FlyingScot Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 erm... playing dota does not make you a gamer, it makes you a noob .... now if you played CSS well then we can talk turkey! Things just got real in here...that escalated quickly!
SurferChild Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 cool & thanks. how was ur race? you on the new bike yet? @Flyingscot It is a small world after all, I have no idea, just glad im not the only gamer to have turned to cyclingRace was ok... placed 7th New bike is arriving end of the month/beginning next month, so soon!I did invest in a track bike though
Wez-O Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 I know the licensed groups don't race for time... BUT, the Elites were only 90 secs faster than the VAs. THAT SAID, the VAs are mostly comprised of wheel suckers. Of the group on around 70 riders, no more than 10 did any work on the front while most of the rest saved themselves for the sprint for 20th. For tactical reasons , my team along with Northcliff Cycles and Team Clover worked like dogs on the front closing the break from about the 40km mark.PS. Complete Cyclist, Kempton and Cycle Nation are exempt from the above comment as they had men in the break. Otherwise, a 44km/h average speed for "toppies" is impressive
Stiglitz86 Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 Unless there were hundreds of cyclists without a timing chip, the results show the groups were smaller than 200 (edit: many closer to 153 than 200). A quick count going passed the DL crash at 75Km was about 10 cyclists (give or take a few). Only KL - the last of the 103Km event - was 500 (that's crazy). If the number of late arrivals made this group THAT big, then it's a huge problem that needs to be addressed. Most of the races in Gauteng (excluding 947) have groups between 150 and 250 depending on the size of the race. What makes this race extremely dangerous is having the two distances on the same route for 25Km, and with single lane roads for a part of it. One of the biggest problems too, is letting the cars remain stationary (on the race route) at a traffic intersection. Rule #1 for marshals is to keep the roads clean of cars, but I can guarantee anyone that the cars were stopping, or stopped, because the robot was red. We (group EL) must have passed a stationary car at every robot on Rondebult. Luckily we were vocal the whole time warning the bunch of many hazards on the route. I was in KL(was supposed to be Gl - Late to venue), it was no fun at all, you made sure you got to the front of the group and thats where you stayed, okes all over the road, people with earphones riding in the middle of the road(Don`t people know the rules)... utter CHAOS....
Supersix EVO Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 I know the licensed groups don't race for time... BUT, the Elites were only 90 secs faster than the VAs. THAT SAID, the VAs are mostly comprised of wheel suckers. Of the group on around 70 riders, no more than 10 did any work on the front while most of the rest saved themselves for the sprint for 20th. For tactical reasons , my team along with Northcliff Cycles and Team Clover worked like dogs on the front closing the break from about the 40km mark.PS. Complete Cyclist, Kempton and Cycle Nation are exempt from the above comment as they had men in the break. Otherwise, a 44km/h average speed for "toppies" is impressive Well said Wez. Thanks for the help chasing down the break.
Wez-O Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 Well said Wez. Thanks for the help chasing down the break.Anytime Ps. I could very well just be an old fart with my mumblings, and I'm genuinely happy to see how strong the VA group has become this season
Fomo Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 hi hubbers i rode D group yesterday (thanks to the traffic) and heres my thoughts. on a positive note the guys rode quite a good tempo and kept the speed up at most times. very fast in the beginning but things settled down after the first hill. there was a group of about ten guys doing most of the work. well done i was also next to that crash when it happened. we came out of a corner and guys started speeding up. we were pretty close together and there was some contact and i saw two guys go down. definitely 45km/hr++. the bike traffic marshall immediately turned around to assist. good to hear the guys are ok. the real porblem was riders fighting for position but not going to the front to pull. trying to slot in two/three riders behind the leaders. the group overtook trucks/cars without real caution. i felt unsafe and rode at the front on the side at most times.
