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

[rudi-h]

Reading this thread I start to understand why we do not have consensus on 26" VS 29" wheels after daily debates of the last 6 years. That's not even talking about the red traffic lights debate that started about a century before the birth of le hub!

[Thor Buttox]

....I didn't experience the routes for the Durby Dash, 99er and Tour de PPA as small back roads which is unsafe for masses.

 

I have experienced them as totally insane during last year's 99er when I had a puncture and ended up in H group. And that is 3000

[Tubehunter]

Hey, I enjoy debating on this platform with all of you ous, checking out all your diverse opinions on whatever we bring up for discussion but you know when you get to that point where you feel you have thrashed a topic to death and you arrive at that place where the common sense required to grasp what is actually going on, will just forever seem to escape some of the people adding new flames to a burnt situation.

 

Those of you who cannot see beyond your own emotional ouburst at invested time and resources to come down and race for their PB this year and would somehow like to justify this investment as a dig at the Organisers for not offering you some other form of race opportunity for a second Sunday in March somewhere in Cape Town, should really consider whether lining up on Sunday is a good idea. I would suggest it is probably not your year for participating then. The rest of us, that want to ride in the area the race ALWAYS goes through, that is close enough yet safe enough for us, to see what has happened on this Mountain we care about AND STILL SHOW some form of collective appreciation to the communities directly affected by this natural disaster, will try to make a day of this from the joy of our bicycle seats!

[Cassie]

I quote:"As part of our standard operating procedure we have alternative route plans available for consideration by the authorities."

 

 

 

Yup,  just that...the "authorities" most likely had the last say in the matter...it's not like the Tour organisers are a law upon themselves?

[Capricorn]

interesting hearing two sides of the same situation on cape talk this morning: Theo Lane said he had a look at the chappies nets, and he doesn't see a major problem with the nets, nor increased risk of rock falls because the rains were not substantial enough. Now this a subjective assessment, but it was based on as-seen conditions mixed in with experience on these matters

This is in stark contrast to the PERCEPTION being created by the organisers (no doubt based on input from the city engineers), that chappies is off limits because of 'uncertainty' around the nets and the risk of rock falls.

My curiousity is around the element of risk: with the situation as it is now, has the risk realistically increased above the 'baseline' risk considered acceptable to the point the situation is considered unacceptable? Have the city engineers actually gone to eyeball chappies? I ask because I work in a very risk-averse industry, yet i've seen some rubbish risk assessments based almost purely on sentiment, not the eye-witnessed fact of the matter. Even David Bellairs, who was interviewed immediately after Theo Lane, admitted genuine surprise at the contradictory information he just heard concerning the state of the catchnets on chappies versus what was said in the deliberations yesterday. This is egg on face stuff IMO.

[MTBeer]

jeez there are some bell ends spouting cr@p on this thread. the self-righteousness is flowing faster than the water trying to douse the flames.

[DJR]

 They could have gone towards the Northern suburbsvia N1 via Durbanville and then on to Big BAy area back to town - would have been equally stunning.

Agreed totally, but with a few weeks worth of planning, not on 3 days notice. Simply not possible logistically to get it right in time. N1 will never be allowed. Too busy, impossible to shut down for  a full 12 hours. 

[CAAD4]

I was going to buy a jersey and shirt tomorrow at the expo, but I guess I will pass now.

 

All the more reason to buy one. It will be remebered as the Ride of Fire, for many years to come. Even better if the year is on the Jersey. 

Edited March 5, 2015 by CAAD4

[Flynnigan43]

[kingalton]

Some "true colours" shinning through on this (and the Kaka) thread..

[KarlvN]

I will be at the start line on Sunday in my 8A chute since I have never done one before. I will trap that 47km like my life depends on it, I will get the best time I possibly can over the distance, I will enjoy the vibe, I will have a beer afterwards with my mates, I will enjoy the crap out of the day, I will most likely go do a lap around Meerendal later in the arvie, I will look back with fondness on that day because of the gees of the people in this town who are willing to unite in the face of disaster, and mostly I will smile in years to come remembering this day when it is mentioned for the zillionth time in the news when people talk about it, saying "remember that year the tour was only 47km" At least I will be able to say, Yeah, I was there!

[AdrianDJ]

No, there is lots they could do. This is a cop out, a very big cop out.

 

As Blackbeard said on another thread - there should have been a plan route C, D and E.

 

Not just a peninsula ride.

 

This is a slap in the face to the many riders from overseas and up country.

 

Instead of cancelling they are trying to "save face" and do a "something is better than nothing" with a positive spin on "lets do it for cape town ride"

 

This is bull TWANG ! What about the other fires in the overberg. No man I hate to use the words but this is bordering on cowardly and again - no planning.

 

Hell they could have sent us for a 50km ride down the n7 and back. or the N2 frikken heck.

This is the most pathetic and selfish argument i have ever heard, go crawl under a rock and stay there. 

[Broker]

How much chaos would this be in comparison to 35 000 cyclists who would try and do a ride of their own without any form of cohesion whatsoever? Have you seen what 1 000 cyclists with their own ideas on a stretch of road look like???? Without any marshals or road closures? Whilst emergency services are still trying to get to some areas and probably be putting out fires? Ja, cancelling the event would have been so much better...

Remember most people are already in or on their way to Cape Town with their bicycles. Cancelling the CTCT there will be no organised ride and all these people will hit the various roads in any case. That will also spell chaos in my dictionary

[Dicky DQ]

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.

Unfortunately, all the services have been booked and probably paid for if not the timing will result in a no refund scenario. So no matter what, the majority of the funds (excluding profit) is already "spent"

 

so either you go with what you have for those that are here to ride or you cancel totally and there is no refund at all. Pick your choice.

[Blackbeard]

jy kan maklik die domste ou wees in die land

+10000

[Tubehunter]

interesting hearing two sides of the same situation on cape talk this morning: Theo Lane said he had a look at the chappies nets, and he doesn't see a major problem with the nets, nor increased risk of rock falls because the rains were not substantial enough. Now this a subjective assessment, but it was based on as-seen conditions mixed in with experience on these matters

This is in stark contrast to the PERCEPTION being created by the organisers (no doubt based on input from the city engineers), that chappies is off limits because of 'uncertainty' around the nets and the risk of rock falls.

My curiousity is around the element of risk: with the situation as it is now, has the risk realistically increased above the 'baseline' risk considered acceptable to the point the situation is considered unacceptable? Have the city engineers actually gone to eyeball chappies? I ask because I work in a very risk-averse industry, yet i've seen some rubbish risk assessments based almost purely on sentiment, not the eye-witnessed fact of the matter. Even David Bellairs, who was interviewed immediately after Theo Lane, admitted genuine surprise at the contradictory information he just heard concerning the state of the catchnets on chappies versus what was said in the deliberations yesterday. This is egg on face stuff IMO.

 

Cap, the fire, she is still burning. How can the Organisers ask the fire fighting services to move out of the way so that they can deploy waterstations, EVEN IF THE CATCHNETS ARE IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER?

 

The reaction to Chappies is based on the fact that there was enough heat generated by the fire to cause significant expansion of the rock structure on the top of the mountain. What the impact of that will turn out to be is unknown and certainly will not be determined within the next 3 days. How many lives would be put at risk, attempting to push the race through is original route? What are the chances the city will sign off on plans like these???

 

Is this really that much of a stretch for people to grasp????????????????

Edited March 5, 2015 by Tubehunter