Shell Belle Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 I recall there was a shorter route for ladies? the 76km? Maybe they were part of that. The shorter route was an invitational for the racing ELITE ladies. I am not sure that riders from 7B and 6G would have qualified for that route Rouxenator 1
Pure Savage Posted March 12, 2018 Author Posted March 12, 2018 I recall there was a shorter route for ladies? the 76km? Maybe they were part of that.There were only 45 pro ladies and they got numbers only like the men, no name etc. Rouxenator and Cookie88 2
Li Mu Bai Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Pro Ladies doing the short distance had 2 full numbers on their backs Edited March 12, 2018 by Li Mu Bai
Rouxenator Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 I stand corrected then, does raise the question what those two ladies were doing up there then.
Noshow Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Is the evolution of wide MTB handlebars becoming a problem for road races? Two MTBs with 780mm bars riding next to each other in the bunch cuts quite a swathe. More dangerous than tri bars I think. How about limiting bar width for road races Mongoose!, daniemare, DJR and 5 others 8
HdB Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 On that note, is there a mechanism to report suspected cheats? I know this is a 'fun ride', but it irks me no end to see people get away with it... Came across two young ladies cycling sedately on the left just after cresting Smits - now they were wearing 7B and 6G numbers respectively. At that stage only a few of the faster 5 riders have passed us. I mean - we were about 2 hours in, and were passing two riders from a group that started 1 hour 27 minutes after us?In 1D there was one too - a guy called Julia, with 3E on his number.They checked my number when I entered our gate, how do they manage to sneak in?Mind you, "Julia" kicked my ass... Wet Ears, Pure Savage, dannygirl and 1 other 4
Rouxenator Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Is the evolution of wide MTB handlebars becoming a problem for road races? Two MTBs with 780mm bars riding next to each other in the bunch cuts quite a swathe. More dangerous than tri bars I think. How about limiting bar width for road races Not going to work. In the last batch 7C I did not see a single road bike, only MTB and some folks on those bamboo wooden look bikes.
Andrew Steer Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Jirre, you guys must see the riding further back... for my lack of anything remotely serious in riding terms the last 5 years I had the joy of an 8:40 start - rode pretty much solo the whole way, one little bunch for about 10kms that of course exploded the moment we hit the smallest incline.No lines, no rules, no thought, no courtesy back there... prison rules pretty much. I kept a safe following distance of 2 meters in pretty much all directions where possible Foreigners also I found really don't understand sharing the road with so many people - had a little Swedish peloton nearly wipe me out blindly idling across the road down chappiesThat said, what an awesome day - really great that things went off properly for a change. Could have gone a minute faster to crack the sub 4, but on 30kms riding for the year I can't really complain too much.Incredibly sad to hear of the three people who passed away, I saw the elderly gent getting CPR on Smits and it's always heart braking to see. Thoughts with their loved onesNext year I'll make sure I have a far better seeding for my ride and a little more mileage under the belt Great to have the real Argust back Capricorn, DJR, daniemare and 5 others 8
gerrit_c Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 See, their times from smaller races are good enough for that start group, but that does not mean they can ride in big groups which are typical of the CTCT and 94.7. I would like to see:- Internal safety campaigns- Illustrative "bunch skills" leaflets and articles in every cycling publication and purchase of a bike- Traffic calming at any Long Downhill stretches- Smaller bunchesI am no expert and maybe some of my thinking is totally bollocks, but the point is, the cycling fraternity MUST reflect and debate to make the next race safer, we cannot just say that it's part of the sport. I totally agree on that - there are too many accidents in those races and if I look left and right I am not surprised. One of the things I understand the least is how so many people in the fast groups ride with no access to their brakes - without having to change their position. I think information on group riding rules (and make sure they are being followed?) is one thing. Some system for competitive amateur racers that ensures that ppl know what they are doing would probably be most effective, like an amateur license or so, that you need if you want to get seeded in the front.
Edition 507 Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 This was the 3rd death caused by a crash / trauma in the 40 years of the Argus. There have been 755,180 finishers in the 40 years of the event, so 3 deaths as a percentage of the total finishers over the years is tiny. Some people will argue that one death is too many but if you really think about it, sending off 30,000 cyclists all within a few hours of each other, to race as fast as possible along a route that is often narrow and curvy and with high speed descents, that's pretty insane! mikkelz, Oufy MTB (Roadie), DJR and 2 others 5
s14phoenix Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Is the evolution of wide MTB handlebars becoming a problem for road races? Two MTBs with 780mm bars riding next to each other in the bunch cuts quite a swathe. More dangerous than tri bars I think. How about limiting bar width for road races policing nightmare when they cannot even keep everyone in their own batches. I think its best to make sure you are seeded high enough to not be stuck behind or between the MTB plebs... Seriously though there is a need for rider etiquette and rules being explained to the groups - especially the slower groups about keeping left and staying on your line as to allow others to pass if they need to. Especially when you have short route and long routes mixing in some events. the obliviousness of some people is shocking. Edited March 12, 2018 by s14phoenix mikkelz 1
JEL87 Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Anyone have an update of the guys that crashed in Smits 1D group, really hope you guys are ok. Crazy fast decent....I saw this happening What a terrible sight!
Dustbug Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Just a thought on the matter of educating/learning to bunch ride, possibly the various cycle clubs should approach their local municipalities to designate a circuit route that is reserved marked and designated cyclists only during popular training times like Durban has around the stadium, this circuit is in use 7 days a week in the mornings from 04h00 through to 06h30 cyclists are encouraged to use this and can basically join on and drop off any group as you ride until you find a group that suites you but in doing so you learn a lot about bunch riding. The different speed bunches also learn to respect each other and yield to faster passing bunches and how to do that . The riders soon learn the signals, how to bunch ride, how to take a turn on the front, how to drop off the the back etc.. because practically anyone there will explain something to you if you ask and they know something about it. The circuits do marvels for your speed and stamina training as well. Capricorn and Nibali 2
Stoffies1 Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 I saw this happening What a terrible sight!Cat eyes to blame saw his wheel explode and then he went down. the next chap came past me like superman.... horrifc! My last Argus me thinks....
JEL87 Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Cat eyes to blame saw his wheel explode and then he went down. the next chap came past me like superman.... horrifc! My last Argus me thinks....Same thing I told myself at the time. I'll enjoy the views with my family from next year Mongoose!, Stoffies1 and Capricorn 3
Mongoose! Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Is the evolution of wide MTB handlebars becoming a problem for road races? Two MTBs with 780mm bars riding next to each other in the bunch cuts quite a swathe. More dangerous than tri bars I think. How about limiting bar width for road races agree 100% mikkelz, Icycling, Pure Savage and 1 other 4
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