Cape Town Cycle Tour (The Argus) 2015

[GoLefty!!]

especially with 115,000 people all looking for an emergency room

[Spinnekop]

That was the vibe about the Argus - but the Argus is no longer!!

 

Potentially the Cape Town Cycle tour should be going back to the routes of the Argus a protest ride - The Cape Town Cycle tour possible should be something between a "moon light mass" and a funride.

Aaaaahhhh.....being South African where we protest when we wake up.  I get that.  But I don't participate in it as protests lead to nowhere for me.

 

The 109 km is as pointed out is suitable for like 5000 people but I recon 47km is suitable for 120 000 people. A closed freeway is "safe" from motorised vehicles and easiest to managed as not too many driveways!

Yes.....like my neighbourhood. 

The ride would have value for these reasons:

 

1. Closed freeway  Why is the freeway a thing for you when you have full road closure??!?!?  HAhahahah.  The whole blerrie 109km was a "closed freeway" with two lanes that one can use.

2. Timed  I have a Garmin.  I have Strava.  This is NOT a thing for the 20th century cyclist.....

 

3. Still able to compare times against the best rider in RSA and maybe the world not to mention your work colleagues / friend.  Just.....HAHAHAHAHAH......really?  You think the best rider in SA won the race?  Hehehehhe.  Come on....you are in fact a VERY experience rider yourself and you would have giggled a bit when you typed that out.......

 

4. Able to grow the sport even further and hopefully put more bums on bikes and thus raise further awareness of cyclist on the roads.  Grow SPORT?  Or PARTICIPATION?  A sport is competitive no?  Where you want to WIN?  If you PARTICIPATE you don't give a damn about timing or position.........Will a 47km loop grow the SPORT?  No.  Will it grow awareness?  Hell....I have seen the pics of the race and there is NOTHING publishable there.  Heheheheh. 

 

5. A Pro race to follow that the masses can watch live (kind of like the final stage of TDF but shorter circuit).  The PPA is not interested in the competitive side.  Especially with the CTCT.  And I get that.  So why go through the trouble?

 

To name some!

 

 

As long as their is a stage race (Tour de Boland) in the Western Cape before the Cape Town cycle tour for the more competitive - all the racing snakes will be their!!!  Not if they have to fork out R500 for an entry to go ride on a freeway with no scenery!!  I have a LOT of friends that flew back after the Boland Tour because it was WORTH MORE to be with their families that to ride the freeway.

 

 

 

Just a few counter thoughts........  

[Icycling]

I don't know what the stats were of people needing to be in hospital for yesterday event but 1% of the finishers would be over 3000 of the 31 960 of yesterdays finishers which would mean about all need to start to reach the advertised cut off of 35 000 entries. So maybe 1% is a bit high.

But I am trying to liken the shortened event to a timed moon light mass type event- - don’t know how many people end up in hospital after moon light mass either! I also don’t know how many hospital bed their are and how many are free - I suspect on the morning of the cycle tour nor does the vents office!!

[Spinnekop]

All of the above happens when it is 109km so why would you not do it again?

 

Because you do something in life that is challenging.  How about doing HALF the Comrades?  Or half your wedding.  Or HALF your degree.

 

It is what it is.  A challenge. 

Why not do the 47km on the freeway?  It is no longer a challenge.  Boring in fact.

[Thor Buttox]

Seems like certain people have major chips on shoulders!!!

Now back to the point of try to increase the size of the sport.

Would it be somehow possible to have a long “Argus” route and a shorter (yesterdays)  route for the Cape Town Cycle tour? The original route for the 15 000 odd who really want to do it - and then an out and back on the freeway for people who just want to be part of the day hopefully another 100 000 plus!

The pro’s race in the morning for a prize money and then expected to race at the end of the day for the same amount of prize money on the short route to put a great time on the short route for the less serious riders to compare themselves against!

I actually think the idea as a 'wouldn' t that be lovely' is not bad.

