

 

So i thought.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....and regretting now!

better than a DNF

[Berry]

I will put this one in my special box with the 2009 argus. We must be the stupidest bunch we all knew it's going to be 40 but we had to try it anyway.

[Brent]

Rode in K and was expecting to do between 3:30 and 3:45. Up until about 60km, it certainly looked that way, but with the heat that just wasnt to be with several stops at the water points.

Great route if not for the extreme weather, and well marshalled.

The finish being so far from the mats and coke was a bit of a let-down as was the long trek to the parking before the race.

Otherwise great event

 

edit: grammer

Edited February 16, 2014 by Btus

[Skubarra]

Just got confirmation from Cat 2 this morning that I really should go and play in the alphabet soup groups and leave the league riding to the big boys.

 

Joined up with Cat 3 after Helz and it was just great to finish with a bunch the first time in 5 months (even though technically it wasn't the bunch I started with, I'll leave that goal for next time)

 

Really suffered the last 15km even though the pace wasn't that fast, like woofie said, that last stretch felt longer than the whole race. Probably the worst I felt after the race in a long time (at the finish the thought of a second Argus lap sounded idiotic!)

 

Well done to everybody that finished in this conditions.

 

On a side-note - what was up with the WHOLE of the group in Cat 3 riding on the right side of road after the Paardeberg jail? At one stage nobody (including me) was in the left lane! After the mass DQ at tour de philly I am kind of dreading to see a similar nasty mail in my inbox...

[allez]

Reading all the feedback, just makes me feel better that I did not race today. Been sick most of the week abd first race back at not 100% and this heat.... Disaster waiting to happen.

[Lucky Luke.]

I thought it was a great race. Smashed the **** out of it and it felt grand. The weather was lovely and sunny with a gentle breeze. Did not notice or care where the PPA mats were - which was lucky as it seems to have ruined some people's day.

[Woofie]

Everyone knew it was going to be hot, so why not stock up with enough fluids for the ride if you don't want to stop at the water points & miss your bunch now you go bonk & miss your bunch anyway. I rode with 2x750ml camelback bottles, which meant I had enough cold fluids right up until the finish line.

Thats what I rode with as everyone did that ran out.

I even had a small bottle in my pocket.

To top it off I purposely started drinking late to conserve my water. I rode for almost two hours before I started sipping.

But even if I had extra water with me I would have still needed to stop. I had to pour water over myself. It was my only way to cool down.

[babse]

Thats what I rode with as everyone did that ran out.

I even had a small bottle in my pocket.

To top it off I purposely started drinking late to conserve my water. I rode for almost two hours before I started sipping.

But even if I had extra water with me I would have still needed to stop. I had to pour water over myself. It was my only way to cool down.

i think you found the bonk problem, u needed to keep hydrated from the start!

 

it can happen tho especially in these extreme condition!

[Woofie]

Lol. I am a very different animal.

Maybe baboon.... Lol

No seriously I can go through a large period of time before I need anything to drink.

I had breakfast this morning and the little bottle I was carrying was a concentrate of 32 gi which I started sipping a bit earlier. So ample energy supplies.

I am very weird. If I drink anything in the morning of a race I need to pee the whole morning. Even without drinking my bladder manages to fill itself somehow. So drinking early doesn't do well with me.

 

[Quik_Silver]

I had the greatest scare going down hels. At about 60km hours the bike started to vibrate almost out of control. Managed to bring it under control. Lost the group... Overheated etc. The rest is blowin in the wind

[Funny Carp]

Today was the first time in a long time I have really hurt on the bike. Went with the A bunch break and was feeling good until ran out of water in the heat at 90km. Then proceeded to bonk/hit the wall/ see stars and chunder. Once I had stopped at the remaining water stops I cruised to the end slip streaming any passing mtb from the short route.

 

Thanks to all that asked if I was ok. I lied and said I was But unless you were going to pull me to the end there was nothing to be done.

 

Hi Skistar - glad to see that you and your sense of humour are still intact.

 

After surviving 103 km of gutter grovelling, the wind, the heat, the One-Tonner flashbacks; I came past Skistar on the Simondium Road in the A-C bunch. I glanced over and shouted a few words of encouragement...and that is where it all went pear-shaped.

 

Nary 100 meters further down the road the 'little Chihuahuas' (AKA cramps) bit down hard and turned my quads to lumpy porridge. I yelped and whimpered at the sight of the bunch going up the road and then spent the longest 4km of life pedaling into that wind. After what seemed to be an eternity, my fighting spirit and my sense of humour failed me as I crossed the line a broken man. I was soon to discover that I was about to plumb new depths of cycling despair when I realised that the timing mats were on the distant horizon.

 

Well done to all finishers. This morning's race ranks as one of the most enjoyable and toughest that I never wish to repeat :-)

[Sworks20]

I thought it was a great race. Smashed the **** out of it and it felt grand. The weather was lovely and sunny with a gentle breeze. Did not notice or care where the PPA mats were - which was lucky as it seems to have ruined some people's day.

 

I was convinced this was going to be my 1st League race finishing with the Cat 2 bunch after going over Hels with the group and seeing people get blown out the back. Confidence was high until you and your team mate put everyone in the gutter at about 50km/h and ended my dream and turned it into a nightmare with another 30 riders or so. Whatever happened there was spectacular, the group I was in to the finish were joking how quickly our race was over.

 

How did you finish?

[Woofie]

I hit my fastest speed this morning down hels. Was getting back to the group... Hit 84.6

Any other high speeds down there today?

[Pure Savage]

I hit my fastest speed this morning down hels. Was getting back to the group... Hit 84.6

Any other high speeds down there today?

 

Also touched 84.2 apparently..