PPA League

[Pure Savage]

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.

 

Thats fine, but then you cannot complain when people start wheel sucking, chasing breaks and interfering. 

 

Whole idea of the league was to give them their own group so dont have hanger oners.

['Dale]

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. 

 

SNIP

 

Good comment, J Wakefield

 

It was really great to learn, struggle, fight, bleed and brave my way to the top seeding.

Over many seasons.

And, yes, learnt how to manage and understand race dynamics.

 

I'm nervous about crashes.

Have a job and other responsibilities like a boy child to hang out with.

 

And, like last season, I see the risks. E.g crashes in A on straight wide roads. I reckon due to lack of skills and most definitely, fatigue (which is not accounted for in a hill climb).

 

Wonder why PPA incorporated this 'burst to a higher seeding'?

What's the aim?

[Marius]

I'm to old for the amount of punishment being dealt out at league events

[Kona Kula]

Thats fine, but then you cannot complain when people start wheel sucking, chasing breaks and interfering. 

 

Whole idea of the league was to give them their own group so dont have hanger oners.

I totally agree, I guess my real question is why does it cost an additional R600 to race in the league?

We have already paid for a racing licence, and we are members of PPA.

 

If it was R50 or even R100 a rider and they seeded the bunch to 50 riders or even 100. It would be safer and more people would be chomping at the bit to enter.

 

Maybe PPA needs to explain what costs so much that they need the additional revenue. Then maybe we would all agree to it.

['Dale]

I'm to old for the amount of punishment being dealt out at league events

 

Hehehehe

 

Like 50 plus

 

 

Did a big HIT session yesterday

Definitely feel too old today

[Pure Savage]

I totally agree, I guess my real question is why does it cost an additional R600 to race in the league?

We have already paid for a racing licence, and we are members of PPA.

 

If it was R50 or even R100 a rider and they seeded the bunch to 50 riders or even 100. It would be safer and more people would be chomping at the bit to enter.

 

Maybe PPA needs to explain what costs so much that they need the additional revenue. Then maybe we would all agree to it.

 

My major gripe and reason for the thread. Its just a lot of money for very little perceived value. I reckon I will have just as much fun and suffering in the A bunch at the PPA events as I would in the elite start. 

 

The WPCA puts on races in their own league for R150 per event, this if you do all of them would be R355 per event... 

[Winstonian1984]

Good comment, J Wakefield

 

It was really great to learn, struggle, fight, bleed and brave my way to the top seeding.

Over many seasons.

And, yes, learnt how to manage and understand race dynamics.

 

I'm nervous about crashes.

Have a job and other responsibilities like a boy child to hang out with.

 

And, like last season, I see the risks. E.g crashes in A on straight wide roads. I reckon due to lack of skills and most definitely, fatigue (which is not accounted for in a hill climb).

 

Wonder why PPA incorporated this 'burst to a higher seeding'?

What's the aim?

The Hill climb seeding is just ridiculous. Dependent on which climb they use its a 10-15 Minute effort, then gets a beta of 1.5, whereas Karoo2Coast this year had a beta of 1.06 

['Dale]

The Hill climb seeding is just ridiculous. Dependent on which climb they use its a 10-15 Minute effort, then gets a beta of 1.5, whereas Karoo2Coast this year had a beta of 1.06 

 

 

Mal   

[Icycling]

I totally agree, I guess my real question is why does it cost an additional R600 to race in the league?

We have already paid for a racing licence, and we are members of PPA.

 

If it was R50 or even R100 a rider and they seeded the bunch to 50 riders or even 100. It would be safer and more people would be chomping at the bit to enter.

 

Maybe PPA needs to explain what costs so much that they need the additional revenue. Then maybe we would all agree to it.

Probably given the fact that PPA showed a profit of more than R50 000K of the top off my head the last time they had league - it cost R600 to boast the coffers of PPA as if there not enough money there already. If the prize money was good then I could understand but it isn't. I certainly am not going to be "bent over" by PPA and pay like this to race a funride.

[_C50_]

Thats fine, but then you cannot complain when people start wheel sucking, chasing breaks and interfering. 

 

Whole idea of the league was to give them their own group so dont have hanger oners.

 

So pray do tell.... If you race league you're not allowed to chase down any breaks, or wheel suck for that matter? And what constitutes "interfering"?? 

 

It's attitudes like this that will make people stay away from "racing" league.

 

Oh, I forgot....  Team Pure Savage has spoken. The Hub's own racing "gods".

[usxorf]

So pray do tell.... If you race league you're not allowed to chase down any breaks, or wheel suck for that matter? And what constitutes "interfering"?? 

 

It's attitudes like this that will make people stay away from "racing" league.

 

Oh, I forgot....  Team Pure Savage has spoken. The Hub's own racing "gods".

I've never raced league but understand what savage is referring to.

[_C50_]

I've never raced league but understand what savage is referring to.

 

Don't forget to like his post then... 

[Donovan Le Cok]

So pray do tell.... If you race league you're not allowed to chase down any breaks, or wheel suck for that matter? And what constitutes "interfering"?? 

 

It's attitudes like this that will make people stay away from "racing" league.

 

Oh, I forgot....  Team Pure Savage has spoken. The Hub's own racing "gods".

 

Team Pure Savage pictured at the last race

 

[pe3nguin]

 

Oh, I forgot....  Team Pure Savage has spoken. The Hub's own racing "gods".

 

The salt is real. Wow.

[Donovan Le Cok]

So I entered the league and paid the monies before checking this thread. Oops...

[Pure Savage]

So pray do tell.... If you race league you're not allowed to chase down any breaks, or wheel suck for that matter? And what constitutes "interfering"?? 

 

It's attitudes like this that will make people stay away from "racing" league.

 

Oh, I forgot....  Team Pure Savage has spoken. The Hub's own racing "gods".

 

     Shot for the title! 

 

If you read it properly I was referring to a "Vets" race taking place in the alphabet soup.

 

When you race in a league, lets say vets, you race vets vs vets and whoever crosses the line first wins. Time does not matter. Therefore racing tactics play a role and leads to great racing. 

 

However, if you race in the "A" bunch but want to have your own race against other Vets, you may break away only to be reeled in by a non Vet with a Vet sitting on his wheel. Therefore one could be upset that the other Vet got help from an elite etc. If you are in the league and racing in vets, you can do whatever you want as you are racing against other vets, we dont really care.

 

This has been a major issue with the ladies group for ages, as many times its who can stay with the group on the climb, then sit on the wheel and sprint for a win. Instead of a group of ladies racing each other.