Blue Boost Tour de Stellenbosch

[Pure Savage]

What a Race....

By far the most difficult one I have done to date.

 

Just Just made it in time for my starting Group G.

We had a very strong rider from D joining us, take it he missed his starting group and was really upset about it.

Half way through the race when Bankie( nice to meet you) and myself found ourselves on the wrong end of the group and a nasty split happed( wind) , had to pull like crazy to get back to leading group.

 

On the next hill I found myself in a little break away- 2 man and one girl( that girl packs some serious power) opened up a decent gap on the group as long as the road was facing up ,but knew it one the roads would flatten the group will get us and that's exactly what happened, was actually very nice to feel a break away first hand.

 

The 80 KM bonk didn't happen I found the problem( dehydration) had an extra PUMP water bottle in my back pocket( had to get rid of it after 80km, apologies to those I offended by doing it but had no choice, was waiting for a water point to discard it but none was forthcoming).

 

@ KM 90 a huge attack came from the group D rider that started with us in G, was able to slowly pull him back on the climb with 2 guys on my wheel, we actually worked very well together for +-10 km to make sure we stay ahead of group and we did

 

Group D rider attacked again with a KM to go, tried chasing him down but had nothing left in the legs, well deserved winner :thumbup:

 

Nice meeting you u Winstonian 1984

Was the D rider on a white trek? Ride rolling hills and head wind was killer!

[Bankie99]

I had a much better day out in the saddle than at the 99er 

 

It was great meeting you Winston and Ramster. Our G group was really flying with heavy pace being set over hellz and the R44 rollers up until we caught E-F group then things eased up a bit.

 

Once we crossed the 4 way stop at the fruit sellers the pace picked up hectically again and the bunch slowly split up but luckily ramster, winstonian1984 and I were able to hold on.

 

After the right turn into the crosswinds things really got hard and the guys were not sharing the workloads very well infront

 

Approaching the R44 turn those last few consecutive rollers split the group up and only 15 - 20 of us were left and ramster and myself were able to go with the front group. Winston heard nature calling and he obeyed

 

On the R44 the guys worked well together to bring back Ramster's break away move(sorry bud we just couldn't let you suffer into the wind)

 

On the R45 towards franschoek Ramster and wayne from LBL and another guy broke away again but no one in the bunch had legs to chase them down so we just sat and rode together till the finish.

 

I finished on 3h11 and quite happy with that considering the head/crosswinds for half the race.

[cpelser]

Let me share my “starter out” story as well.

 

Took up cycling in October with my wife, bought nice MTBs and for each of us a R4000 Road bike off the Hub.

Wife loves road riding, but my “proportions” (being built like a rugby hooker @ 107kg) means that I have no neck that can bend to look up when I’m on a road bike. Not when I’m sitting on the hoods, obviously much less so when I’m in the drops. So I ride my 29er full knobblies and she rides her road bike.

 

We did the 52km yesterday, and because I’m not a PPA member we started in Temp1.

 

The race:

I generally start out like an old diesel engine, and took my time warming up on the ascent up Hels, I managed only an 13km/h average going up.

My wife loves climbs, so she quickly dropped out of sight going up.

 

On the last 300m of the climb up Hels I started preparing myself for what’s to come, my favourite, my specialty, the one “discipline” of road riding that I excel at, where I’m the undisputed king of the temp groups..... going down...

I wanted to ensure no-one sit in my slip going down, so just before the crest of Hels I got out of the saddle, peddled like a man possessed, and quickly spun to 55km/h.

 

I got back in the saddle and spun to 60km/h where my legs cannot keep up anymore, and made myself as small as I could. (Picture an elephant trying to hide behind an anthill).. Gravity took over and I quickly rushed past 70km/h. The knobblies buzzed like a swarm of bees on the tar. Bliss...

 

I was in my element, overtaking riders left right and center. Then I noticed someone sitting on my wheel. A third of the way down, where the road flattens out for about 400m00m, it happened.... The guy sitting on my wheel overtook me. He was on a road bike, built like a brick outhouse with calves as thick as a normal man’s waist. I spun as fast as I could, but he managed to open up a 10m gap between us by the time the next steep decline hit.

 

The feeling of bliss was gone, and all I could do was sit there and accept defeat as I watched him open the gap between us to about 100m by the time we got to the bottom of Hels. That was also where I caught my wife again.

 

However, the work on the descent took a lot out of me, and I used the rolling hills towards the Elsenburg turn-off to recover.

My wife joined a bunch of development riders on red giant bikes and I watched her riding off, while I sat next to a big guy on an old rusty 1980s singlespeed (kudo’s to you, sir).

 

After the Elsenburg turn-off, I felt my legs had recovered sufficiently for me to push a bit again.

A german couple in red kit passed me, and I decided to sit on their wheel. As we passed groups, people kept joining our bunch until we were a group of about 10.

