[Event] 2019 Tour De PPA

['Dale]

they didnt block anyone... as said above. This team knows exactly what their plan is and individually they are all strong riders so executing the plan isnt an issue. Also why they were able to ride off for 3rd and 4th.

 

Having said that, i firmly believe the bunch had the capabilities of easily closing the gap. As devocean says, im sure most of the group had no idea there were even guys off the front.

I still feel that the numbers that were committed to closing the gap was sufficient to do the job however we never worked smartly. Probably down to lack of communication. There was even a break from the chase group that eventually dried out a few KMs down the road??? thats wasnt very smart IMO.

I too am still learning about this racing tactics as i have never been part of racing team.

 

Sucks being a 50kg youngster    

 

 

You're not a youngster unless you were born after 1990. 

[babse]

You're not a youngster unless you were born after 1990. 

   

[devocean]

they didnt block anyone... as said above. This team knows exactly what their plan is and individually they are all strong riders so executing the plan isnt an issue. Also why they were able to ride off for 3rd and 4th.

 

Having said that, i firmly believe the bunch had the capabilities of easily closing the gap. As devocean says, im sure most of the group had no idea there were even guys off the front.

I still feel that the numbers that were committed to closing the gap was sufficient to do the job however we never worked smartly. Probably down to lack of communication. There was even a break from the chase group that eventually dried out a few KMs down the road??? thats wasnt very smart IMO.

I too am still learning about this racing tactics as i have never been part of racing team.

 

Sucks being a 50kg youngster    

 

The few guys that were working could have closed it, but who wants to bury themselves while everyone gets a free ride and drops them later with fresh legs? Breaking away from the bunch to try bridge over to the break would be the right thing to do but I know I'm not strong enough for that. Even though I know I have almost zero chance of ever winning a race, I'm still not happy to just let the race go up the road and sit there riding at 30km/h for the rest of the ride either. Still trying to work out why I race.

[Slowbee]

bollocks, how can 4 guys stop an entire peloton from mounting a chase yes they are going to get in the way & disrupt the paceline but tell them to piss off or create a paceline next to or around them ‍♂ Problem is to many guys in that A Group are content to sit in the bunch protected or in the slip & save themselves for a bunch sprint. How on earth do you go home to your family & friends & tell them you had a good race ‍♂

Sacrifice yourself, do massive pulls, help close the gap & if you get dropped so be it at least you raced & got a better workout than the bunch sitters.

Shoeee weee, it has been a long time since I have seen milky rant !

 

Things must have been horrible

[milky4130]

Shoeee weee, it has been a long time since I have seen milky rant !

 

Things must have been horrible

hahaha just pee'd off that I missed the race 

[babse]

hahaha just pee'd off that I missed the race 

wouldve been a perfect recovery ride for you... maybe even gotten into the break.

[Mamil]

Nicely ridden you wheelsucker you.

 

Thanks for bringing up my little spill. Felt like an absolute tonsil!!

 

In my defence i looked at my cleat and saw rhat the little rubber shim that I use on my right shoe because I'm made of spare parts had worn a sliver off that got jammed in tje pedal.

 

4 years ago when I started using clipless I took myself to the local sportsfield to practice cos I knew I was going to fall lots. There was a municipal wprkman on a tractor mowing the field who looked puzzled, then worried and finally laughed openly. Training wheels.

 

 

the shameful act of group treason.

 

Since it was my first race back from the crash at one tonner i was very reserved about the whole bunch thing as my confidence took quite a knock. and i decided as from my 4 previous tour de PPA's, being dropped 15km from the finish line (cramps, Not fit enough, burned to much matches trying to hold on etc.) that this year i will commit the shameless act of not contributing anything not even riding 3d or 4th wheel, but last wheel the whole day.  I will not as per my usual ethical standards go and do 3-4 pulls in front, nor close a gap if i see the group split, cause every time this is performed my box of lion matches are depleted to the point where all the "wiel suigers" that never do anything in the bunch come past me looking like they just stepped out of the shower whilst i have been in the trenches and leave me in the gutter alone to my own demise whilst they ride to the gates of Rome in triumph.  

