99er Cycle Tour

[NicholasH]

7 minutes ago, babse said:

Vissers and top of odendaal finish is what really set this race apart from all others on the WC calender. In my view the current route is just another panflat race in the north (I'm from the south)...

 

I would really like to see either or both of the climbs back in the race. I hope all stars align for years moving forward.

 

I feel your pain...(or the lack thereof!) Vissers is out of our control unfortunately

[Skubarra]

8 minutes ago, NicholasH said:

Many thanks for your kind words! The seeding is always contentious and we hear what you guys are saying. Unfortunately our hands are TIED as the PPA/RaceTec/CTCT are in control. We will try again for next year, that is the best we can offer.... 

I am a very keen cyclist myself and I would LOVE to see the finish back up at the top of Odendaal but I think I will then be taken to the public square be flogged by the masses...! We have to strike a balance between making the event fun and attractive for the masses but also make it appealing for the $ group.... We are the 1st and ONLY race to use the Kalbaskraal section and we we had excellent feedback as it makes the 100km route more accessible for most people. Our challenge is still the 3 narrow bridges at the end of Kalbaskraal and we did get it better this year but that remains a downside of this route.

I saw by chance this morning that the Herald Cycle Tour in PE which always happens close to your race and up until now used Racetec as a timing company dropped Racetec and is not an official seeding event for the CTCT anymore... (94.7/RideJoburg also not a Racetec/CTCT seeding event anymore)

I would prefer you keep on using Racetec but I think you guys (in theory at least) have more leverage than in the past... 

[NicholasH]

3 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

I saw by chance this morning that the Herald Cycle Tour in PE which always happens close to your race and up until now used Racetec as a timing company dropped Racetec and is not an official seeding event for the CTCT anymore... (94.7/RideJoburg also not a Racetec/CTCT seeding event anymore)

I would prefer you keep on using Racetec but I think you guys (in theory at least) have more leverage than in the past... 

Unfortunately, because we live in CT and our race is so close to the CTCT people want a seeded ride and that means Racetec. But, yes, we are in stronger position as I think we are now the 2nd (or 3rd) biggest race in the Western Cape. 

[TCTG]

14 minutes ago, NicholasH said:

Hi.

1. Yeah, the coke thing has us organizers puzzled tbh. There WAS a coke truck at the race finish. As turned left after the timing mat and went down the road, the water, coke and Energade was all there. We DID NOT have it at the racecourse as we relied on vendors for that. So, we are really confused as to how some people did not get coke....unless we ran out...

2.  Ice : because of the extreme heat we had to limit ice I'm afraid. We actually had a bakkie come to the racecourse and fetch ice to take BACK to some water points because of the heat. Usually this tis not a problem, however. Our apologies!

3. Yes, point well taken! I will chat with our marketing team and make an alternate plan

4. The venue is owned/run by Cape Racing so we don't have any control and catering is outsourced so we are restricted. However, we will def raise this point for next race!

thanks for constructive input!

 

Could you please bring the medal table outside of that gravel patch leading into the racecourse area. I for one would want to grab and go but not walk on stones to receive it.

And there was no coke at the end.

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, NicholasH said:

Good morning.

I am the Head Of Operations for the 99er. We are always looking for comments and feedback after our race so we can improve. I was thus wondering where we slipped up? There was definitely Coke, Energade and water at the finish line on Odendaal. Or what are you referring to?

regards,

Nicholas Haupt

 

 

Thank you for a VERY nice event !!

 

This was only my second road race in 30 years.  The other being the 2023 Winelands race.  (I am not counting the 2022 Argus swimathon )

 

So I am a total newbie to this roadie stuff .... and on an e-bike .... 

 

I truly enjoyed the event.    I was lucky enough to start with A-batch and get done before the heat of the day. 

 

Seeding - found it strange that I got seeded in A-batch.  I certainly registered as an e-bike, and with 2 off road events and one MTB event (which counts to CTCT) I should have been mid-pack at best.

 

 

Shortly after Philladelphia I stopped at the water point for some Energade.  NICE GROUP !!!  The ice was VERY welcome.

 

 

Adderley .... ouch ... this got hairy with a couple of the short route riders acting eratically and swerving with no notice and no reason .....  While the motorcycles (RIGHTLY) was on the mid-line keeping the cyclists out the way of the oncoming cars.  If only for this reason, Vissershok will be a welcome return.

