New ballot-style entry process for 2016 Cape Town Cycle Tour

[Wannabe]

Exclusive PPA “Early Bird” ballot application opportunity for 2016 Cape Town Cycle Tour

Pedal Power Association (PPA) – co-founders of the iconic Cape Town Cycle Tour – will be offering paid-up members an opportunity to register their interest for an entry to the 2016 Cycle Tour before the general public will get the chance to do so. Prior to the general public ballot, paid-up PPA members stand a chance to be allocated an entry in a separate "PPA Early Bird ballot" to participate in the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday 06 March 2016.

This decision follows the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust's recent announcement of a new, ballot-style entry process for the 2016 event. In line with international standards, it will take the form of an online ballot system to eliminate the quick sell-out of entries and ensure an equitable process for all prospective riders.

How it works

• Paid-up PPA members can access the PPA-only ballot application link from Monday 17 August at 13h00 until Friday 28 August at 13h00 to register your interest (free of charge) for a Cycle Tour entry. (The ballot application link is being tested at the moment and will be announced later in the week.) The entries will be awarded at random to paid-up PPA members, regardless of whether your interest is registered on the first or the last day of the registration period. Click here now to join PPA/renew your PPA membership.
  
• Successful applicants will be notified by Tuesday 04 September and will have until 25 September at 13h00 to pay for and so secure their entry. Entries for PPA members will cost R440 per rider. If payment is not made during this period or if the entry is later declined by the successful applicant, that entry will then be made available to another PPA (previously unsuccessful) applicant.
  
• If there are PPA members who are unsuccessful during the initial "PPA Early Bird ballot", they will automatically be added to the general public ballot which starts on 09 September at 13h00 and ends on 28 September at 13h00.
  

[HBO]

so now I was thinking. If I don't "win" an entry, I just as well may take the money it would have cost me to get down there and use it for a nice upgrade on the bike, like wheels     

 

Since it is allocated for cycling, it must be used for cycling.

[HBO]

Look, be it as it may but the organisers had to do something to manage the immense interest in (and emotion around) the CCCT. I have though a lot about this and I’m also not one to complain without at least proposing some kind of alternative. How about about:

 

You have 5 separate entry allocation protocols that go into a pre-registration pool and a registration pool:

 

PRE-REGISTRATION POOL:

 

1. CCCT Veterans

If you are completing 10+ CCCT’s you are secured an entry – a la Sani2C where you “keep” that entry and only forfeit it by not participating. Forfeited entries are made available into the  registration pool or to other “new” veterans.  

 

2. PPA

A number of PPA entries are made available, awarded on a first come forst serve basis. Forfeited entries are made available into the  registration pool or to other PPA members.

 

3. Charities

A number of entries are reserved for charity entries. Any unused entries are made available into the  registration pool.

 

3. International Entries

A number of entries are reserved for international participants, allocate entries according to the current ballot system. Any unused entries are made available into the  registration pool.

 

REGISTRATION POOL:

 

1. Racing Categories

A number of entries are awarded to entrants in each racing category based on seeding index…e.g. if your index is below 12 and you are participating in VA you have an entry.

 

2. Open Categories

Here perhaps 2 options: 1 - allocate entries to all open categories according to the current ballot system.  2 – allocate entries to the more “serious” open categories (let’s say A – G) according to seeding index (i.e the better your seeding, the better your chance of securing an entry), for the rest use the current ballot system. ANY REDUNDANT ENTRY CAN BE SOLD BACK INTO THE POOL UNTIL A WEEK OR TWO PRIOR TO THE RACE.  

 

May sound complicated to actually implement but think about it…any ideas?

I can't agree with this more. 

 

I would guess that your proposal would only secure about 15 000 entries at most excluding the charities and tourists. 

 

To give 20 000 on the ballot system would be more than adequate for the "not so serious" riders.

 

At the end of the day you can only please some of the people some of the time and not all the people all of the time. By allocating a certain number of entries for people who qualify like elite, racing vets, sub 3, 5 000 top seeded, 10 plus- and the rest on a ballot system is as fair as it can get- imo

[davem]

1 Stefano, Stephen M 51 38 21 - 3

 

This guy at 51 years of age and 38 finishes could set an insane number of finishes if he does not retire!

