[Event] PPA Sportive #8

[Pedal Power Association]

Event Name: PPA Sportive #8
When: 1 December 2019
Where: Simonsvlei Winery, Western Cape
Category: Road

Join us for the final event of the 2019 PPA Sportive Series as we close off the year with the PPA Sportive #8, taking place on Sunday, 1 December 2019. Start off your festive season right by getting on your bike with your friends and family. Get those legs going and the blood flowing!

Registration will take place at Simonsvlei Winery from 05h00 on Sunday, 1 December 2019.

 

Cyclists start at the Simonsvlei Winery, turn left along the Suid Agter Paarl road and right at the R44 intersection. Riders will continue along the R44 until they reach Windmeul Winery where they will turn left on the Voor Perdeberg/Vryguns Road and continue all the way to the R302. You will then turn left on the R302 and continue along the R304, continuuing straight past the N1 turnoff and heading towards Stellenbosch. The group will take a left along Kromme Rhee road and turn left back on to the R44 towards Wellington. At the Klapmuts 4-way stop, the cyclists will turn right onto the R101 and continue past Simsonvlei Winery, finishing a little further along on the R101.

The 86km route will have 3 water points (29,2km/56,47km/78,9km) and the 51 km route will have 2 water point (16km/44.1km).

 

MORE ABOUT THE SPORTIVE SERIES

This series of fun rides is aimed at all cyclists, from beginners to experienced riders, and offers the perfect platform if you want to keep fit riding road events throughout the year, improving your times and setting a new personal bests.

If you’re brave enough to take on the challenge of the longer routes, the series is a great test for endurance and stamina … and needless to say, completing all the events will be a great source of personal achievement.

No pressure though! Each one is also a standalone event, so you don’t have to enter all in the Sportive Series.

 

THE SPECIAL FINISHER’S TROPHY

This year, we have decided to do away with medals and do something more innovative and challenging – you will get a beautiful 3D bicycle puzzle that you can assemble once you have have completed all the events. The way it will work is that after each event, you will receive a few pieces of the trophy … complete all eight events and you can assemble the little road bike on a stand.

However, even you haven't done all the Sportive Series events, or won’t manage to do all the events, you’ll still be able to buy the missing pieces at a very reasonable cost at the Sportive #8. We still want everyone to have that trophy to display at their home or office.

 

DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUE

Follow the N1 to the R44. Take exit 47 from the N1. Turn left onto the R101. The venue will be on your right hand side in 6.2 km.

 

GPS Co-ordinates:

Latitude: -33.894066

Longitude: 18.5368146,11

 

NOTES

Remember to wear your PPA road fun ride number and Racetec timing chip.

No children u/13 on the 109 km route.

Kids between 8 and 14 must be accompanied by an adult at all times on the 39 km route.

 

ONLINE ENTRIES

Long Route (86km)

Non-Member R375

PPA Member R275

U/18 Non- Member R200

U/18 PPA Member R100

Development Entry R100

 

Short Route (51km)

Non-Member R175

PPA Member R125

U/18 Non- Member R80

U/18 PPA Member R50

Development Entry R50

Go to Event Page

[JohanDiv]

Got my first roadbike two weeks ago to do my first Argus next year. I have a sub 3.5hour Argus in mind, but I realize there is a lot of work that lies ahead of me to achieve that. Entered this Sportive 8 event, will be my first road race, plus the one next week, in the hopes of getting a bit more used to bunch riding.

 

In MTB races we have a permanent MTB board for Racetec races.. How do the numbers and tags work for road races? I'm assuming I'll get it the morning before the race? Do I have to keep the paper number I stick to my bib for the next race as well?

[billygoat0523]

Got my first roadbike two weeks ago to do my first Argus next year. I have a sub 3.5hour Argus in mind, but I realize there is a lot of work that lies ahead of me to achieve that. Entered this Sportive 8 event, will be my first road race, plus the one next week, in the hopes of getting a bit more used to bunch riding.

 

In MTB races we have a permanent MTB board for Racetec races.. How do the numbers and tags work for road races? I'm assuming I'll get it the morning before the race? Do I have to keep the paper number I stick to my bib for the next race as well?

 

yes, you keep a PPA number for the season (July 2019 to Jul 2020) - this will be for all PPA events.  some races, particularly "premier seeding events", tend to have one-off race day numbers.

 

if you don't  have a racetec chip, you'll need one and it'll be your permanent chip.

[davidtinker]

You also get a little sticker with your seeding on it on the morning of the race to stick to your PPA number.

[Mamil]

2 things

My new bike should be with me on friday

I am going away for the weekend for SO birthday so won't be riding the sportif.

[Karman de Lange]

Got my first roadbike two weeks ago to do my first Argus next year. I have a sub 3.5hour Argus in mind, but I realize there is a lot of work that lies ahead of me to achieve that. Entered this Sportive 8 event, will be my first road race, plus the one next week, in the hopes of getting a bit more used to bunch riding.

 

In MTB races we have a permanent MTB board for Racetec races.. How do the numbers and tags work for road races? I'm assuming I'll get it the morning before the race? Do I have to keep the paper number I stick to my bib for the next race as well?