 

While on the topic of the motorcycles - It was very nice to see the B, C, D, E bunches catching and passing me.  Motorcycle firmly placed one bike behind the last cyclist and virtually on the white line.  They made SURE the back of the bunch was well protected 

 

 

At the finish:

- Also looked for Coke.  No biggie.  Poured the first cup of water over head, and downed the second.

- Sadly the cyclists just standing over their bikes and blocking the road was the biggest issue at this point.  You cant go forward, and the riders behind are nudging you on .....  In all fairness, typical crowd behaviour, and we have seen this before.  Very little you as organisers can do about this.

 

Back at the "actual finish" it was a weird feeling/vibe .... the one downside of finishing early, nothing has started yet.  With no cash, tap-pay only, I would not be able to buy anything.  HEAT .... two hours till the seremonies .... I cycled home.

 

 

In comparison .... at Winelands they had an interesting system where they had the seremony and a "first lucky draw" at 10:00.  Nice music and a proper vibe for the early finishers.  And then a second lucky draw (no seremony) at 12:00 for the slower riders.

 

Also with reference to the Winelands race - about 6 or 7 of the fast groups started, then the ebikes, followed by the rest of the groups.  This actually worked very well.  The ebikes are too far back to get involved in the race results.  And yet fast enough to stay ahead of the slower groups, or at least the passing rate was very slow and safe.  

 

 

All considered - WELL RUN EVENT 

 

Baie dankie

[NicholasH]

9 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Thank you for a VERY nice event !!

 

This was only my second road race in 30 years.  The other being the 2023 Winelands race.  (I am not counting the 2022 Argus swimathon )

 

So I am a total newbie to this roadie stuff .... and on an e-bike .... 

 

I truly enjoyed the event.    I was lucky enough to start with A-batch and get done before the heat of the day. 

 

Seeding - found it strange that I got seeded in A-batch.  I certainly registered as an e-bike, and with 2 off road events and one MTB event (which counts to CTCT) I should have been mid-pack at best.

 

 

Shortly after Philladelphia I stopped at the water point for some Energade.  NICE GROUP !!!  The ice was VERY welcome.

 

 

Adderley .... ouch ... this got hairy with a couple of the short route riders acting eratically and swerving with no notice and no reason .....  While the motorcycles (RIGHTLY) was on the mid-line keeping the cyclists out the way of the oncoming cars.  If only for this reason, Vissershok will be a welcome return.

 

While on the topic of the motorcycles - It was very nice to see the B, C, D, E bunches catching and passing me.  Motorcycle firmly placed one bike behind the last cyclist and virtually on the white line.  They made SURE the back of the bunch was well protected 

 

 

At the finish:

- Also looked for Coke.  No biggie.  Poured the first cup of water over head, and downed the second.

- Sadly the cyclists just standing over their bikes and blocking the road was the biggest issue at this point.  You cant go forward, and the riders behind are nudging you on .....  In all fairness, typical crowd behaviour, and we have seen this before.  Very little you as organisers can do about this.

 

Back at the "actual finish" it was a weird feeling/vibe .... the one downside of finishing early, nothing has started yet.  With no cash, tap-pay only, I would not be able to buy anything.  HEAT .... two hours till the seremonies .... I cycled home.

 

 

In comparison .... at Winelands they had an interesting system where they had the seremony and a "first lucky draw" at 10:00.  Nice music and a proper vibe for the early finishers.  And then a second lucky draw (no seremony) at 12:00 for the slower riders.

 

Also with reference to the Winelands race - about 6 or 7 of the fast groups started, then the ebikes, followed by the rest of the groups.  This actually worked very well.  The ebikes are too far back to get involved in the race results.  And yet fast enough to stay ahead of the slower groups, or at least the passing rate was very slow and safe.  

 

 

All considered - WELL RUN EVENT 

 

Baie dankie

Hello

Yes, I personally raced the Winelands and experienced the 10/12 prize giving. Problem is we gave away THREE expensive bikes, not inner tubes! lol!! So to be fair to ALL competitors we have to do it this way but I understand your point. It is a VERY LONG wait. Before being involved I raced a few 99ers myself and I know what you are saying. We will def look at the vendors and how we can better cater for cyclists

Crowd control is always a problem at the end but we can mobilize more marshals to assist with asking people to move on 🙂

This is only our 2nd year with eBikes and they are an issue we are going to address

thanks for you feedback, we will take it to heart!

[NicholasH]

30 minutes ago, TCTG said:

Could you please bring the medal table outside of that gravel patch leading into the racecourse area. I for one would want to grab and go but not walk on stones to receive it.