[HBO]

1 Stefano, Stephen M 51 38 21 - 3

 

This guy at 51 years of age and 38 finishes could set an insane number of finishes if he does not retire!

.....and is lucky enough to "win" an entry every year.  

[Bianchisti]

To be fair 1:15 is probably a sub 3, I came 150th in 2014 and 2015 and times were 2:52 and 1:09.

Sounds plausible but it implies I'm sub3 material so I'm not convinced.

 

I finished just outside the top 1000 in 2015 and top 1000 did 3:08 in 2014.

 

Not that we can compare anyway. The longer distance I'm sure changes the entire spectrum considering endurance and fatigue.

[Harryn]

This thread is going to get hectic when when the rejection letters start rolling in. If I am the recipient of one, my word, I might become a candidate for my first warning point.

[Pure Savage]

I think it boils down to who you determine to be more worthy of an entry, someone that has rocked up once a year in the second week of March to go round the peninsula or someone that actively partakes in every PPA/WP/local fun ride, seeding ride etc, making it viable for the local event organisers to host cycling events and for the number of events to grow.

 

IMHO, the guy that only rocks up once a year to pedal around the peninsula and does not partake in local events should not be given an entry above someone that regularly supports local events which lead to the growth of cycling. 

[Harryn]

I think it boils down to who you determine to be more worthy of an entry, someone that has rocked up once a year in the second week of March to go round the peninsula or someone that actively partakes in every PPA/WP/local fun ride, seeding ride etc, making it viable for the local event organisers to host cycling events and for the number of events to grow.

 

IMHO, the guy that only rocks up once a year to pedal around the peninsula and does not partake in local events should not be given an entry above someone that regularly supports local events which lead to the growth of cycling.

After balanced, dispassionate, objective, constructive discourse with myself, I have determined that I am more worthy than anyone of the 40k nobodies who feels the same way.

[DJR]

After balanced, dispassionate, objective, constructive discourse with myself, I have determined that I am more worthy than anyone of the 40k nobodies who feels the same way.

....but have you received a mail from the PPA to say "don't worry, be happy"? Because I have, ha ha! There, I raise you one equality!

[Long Wheel Base]

1 Stefano, Stephen M 51 38 21 - 3

 

This guy at 51 years of age and 38 finishes could set an insane number of finishes if he does not retire!

He is my target. I'm 31 years old with 25 finishes.

Stephen is the chairman of club21 and I chat to him every year at the expo. We joke about who will have the most ever. He wants to start a "double club" of 42 tours. Now that will be an exclusive club!!!

[Long Wheel Base]

I think it boils down to who you determine to be more worthy of an entry, someone that has rocked up once a year in the second week of March to go round the peninsula or someone that actively partakes in every PPA/WP/local fun ride, seeding ride etc, making it viable for the local event organisers to host cycling events and for the number of events to grow.

 

IMHO, the guy that only rocks up once a year to pedal around the peninsula and does not partake in local events should not be given an entry above someone that regularly supports local events which lead to the growth of cycling.

I only rock up once a year to race around the peninsula [emoji1]

 

But I agree with you, I bust my gut up here in jozi to keep my seeding index super low and if someone that doesn't even have an index gets in that's unfair.

[Boerklong]

I have done one and a half so far! I'm a PPA member and hope to get an

entry!

makes 2 of us

[Pure Savage]

I only rock up once a year to race around the peninsula [emoji1]

 

But I agree with you, I bust my gut up here in jozi to keep my seeding index super low and if someone that doesn't even have an index gets in that's unfair.

Hence the support local races part.

[mazambaan]

He is my target. I'm 31 years old with 25 finishes.

Stephen is the chairman of club21 and I chat to him every year at the expo. We joke about who will have the most ever. He wants to start a "double club" of 42 tours. Now that will be an exclusive club!!!

Whew admirable but I'm just guessing that you okes will be mal if you miss the ballot!

[HBO]

He is my target. I'm 31 years old with 25 finishes.

Stephen is the chairman of club21 and I chat to him every year at the expo. We joke about who will have the most ever. He wants to start a "double club" of 42 tours. Now that will be an exclusive club!!!

So you can easily go for 75 Argus's. That will be something. Now just hold thumbs that you "win" an entry every year.