But it is really easy to check, just by looking at the short route numbers on Racetec, for pretty much every local Road race. The serious people do the long one, and the short races are massively undersubscribed. If you could start it at Noordhoek and head through to town u might have half a chance,but logistically that won't work.

[Slowbee]

besides for those who want less of a challenge there is the tricycle tour on Saturday

dude, you wanting to start a fight huh ! You tell my five year old it is less of a challenge! And Mom who had to run after her.

 

Nee donner. that tricycle challenge is VERY tuff! Nobody knows how to hold lines, there are crybabies everywhere, and that is just the adults, lets not get started on the kids. Your shins are exposed, toes get ridden over and then you to eat ice cream after. No no. Give me a 109 km windy argus any day !!

[Icycling]

Just a few counter thoughts........  

Appreciated - just keep them for years too come just incase the organisers decide yesterday was the way forward! I am personally still not that apposed too it!

[dev null]

Just a Q.  Did they time us to the mat under the finish line?  It took our group finishing at around 10h55 about 10 to 15 minutes to walk over the finish line.

[Donovan Le Cok]

 

Chapmanspeak Drive set to re-open later today

We have received a notification from Entilini, the operators of Chapmanspeak Drive, indicating that the road linking Noordhoek with Hout Bay is scheduled to be re-opened later today at 2pm. This follows the devastating fires of last week, which required closure of the road over the past 7 days.

 

 

The notification reads as follows:

 

"Good news. Chapmans Peak Drive will open at 2pm (today) on Monday 9 / 3 / 2015…"

 

 

The company also issued a similar notice via its Twitter feed (shared by SMNW)

 

"We are aiming to open at 2pm today under strict conditions. Please bear with us and be patient as we strive to open safely. "

 

 

Reminder: 

 

SMNW Community Braai - this Saturday 14 March, 5pm, Brook Crescent Public Open Space. 

 

ADT Appreciation Bonus Fundraiser

 

Thanks very much to all contributions received thus far, and for your generosity! Full details in the SMNW newsletter of 5 March. All proceeds are strictly ring-fenced in aid of our area-dedicated ADT Armed Response Officers. An update on progress will be provided in a few days time. 

 

 

I was emailed the above earlier.

 

Surely they could have just opened yesterday...

[GoLefty!!]

Part of the risk management plan for the CTCT will include a statistic on how many injuries over past events. These are cateorised into maybe light, serious, emergency and life threatening.

the number fo medical staff available to tend to each type of injury and time required to treat would determine a safe upper limit for the CTCT.

Thene there is other issues like parking, refreshments, and geography (which includes roads, road access) and inconvenience factors. (how many people are home locked for the day and how would other emergency services be able to move about or react to events.

 

hence the upper limit was settled on 35,000

[Johny Bravo]

Seems like certain people have major chips on shoulders!!!

 

Now back to the point of try to increase the size of the sport.

 

Would it be somehow possible to have a long “Argus” route and a shorter (yesterdays)  route for the Cape Town Cycle tour? The original route for the 15 000 odd who really want to do it - and then an out and back on the freeway for people who just want to be part of the day hopefully another 100 000 plus!

 

The pro’s race in the morning for a prize money and then expected to race at the end of the day for the same amount of prize money on the short route to put a great time on the short route for the less serious riders to compare themselves against!

I think that is a fantastic idea. Not 100 000, but ja, 

[GLuvsMtb]

just to clarify, yesterday's 47 for most of us was about showing support to those involved and affected by the fires. The route was ok-ish, coming back and passing the start-line with people still loading up was a novelty for a mid fielder like me, racing through the city centre was fun, being stopped as we crossed over to Helen Suzman Drive was accepted as part of the package. 

The highlight for me was getting off my tandem with my stoker and shaking the guys and girls from VWS hands and looking them in the eye. They still smelt like smoke and their uniforms were still black from the work done the week preceding the event. I must admit that on any Argus-day I would have rode past them without batting an eyelid. 