And there was no coke at the end.

Hi. Point taken re the medal table 🙂 We can def consider moving it.

There seems to confusion as to where the "end" is. Our definition of the end is at the timing mat on Odendaal and we def had coke, etc there. However, there is a perception that the end is at the racecourse where the medals are collected and, no, we did not cater for coke there. Our rationale being that the cyclists would want to have  drink right there after the race. If they require additional fluids this can be purchased at the venue

thanks for your valuable input!

[peevee]

Re seedings:

I checked on Racetec and my 2023 99er result is not yet reflected.

HOWEVER, I also checked my seeding on the PPA website as I am a paid up member and my PPA seeding has already been updated with my 2023 99er result.

So this is an interesting one as my 2022 99er result is still being used for my Racetec seeding (plus a penalty of 7) but my PPA seeding is better as there is no penalty added.

[Jbr]

22 minutes ago, peevee said:

Re seedings:

I checked on Racetec and my 2023 99er result is not yet reflected.

HOWEVER, I also checked my seeding on the PPA website as I am a paid up member and my PPA seeding has already been updated with my 2023 99er result.

So this is an interesting one as my 2022 99er result is still being used for my Racetec seeding (plus a penalty of 7) but my PPA seeding is better as there is no penalty added.

haha 4th in $ wouldn't have given me a good enough seeding for $ at CTCT 😅

Sat 11/02/2023 2023 Gryphon 99er Cycle Tour (100km)

40.44

02:28:22

02:11:06

0.89

14.88

I think some of the A batch starters will have a very nice surprise on their CTCT seedings

 

The fact that the One tonner where I stopped at the waterpoint to refill bottles and then cruised for the 2nd half gives me a better index than my 99er result is a bit odd though

Edited February 14, 2023 by Jbr

[Bub Marley]

13 minutes ago, peevee said:

Re seedings:

I checked on Racetec and my 2023 99er result is not yet reflected.

HOWEVER, I also checked my seeding on the PPA website as I am a paid up member and my PPA seeding has already been updated with my 2023 99er result.

So this is an interesting one as my 2022 99er result is still being used for my Racetec seeding (plus a penalty of 7) but my PPA seeding is better as there is no penalty added.

Are they not the same seeding?

[FootballingCyclist]

1 hour ago, babse said:

Vissers and top of odendaal finish is what really set this race apart from all others on the WC calender. In my view the current route is just another panflat race in the north (I'm from the south)...

 

I would really like to see either or both of the climbs back in the race. I hope all stars align for years moving forward.

 

Ya you would because you only weigh 55kgs...

[babse]

24 minutes ago, FootballingCyclist said:

Ya you would because you only weigh 55kgs...

 

[DieselnDust]

2 hours ago, peevee said:

Re seedings:

I checked on Racetec and my 2023 99er result is not yet reflected.

HOWEVER, I also checked my seeding on the PPA website as I am a paid up member and my PPA seeding has already been updated with my 2023 99er result.

So this is an interesting one as my 2022 99er result is still being used for my Racetec seeding (plus a penalty of 7) but my PPA seeding is better as there is no penalty added.

What odd about that? This is how it works.

PPA publishes your revised seeding first as this is a benefit of membership. Also your PPA seeding is used for seeding your start batch to PPA events.

Your Racetec seeding is used for other Racetec timed events not sanctioned/or premier PPA events.

This is how PPA membership benefits works or rather shall we call it Loyalty Points.

 

Your racetec seeding may catch up depending on how close to the cusp you are.

Edited February 14, 2023 by DieselnDust

[DieselnDust]

2 hours ago, Bub Marley said:

Are they not the same seeding?

yes and no

it depends on the event status with PPA

[Bub Marley]

3 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

yes and no

it depends on the event status with PPA

In terms of the Argus? This would be my seeding.

[The Ouzo]

3 hours ago, Skubarra said:

I saw by chance this morning that the Herald Cycle Tour in PE which always happens close to your race and up until now used Racetec as a timing company dropped Racetec and is not an official seeding event for the CTCT anymore... (94.7/RideJoburg also not a Racetec/CTCT seeding event anymore)

I would prefer you keep on using Racetec but I think you guys (in theory at least) have more leverage than in the past... 

out of interest sake I jumped onto Racetec earlier to see my seeding, I see they are using my 2022 947 as part of my seeding. I see my 2021 947 is listed under unused events. 

Not sure if this will be used for CTCT though.