Paper numbers are normally temp number (non ppa members) and is only for that days race

 

then the fabric number is the yearly permanent number (ppa members) and then you get seeding sticker for each ppa event that goes on fabric number

[Jay_B]

Can anyone confirm if #7 will be happening the following weekend (December 8th)

Going to be in Cape Town for the weekend and would like to enter this if it is happening.

[Karman de Lange]

Can anyone confirm if #7 will be happening the following weekend (December 8th)

Going to be in Cape Town for the weekend and would like to enter this if it is happening.

 

personally I would rather wait till about Wednesday to enter .. they been cancelling last minute lately

[MDJ]

Can anyone confirm if #7 will be happening the following weekend (December 8th)

Going to be in Cape Town for the weekend and would like to enter this if it is happening.

 

It should definitely be happening - there was an option to enter both 7+8 together which quite a few people I know took up. If they cancel they will refund your money - so nothing to lose. 

 

I've entered - looking forward to the final race of the year, long break until January

[-Az-]

Can anyone confirm if #7 will be happening the following weekend (December 8th)

Going to be in Cape Town for the weekend and would like to enter this if it is happening.

At this point in time, I can confirm this.

[DJTerblanche]

It was a fast race eh, my fastest ever even though I dropped 10km from finish!

I blame the 100km I did the previous day on water. Must not have had enough sugar in my legs next day.

[JohanDiv]

That was fun! My first road race ever and even I could tell there were some people that rode k@k. One guy with an orange motion energy kit on his BMC were all over the place the entire race, people shouting at him as he swerves and switches on them.. Dodged a flying empty beer can at some point. Guy next to me got a burst tyre and he and the guy behind him went down early on in the race. Started in Batch C-E and finished close to the front of the batch with total chaos ensuing with the wannabe sprinters not giving a flying f... about the peoples safety around them, pushing people off onto the gravel! Flippen hell that stressed me out! Averaged over 37kmh for the race.

[Karman de Lange]

That was fun! My first road race ever and even I could tell there were some people that rode k@k. One guy with an orange motion energy kit on his BMC were all over the place the entire race, people shouting at him as he swerves and switches on them.. Dodged a flying empty beer can at some point. Guy next to me got a burst tyre and he and the guy behind him went down early on in the race. Started in Batch C-E and finished close to the front of the batch with total chaos ensuing with the wannabe sprinters not giving a flying f... about the peoples safety around them, pushing people off onto the gravel! Flippen hell that stressed me out! Averaged over 37kmh for the race.

 

Sounds tame ... must have been the experienced guys in your group 

 

Really had fomo on this one .. but not taking chance racing with chest infection...

Edited December 2, 2019 by Karman de Lange

[Wannabe]

It was fun (and tough on my undercooked legs)

Got onto a few dead wheels going over the railway line on Kromme Rhee (was too cautious, did not want to damage my new wheels), by the time I got around them, the main part of our bunch was about 50m up the road already. Might as well have been 500m, as I just could not catch them again. 

I managed to ride away the rest of the guys that also dropped out of the group, but still lost 5 min on the main group to the end. Just shows the value of being in a group, even though not everyone was working at the front.

 

I was properly cooked at the finish. Will have to pace myself a lot better this weekend, that stretch from the turn at the Fruitsellers 4 way is going to be brutal on tired legs. 

[UnclePolli]

Starting a race with the light southerly wind at your back and finish is priceless in the western cape in December !!!

 

F-H bunch was well behaved and there were 2 punctures in our bunch that happened next to me  the experience riders immediately called it and moved over out of the way slowly.  KUDUS!!  Some club members from route62 where early animators when the pack was split on the spice route drag as came to light when i realized the marshall is the only person behind me on our way to windmeul and from then the pack was driven by the same 7 or 8 people right up till the cross over the N1 (frail, cycleteck with green cannondale etc).  After that Cyclopaths took over and hammered the last 15km home.  I only managed 1 turn at paardeberg and after that it was hold on redzone till the end.  Legs gave up 1km from the finish, emptied myself stukken broken satisfied.  sorry i could not help up front more.  shamelessly wheel sucked but at least did not go for the win like some do......

 

Generally well behaved and people understanding the group riding dynamics, barring 1 entitled individual that was also a bit over the place.  had to hand on the hip him 1 time as he was squeezing me of the road.  I think this made me realize that once a person is on the edge between bloodshot eyes and coughing  red their ability to aware of the other people around them diminishes exponential.

[Wannabe]

I was also in F-H bunch, it splintered properly going past Fairview, a few guys was really driving the pace up front. We formed a nice group of about 20 that had a few of us working at the front, and we continually kept catching stragglers that made the bunch grew quite a bit. Caught a fairly biggish bunch on the R304 just before the Kromme Rhee turn, which made the group a bit too big for my liking, and I moved to the middle of the bunch. Bad move it was, as I got caught up at the railway crossing, and the rest is history for me.

Still quite happy with my time, was faster than the goal I set at the beginning.