[Event] Tshwane Classic

[Vetplant]

Was there a tailwind on the Highway section? Felt like we were flying in the bunch...

 

Needed to add: Kudo's to the Motorcycle Marshall that rode with us in BL, I felt he managed us and the traffic very nicely. He helped cars from behind to pass us safely and prepared us early when the oncoming lanes became a hazard by pushing us back across the white line.

 

Some people need a snotklap for the way they put themselves and everyone else at risk in the manner they passed people on descents on the R511 at high speed on the wrong side of the white line with blind rises up ahead. But I assume that is the way they drive in real life with their loved ones in the car so they don't see the problem.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Swift&Aero

[Rowl]

I thought the race was very well organised, had no issues with the directions/signs (but I got dropped, so rode mostly on my own). Didn't take in the race village but used the parking and generally had a good experience.

 

Two things that stood out for me:

1. Was also in B bunch and also thought that the Motorcycle Marshall was very good. Kudo's!

2. Very happy about the fact that there were metro officers on almost every corner. And most were very friendly.

 

Will defs be back next year. Nothing like a proper home town race.

PS. Does anyone know what happened to the rider down in Centurion/Lyttelton? The bunch passed the ambulance and rider on a stretcher.

[Jensie]

How do the tshwane route compare to the 947 route. Is the 947 tougher, more climbing?

The first climbs before the highway was much more harder than what I anticipated!!

The downhills was crazy fast. 

[Fitbull]

Had an absolute blast from CL. Great race and very well organised.

 

Motorcycle marshal was awesome and kept us safe and directed us brilliantly around the city.

 

Having never done Tom Jenkins it was a bit of a wake up call but coped in the end but the bunch finally pulled away at this point!

 

Definitely be back, the entertainment area at the monument looked great but I didnt hang around other than grabbing a quick coffee.

 

Parking was brilliant as well as getting in and out but please dont compare 2000 odd riders to the 25k+ that will be at 94.7 If this race had those numbers it would be chaos because there are far too few access points....

[MudLark]

How do the tshwane route compare to the 947 route. Is the 947 tougher, more climbing?

 

 

IMHO, 947 is a tougher ride. YMMV.

[Carbon_Kooi]

I thought the race was very well organised, had no issues with the directions/signs (but I got dropped, so rode mostly on my own). Didn't take in the race village but used the parking and generally had a good experience.

 

Two things that stood out for me:

1. Was also in B bunch and also thought that the Motorcycle Marshall was very good. Kudo's!

2. Very happy about the fact that there were metro officers on almost every corner. And most were very friendly.

 

Will defs be back next year. Nothing like a proper home town race.

PS. Does anyone know what happened to the rider down in Centurion/Lyttelton? The bunch passed the ambulance and rider on a stretcher.

 

We had a rider going down very hard in VA at the intersection by the Sasol garage, I assume it was him. He fell really hard on his head. I am not sure what caused the accident. I would also like to know if anybody could give us an update on this?

[Jehosefat]

I swear I am cursed at this race. Got a puncture as we turned onto the highway last year and got a puncture about 8km in this year. Fixing said puncture was a bit of a s**tshow. One of my mates stopped to help me and insisted I use his tube because it was in his pocket rather than in my saddlebag but then the valve stem was too short for the CO2 bomb adapter to fit onto (by like 3mm   ) then in our rush to get my spare tube fitted we pinched it so it wouldn't inflate at all. At this point he left me and I began the long walk back to the start. Luckily two guys who were just riding along the route stopped to help me and gave me a spare tube (massive thanks to those two gents) and got me going again. Total time between stopping for the puncture and getting going again: 24 minutes 

 

Then I got into a nice little group of about 7-8 riders and we all worked well together all the way to Tom Jenkins. At this point I was in a bit of a rush to get home and hammered as hard as I could for the last 13km and towed a big chunk of our little group all the way to the finish. Total riding time 2:49 which I was pretty happy with but official Racetec time of 3:13 

 

 

How do the tshwane route compare to the 947 route. Is the 947 tougher, more climbing?

The first climbs before the highway was much more harder than what I anticipated!!

The downhills was crazy fast. 

 

The 94.7 has quite a lot more climbing but as far as I remember the climbs are generally not as steep so I suppose it depends on what type of climbs you prefer.

[Vetplant]

How do the tshwane route compare to the 947 route. Is the 947 tougher, more climbing?

The first climbs before the highway was much more harder than what I anticipated!!

The downhills was crazy fast. 

From my Garmin:

Tshwane 2019

948m Elevation gain

1859kJ Total Work

2h35

199W Ave Power

 

947 2018

1274m Elevation Gain

1985kJ Total work

2h55

187W Ave Power

 

I would say Tshwane feels short and sharp, where 947 feels like more a war of attrition. 

[Popit]

How the f- do you miss Tom Jenkins?!

 

The question is actually - Do you miss Tom Jenkins ??

[Jensie]

From my Garmin:

Tshwane 2019

948m Elevation gain

1859kJ Total Work

2h35

199W Ave Power

 

947 2018

1274m Elevation Gain

1985kJ Total work

2h55

187W Ave Power

 

I would say Tshwane feels short and sharp, where 947 feels like more a war of attrition. 

Thanks

[Jensie]

From my Garmin:

Tshwane 2019

948m Elevation gain

1859kJ Total Work

2h35

199W Ave Power

 

947 2018

1274m Elevation Gain

1985kJ Total work

2h55

187W Ave Power

 

I would say Tshwane feels short and sharp, where 947 feels like more a war of attrition. 

I would say you are much fitter than last year...20min diff on a longer ride and power is up.

[arendoog]

Well organized race in my home town .I cycle from home to the start .Thanks to the traffic department putting up with some serious upset motorists in the CBD .Raced in DL until the hilly part towards harties ,then soloed until i joined riders  on the highway  .I still cannot ride in a bunch at 60km/h  going downhill .I think the route is as good as it is going to get this time round 

Edited November 4, 2019 by arendoog

[Mountain Bru]

I would say you are much fitter than last year...20min diff on a longer ride and power is up.

 

This might be true, but it's tough to just compare numbers. The speed of the bunch and varying conditions can make a huge difference to your power and speed numbers. If I recall correctly, last years 947 was pretty windy, so times would probably be slower for the same power output. You can't escape the 300m more climbing though 

 

My 2c, the 947 is a much tougher route than the Tshwane Classic. The climbs in the first half just feel longer and more draining, and then hitting the rolling hills after Kyalami with tired legs is pretty brutal.

[Jehosefat]

The question is actually - Do you miss Tom Jenkins ??

 

It was pretty tough but not as bad as I remember

[the_roadie]

We had a rider going down very hard in VA at the intersection by the Sasol garage, I assume it was him. He fell really hard on his head. I am not sure what caused the accident. I would also like to know if anybody could give us an update on this?

 

He was riding on the front right, about 2nd or 3rd wheel I think. Not 100% sure what happened but it looks like he looked back, and the guy in front either slowed down or moved and they touched wheels. He went down super hard. Amazing that no one else went down with him though. Bunch was flying at that point, so difficult to say what exactly happened.

[AndrewMo]

What's with the messed up average speeds in the results?