Cape Town Cycle Tour will go ahead, detour route now 47km

[flymango]

Why don't we try and organise a hub group ride on sat, take a collection and donate it to the cause? I don't know Cape Town that well, maybe meet at Seapoint pool and go from there?

 

To the bottom of Suikerbossie and back. And all buy the PPA tops at registration. So we won't have a road closure but a few thousand doing last Saturday's ride again.

[devocean]

I've done all the races and got a seeding that would pretty much guarantee a sub 3 (which would be my first) yet surprisingly I don't care about this Argus as much as I'd have expected.

[flymango]

look.......you cannot host an event of this magnitude and not have some kind of backup plan......................especially at the over inflated charge of R 430 per entry. that's 15 million.....just from entry fees alone.

 

my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been hit by this terrible event however the fact remains the PPA are not in this for free.......if they want to stage a 47km race then at least have the decency to refund those who decline to take part.

 

if you pay for something and that service isnt delivered then a refund is in order........claiming force majure here and simply pocketing the money isnt on. I mean.........here is a simple 105k route that has a couple of decent climbs and can be well managed and policed and cater for everyone.

 

https://www.google.co.za/maps/dir/-33.9194808,18.4284415/-33.6524935,18.4507512/-33.6473092,18.5281507/-33.7689736,18.6375312/-33.8052491,18.5603024/-33.8493845,18.5362698/-33.9007777,18.4889328/-33.9165888,18.4269736/@-33.6936766,18.5527345,13z/data=!4m15!4m14!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d18.4803965!2d-33.644062!3s0x1dccf2613dfa8939:0xb2c5be8d3304aa6!1m0!1m0!1m0!1m0!1m0!1m0!3e0

 

I find your comments in poor taste and totally unsympathetic to the situation. Read the conditions of entry again that you subscribed to when you parted with your entry fee.

['Dale]

Deleted:

post and pic too sensitive

Edited March 4, 2015 by ' Dale

[leaboy]

I'm ready for Sunday.

Let the fun begin.

[Tubehunter]

So there is STILL a fire that is burning on the mountain whilst we sit here, but how many would like to ride their bike on a closed highway on Sunday? How many would like to share the vibe of thousands of other cyclists lining up with them for the original reason the ride was started? How many would like to forget about all the timing chart variables and taking into account their own strengths and thinking through their strategies of where to position themselves in their groups for which breaks could occur where for just one year and look up and smile at all the spectators that come out in support lining the course every year? (Many of whom are motorists we shout at in the other 364 days...) How many are going to dress up in something red in support of the firefighters on the day?

 

I'm stoked that there is still a ride of any shape or size, knowing that the Organisers could easily just have canned the ride altogether and then be subjected to the disorganised chaos of 35000 people trying to find somewhere to cycle on Sunday with no cohesion whatsoever!!!! I'm looking just as forward to the moment I shout HHHHHOOOOOOPPPLLAAAAAAA when the gun goes off! I'll stay late at the 70th birthday party on Saturday night, instead of avoiding the obvious party later! I'm gonna dress up in a weird outfit I had made a few years ago when the better half wanted to ride it for fun but couldn't cause she fell ill. (We'll be rocking those outfits this year for sure!)

[GLuvsMtb]

Ok ladies. Put down the handbags and look at the scale of the crisis. 35000 people can only start and finish in the planned start and finish areas. The people that need to use the M3 will already be aware of the planned closures and have main road and the M5 available on the day. Boyes Drive, Ou Kaapse Weg and Constantia neck is now out of bounds. Any dash through the burbs is out of bounds. A loop over Kloof Neck is not feasible due to the narrow road and hairpins on the Camps Bay side and this would then completely cut off Camps Bay for the day and fire and rescue probably need access from all 3 sides to Hout Bay. Resources like rescue services, ambulance services etc are all being prioritized to assist with the fire. It would be selfish to expect a full route that would require many of these resources that could be aiding the fire fighters. I get that many are disappointed, but lets not lose perspective here. This is one of the biggest natural disasters to hit The Cape in many decades. If the field was only 3500'strong, there could have been more alternatives. The reality is that moving 1000 pros and competitive cyclists along with 34 000 recreational cyclists around the Cape is not for sissies.

[flymango]

Yeah, things have changed.

I was looking forward to this season-ending challenge of my abilities as a roadie.

 

I'll roll my bike for this man and his dog who died from smoke inhalation as shared on social media elsewhere.

I'll clip in on Sunday for a few more private reasons.

 

Things have changed.

 

image.jpg

 

Hijack on

 

I saw that too 'Dale. Probably the picture that most aptly sums up the situation. So, so, sad.

 

Hijack off

[DJR]

...........................here is a simple 105k route that has a couple of decent climbs and can be well managed and policed and cater for everyone.

Making a race for almost 40 000 cyclists happen, takes more than picking a line on Google maps. Besides for the permissions from traffic and safety authorities, something that normally takes many months to arrange and negotiate, there is the sheer logistics of placing barriers, building a field hospital and first aid stations, water points, and much more. Marshals at all dangerous points, correctly instructed. Then you have to have access for trucks to get something crazy like 50 tons of ice, tankersful of Coke and stuff there, and to re-supply. Access for ambulances at all times, emergency wards to deal with the heart attacks and broken collarbones. Medivac helicopter access near N2, N7 and N1 is restricted because of proximity of airports or commercial flight paths. It is not a ride for 500 cyclists. It takes about 4 hours just to get them all underway! It normally takes about 10 hours from start to finish........and you sommer want to move the race somewhere else.......in just 3 days? Madness! Think people, BEFORE you moan!

[GLuvsMtb]

Hijack on

 

I saw that too 'Dale. Probably the picture that most aptly sums up the situation. So, so, sad.

 

Hijack off

I thought of my 2 dogs, my wife and my son when I saw that pic. I cannot stand the thought of losing any of them this way.

[trek2300]

it would  be better to cancel the race and save all the expenses that run into millions for traffic officers , venues etc...

 

Sponsors would keep all their goods for next year's race.

 

Participants will get a free entry in next year's race.

 

Lots of people from out of CT will still have time to cancel ( loosing some money ) taking extra pressure off CT.

[WaldoZ]

Well that sux... life happens and we have to make the most of it I guess. Still drives me nuts that I trained correctly and really had a clear goal in mind and felt I was on my way to achieving it etc.

 

You know what, I'm still going to go out there and give it my all. I feel this iconic race, and one for the history books, deserves that respect.

 

Take it all in guys, this one is going to be talked about for a looooong time... (jeepers we needed a new flavour since the 2009 Argus )

[Sagaris]

To all those bitching and moaning, the current devastation experienced and still being endured because of the fire is BIGGER than the tour. As for people saying planning sucked? well how about you take over and do the logistic work for the tour next year.

 

It's disappointing yes but what's more alarming is the sheer selfishness of some people.

 

Other routes were considered but the sheer volume of traffic on the n1, n2, n7 and west coast road particularly articulated vehicles render these routes unsuitable.

 

Suck it up, get on with it.

[kevin.hockey.90]

The complexities of the situation is to vast to even make a decent comment. Dissapointed yes, looking forward to great ride with my Nedbank kids, my training partners and the wonderful array of people en route. I live in the moment, be grateful to the awesome organization. Never forget the privilege afforded. Helmets off to those managing the disaster. (Don't worry those informal settlements. This is also awareness that when it burn, assistance will even be more)

[HairyLegs]

Contingency plan:

 

[HairyLegs]

Contingency plan:

bic_fire.jpg

And for the moaners: