94.7 start times

[Fat Boab]

would of thought a meeting place on route not far from the start then everybody follows and parks toghther . Thereby avoiding the mayhem before the start ?

 

Last year most of us meet at one of the circles within Riversands. This worked pretty well, but even then some people still couldn't find a group of 20+ with cable-tie/yellow dots protruding from their helmets! The biggest issue was moving through to the pens to try and get near the front. This split us into several smaller groups. Thereafter we lost people on Pooks as the disparate groups didn't know who was ahead or behind as we moved through the crowds, so some people rode ahead, never to be seen again!. A decent sub-group formed on Summit, because we slowed right down to let people catch up, and thereafter we rode together, more or less, through to the M1 turn-off at which point, I let go of the elastic!

 

From memory, suggestions from last year's experience:

 

1. Don't let the group get too big as its difficult to manage.

 

2. The group needs to understand what its goal is, and everyone buy in. That's likely to mean some people will get carried, at times, and some people will do the carrying, at times. It's about sharing the work, not wheel-sucking.

 

3. Practice patience. It's tempting to ride on when the group is waiting for lost riders, but odds are you'll appreciate those lost riders later when your match-box is getting empty. Besides it's fun to ride as a group, and if possible finish with some team mates. See 2 above!

 

4. Cable-ties/dots etc certainly helps in spotting the team. If this can be improved on, then do it.

 

5. My view: accept where the group can get in the start pen, as a complete group, even if it's not at the front. Better to start together, to stay together...Besides last year's banter in the pen with other I-Teamers was classic!

 

6. Don't be afraid to politely ask randoms you will attract to sit at the back, if they're not going to do some work. Alternatively invite randoms to join! We had a passenger who joined us for a bit on the ride to the M1 and we had a lekker chat! All part of the day.

 

7. We'd planned to equip a sweeper with a whistle to let the train know when to pull, or slow. In the end we didn't do this, but I have to say some audible alert would have helped us know where each other was when moving through crowds: bells? There was an oke in a group on the Jock this year who kept shouting RIDE, RIDE, RIDE. A little annoying at the time, but I knew where he was at all times and I wasn't even part of his group! 

 

8. If possible, do some training rides together to practice pace lines etc. Yes that's difficult to do on open roads, but even a one-off training ride is likely to help, and you get to say howzit ahead of time.

 

Just my $0.02.....

 

 

 

 

Relying on faster riders dropping back to do the lion's share of pulling is unlikely to work. Better to be self-succiei

[Pikey]

Last year most of us meet at one of the circles within Riversands. This worked pretty well, but even then some people still couldn't find a group of 20+ with cable-tie/yellow dots protruding from their helmets! The biggest issue was moving through to the pens to try and get near the front. This split us into several smaller groups. Thereafter we lost people on Pooks as the disparate groups didn't know who was ahead or behind as we moved through the crowds, so some people rode ahead, never to be seen again!. A decent sub-group formed on Summit, because we slowed right down to let people catch up, and thereafter we rode together, more or less, through to the M1 turn-off at which point, I let go of the elastic!

 

From memory, suggestions from last year's experience:

 

1. Don't let the group get too big as its difficult to manage.

 

2. The group needs to understand what its goal is, and everyone buy in. That's likely to mean some people will get carried, at times, and some people will do the carrying, at times. It's about sharing the work, not wheel-sucking.

 

3. Practice patience. It's tempting to ride on when the group is waiting for lost riders, but odds are you'll appreciate those lost riders later when your match-box is getting empty. Besides it's fun to ride as a group, and if possible finish with some team mates. See 2 above!

 

4. Cable-ties/dots etc certainly helps in spotting the team. If this can be improved on, then do it.

 

5. My view: accept where the group can get in the start pen, as a complete group, even if it's not at the front. Better to start together, to stay together...Besides last year's banter in the pen with other I-Teamers was classic!

 

6. Don't be afraid to politely ask randoms you will attract to sit at the back, if they're not going to do some work. Alternatively invite randoms to join! We had a passenger who joined us for a bit on the ride to the M1 and we had a lekker chat! All part of the day.

 

7. We'd planned to equip a sweeper with a whistle to let the train know when to pull, or slow. In the end we didn't do this, but I have to say some audible alert would have helped us know where each other was when moving through crowds: bells? There was an oke in a group on the Jock this year who kept shouting RIDE, RIDE, RIDE. A little annoying at the time, but I knew where he was at all times and I wasn't even part of his group!

 

8. If possible, do some training rides together to practice pace lines etc. Yes that's difficult to do on open roads, but even a one-off training ride is likely to help, and you get to say howzit ahead of time.

 

Just my $0.02.....

 

 

 

 

Relying on faster riders dropping back to do the lion's share of pulling is unlikely to work. Better to be self-succiei

excellent ideas all of them,couldn't agree more. It's clearly not as simple as meeting up and just hauling along.

 

The pre meet & greet ride is a fantastic idea. Get to know how easy other rides and there strengths and weaknesses . And the bell/ whistle ????????????