It was special, but it was a once-off. 

Now if they want to grow the event, they should focus on hosting the Expo at a world-class venue. Perhaps they will attract the major brands and encourage new exhibitors to come on-board. The "kerkbazaar" feel of the Good Hope Centre gives the Expo a decidedly 3rd world feel. 

[Pure Savage]

Chapmanspeak Drive set to re-open later today

We have received a notification from Entilini, the operators of Chapmanspeak Drive, indicating that the road linking Noordhoek with Hout Bay is scheduled to be re-opened later today at 2pm. This follows the devastating fires of last week, which required closure of the road over the past 7 days.

 

 

The notification reads as follows:

 

"Good news. Chapmans Peak Drive will open at 2pm (today) on Monday 9 / 3 / 2015…"

 

 

The company also issued a similar notice via its Twitter feed (shared by SMNW)

 

"We are aiming to open at 2pm today under strict conditions. Please bear with us and be patient as we strive to open safely. "

 

 

Reminder: 

 

SMNW Community Braai - this Saturday 14 March, 5pm, Brook Crescent Public Open Space. 

 

ADT Appreciation Bonus Fundraiser

 

Thanks very much to all contributions received thus far, and for your generosity! Full details in the SMNW newsletter of 5 March. All proceeds are strictly ring-fenced in aid of our area-dedicated ADT Armed Response Officers. An update on progress will be provided in a few days time. 

 

 

I was emailed the above earlier.

 

Surely they could have just opened yesterday...

 

 

Concentrate on DC 2015, don't think about yesterday

 

Someone has opened a thread and its getting awkward over there already

[Icycling]

I actually think the idea as a 'wouldn' t that be lovely' is not bad.

But it is really easy to check, just by looking at the short route numbers on Racetec, for pretty much every local Road race. The serious people do the long one, and the short races are massively undersubscribed. If you could start it at Noordhoek and head through to town u might have half a chance,but logistically that won't work.

My view maybe outdated here - but the short routes are possible undersubscribe as you feel like a cop out. But what if you did the short route and then had the fastest time on the short route for the day even thought the Pro’s did it for proper prize money later that same day!! Suddenly that cop out is possibly more OK!!!!  Maybe some 13 year old does the fastest time on the short route (I did sub 3 on the proper Argus when I was 13) - currently I think you need to be 14 to even ride the cycle tour?

[Pure Savage]

Part of the risk management plan for the CTCT will include a statistic on how many injuries over past events. These are cateorised into maybe light, serious, emergency and life threatening.

the number fo medical staff available to tend to each type of injury and time required to treat would determine a safe upper limit for the CTCT.

Thene there is other issues like parking, refreshments, and geography (which includes roads, road access) and inconvenience factors. (how many people are home locked for the day and how would other emergency services be able to move about or react to events.

 

hence the upper limit was settled on 35,000

Trying to apply common sense on the hub twice in a day

 

Edit: Had to get just the right smiley

[Johny Bravo]

just to clarify, yesterday's 47 for most of us was about showing support to those involved and affected by the fires. The route was ok-ish, coming back and passing the start-line with people still loading up was a novelty for a mid fielder like me, racing through the city centre was fun, being stopped as we crossed over to Helen Suzman Drive was accepted as part of the package. 

The highlight for me was getting off my tandem with my stoker and shaking the guys and girls from VWS hands and looking them in the eye. They still smelt like smoke and their uniforms were still black from the work done the week preceding the event. I must admit that on any Argus-day I would have rode past them without batting an eyelid. 

It was special, but it was a once-off. 

Now if they want to grow the event, they should focus on hosting the Expo at a world-class venue. Perhaps they will attract the major brands and encourage new exhibitors to come on-board. The "kerkbazaar" feel of the Good Hope Centre gives the Expo a decidedly 3rd world feel. 

Amen brother, been complaining for years now. It will never grow in that venue. I could not wait to get out of there.