[Event] Emperors Palace Classic

[Ozzie NL]

Wonder when the name and venue will be changed with the casino having pulled out as sponsor

[Graham Savage]

I had an awesome time with Goldwagen guys, I dropped back from CL to ride with them and had a good ride, I managed a 2H39. My first time on this one I enjoyed it, even got to pull the group for a bit in the wind - they said my size and calves made me better suited to breaking the wind haha.

 

Shout out to one of the guys that noticed me dipping my toes, found some Hp to finish after that - thanks!

 

I would like to comment on the slower guys keeping left, every time I shouted "left please" they moved and on passing I said "thank you" and received a "pleasure" the only trouble was some guys were on their way passing on the left and the poor guys are being asked to move left... perhaps I'm still very green but that seems like a recipe for an accident. Thanks to the guys that made space, we were a big group with a good momentum going.

[Jehosefat]

Did a 2:53 from CL. The legs were an absolute shambles after the MTB race the day before so every group I was in dropped me on anything even vaguely resembling an uphill. Burned all my matches on Saturday getting through the thick mud on the MTB route. But at least I didn;t do a 3:00:02 again like last year 

 

Bike after the MTB race:

[Forbsie]

The first three positions in BL taken up by “wheel suckers” - which I guess is part of alphabet group racing. The next three places, maybe 4 were part of the small group that kept the pace going.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

he he... same same with A Group. Oke who won it..... not sure I saw him for 97.5km's...anyway sure he's proud, well done lad (his Strava is  ) Most of the day up front were the same few guys... to those fellas.... thanks for bringing the winners home!    to the rider with the number 27 on his bike, proudly displayed.....assuming he is an elite cyclist, but had a special number behind his seat post, not like us..... when asked why he didn't have a race number he promptly answered... "i'm not racing, didn't enter??" WTF dude... you rode the whole way? There were more.... you know who you are? Maybe they the ones complaining about the price? Anyway, always lekker to ride with some of your mates. Glad there were no major crashes in the A group - well not that we heard or saw thankfully.... be safe out there   

[Graham Savage]

Also, Mr. Camelback in DL, you're effin' strong mate. Whoever you are.

 

Was this Mr Camelbak in Goldwagen EOH top - CL1252?

[Opc_danny]

The first three positions in BL taken up by “wheel suckers” - which I guess is part of alphabet group racing. The next three places, maybe 4 were part of the small group that kept the pace going.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Frosty

 

Just need a bit of advice as im a noob - 3 months cycling noob 

So myself and my cousin were caught by a rather large group and so we hooked on, the pace on the flats were decent however I felt that with the climbs the guys really backed off however with my serious lack of experience and having never done this race before I had no knowledge of when and where i need to go balls out, anyways once or twice i made a break, it was more of can I help set the "climbing pace" however when i looked behind I had dropped the group and so i used the next few km to recover and so they caught up again, this happened again with my cousin later on however he was so strong on the climb about 12km from the finish that he broke away and so I thanked all the kia bethlehem guys and then made a break to catch my cousin which I was able to do and so we finished about 3 min ahead of them. First thing my cousin said to me was that what we did was not cool   however he didnt realise that he had made such a strong break from them. So as i type this I feel bad cause I absolutely would wanted to be branded as a wheel sucker and would rather help where i can. 

 

Any light you can shed on this?

 

Thanks

danny

[Long Wheel Base]

he he... same same with A Group. Oke who won it..... not sure I saw him for 97.5km's...anyway sure he's proud, well done lad (his Strava is  ) Most of the day up front were the same few guys... to those fellas.... thanks for bringing the winners home!    to the rider with the number 27 on his bike, proudly displayed.....assuming he is an elite cyclist, but had a special number behind his seat post, not like us..... when asked why he didn't have a race number he promptly answered... "i'm not racing, didn't enter??" WTF dude... you rode the whole way? There were more.... you know who you are? Maybe they the ones complaining about the price? Anyway, always lekker to ride with some of your mates. Glad there were no major crashes in the A group - well not that we heard or saw thankfully.... be safe out there 

Just checked it out. LOL those pictures

With all these wins the pros had better watch out.

[the_roadie]

he he... same same with A Group. Oke who won it..... not sure I saw him for 97.5km's...anyway sure he's proud, well done lad (his Strava is  ) Most of the day up front were the same few guys... to those fellas.... thanks for bringing the winners home!    to the rider with the number 27 on his bike, proudly displayed.....assuming he is an elite cyclist, but had a special number behind his seat post, not like us..... when asked why he didn't have a race number he promptly answered... "i'm not racing, didn't enter??" WTF dude... you rode the whole way? There were more.... you know who you are? Maybe they the ones complaining about the price? Anyway, always lekker to ride with some of your mates. Glad there were no major crashes in the A group - well not that we heard or saw thankfully.... be safe out there 

 

The guy that won A batch, also won A batch in Berge and Dale. And Berge and Dale is definitely not a race where any wheel sucker would be able to stick. So I'm sure he is strong enough.

 

We had some comments thrown around in VA as well about wheel sucker this and wheel sucker that. Amazes me that people who have been racing for ages are still not able to accept the fact that in flat races like this you will ALWAYS get people who sit in.

[CatchMeIfYouCan]

The guy that won A batch, also won A batch in Berge and Dale. And Berge and Dale is definitely not a race where any wheel sucker would be able to stick. So I'm sure he is strong enough.

 

We had some comments thrown around in VA as well about wheel sucker this and wheel sucker that. Amazes me that people who have been racing for ages are still not able to accept the fact that in flat races like this you will ALWAYS get people who sit in.

 

He seems to have some consistent results in AL, maybe time to get licensed? 

