Western Cape Road Cycling

[daniemare]

I ran the Gun Run (10km) this weekend, and while running up and down the same route as the the year before, and essentially the same route the Cape Town Marathon's 10km route, I thought about this thread again.

 

Sure, repetition can become boring and some Southern Suburb routes will be amazing, but why is these running fields just growing every year, whilst cycling is shrinking? They re-hash routes, use boring Northern suburb or Cape Flat routes etc. but manages to grow fields every year.  Yes, there are key differences, especially when it comes to investment in equipment and complexity of the sport, but I am not suggesting that cycling should chase the same absolute numbers as running, but rather try and understand why they experience growth.

 

So my observations:

- Different distances: Most key events have a 42 & 21 or a 21 & 10 and many has a fun run 5 thrown in there.  This makes it a nice family event

- Vibe afterwards & at water tables: Even small races have something at the end, even if it is only due to the clever selection of a venue

- Lower entry fees

- BIG ONE: Clubs. Clubs are tasked to organise events. Not professional organisers, but clubs. Club members are then also tasked to service their race (i.e. not compete). 50 clubs mean 50 races. Again, we will not have 50 clubs, but 10 clubs will mean 10 races. 

- Novelty: The Big Races all have a distinctive element. Gun Run - The Gun, Landmarks - taking you to many well known places, Cape Town Marathon, Slave Run etc. Races do not become big because they are sponsored, they become sponsored because they get big

 

So, I am not to trying to solicit debate about why running is different than cycling, it clearly is, but surely, as a mass participant sport with growing numbers, one can try and learn from success factors that can be copied to cycling.

 

Also, is ASA and Provincial Bodies maybe less of an obstacle than their cycling equivalents, or dare I think more competent? I do not know, but can only wonder.

 

Also as a PS - I will never stay behind at a race again until race organizers pay attention to the theft from race issue. For instance Dirtopia, do not have a bike park if you are not willing to have security and a check in check out system. From now on, it is in the car and of to home until that improves

[Pure Savage]

I ran the Gun Run (10km) this weekend, and while running up and down the same route as the the year before, and essentially the same route the Cape Town Marathon's 10km route, I thought about this thread again.

 

Sure, repetition can become boring and some Southern Suburb routes will be amazing, but why is these running fields just growing every year, whilst cycling is shrinking? They re-hash routes, use boring Northern suburb or Cape Flat routes etc. but manages to grow fields every year.  Yes, there are key differences, especially when it comes to investment in equipment and complexity of the sport, but I am not suggesting that cycling should chase the same absolute numbers as running, but rather try and understand why they experience growth.

 

So my observations:

- Different distances: Most key events have a 42 & 21 or a 21 & 10 and many has a fun run 5 thrown in there.  This makes it a nice family event

- Vibe afterwards & at water tables: Even small races have something at the end, even if it is only due to the clever selection of a venue

- Lower entry fees

- BIG ONE: Clubs. Clubs are tasked to organise events. Not professional organisers, but clubs. Club members are then also tasked to service their race (i.e. not compete). 50 clubs mean 50 races. Again, we will not have 50 clubs, but 10 clubs will mean 10 races. 

- Novelty: The Big Races all have a distinctive element. Gun Run - The Gun, Landmarks - taking you to many well known places, Cape Town Marathon, Slave Run etc. Races do not become big because they are sponsored, they become sponsored because they get big

 

So, I am not to trying to solicit debate about why running is different than cycling, it clearly is, but surely, as a mass participant sport with growing numbers, one can try and learn from success factors that can be copied to cycling.

 

Also, is ASA and Provincial Bodies maybe less of an obstacle than their cycling equivalents, or dare I think more competent? I do not know, but can only wonder.

 

Also as a PS - I will never stay behind at a race again until race organizers pay attention to the theft from race issue. For instance Dirtopia, do not have a bike park if you are not willing to have security and a check in check out system. From now on, it is in the car and of to home until that improves

Yeah, thats why we pointed out the park run is one of the major things taking people from cycling. 

[Skubarra]

The point is there is no balance to the calendar and the issue remains that if I have to travel a couple 100kms every time to do a race and have the expense that goes with that in terms of time and costs lunches, petrol etc I cant afford more than 1 race a quarter. I have and will support the races but would do even more if there were some closer to home i.e. Southern Suburbs. 

 

As for the same old routes I agree that the other races around Worcester etc have disappeared. All races i have happily done before 

 

Yet for some reason this doesn't apply to mtb'ing? Imagine the sport of mtb'ing declining in the WC because Tokai burnt down.. I am not really sure us roadies know what we actually want, we just know the current set-up is not working.

[buchanan]

I'm certain the PPA is well aware of what people say about the same boring routes. How hard PPA is & should be trying to get permission to race in the SS is a whole different discussion but there must be at least some truth in their excuse that it is very hard to get permission there.

