2020 SA Road Champs

[NC_lurker]

not going to comment on the oke's accent, but that guy should not be reading any news in any language, or maybe lay off the bong during work hours

Maybe it was a slow news day and he was told to drag it out a bit...

 

Great interview from Ashleigh.

[jdwet1980]

not going to comment on the oke's accent, but that guy should not be reading any news in any language, or maybe lay off the bong during work hours

He should audition for The Muppets Show or teach parrots to talk. Slow learning parrots....

[Bateleur1]

I see one of the elite ladies was hit by a car during the race, anyone have more info on this?

 

She is alright with a few scratches and a sore elbow.

[Carbon_Kooi]

She is alright with a few scratches and a sore elbow.

Any idea how the accident happened?

[Bateleur1]

Any idea how the accident happened?

 

Nope, sorry.  The only details I know is what I posted.

[Shebeen]

I agree, keep it where the people are. You need to get the public exited and involved for the betterment of the sport.

 

If that means you keep it at a single location for a couple of years, then so be it.

 

As a minimum, keep it in the big cities, especially the cycling-mad cities. So sharing it between the Cape and Gauteng every year is feasible.

 

The circuit racing in Pretoria last year made for phenomenal viewing opportunities for spectators. If something work, replica the good parts.

 

Only after you have established the brand will you be able to host it somewhere remote for the benefit of the local community. Like All Blacks vs Springboks in Nelspruit this year( still a little daft move in my opinion, but they should fill enough seats to make a profit in the old White Elephant Orange Giraffe Stadium)

 

 

So now that all is said and done, did the course deliver great racing?

[Spinnekop]

So now that all is said and done, did the course deliver great racing?

• Great racing.  Hard course.
• Almost ZERO traffic which was amazing to race on.
• Not a lot of spectators.  Few family members
• Small fields in the ladies, vets cats that I saw.  Not many participants willing to travel that far for ANY event.
• Expensive weekend away
• The roads to the venue was a shitshow.  Potholes as big as Kimberly's hole. And lots.

[Bateleur1]

 

• Great racing.  Hard course.
• Almost ZERO traffic which was amazing to race on.
• Not a lot of spectators.  Few family members
• Small fields in the ladies, vets cats that I saw.  Not many participants willing to travel that far for ANY event.
• Expensive weekend away
• The roads to the venue was a shitshow.  Potholes as big as Kimberly's hole. And lots.

 

 

Was wondering about that.  Which way did you drive?  Lydenburg or Tzaneen?

[tourdeboland]

Hard course? In what sense, asking from a not-knowing perspective.

 

• Great racing.  Hard course.
• Almost ZERO traffic which was amazing to race on.
• Not a lot of spectators.  Few family members
• Small fields in the ladies, vets cats that I saw.  Not many participants willing to travel that far for ANY event.
• Expensive weekend away
• The roads to the venue was a shitshow.  Potholes as big as Kimberly's hole. And lots.

 

[Spinnekop]

Was wondering about that.  Which way did you drive?  Lydenburg or Tzaneen?

We did Lydenburg.

 

That poor town is down and out.  Won't want to drive through it again.

[Tankman]

Any streaming service for this event?

 

I offered... but I dont work for free.

 

 

 

WTF... seriously!

 

 

I contacted CSA last year offering media coverage.  Photo, Video Interviews, Live Streaming....

CSA always starts the conversation with the same words: 

"We have no budget....

but No, speak to HA Toere we have nothing to do with SA's"

 

 

Ha Toere told me I am welcome to come and take photos and sell them online afterwards...  :lol:

 

 

Seriously?!  Travel to the middle of nowhere, accommodation, food, petrol, the actual work I need to do, being away from my business for 5 days... suuuuuuuure, I will do it for free.

 

 

I found it is much easier to avoid any events where CSA is involved because... I have no budget!

[Tankman]

Oh and sell the photos to whom, the 3 people that actually attended?!  :lol:

[Andrew Steer]

I offered... but I dont work for free.

 

 

 

WTF... seriously!

 

 

I contacted CSA last year offering media coverage.  Photo, Video Interviews, Live Streaming....

CSA always starts the conversation with the same words: 

"We have no budget....

but No, speak to HA Toere we have nothing to do with SA's"

 

 

Ha Toere told me I am welcome to come and take photos and sell them online afterwards...  :lol:

 

 

Seriously?!  Travel to the middle of nowhere, accommodation, food, petrol, the actual work I need to do, being away from my business for 5 days... suuuuuuuure, I will do it for free.

 

 

I found it is much easier to avoid any events where CSA is involved because... I have no budget!

With all due respect, they really don't have budget for most things, so having a photographer travel there from the other side of the country is probably not too high on the priority list... especially when they will get free coverage from SABC and usually Cycle Nation too (which makes the organizer blocking them all the more weird - but maybe there is some other side to the story)

 

The problem with National and Provincial champs is that they are largely a financial burden on a body that already has enough financial problems. They don't attract much sponsorship (in their current guise), they don't attract big numbers (possibly ever - although I am sure we could get a 1000 riders out) and yet still have most of the costs associated with events several times the size.

 

This champs was also thrown together under big changes in the body and judging them on it would be pretty foolish... 

[Spinnekop]

The problem with National and Provincial champs is that they are largely a financial burden on a body that already has enough financial problems. They don't attract much sponsorship (in their current guise), they don't attract big numbers (possibly ever - although I am sure we could get a 1000 riders out) and yet still have most of the costs associated with events several times the size.

So why not keep it a NATIONAL champ........one champ......#1 n SA......well......one lady and one gent.

And keep it at that.  The age cats never made sense to me.

 

So hold a championship in a place where we can go support.  Pta, Jhb, Durban, Ct.

And have two races.  One race ladies early morning and one race gentleman after the ladies.

TT can be on the Saturday.

 

That would cut down a LOT of cost and still net the same result................find the best rider in SA to wear the jersey. 

 

Just a thought.............

[Spinnekop]

And on that silly note.
Move away from CSA officialdom on age cats.

 

Let race organisers sort out their seeding on ability of PARTICIPANTS.

 

Elite professional athletes (one bunch ladies, one bunch men) can be governed by CSA.  One set officials.

[Tankman]

With all due respect, they really don't have budget for most things, so having a photographer travel there from the other side of the country is probably not too high on the priority list... especially when they will get free coverage from SABC and usually Cycle Nation too (which makes the organizer blocking them all the more weird - but maybe there is some other side to the story)

 

The problem with National and Provincial champs is that they are largely a financial burden on a body that already has enough financial problems. They don't attract much sponsorship (in their current guise), they don't attract big numbers (possibly ever - although I am sure we could get a 1000 riders out) and yet still have most of the costs associated with events several times the size.

 

This champs was also thrown together under big changes in the body and judging them on it would be pretty foolish... 

Yea I know, traveling from Pretoria sure would have felt like traveling from the other side of the country to get to Hoedspruit.

 

SABC was never mentioned, not even sure they knew they were going to be there.

 

The budget thing... they had R1.3M surplus on the last public statement, there's that.

 

That's the thing, everyone wants coverage and live feeds and photos and what not, but no one is willing to pay for it.

 

 

If you want free, you get free... but then everyone should stop complaining about the lack of coverage.

 

 

Sometimes, when the event organizers are full of budget stories, I work directly with the the pro teams, much easier and they get dedicated coverage.