 

On the flat and descents I would pull the group along while on uphills the german couple would overtake me and I would just focus on keeping the cadence up.

 

Where we joined up with the long group, a bunch of about 20guys from “G” passed me, and I broke away from my group and sat with them, the german couple also made the break..

The pulled us along and we caught my wife with about 12km to go. However, these guys were just a bit too fast for me (they went at 30km/h ish), and again I felt my legs dropping me. I watched my wife ride off, first as part of the G bunch, and when they dropped her, with the German couple.

 

I focussed on cadence again, and recouped enough strength to put a proper “sprint” in at the end. I overtook my wife for the last time 2-3m before the finish. (And obviously I'm having fun reminding her of it)

 

We did a 2:07, happy with the day..

[Stricker]

Was the D rider on a white trek? Ride rolling hills and head wind was killer!

Yes

[Winstonian1984]

After the right turn into the crosswinds things really got hard and the guys were not sharing the workloads very well infront

Was lekka meeting you and Ramster. When we turned and hit the crosswinds I found myself doing alot of work with the guy from E in the Lights by Linea kit, the D rider in the science to sport kit and the other 2 D riders...All that said it was a tough day out, probably harder than the 99er.

[Big JD]

 

It was great meeting you Winston and Ramster. Our G group was really flying with heavy pace being set over hellz and the R44 rollers up until we caught E-F group then things eased up a bit.

 

 

G group didnt come close to catching E-F. The E-F leaders did 02:53 whilst the best time in G was 03:09. I think you just encountered a few stragglers who fell off.

 

[Winstonian1984]

 

 

G group didnt come close to catching E-F. The E-F leaders did 02:53 whilst the best time in G was 03:09. I think you just encountered a few stragglers who fell off.

 

 

We definitely didnt catch the front of E-F, but we caught a group of 30 plus as we crossed the N1.

[babse]

E-F bunch got purely savaged yesterday 

[Pure Savage]

 

 

G group didnt come close to catching E-F. The E-F leaders did 02:53 whilst the best time in G was 03:09. I think you just encountered a few stragglers who fell off.

 

 

 

As we got within 200m of C-D it turned to everyman for himself and the E-F group splintered and only a few made it across. I reckon it the group did not panic the entire E-F would have caught C-D by the turn to Paarl.

 

Lots of fun 

[Skubarra]

I reckon it the group did not panic the entire E-F would have caught C-D by the turn to Paarl.

 

Lots of fun 

 

I would have thought panic would make people ride faster 

[babse]

As we got within 200m of C-D it turned to everyman for himself and the E-F group splintered and only a few made it across. I reckon it the group did not panic the entire E-F would have caught C-D by the turn to Paarl.

 

Lots of fun 

 i missed the initial bridge of gap but thanks to lanky lights by linea rider, i made it across!

[Pure Savage]

I would have thought panic would make people ride faster 

 

That is true, but I think some were maybe panicing for a while.

 

As soon as the group strings out and gaps open up that it becomes a problem. I also think the group in front sped up past Windmeul as they want from a compact swarm to a spread out line up the climb.

[avatar]

I punctured out of A and when I got back there were lots of D,E and F riders around, they couldnt even hold my wheel downwind, eventually rode to the next bunch and there it was even worse, does anybody know what groups those where precisely? also one thing ill never understand is if the funriders' ultimate goal is to improve his/her seeding, why not just harden up and work together and catch the group in front of you, by doing that you improve your fitness also, since you actually have to put your nose in the wind too...  while guys were slaving in the front some fit looking oke sat at the back, 55% HR doing nothing. why race then? youre not helping so your seeding will prob drop and youre not working so rather go out by yourself and get a better workout. Prob gets home and tells his wife how awesome he rode on the tough and windy course

[Karman de Lange]

I punctured out of A and when I got back there were lots of D,E and F riders around, they couldnt even hold my wheel downwind, eventually rode to the next bunch and there it was even worse, does anybody know what groups those where precisely? also one thing ill never understand is if the funriders' ultimate goal is to improve his/her seeding, why not just harden up and work together and catch the group in front of you, by doing that you improve your fitness also, since you actually have to put your nose in the wind too...  while guys were slaving in the front some fit looking oke sat at the back, 55% HR doing nothing. why race then? youre not helping so your seeding will prob drop and youre not working so rather go out by yourself and get a better workout. Prob gets home and tells his wife how awesome he rode on the tough and windy course

 

The guy pushing our small group along kept on say .. see that next group. .thats our waterstop .. yay right ...

 

That is the mentality to have

[Pooyan]

I do want to highlight that the winner of group B and the winner of the race (because Group A “decided” to do an extra 6km) is a Under 16 gentleman.

Well done!!!!!

[renburg]

Well done to the Under 16 gentleman!  I also do want to highlight that a gentleman in the age category 60-69 was 7th a mere 21 seconds later.  Well done to him as well! 

 

What age is optimal for cycling?