Paarl de Ville Road Race

[Thomo]

Extremely disappointing event, they need to sort it out before the next event.

Seems there are a lot of questions to be answered.

May be a while before their next event...

 

From what I've heard, the TTT's on Saturday went well.

Perhaps that should be the format while we continue to navigate Covid norms.

[Jbr]

I see on the provisional results than less than half of the field finished the race for cat1...

Edited April 12, 2021 by Jbr

['Dale]

There were 4 woman who hit the deck. 1 so bad her dad eventually picked her up and rushed her to hospital as they couldn't wait any more. They needed at least 3 ambulances alone for that crash

 

Eina, eina. 

[Sid the Sloth]

@JBR I think a lot of us who don’t have working chips are still waiting for results to be uploaded manually, and quite a lot of guys bailed after waiting for 30 minutes not really being told what was going on with the ambulance situation and the expected delays.

[Jbr]

@JBR I think a lot of us who don’t have working chips are still waiting for results to be uploaded manually, and quite a lot of guys bailed after waiting for 30 minutes not really being told what was going on with the ambulance situation and the expected delays.

Were you riding that green canondale with a private client kit ?

[OVERDRIVE]

There were 4 woman who hit the deck. 1 so bad her dad eventually picked her up and rushed her to hospital as they couldn't wait any more. They needed at least 3 ambulances alone for that crash

Geez. Horrible 

[Sid the Sloth]

Were you riding that green canondale with a private client kit ?

Indeed, I am the one with the dead chain. 

[Jbr]

Indeed, I am the one with the dead chain.

Thought it had to be you, don’t see this bike often ???? how did your race go ? Edited April 12, 2021 by Jbr

[Sid the Sloth]

Thought it had to be you, don’t see this bike often how did your race go ?

Alright, still learning a lot. Missed the split and then tried to go for it from our second group from about 2km left on the last hill, just to be first out of our group. I sent it into the last corner, popped, and was overtaken by a small following group. I think I ended up about 12th or so. But I am waiting for my results to be uploaded as I don't have a chip and they don't have any to sell to us post-lockdown learner-riders so they are using the finish line video footage and strava files for cross referencing. 

[Jbr]

Alright, still learning a lot. Missed the split and then tried to go for it from our second group from about 2km left on the last hill, just to be first out of our group. I sent it into the last corner, popped, and was overtaken by a small following group. I think I ended up about 12th or so. But I am waiting for my results to be uploaded as I don't have a chip and they don't have any to sell to us post-lockdown learner-riders so they are using the finish line video footage and strava files for cross referencing.

Still pretty impressive considering the conditions, well done !

[Sid the Sloth]

Still pretty impressive considering the conditions, well done !

Thanks! How was yours?

[milky4130]

Tim to my knowledge these are private ambulances at I think +- R5000 a pop, so has nothing to do with COVID-19, perhaps the share of the profits to cover more ambulances is the answer or higher entry fees?

 

As for riding on the other side of the white line, either get dropped or start a new echelon, that is racing tactics to put you in the gutter. 

[Robo]

Normally very well organized.. But not this one...Roll call in start shute.. Bad idea.. Sign in register most probably the better option (we are anyway signing the covid screening doc) The venue and start location is not ideal.

[Jbr]

Thanks! How was yours?

haha like you I'm still fairly new to this sport, this was my 3rd road race if you exclude killarney crits and the DC (team TT). 

 

I keep on making the same mistakes, I don't have a team, definitely don't ride to win, yet I get bored too quickly and decide try and close attacks and burn matches   

 

1st start I realise 30 secs after the start that I really need to pee (despite peing twice before). I ended up sprinting away from the group after the turnoff passed Pederberg, took for ever to do my thing, sprinted like hell to get back to the group.......... that ended up stopping because the race was neutralised.

 

Then I almost decided to go home while we waited for ever for the restart, especially when they said two laps, as I had more or less planned my day around being home by 1, not finish the race at 1 

 

Then restart was hard on the legs I think for everyone. I did a couple turns at the front closing attacks at the worst possible timing, so that I'm a bit in the red when the rollers with the crosswinds came, refusing to ride opposite side of the road made it even harder. Got dropped on the last roller at Pederberg, killed myself to get back in the group a second time.

 

Then on the last little bump on slent road I was already at the back when the guys started standing on the opposite side of the road, I thought "**** it it's not worth giving that effort I don't want to do another lap of this BS anyways".

 

Maybe I should have because if was the last one and then it was a headwind so no echelons. I wouldn't have wanted to do the last lap in these conditions anyways, so no regrets.

I did a nice TT back to the parking lot as the other guys who quit just decided to cruise but I still wanted to finish on a good effort.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Jbr

[BuffsVintageBikes]

This is nothing new really. How many ambulances is enough? You can have 2 and there will be 3 crashes etc. I remember coming down hard in a PPA race years ago and breaking my collarbone. The ambulance was dealing with another crash so I had to walk to the Medi Clinic with my bike slung over my other shoulder and book myself in Fortunately we were racing through Stellenbosch at the time.

Edited April 13, 2021 by BuffsVintageBikes

[bleedToWin]

We can talk about how many ambulances would be appropriate all day, but I think the real failure points were the poor communication from commissairs while neutralising the race, and after stopping the race. The shoddy school teacher style role call in the shoots. Race safety briefing being shouted at us after the role call was just completed over megaphone (only 20 of the 100 okes could realistically hear anything). The size of the groups. The enforcement of white line riding...