PPA League

[Icycling]

INDIVIDUAL PRIZE MONEY (per event x 6 events)

EL & u/23 R400/ R300/ R200

Junior men R300 / R150 / R100

Sub-vets R300/ R200/ R150

Vets R300/ R200/ R150

Racing ladies R250/ R150/ R100

Masters R250/ R150/ R100

Senior scholars, junior scholars and girls – no prize money as per CSA rules

 

So def not gonna make living from racing

That is disgusting!

 

Guys the new committee has not even met yet, so this was decided before the new committee was elected. The PPA website still does not even reflect the new committee and the AGM was 2 weeks ago.

 

I suggest you guys all email Rob Vogel robert@pedalpower.org.za  and express you dissatisfaction (assuming you are dissatisfied). Support your new committee members, make their voices heard - I know some are in favor of treating the road racing cyclist correctly.

 

My belief is if they keep the entry what it is then prize money should have at least 1 more Zero so Elite & U23 win R4000.00 etc esp in this cat (I am a vet).

 

In the past there were 2 league both Spring and Summer. There was a leader for the series and at one point the top 10 in finishers in the series all got prize money.

 

Remember - PPA needs to satisfy the organizers and you the league riders are the “tool” they use to do this - this guarantees the organizers a entry fee for all league riders not to mention there "tag alongs."

 

Without the leagues road fun rides attendance has reduced as the general fun rider want to compare their time to the best.

 

If PPA will not come to the party with all the sums of money they have in the bank for the cyclist (not the staff) and show the racing cyclist the respect / dignity they deserve, then if I was a PPA member I would not enter the league. I still see no reason still to renew my membership to be “bent over” by this extortion of the road racing cyclist. I will quite happily ride Killarney on a Thursday night (entry R40.00 no white line rules DQ’s and an Ambulance never far away if needed) and even make a sizeable donation to the organiser to improve the prize purse for the racing guys.

 

Take a leaf out of the university student book. Boycott if needs be while the new committee are still finding there feet.

 

[Skubarra]

 

Just want to see the vibe from CT riders who plan to do league or not? If I was able to do 4/6 I would be keen, but as it stands I would be paying R500 per event. 

 

I am glad about the initiative, as flawed as it is. Hopefully this is not a one off and PPA will work on the offering going forward..

 

But I will also be sticking to the alphabet soup groups for now, like you say really expensive if you are not doing all 6 and from a personal point of view, want to get my Argus seeding sorted before trying league again (which for me involves getting dropped on the first climb and then a long TT before riding with the alphabet groups anyway  )

[Pure Savage]

I am glad about the initiative, as flawed as it is. Hopefully this is not a one off and PPA will work on the offering going forward..

 

But I will also be sticking to the alphabet soup groups for now, like you say really expensive if you are not doing all 6 and from a personal point of view, want to get my Argus seeding sorted before trying league again (which for me involves getting dropped on the first climb and then a long TT before riding with the alphabet groups anyway  )

 

See, that is my view, I dont mind rolling with the elite, probably will stay with the bunch. Its just the R300 extra per event. 

 

Also I will be riding with the in the 99er and Burger anyway, so the proper seeding events I will be in the group. 

[Skubarra]

 

Also I will be riding with the in the 99er and Burger anyway, so the proper seeding events I will be in the group. 

 

99er is always uncertain whether it is going to be used or not (for the same year's Argus) and Burger sometimes gets hit with a low beta in the seedings - for me the best solid bet for a good Argus seeding is the One Tonner so I'm not taking chances getting dropped on Helz!

[J Wakefield]

The problem that comes into this is that PPA haven't had a decent league for about 4 years now and have introduced the mind-blowing incorrect way to get a higher seeding via a once off hill climb that allows riders who very much lack the bike handling skills, race knowledge and tactical experience needed to race in a group that this requires. I know someone who went from G to A in 10:30min up redhill and personally says he should never have the seeding but will take it. 

 

Before it took you a long period and sometimes years of hard work to get your seeding up which is correct.

 

Its one thing to smash a all out once off on fresh legs Hillclimb than being able to sit on someones wheel in the gutter at 50km/h and still have the required skill to know what and when. All of this has been lost over the years via PPA and the lack of quality racing and makes any type of racing at this required level dangerous for everyone involved. Last year at PPA there were crashes in the front groups basically every race. Before we would race for years with none, except maybe one all season. 

 

The cost alone seems high for the "League" but I don't know their reason behind it but WP have got it right with some very impressive routes to race and the racing is good with a lot of old faces.

 

Im not bashing PPA here, I think its good they making a potential comeback to introduce a league type of series but seems like they missing the boat here in a lot of departments personally.

[rpedro]

I don't like the idea that the PPA League Vets only does 109km at the 1 Tonner :-(

['Dale]

I don't like the idea that the PPA League Vets only does 109km at the 1 Tonner :-(

 

As a fellow vet Vet, that is strange hey

Wonder why...

['Dale]

Its a R600 registration for the league, if you do 6 events its 100 per event, plus the R200-250 per event. So its R350 per event to ride league. 

 

Thats why I said I would rather just mix it up in the soup as I can only do 2/3 events due to life commitments.

 

 

I am in the same boat.

 

Prefer not to race regularly. Love my life outside cycling.

And also not drawn closer with the costing hey.

[Pure Savage]

99er is always uncertain whether it is going to be used or not (for the same year's Argus) and Burger sometimes gets hit with a low beta in the seedings - for me the best solid bet for a good Argus seeding is the One Tonner so I'm not taking chances getting dropped on Helz!