JA-Q001 Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 Anytime You guys worked hard, was nice getting even more "Teams" (ie. groups of friend working together) involved in the racing. I think I should not have joined that break up the hill halfway, but an aggressive race is always the most fun. Franco drove a great hard pace there and with poker face and all, I was bleeding to keep up. Complete was driving the pace for most of the first part, think they wanted to stop any early breaks going. Regarding "Wheel-suckers", you get them in every race, if you don't like them being there, then try racing to get them off. That's my strategy each time, try and reduce the group as much as possible, so that the guys that are there, worked to get there. Next up, Durban. Id better train these next 2 weeks (not days).
rattlesnake Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 Anytime Ps. I could very well just be an old fart with my mumblings, and I'm genuinely happy to see how strong the VA group has become this season Anytime Ps. I could very well just be an old fart with my mumblings, and I'm genuinely happy to see how strong the VA group has become this season One thing I can say - is that yesterday I unashamedly sucked wheel. Being one of the riders with no team mates - there is very little upside to me spending my pennies chasing. I've actively contributed to chasing on a number of occasions before only to be pipped by the riders sucking wheel at the finish.... (like at Berge en Dale) oh and when the riders with teams have riders up in the break they usually try and disrupt the chase anyway by leaving dead wheels. That being said - it is great to see that there are more strong teams now, will help reduce dominance by one team. But as a rider without team mates there is zero upside or obligation to help chase. Only upside is in trying to go with a break.
Frosty Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 Regarding "Wheel-suckers", you get them in every race (and every group), if you don't like them being there, then try racing to get them off. That's my strategy each time, try and reduce the group as much as possible, so that the guys that are there, worked to get there.Fixed - sorry about the selected edit (if it offends you). Next up, Durban. Id better train these next 2 weeks (not days).+1
InaPotgieter Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 On the dat of the race an incident occurred very close to the finish line ......about 500meters. A male cyclist was lying on the pavement , the response motorbike has just stop there, there were many spectators already. I continued, is there someone with further information about the incident. I was so worried about the cyclist. I think about him often. Please.....!
Wez-O Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 One thing I can say - is that yesterday I unashamedly sucked wheel. Being one of the riders with no team mates - there is very little upside to me spending my pennies chasing. I've actively contributed to chasing on a number of occasions before only to be pipped by the riders sucking wheel at the finish.... (like at Berge en Dale) oh and when the riders with teams have riders up in the break they usually try and disrupt the chase anyway by leaving dead wheels. That being said - it is great to see that there are more strong teams now, will help reduce dominance by one team. But as a rider without team mates there is zero upside or obligation to help chase. Only upside is in trying to go with a break.True that as a single rider working on the front seems pointless, but that also means that you are willing to leave the fate of the first 5 or so slots to the break and race for 6th.But yeah I do hear you... However, Durban I recon you get in the break and laugh at the wheelsuckers in the group behind you preparing for the minor placing group sprint
Patchelicious Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 True that as a single rider working on the front seems pointless, but that also means that you are willing to leave the fate of the first 5 or so slots to the break and race for 6th.But yeah I do hear you... However, Durban I recon you get in the break and laugh at the wheelsuckers in the group behind you preparing for the minor placing group sprint Having single riders riding to just survive and maybe just maybe get a chance at a sprint riding in the same race where teams are doing things tactically and riding a "different" race will lead to a clash of tactics. I would gladly do my bit at the front chasing down a break if it meant that I was helping to setup a teamie. Maybe the solution is to form more teams? Would that be conducive to better racing?
Long Wheel Base Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 I know you...lol...I thought Rastaman ringed a bell...now you have to figure out who I am. Think back to your old dota days! cool & thanks. how was ur race? you on the new bike yet? @Flyingscot It is a small world after all, I have no idea, just glad im not the only gamer to have turned to cycling erm... playing dota does not make you a gamer, it makes you a noob .... now if you played CSS well then we can talk turkey! Things just got real in here...that escalated quickly!Hmm had to google this stuff. Looks like fun, But glad I just get out and ride. So have you guys changed to online racing now instead?
Wez-O Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Having single riders riding to just survive and maybe just maybe get a chance at a sprint riding in the same race where teams are doing things tactically and riding a "different" race will lead to a clash of tactics. I would gladly do my bit at the front chasing down a break if it meant that I was helping to setup a teamis. Maybe the solution is to form more teams? Would that be conducive to better racing?More teams is definitely the answer!
Wez-O Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 More teams is definitely the answer! And more sponsorship in South African cycling is the answer to that answer...
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