 

The weather gods smiled on me and from experience i knew the start will be hectic.  If i can just hold on till vissers i will let them go and fall back the the next group.  BUT before that could happen whilst we were waiting to start a person in lycra forgot to unclip on the bricks and fell over - we all judged this person with the though of you never ride clipped in the start area, i have seen way to many men's egos destroyed by this practice and low an behold to me now it was the MAMIL.  i asked if he was ok, but he just mompeled how embarrassing picked up his bike and carried it further.  yes bud is was - but kudos for not swearing or being a box about it as it would have not been zen at 06h00 in the morning.  Glad you bike was ok as that is more important then your physical well being......

 

back to the start i quickly scanned where the chains are on the casset as this usually give me an indication of experience started.  those in top gear i stay away from as they just bottleneck the start from being in the wrong gear.  the acceleration was hectic as per normal an i dug deep till tiekie where i knew you have to go to a dark place not to get dropped.  I went pass many other that had a bit too much during december holiday to find myself in the last position over the crest in what i though was the split - still a substantial size.  hammering on till vissers so i could claim my strava PR over my followers we began the climb and i was feeling strong and just went for it.  there was a split again and i found myself in the latter.  not panicking and waiting for the rest to chase i followed and we made contact again at graanendal.  

 

the split came again up that bump at fisante kraal and since i was riding last wheel i was caught out (risky business for not working)  me fellow drop-ees was not intent to work so i took it appon myself to bridge the gap up the little kicker after the 4 ways stop.  leaving my fellow rides for dust.  I did catch the group only to be caught 10 minutes later by the rest i left for dead.  Our group size started to swell i i though that we were caught by the latter part of our group that was left at tiekie.  I did however notice a couple of F's, D's and even a B in our GH group and they seemed to be more than us.  since i was sitting at the back i was only content not to crash again and i though that these where probaly the rejects of the other groups (partied the night before, twins kept me up, went to hard out the gate - all terms very familiar to me).  I could smell the marshals motorbike fumes the whole day and you know that when he goes by you are on your own.  every time we went over a kicker or around a corner i sprinted because i did not want that idling wolf to come past me and i had to since there is a lot of yoyoing at the back which im not accustomed to always trying to be in the front 3de.

 

turning right after the silos and going past my usual drop place still in the bunch i started to believe and dug deep again up that final drag before Adderley turn.  Here we split again an i made the split (by not having done anything the whole day).  The pace was just below my threshold hr and i was quite happy.  going on addelry there was a slight head breeze and i did not put myself in in, no sir not today.  there where now a mixture of d,e,f,c,b in our midst and looking at their guads i just tucked in.  up that final drag i saw it split again and went with the split since i had almost half a box of lions left.  the 5k came up and nobody attacked.  i just wanted to finish and realized that due to the slight headwind it will be futile to go it alone.

 

I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.  with 500m to go some youngsters for the short race that found refuge in our soup went for it and nobody responded, i though to myself that this was my chance to be a box for once and go for it whilst i left the rest to burn.  A tactic i am very familiar with as i am usually burned by the shower crowd.

 

Looking at race results i finished in the breakway of our group some 15 minutes before the majority of GH which i am very tjaft with, but if feels hollow as if i cheated or took TUE the day before.  as all of the universe is in balance for my act of shamless group riding ethics betrayal i am now promoted to E for ejected 5 km after the start to take my rightful place back in G for grounded probably after the next two race 

 

Pros: 

Weather, cant remember if i ever rode a PPA tour without a storm southerly nor cool 20deg.

Marshall and organization, PPA def the standard leaders here

 

Cons:

The dude that dumped his wrapper

Dudes riding without numbers and timing chips (common pay the entry)

 

Honorable mention:

the lady that perfected the art of drifting back though the group when we go uphill.  I though you executed it very well.  Going to the front before the gradient kicks up and drifting back whilst going uphill.  May i just ask that to just drift back on the side and not in the middle cause we then have to play dodge and it just is difficult to get back into a rhythm.

 

In Closing:

will i be shameless again - highly unlikely, cause i hate it when others dont contribute, but share in the spoils.  Was it worth it ? - probably not cause now i am punished to E and will be one of those rejects picked up by other groups.  Was it fun? - Hell yes, most enjoyable road race i have done in 4 years. 

[milky4130]

wouldve been a perfect recovery ride for you... maybe even gotten into the break.

No dude I learned my lesson trying to do Attakwas and SCT on the same weekend. I probably would've been dropped going up Tiekiedraai already.

[Slowbee]

hahaha just pee'd off that I missed the race 

Ride Milky. It. Is. A. Ride.

 

One day when I am big.