 

I will name my second child Alberto Aljenadro Zakarin Stevens if they dont use the 99er seeding for the Argus. Fact, they use it every year. 

[Pure Savage]

The problem that comes into this is that PPA haven't had a decent league for about 4 years now and have introduced the mind-blowing incorrect way to get a higher seeding via a once off hill climb that allows riders who very much lack the bike handling skills, race knowledge and tactical experience needed to race in a group that this requires. I know someone who went from G to A in 10:30min up redhill and personally says he should never have the seeding but will take it. 

 

Before it took you a long period and sometimes years of hard work to get your seeding up which is correct.

 

Its one thing to smash a all out once off on fresh legs Hillclimb than being able to sit on someones wheel in the gutter at 50km/h and still have the required skill to know what and when. All of this has been lost over the years via PPA and the lack of quality racing and makes any type of racing at this required level dangerous for everyone involved. Last year at PPA there were crashes in the front groups basically every race. Before we would race for years with none, except maybe one all season. 

 

The cost alone seems high for the "League" but I don't know their reason behind it but WP have got it right with some very impressive routes to race and the racing is good with a lot of old faces.

 

Im not bashing PPA here, I think its good they making a potential comeback to introduce a league type of series but seems like they missing the boat here in a lot of departments personally.

 

Agreed, took 3 seasons to get into A racing bunch. Last season the amount of dead wheels, changing lines in corners, standing up randomly in the group and trying to "chase down breaks" while half way down the group caused a lot of animosity.  It was also the same culprits every time... 

 

Agreed on the price, unless there are massive hidden costs, it looks like R90k of registration fees, R21k of prize money and R20K of CSA commissionaires. 

[Pure Savage]

I am in the same boat.

 

Prefer not to race regularly. Love my life outside cycling.

And also not drawn closer with the costing hey.

Very much my feeling and reason for the fred 

[Pure Savage]

I don't like the idea that the PPA League Vets only does 109km at the 1 Tonner :-(

They obviously know best

 

Gives those just below vets a chance, everyone knows the Vets motors get stronger after 130km

[Icycling]

Support you new committee there are at least 3 maybe more who want to see road funride / league races get back to where they were. It not going to happen overnight but you - yes each road / league cyclist (PPA member only) out there, can speed up the process by writing emails to the CEO. If you have email address of other committee members CC them. Make your voice (the cyclist) heard and in this way the new committee members will be more likely to succeed in getting the support of the full PPA EXCO and thus been given the opportunity to succeed in the mandate that they were elected for.

Think if the Elite / U23 league (I think it should be called the OPEN league / qualification by seeding) were given relatively decent prize money let say 1st R5000, 2nd R3500, 3rd R2000, 4th R1000, 5th R750 and 6th to 10th all R500 for example the prize money for the Race would be R14 750 - R13850 extra. For 6 events R83 100.00 extra. Not sure where this would come from but lets say PPA had to fund it 100% - that's a drop in the ocean compared to what they received for the Cape Town cycle tour ( a road race) or even what they pay there staff or spend on MTB trails. The last league series showed profit of over R50 000.00 off the top of my head so maybe it does not even cost PPA that much if anything - but are PPA wiling to invest in the cyclist who by showing commitment to their Funrides / races events invest in PPA?
 

[Pure Savage]

Support you new committee there are at least 3 maybe more who want to see road funride / league races get back to where they were. It not going to happen overnight but you - yes each road / league cyclist (PPA member only) out there, can speed up the process by writing emails to the CEO. If you have email address of other committee members CC them. Make your voice (the cyclist) heard and in this way the new committee members will be more likely to succeed in getting the support of the full PPA EXCO and thus been given the opportunity to succeed in the mandate that they were elected for.

 

Think if the Elite / U23 league (I think it should be called the OPEN league / qualification by seeding) were given relatively decent prize money let say 1st R5000, 2nd R3500, 3rd R2000, 4th R1000, 5th R750 and 6th to 10th all R500 for example the prize money for the Race would be R14 750 - R13850 extra. For 6 events R83 100.00 extra. Not sure where this would come from but lets say PPA had to fund it 100% - that's a drop in the ocean compared to what they received for the Cape Town cycle tour ( a road race) or even what they pay there staff or spend on MTB trails. The last league series showed profit of over R50 000.00 off the top of my head so maybe it does not even cost PPA that much if anything - but are PPA wiling to invest in the cyclist who by showing commitment to their Funrides / races events invest in PPA?

 

 

The registration fee alone is R600. If 150 people take part, thats R90k.

[Icycling]

The registration fee alone is R600. If 150 people take part, thats R90k.

Yes and PPA will say cost of officials extra people etc. What I am suggesting is totally achievable by PPA if they choose to re invest in the cyclist who continually invest in them - i.e. serve there members!

 

The new committee have an up hill battle to get road events to where they once were before i.e. what PPA was like before the current chairman (what a disaster this chairman has been for road funrides / league and Giro)! All the support the road cyclist can offer will stand new committee in good stead to achieve this and that's what we want correct?

[Kona Kula]

So, I am new to Cpt. I want to race in the vets. These are my questions/observations:

 

I have paid for a racing licence CSA

I have paid my PPA membership

 

In Jhb all i needed to race vets was my CSA racing licence.

 

I can get over the PPA membership, but to now make me pay a R600 registration to race in the league sounds like they are taking the piss.

 

Why don't all the sub vets just race open A, we can get someone to collect R50 from each person keen to race and award the prize money ourselves.