[Event] Cape Town Cycle Tour 2018

[s14phoenix]

I know of a 2:58 from 1C Full on DS with knobblies. 

 

That's pretty impressive. Would love to see the power meter and stats from that ride. MTB tend to spin out around 60kmh but then gravity works great for them. Most of the speed must have been on the climbs - thus giving a good enough average speed.

[CTJ]

I tried doing my bit, up to Smitswinkel at least, ended up paying for it up Chappies and Suikerbossie. Thankfully I got a bit of a second wind from Camps Bay onwards.

I see the first 1D riders did 2h47! I lost a full five minutes from half-way up Chappies.

 

No smooth rolling through; people in second/third/etc. wheel not rolling through then you have to go around them, wasting energy; or they go through with such a speed that you have to close a big gap. Pity so few people are willing to give just a short turn at the front, then everybody's time could have been better.

Started in 1E. 2 okes went off like rockets were attached to their bikes and left the bunch for dead within the 1st kay. They ended up doing 2:45 by themselves with something like a 6 or 7 minute gap to the next E group riders....

Edited March 13, 2018 by CTJ

[HdB]

Started in 1E. 2 okes went off like rockets were attached to their bikes and left the bunch for dead within the 1st kay. They ended up doing 2:45 by themselves with something like a 6 or 7 minute gap to the next E group riders....

So two guys managed to ride away from 1E by almost 10 minutes?! That is very impressive...

They definitely caught us on the road, I wonder where.

 

[Edit]Ok, so found the one guy on Strava Flyby - they caught up with us at Edinburg drive, then (given that they finished two minutes ahead of the first 1D), I assume they rode with the front of 1D to the finish.

Edited March 13, 2018 by HdB

[bj horn]

Condolences to families of the deceased.RIP

 

Feel the waterpoint below Wynberg hill should be moved a little further towards Muizenberg.

Most riders come down that hill above 50kmh.Have to change their line to get to the waterpoint and stop.Saw a guy who had lost his brakes, bail for the side of the road and then jump off .How he did not fall is a wonder.He came to a stop about 10m from the waterpoint.

 

Great day out with family

[Vetplant]

Started in 1E. 2 okes went off like rockets were attached to their bikes and left the bunch for dead within the 1st kay. They ended up doing 2:45 by themselves with something like a 6 or 7 minute gap to the next E group riders....

Very risky but potentially rewarding tactic they probably used was to use all their energy in an all out sprint to jump the gap to the group ahead and then wheelsuck all the way till the next incline and attack again to latch onto the next group up the road until you can't any longer.

 

I can't see two guys riding solo all the way beating a full group by 6min. They had some kind of help.

[Skubarra]

Looking at the sub-3 times, of the 1100 that rode sub-3 only 7 ladies. I know the 40 elite ladies who did the short route would probably have been able to do so as well but still I would have expected a few more given the large number of riders that managed it.

 

I assume you need some serious power to stick with the fast bunches on Smits, Chappies & Suikerbossie which I guess the strong ladies who are otherwise good at bunch riding are lacking?

Edited March 13, 2018 by Skubarra

[dev null]

Day started great. Mom and I got up early, trundle down to the start line, get in the chute at I’m off at 3D, ready for a day of great riding.

I’m sitting in a nice bunch going down the Blue Route just before Ladies Mile, when I can feel someone touch my back wheel. Initially I can keep my balance, but then I feel my bike disappear underneath me and I hit the tar, 7-8 other bikes going down as well. I do a quick physical check and nothing seems to be broken. I finally manage to get up and move my bike out of the road, but my back wheel has 5 broken spokes so my race is over. One of the guys in the crash has quite a bad cut above his eye and broken collarbone, so a few of us unable to ride (as well as some helpful spectators) take care of him until the paramedics arrive.

I must have hit something during the fall cause my chest was in quite a bit of pain, so I spent a few hours in the afternoon getting checked at hospital, but I am lucky. Nothing broken, no muscle damage, I am just severely bruised. Bruised with a side of bruises… I even have a gorgeous deep red stripe on my leg where I got hit by another cyclist who couldn't avoid me lying in the road. Everything happened so fast it's a blur, so I'm not sure how I managed to avoid any and all roasties.

But I am supremely lucky. My helmet is cracked (it did its job) and my back wheel broken, but it's nothing that a bit of rest and a visit to the bike shop won't rectify.

 

I also started in 3D, but must have dodged/missed this one.

[two hands]

Thanks Meezo - saw you guys on both the hills.  David (in the buggy) Gavin and i managed to sneak in at 3hrs27.  was pretty broken but stoked.  awesome day out there.

 

Really sad about the deaths and my heart goes out to the families dealing with the loss.

 

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The real winners of the Fun Ride World Champs... Well done, Brett. Incredible effort and inspiring cause.

