NeoOne Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 (edited) Anyone ride the Wilro Lions 114km race on Sunday? How did you find the experience? My take.. On registration i found that the website wasn't very clear how to select group to ride in and I did not want to ride in "open seeding", asssuming it to be similar to the Cape Argus open seeding ( read... guys in Barney outfits and wedding suits having a piss-up on the way) so entered in my age group to try and ensure a better group and decent pace with the added assistance of the peloton tow. Turns out I needed a National race license and I was offered an AL number instead of the VB number initially issued. On the day it was immediately evident that the scale is much smaller than any of the 2 (Argus and Dischem ride for sight) races I have raced in and was very worried when the announcer said there'd be no road closures and although there would be marshalls out on course and that we would be sharing the road with other road users. The groups were small and were released more than 10 min apart (a curse and a blessing). In the groups I found it was less jostling and pushing and everyone was well-versed in group riding. Most guys kept their race line and gave gaps and allowed space for other riders because of the traffic situation. I was surprised to see so many guys take turns to ride the front. I saw no incidents, bar one rider slide on sand on a turn, but he thankfully managed to stay on! With my measly <32km "race pace" to hang on for +- 20km with the AL group. The surging and slowing was strange and tiring, so I got dropped on a huge climb. (Note to self HA and HIIT.) The next group was so far back that I rode alone for at least 30 km, but when I got picked up by the BL group it was an absolute mixed bag of riders. Many CL-AL, BL and Vets all riding together. This was a more manageable group and although it was still hard work I stayed with them till 90+km in, so I had a good ride and am happy that the last stretch was pretty flat. I had a pleasant overall experience and I will definitely ride this again next year and hopefully will be able to improve seeding and my pace before then. Edited April 7, 2014 by NeoOne
Underachiever Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 Surging in the VB group will even be worse!! Was a great race, great route, safe because of the bike mashalls, and the AL bunch was well behaved no gutter on the white line. Too many wheelsuckers IMHO, but hey, that is road cycling, will never change! NeoOne 1
TALUS Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 The higher the group the more the surging (tactical racing). Open seeded is the term used for being seeded with your "piers". Only four road closure races in the year. Great race. See you at Emperor's.... NeoOne 1
Snails Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 The higher the group the more the surging (tactical racing). Open seeded is the term used for being seeded with your "piers". Only four road closure races in the year. Great race. See you at Emperor's.... What are the four road closure races?
GaryvdM Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 What are the four road closure races? In order of size: Argus, 94.7, Amashova, Tour Durban NeoOne and Snails 2
NeoOne Posted April 7, 2014 Author Posted April 7, 2014 Surging in the VB group will even be worse!! Was a great race, great route, safe because of the bike mashalls, and the AL bunch was well behaved no gutter on the white line. Too many wheelsuckers IMHO, but hey, that is road cycling, will never change! Have to agree. + for a GREAT cause! might be guilty of being a bit of wheelsucker, but a good snot rocket will get most wheel suckers off your back! At Cyclelab club rides in the lower pace groups, I'll try tow, BUT ever notice how when youre in the peloton it feels slow. The moment you get to the front you see how the top speed starts dropping a 1km/h....till someone passes haha The higher the group the more the surging (tactical racing). Open seeded is the term used for being seeded with your "piers". Only four road closure races in the year. Great race. See you at Emperor's.... Only been doing this for 6 months + 2 months of socialising. I'm a noob, but I figured its to tire us greenbeans out!What are the four road closure races? Good to know! Still trying to get a hall pass for Tour of Durban
Cheese Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 Surging in the VB group will even be worse!! Was a great race, great route, safe because of the bike mashalls, and the AL bunch was well behaved no gutter on the white line. Too many wheelsuckers IMHO, but hey, that is road cycling, will never change!Jip, Just to add some perspective to this.Normally in a race in VB my Avg Heartrate would be at 85-90% of max heartrate. For this race in AL it was at 80%. NeoOne 1
Underachiever Posted April 7, 2014 Posted April 7, 2014 Jip, Just to add some perspective to this.Normally in a race in VB my Avg Heartrate would be at 85-90% of max heartrate. For this race in AL it was at 80%. Which means, we were going too slowly. You should have been in that break :-)
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