[Long Wheel Base]

The guy that won A batch, also won A batch in Berge and Dale. And Berge and Dale is definitely not a race where any wheel sucker would be able to stick. So I'm sure he is strong enough.

 

We had some comments thrown around in VA as well about wheel sucker this and wheel sucker that. Amazes me that people who have been racing for ages are still not able to accept the fact that in flat races like this you will ALWAYS get people who sit in.

I think what gets a lot of guys upset is not so much the fact that the guys suck wheel but the fact that they will suck wheel for 99% of the race then sprint passed at the end. When I race VA I have no choice but to suck wheel, I am no where near strong enough to sit at the front but I will never sprint to the front at the end and my VA results show that. I do a lot better on the tandem and often get the same wheel suckers in the this category. We will be bleeding at the front and then all of a sudden at the end when you playing sprint tactic games there are okes you have not seen before coming passed. Irritates me big time. Luckily usually they still get chewed up and spat out but it still sucks big time having to worry about some tjop at the end that you haven't been able to assess his strength during the race. 

[Escapee..]

Hey Frosty

 

Just need a bit of advice as im a noob - 3 months cycling noob 

So myself and my cousin were caught by a rather large group and so we hooked on, the pace on the flats were decent however I felt that with the climbs the guys really backed off however with my serious lack of experience and having never done this race before I had no knowledge of when and where i need to go balls out, anyways once or twice i made a break, it was more of can I help set the "climbing pace" however when i looked behind I had dropped the group and so i used the next few km to recover and so they caught up again, this happened again with my cousin later on however he was so strong on the climb about 12km from the finish that he broke away and so I thanked all the kia bethlehem guys and then made a break to catch my cousin which I was able to do and so we finished about 3 min ahead of them. First thing my cousin said to me was that what we did was not cool   however he didnt realise that he had made such a strong break from them. So as i type this I feel bad cause I absolutely would wanted to be branded as a wheel sucker and would rather help where i can. 

 

Any light you can shed on this?

 

Thanks

danny

 

I am sure Frosty will also add but if I may..

 

Lot of times the club members ride together helping some of the weaker or newer members.

 

So they will control the pace to make sure everyone finishes together.

 

 

 

But I agree with your cousin...that was a pretty shocking thing that you guys did 

Edited March 27, 2018 by Escapee..

[Opc_danny]

But I agree with your cousin...that was a pretty shocking thing that you guys did 

 

Our absolute bad 

 

Will defo learn from this. Thanks for some insight.

[Frosty]

Hey Frosty

 

Just need a bit of advice as im a noob - 3 months cycling noob

So myself and my cousin were caught by a rather large group and so we hooked on, the pace on the flats were decent however I felt that with the climbs the guys really backed off however with my serious lack of experience and having never done this race before I had no knowledge of when and where i need to go balls out, anyways once or twice i made a break, it was more of can I help set the "climbing pace" however when i looked behind I had dropped the group and so i used the next few km to recover and so they caught up again, this happened again with my cousin later on however he was so strong on the climb about 12km from the finish that he broke away and so I thanked all the kia bethlehem guys and then made a break to catch my cousin which I was able to do and so we finished about 3 min ahead of them. First thing my cousin said to me was that what we did was not cool however he didnt realise that he had made such a strong break from them. So as i type this I feel bad cause I absolutely would wanted to be branded as a wheel sucker and would rather help where i can.

 

Any light you can shed on this?

 

Thanks

danny

That, IMO, is not wheel sucking - so don’t worry about it.

 

BL is also not a racing category, so no need to worry about wheel suckers either. It happens!

 

Advice... enjoy what you do, and do it.

 

For me, it’s about helping my club mates to get the results they want. So I’ll be the workhorse and help them wheel suck to get a better result, get a good seeding, and then make the step up to the next group - eventually into the Vets category.

 

Can’t do that in Vets or AL - there are too many (better/stronger) riders that would neutralise our efforts. So we do it in the lower group to gain the experience and learn from mistakes.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Escapee..]

Our absolute bad 

 

Will defo learn from this. Thanks for some insight.

 

Just kidding.

 

As you get a better seeding you will see its not as easy to break away from the bunch.

[Nakoota]

Just an observation on the wheel sucking debate.

 

I rode BL and for the first time ever I finished within 20 seconds of the group winner, in my case it was wheel suck or die and I just managed to push up the hill fast enough to stay in the group for 3xth.

 

In a race, the peleton dictates the pace and individual teams and riders dictate what action to take and when. Surely being at the front and driving the pace in our local races is then not an obligation (although very much appreciated!)? There is nothing stopping the front guys from slowing down the pace of the race to drop in on someones wheel and then take the sprint victory for the group if that is what they are after?

 

Don't get me wrong here, I really appreciate the pace held by the lead guys on Sunday and would be stoked if you did it again but if position across the line is important then just change tactics at the end and make sure the wheel suckers don't have an easy opportunity to sprint past.

 

 

Our absolute bad 

 

Will defo learn from this. Thanks for some insight.

 

Dude, if you managed to put 3 minutes into a group breaking away 12km from the end then kudo's to you!

 

To me, cycling is about enjoyment and no matter what anyone says, humans like to compete - whether in elites or in ZL! Racing is fun at any level as long as those being raced against are of a similar ability.

[Patchelicious]

The guy that won A batch, also won A batch in Berge and Dale. And Berge and Dale is definitely not a race where any wheel sucker would be able to stick. So I'm sure he is strong enough.

 

We had some comments thrown around in VA as well about wheel sucker this and wheel sucker that. Amazes me that people who have been racing for ages are still not able to accept the fact that in flat races like this you will ALWAYS get people who sit in.

Unless you start racing properly and start attacking.