 

Very very prudent points. Like the idea of the banter and fun rather than just suffering for a fast time. Keen to see how things play out .

[nonky]

What are the chances of a reseed for the ROAD race based on your SA Seeding index (ie for MTB)?

 

Worth a shot or a waste of money?        Thanks.

[Fat Boab]

would of thought a meeting place on route not far from the start then everybody follows and parks toghther . Thereby avoiding the mayhem before the start ?

 

Edit: double post.

[Pall Catt]

What are the chances of a reseed for the ROAD race based on your SA Seeding index (ie for MTB)?

 

Worth a shot or a waste of money?        Thanks.

 

Not that I'm any kind of expert on the subject but for what its worth, the reseeding application form says the following:

Please fill in & attach results from past events in the last 12 months (results may include: events not on our list of seeding events, mountain bike races, duathlons, triathlons and international events).

[rudi-h]

from my experience you either ride for your PB, or you aim to ride as a group for fun... doing both at the same time is doomed to fail.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that in a race like 94.7 there are enough riders of similar ability around to either work with you or to wheelsuck for a few km's if you play it right, so if you ride smart you are likely to ride faster by joining random groups than waiting for a specific group of guys that you know will work with you.  With random groups there's also the lack of guilty conscience if you hang at the back of the pack for too long...

 

We are 3 buddies of very similar riding ability seeded at most two batches apart, so every year we all fall back to the latest batch so that we can attempt riding together, but don't commit to stay together in any way.  It's only 3 of us and we've been riding the race together for at least 5 years.  One year two of us crossed the line together and one more year we all rode together until somewhere along Witkoppen.  Last year we lost each other within the first 10 minutes and most other years it goes to tits up just after the M1.

[nonky]

2016 Reseed form, if anyone is interested

 

 

Reseed Application 2016.pdf

[Pikey]

Totally get that my riding mate is slower,so we start together ( when we enter late and get put in same group mnt & road) but as soon as we hit the first incline I generally don't see him again. Have waited for him before but then loose him again on the next hill...so then I just carry on. We have learnt ,even if we start the same time I'll see him at the end.

 

And that's exactly what happens. Hence why I train a fair bit alone and we social ride wkds with me pushing his limits all the time. Well social for me at least ????????????????

[Lurch the stalker]

why not start a whatsapp group just for this?

This was suggested last year, and some people were concerned people would get left out if we did this, but, I think on the day it would have helped if people had contact details to make finding each other easier.

 

Fat Boab makes a lot of good observations from last year.

[HBO]

What are the chances of a reseed for the ROAD race based on your SA Seeding index (ie for MTB)?

 

Worth a shot or a waste of money?        Thanks.

From personal experience they are very accommodating if you can submit sufficient proof of your ability.

[trail - er - park]

Totally get that my riding mate is slower,so we start together ( when we enter late and get put in same group mnt & road) but as soon as we hit the first incline I generally don't see him again. Have waited for him before but then loose him again on the next hill...so then I just carry on. We have learnt ,even if we start the same time I'll see him at the end.

And that's exactly what happens. Hence why I train a fair bit alone and we social ride wkds with me pushing his limits all the time. Well social for me at least

Bastard!

[Pikey]

Totally get that my riding mate is slower,so we start together ( when we enter late and get put in same group mnt & road) but as soon as we hit the first incline I generally don't see him again. Have waited for him before but then loose him again on the next hill...so then I just carry on. We have learnt ,even if we start the same time I'll see him at the end.

And that's exactly what happens. Hence why I train a fair bit alone and we social ride wkds with me pushing his limits all the time. Well social for me at least

Bastard!

whahahaha that's what you call me every wkd. Plus other names

[Fat Boab]

from my experience you either ride for your PB, or you aim to ride as a group for fun... doing both at the same time is doomed to fail.

 

 

 

100%. That was the intent of the I-Team last year: faster okes came back to help support slower riders to their own PBs, and in the process the faster okes had fun, as well as the slower okes too! The faster okes were never going to ride PBs....but I benefited from the group with a PB, as did at least one other I-Teamer.

[sdaghers]

100%. That was the intent of the I-Team last year: faster okes came back to help support slower riders to their own PBs, and in the process the faster okes had fun, as well as the slower okes too! The faster okes were never going to ride PBs....but I benefited from the group with a PB, as did at least one other I-Teamer.

So is the I-Team or something similar on the cards?

[Granite121]

I would like to know that too.

 

This is my first 94.7 and I would like to do a sub 3. On that note, does anyone have a route profile? So many threads and pages, I'm sure I missed it somewhere.

repost

[Granite121]

According to docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SGJldM3M-jA2oMGFZte4eCXmT_IsIOrwGXAlonzYdcA/edit there are only 6 hubbers in L batch, and only NordicElf has expressed an interest in working together so far.

I'm in L and willing to work as a group. So..... any suggestions as to how we are going to make this work. I'm aiming for a sub 3:20 ish