Cape Town Cycle Tour 2021

[FootballingCyclist]

Rolling starts for the front racers is a terrible terrible idea. Do it for the groups where nobody cares about bunch riding, sure, but you can't have a race in a sport where group dynamic and it's manipulation is the core tactic done with a rolling start. It would be idiotic.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. I'm just sharing what was posted on their FB post in the comments section by someone who seems to be an organiser of sorts. Imagine "A-B" starts at 6:00 to 6:10am for example, pitch up at 6:04 and everyone is gone....

[babse]

On that note, I see PPa is planning to host a not so cheap sportive on the 30th May with the rolling start format.

[bleedToWin]

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. I'm just sharing what was posted on their FB post in the comments section by someone who seems to be an organiser of sorts. Imagine "A-B" starts at 6:00 to 6:10am for example, pitch up at 6:04 and everyone is gone....

Yip. Or every Joe with a seeding in A - E rocks up at 5:30 to be ready for their windows opening. 

[bleedToWin]

On that note, I see PPa is planning to host a not so cheap sportive on the 30th May with the rolling start format.

Not so cheap, and not very far either at 85km. Add to that the rolling start format and it becomes a very expensive club ride where you are allowed to roll through intersections. I'll be giving it a miss.

[Jase619]

CTCT on the 10th, Amashova on the 24th... better have my car serviced and start saving for new tires, October is going to be rough!

 

Starting planning already, going to be a hectic time. Plus if you include Ride Joburg on the 21st of November it is a very busy 6 weeks!

[Long Wheel Base]

Isn't today the day they going to let us know when we can enter etc etc?

[DieselnDust]

Isn't today the day they going to let us know when we can enter etc etc?

 

 

sometime this afternoon 

[Jase619]

Isn't today the day they going to let us know when we can enter etc etc?

 

Correct. 

[Thomo]

Starting planning already, going to be a hectic time. Plus if you include Ride Joburg on the 21st of November it is a very busy 6 weeks!

Us weekend warriors will feel like pros for 6 weeks.!

[MORNE]

ive been doing ±150km a week on rollers with my vintage road bike for giggles. Enjoying the challenge. i'm hoping my wife is not keen to ride this year....as this could be the first one i am doing on dun wiele lol. i'm feeling i can take at least an hour of my previous time. if she wants to ride then ill do it on my SS mtb so she can keep up. 

[Jewbacca]

Rolling starts for the front racers is a terrible terrible idea. Do it for the groups where nobody cares about bunch riding, sure, but you can't have a race in a sport where group dynamic and it's manipulation is the core tactic done with a rolling start. It would be idiotic.

 

With no prize money it doesn't matter? They could also have a rolling start with a neutral zone for the bunches to form. 

 

A LOT of pro races have rolling starts with neutral zones.

 

I don't see the issue

[Jase619]

Us weekend warriors will feel like pros for 6 weeks.!

 

Okes be organising a winter training camp and everything haha.

[bleedToWin]

With no prize money it doesn't matter? They could also have a rolling start with a neutral zone for the bunches to form. 

 

A LOT of pro races have rolling starts with neutral zones.

 

I don't see the issue

Sorry, when saying racers I didn't mean only the Elite bunch. There's never any prize money for winning B group, yet racing is always on there. A rolling start with a neutral zone works when everyone rolls off at once, not within a window. It also requires a commissaire to control the neutral riding speed. Presumably A and B and C groups will have overlapping starting windows meaning everyone will line up way before their window opens in order to start as soon as the window opens. This gives you the best odds at being in a bunch where you can ride your best possible time.

 

If you assume that fast riders want to ride fast, then the safest thing to do is to bunch them up with safe numbers and stagger their start times sufficiently.

[Jewbacca]

Sorry, when saying racers I didn't mean only the Elite bunch. There's never any prize money for winning B group, yet racing is always on there. A rolling start with a neutral zone works when everyone rolls off at once, not within a window. It also requires a commissaire to control the neutral riding speed. Presumably A and B and C groups will have overlapping starting windows meaning everyone will line up way before their window opens in order to start as soon as the window opens. This gives you the best odds at being in a bunch where you can ride your best possible time.

 

If you assume that fast riders want to ride fast, then the safest thing to do is to bunch them up with safe numbers and stagger their start times sufficiently.

'Presume' and 'assume' are big words there.

 

Let's rather wait to see what has 'actually' been organised before we throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

Also, who cares? If you really feel the need to absolutely race a fun ride when they specifically say 'it's not a race' in a year where even having the road closure is a massive luxury, then there are bigger problems at play.

 

Like you say, there is no prize money in the wannabe seeding groups so does it actually matter?

 

I don't see an issue with a rolling start at all. I'm not in an elite batch and winning C batch to come 74th means nothing to me. I'm still 74th.

 

Have a rolling start, be super thankful they have found a way to address the current climate, organise road closures and put on a safe, amazing ride around the peninsula.

[bleedToWin]

 

Like you say, there is no prize money in the wannabe seeding groups so does it actually matter?

What I said was that there has never been prize money for these groups, so not having prize money this year is not anything special. I'm saying that it is only reasonable to assume that these groups will race, as they have always done, for no incentive at all other than the desire to race. No matter what your intentions are, this is the only reasonable assumption to make.

 

 

 

If you really feel the need to absolutely race a fun ride when they specifically say 'it's not a race' in a year where even having the road closure is a massive luxury, then there are bigger problems at play.

 

Yes, that is my point. Racers gonna race. Rolling starts could be a big problem.

[Jewbacca]

What I said was that there has never been prize money for these groups, so not having prize money this year is not anything special. I'm saying that it is only reasonable to assume that these groups will race, as they have always done, for no incentive at all other than the desire to race. No matter what your intentions are, this is the only reasonable assumption to make.

 

 

 

Yes, that is my point. Racers gonna race. Rolling starts could be a big problem.

In what way?