[Pure Savage]

So two guys managed to ride away from 1E by almost 10 minutes?! That is very impressive...

They definitely caught us on the road, I wonder where.

 

[Edit]Ok, so found the one guy on Strava Flyby - they caught up with us at Edinburg drive, then (given that they finished two minutes ahead of the first 1D), I assume they rode with the front of 1D to the finish.

Those LPC okes are strong.

[Velouria]

So when do we get to talk about the biggest non-event of the CTCT?

 

The tar on Chappies.

 

I was expecting nothing short of absolute carnage, but imagine my surprise when I discovered the tar was like the tar on practically EVERY OTHER road in the Western Cape.

 

Such an anticlimax...

[HdB]

Very risky but potentially rewarding tactic they probably used was to use all their energy in an all out sprint to jump the gap to the group ahead and then wheelsuck all the way till the next incline and attack again to latch onto the next group up the road until you can't any longer.

 

I can't see two guys riding solo all the way beating a full group by 6min. They had some kind of help.

They did - they caught us at Edinburg, strung us out until mid-way up Chappies where they dropped all but the first seven of 1D.

[two hands]

Very risky but potentially rewarding tactic they probably used was to use all their energy in an all out sprint to jump the gap to the group ahead and then wheelsuck all the way till the next incline and attack again to latch onto the next group up the road until you can't any longer.

 

I can't see two guys riding solo all the way beating a full group by 6min. They had some kind of help.

 

Ha ha. We didn't use all our energy to bridge the gap. There was plenty more energy when we made the catch. We rode into the back of 1D at about Edinburgh Drive, and then managed to work our way to the front by the Blue Route. Then we pretty much played Pacman on the front with anyone who wanted to help out up front. But ask any 1D riders, we sure as hell weren't wheelsucking... In fact, I'd say we helped more than a few riders achieve a dream time.

 

There were about 6-8 riders in 1D who were damn strong and happy to push with us and keep the tempo, but Paris and I were on a mission and did most of the pacemaking. I think we dropped the bunch up Smits, Chappies and Suikers. We were caught again every time. We weren't trying to breakaway, just have a good day out. I think we caught the 1A bunch by the end.

 

The plan was just to be in front down Hospital Bend and also past Paradise Motors, where I've been caught out in the pro bunches a few times. Never crashed, mind you, but have witnessed carnage there. So we didn't want any of that. The real race is this weekend 

 

Obviously, we abandoned the plan completely by the time we hit the Blue Route and the red mist descended. Stoked to see a few very capable riders alongside us and we kinda decided to keep on ripping to see what happened.

 

What a day, though. Easily one of the most fun days on a road bike. Still not quite mountain biking but you can't beat the Fun Ride World Champs to keep the skinny wheel stoke high.

 

That said, even one fatality at a race that is all about fun is too many. Three is just ghastly. RIP.

[Velouria]

They did - they caught us at Edinburg, strung us out until mid-way up Chappies where they dropped all but the first seven of 1D.

The Crash also helped with dropping the rest of D...

[HdB]

The Crash also helped with dropping the rest of D...

Thankfully I missed that. Couldn't have been by much, but I didn't see or hear it.

[Meezo]

Ha ha. We didn't use all our energy to bridge the gap. There was plenty more energy when we made the catch. We rode into the back of 1D at about Edinburgh Drive, and then managed to work our way to the front by the Blue Route. Then we pretty much played Pacman on the front with anyone who wanted to help out up front. But ask any 1D riders, we sure as hell weren't wheelsucking... In fact, I'd say we helped more than a few riders achieve a dream time.

 

There were about 6-8 riders in 1D who were damn strong and happy to push with us and keep the tempo, but Paris and I were on a mission and did most of the pacemaking. I think we dropped the bunch up Smits, Chappies and Suikers. We were caught again every time. We weren't trying to breakaway, just have a good day out. I think we caught the 1A bunch by the end.

 

The plan was just to be in front down Hospital Bend and also past Paradise Motors, where I've been caught out in the pro bunches a few times. Never crashed, mind you, but have witnessed carnage there. So we didn't want any of that. The real race is this weekend 

 

Obviously, we abandoned the plan completely by the time we hit the Blue Route and the red mist descended. Stoked to see a few very capable riders alongside us and we kinda decided to keep on ripping to see what happened.

 

What a day, though. Easily one of the most fun days on a road bike. Still not quite mountain biking but you can't beat the Fun Ride World Champs to keep the skinny wheel stoke high.

 

That said, even one fatality at a race that is all about fun is too many. Three is just ghastly. RIP.

 

dibs some of your spur sauce

[two hands]

The Crash also helped with dropping the rest of D...

The one at the bottom of Smits? Happened on my wheel. Man, that sucked. Hate hearing that sound. Always have a pang of survivor's guilt. It really can happen to anyone...

Did it take a lot of the group down?