[davidtinker]

This has been a fun thread to follow even though I skipped the race! "A" group (and even more so $) has large range of abilities from the Hartlief guys with enough power to ride 2 off the front for the whole race (at better than 40km/h avg!), almost as good guys like devocean, to a lot of mid pack people like me. I know I don't have enough 10min+ w/kg to make the front bunch on Vissershoek or survive a long stretch of guttering. I can get over rollers and close small gaps in the bunch, help chase back a bit after a split, thats about it. So its always going to be a few guys at the very pointy end making the racing.

['Dale]

Admittedly, a race is only a race when there are a healthy number of teams competing for podium.

Road cycling is a team sport.

 

The PPA 'Club Team Comp' was a cool idea a few seasons ago.

Edited February 25, 2019 by 'Dale

[Americo]

Sharing the video of the race

[Skubarra]

Problem is to many guys in that A Group are content to sit in the bunch protected or in the slip & save themselves for a bunch sprint. How on earth do you go home to your family & friends & tell them you had a good race ‍♂

Sacrifice yourself, do massive pulls, help close the gap & if you get dropped so be it at least you raced & got a better workout than the bunch sitters.

 

This is true for all the front groups, like Dale pointed out few of the okes would just be hanging on trying to survive but they aren't the majority. I never get why people would sit back and save themselves for the bunch sprint when the breakaway group already disappeared in the distance.

[DieselnDust]

This is true for all the front groups, like Dale pointed out few of the okes would just be hanging on trying to survive but they aren't the majority. I never get why people would sit back and save themselves for the bunch sprint when the breakaway group already disappeared in the distance.

 

 

HAd this problem in the last 20km of Fun Ride Worlds Champs last year. Got dropped on Chappies due to accidents going up the climb. Chased like mad to make my way back to the front of 1A. 

Caught up to the back up of a very very large group going up Suikerbossie and then some okes decided to sit up and away the Main group went again. Half way up the climb they were well and truly gone. Chased down the otherside only to discover about 100 okes on my wheel past 12 Apostles. I tell the okes to come through, no resposen so I sit up and I tell them if we don't work together. Some box tjunes me that If i want that sub3 so bad I must lead by example... ROTFLMAO....

There were a lot of project managers in that bunch because in the last 2km they all suddenly woke up to hunt for glory. Then they got the finish wrong and sprinted for the first Blue bridge  instead of the one 1km further on that said "FINISH" across the top 

 

The culture is the same as corporate. many people ride the coat tails of those who are actually doing the work and then want the glory at the end.

[Twaatie]

 

 

HAd this problem in the last 20km of Fun Ride Worlds Champs last year. Got dropped on Chappies due to accidents going up the climb. Chased like mad to make my way back to the front of 1A.

Caught up to the back up of a very very large group going up Suikerbossie and then some okes decided to sit up and away the Main group went again. Half way up the climb they were well and truly gone. Chased down the otherside only to discover about 100 okes on my wheel past 12 Apostles. I tell the okes to come through, no resposen so I sit up and I tell them if we don't work together. Some box tjunes me that If i want that sub3 so bad I must lead by example... ROTFLMAO....

There were a lot of project managers in that bunch because in the last 2km they all suddenly woke up to hunt for glory. Then they got the finish wrong and sprinted for the first Blue bridge instead of the one 1km further on that said "FINISH" across the top

 

The culture is the same as corporate. many people ride the coat tails of those who are actually doing the work and then want the .

Would have being my response too that guy [emoji6]

 

Everyone wants the time but no one wants to work for it

[billygoat0523]

Crazy that the 99er (where yu were plagued with technicals) got such a high beta and this event a relatively low one. 

ah well, maybe it's the cycling gods telling me that i'm not ready to be upgraded yet.

 

It was my first start in F in a while (I normally hang about in G) and this time I managed to hang on while my legs were warming up. The plan was to help out with the pacing after 75km when I'm properly warmed up.  When the pace dropped at 65km, I had some dissonance which I managed to fight until 70km.  It was almost a deja vu of the Durbie Dash when we hit Malmesbury road...  somehow I dropped the group, but it was too far to go alone so I dropped back and tried not to push the pace so hard.  Got 9 riders to go with me down Adderley and leave the group behind and we crossed the line together. 

 

Was a great day out, so relieved to have no mechanicals.

 

PS - Mamil, did you drop your bottle on Vryguns?  The rider next to me couldn't avoid a dropped bottle and rode right over it and just shook his head afterwards, I think he was too relieved to utter anything.