 

Not so long ago we still had road races in places like Bonnievale & Worcester. Last year WPC hosted races in Piketberg, Slanghoek and Caledon - of all these only the Piketberg one attracted enough numbers to be repeated in 2017 while the rest dropped quietly off the calender

 

I wonder how many people complaining on here about the boring routes Stellenbosch way made the effort to support some of these races further out? If racing in the SS is the only option people are willing to support then we can't complain about road cycling dying out in the WC.

 

Bonnievale was one of my favourite events. Was looking forward to riding it this year and really dissapointed when I heard it isn't happening...

[Meezo]

I ran the Gun Run (10km) this weekend, and while running up and down the same route as the the year before, and essentially the same route the Cape Town Marathon's 10km route, I thought about this thread again.

 

Sure, repetition can become boring and some Southern Suburb routes will be amazing, but why is these running fields just growing every year, whilst cycling is shrinking? They re-hash routes, use boring Northern suburb or Cape Flat routes etc. but manages to grow fields every year.  Yes, there are key differences, especially when it comes to investment in equipment and complexity of the sport, but I am not suggesting that cycling should chase the same absolute numbers as running, but rather try and understand why they experience growth.

 

So my observations:

- Different distances: Most key events have a 42 & 21 or a 21 & 10 and many has a fun run 5 thrown in there.  This makes it a nice family event

- Vibe afterwards & at water tables: Even small races have something at the end, even if it is only due to the clever selection of a venue

- Lower entry fees

- BIG ONE: Clubs. Clubs are tasked to organise events. Not professional organisers, but clubs. Club members are then also tasked to service their race (i.e. not compete). 50 clubs mean 50 races. Again, we will not have 50 clubs, but 10 clubs will mean 10 races. 

- Novelty: The Big Races all have a distinctive element. Gun Run - The Gun, Landmarks - taking you to many well known places, Cape Town Marathon, Slave Run etc. Races do not become big because they are sponsored, they become sponsored because they get big

 

So, I am not to trying to solicit debate about why running is different than cycling, it clearly is, but surely, as a mass participant sport with growing numbers, one can try and learn from success factors that can be copied to cycling.

 

Also, is ASA and Provincial Bodies maybe less of an obstacle than their cycling equivalents, or dare I think more competent? I do not know, but can only wonder.

 

Also as a PS - I will never stay behind at a race again until race organizers pay attention to the theft from race issue. For instance Dirtopia, do not have a bike park if you are not willing to have security and a check in check out system. From now on, it is in the car and of to home until that improves

 

ontop of that, isn't annual license for a running club around R500, read PPA.

then you don't need a WP running license, read CSA

ontop of that, a running race is at most R100, except the OMTOM(overcrowed,overpopulated)

 

then... so yes we can go around in circles discussing riding R150k but can't afford R350 races, but its a big reason...

[daniemare]

ontop of that, isn't annual license for a running club around R500, read PPA.

then you don't need a WP running license, read CSA

ontop of that, a running race is at most R100, except the OMTOM(overcrowed,overpopulated)

 

then... so yes we can go around in circles discussing riding R150k but can't afford R350 races, but its a big reason...

 

Licenses are a pet peeve of mine. Most argue - why if you ride R150k, do you scoff at R350. Well I ride 25k and scoff at R350, not because I cannot afford R350, but I cannot see the value the R350 gives me. The same sense of value that made me buy a R25k bike and not the R45k bike.

 

I will argue, most make a value decision (value being differently defined by individuals but still).

And a license I see differently from the club fee (PPA for me is a club, not an administrative body)

 

My Comparison

> Enough Races to Break Even???

Boland Running License - R250 (cannot strip it from my Stellenbosch Atletiekklub fee, so lets use the full number), Day License R35, Races to break even 8, percentage of Western Cape Race Calendar - Less than 20%

CSA licence - R200, Day License R35, Races to break even 6, percentage of Western CApe Race Calendar - Almost all Races

 

> Quality of Body

Are they perceived to do something for the Sport?

Are they perceived to develop young talent?

Are they without recent scandal?

 

So as you can see, I do not pay a license fee because of affordability, I do not not pay it because of lack of value

[Meezo]

Licenses are a pet peeve of mine. Most argue - why if you ride R150k, do you scoff at R350. Well I ride 25k and scoff at R350, not because I cannot afford R350, but I cannot see the value the R350 gives me. The same sense of value that made me buy a R25k bike and not the R45k bike.

 

I will argue, most make a value decision (value being differently defined by individuals but still).

And a license I see differently from the club fee (PPA for me is a club, not an administrative body)

 

My Comparison

> Enough Races to Break Even???

Boland Running License - R250 (cannot strip it from my Stellenbosch Atletiekklub fee, so lets use the full number), Day License R35, Races to break even 8, percentage of Western Cape Race Calendar - Less than 20%

CSA licence - R200, Day License R35, Races to break even 6, percentage of Western CApe Race Calendar - Almost all Races

 

> Quality of Body

Are they perceived to do something for the Sport?

Are they perceived to develop young talent?

Are they without recent scandal?

 

So as you can see, I do not pay a license fee because of affordability, I do not not pay it because of lack of value

 

100%

 

although affordability applies in my case too...