947 Ride Joburg

[pedal menace]

39 minutes ago, FondTF2 said:

Anyone else get the sense that Ride Joburg (94.7) is starting to loose it's appeal?

I am sure covid had a big part to play but looking at the decrease in the numbers over the last 10 years, it is evident that entries have decreased by over 50% with this year being the lowest.

2023 +/- 8500 starters

2022 +/- 9300 starters

2021 +/- 9500 starters

2019 +/- 15800 starters

2018 +/- 18400 starters

2017 +/- 20000 starters

2016 +/- 20300 starters

2015 +/- 21500 starters

2014 +/- 21700 starters

2013 +/- 20800 starters

Thoughts??

Perhaps an additional factor - not as BIG as safety etc - is the race difficulty. A couple of years ago it was a 92km event with most of the climbing in the first half with a much easier second half. Yesterday was 98km in sweltering heat with some REALLY hard climbs in the second half. In fact you do over 1000m of climbing in the last 45km. Now for many of us - WE LIKE THAT! But for a large set of the general "I ride ONCE a year" group of riders - this is a rather brutal ride. I saw a LOT of riders down on the road with SERIOUS CRAMPS during those last 3 hard climbs. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by pedal menace

[IrfaanC]

45 minutes ago, Pandatron said:

Padel

No truer words have been spoken 🤣. I've lost a group of about 9 riders to Padel 

[FondTF2]

20 minutes ago, pedal menace said:

Perhaps an additional factor - not as BIG as safety etc - is the race difficulty. A couple of years ago it was a 92km event with most of the climbing in the first half with a much easier second half. Yesterday was 98km in sweltering heat with some REALLY hard climbs in the second half. In fact you do over 1000m of climbing in the last 45km. Now for many of us - WE LIKE THAT! But for a large set of the general "I ride ONCE a year" group of riders - this is a rather brutal ride. I saw a LOT of riders down on the road with SERIOUS CRAMPS during those last 3 hard climbs. 

Factor in the ride from the car to the start and back again, you are looking at over a 100Kays. (depending on where you parked)

As you said, some of us enjoy it, most don't.

[The Ouzo]

24 minutes ago, pedal menace said:

Perhaps an additional factor - not as BIG as safety etc - is the race difficulty. A couple of years ago it was a 92km event with most of the climbing in the first half with a much easier second half. Yesterday was 98km in sweltering heat with some REALLY hard climbs in the second half. In fact you do over 1000m of climbing in the last 45km. Now for many of us - WE LIKE THAT! But for a large set of the general "I ride ONCE a year" group of riders - this is a rather brutal ride. I saw a LOT of riders down on the road with SERIOUS CRAMPS during those last 3 hard climbs. 

Earlier years were much more brutal (the years before they started taking us on the freeway).

What made this year bad in terms of cramps etc. was the heat.

Prevailing winds means it assists up the hills going back.

 

For the not so fit they now have the short route. I suspect that has also taken a good few thousand participants away from the long route.

[pedal menace]

2 minutes ago, FondTF2 said:

Factor in the ride from the car to the start and back again, you are looking at over a 100Kays. (depending on where you parked)

As you said, some of us enjoy it, most don't.

Some changes I would recommend:
1. Scrap registration. It is rather useless and most us do not want to drive all the way out there for a quick paper exercise. Surely this process can be improved! 
2. Do a quick poll - do riders prefer this route or the previous (easier) one. 
3. Now changing the venue cannot be easy. The logistics to organise this in Joburg must be insane! BUT..I rather dislike this venue, especially now that the stadium is just there in the distance.
4. Consider a date change? November is HOT! Perhaps have this in Aug/Sept?
5. Better security/management of car guards.
6. What else?

Most of the above not easy. But these are just suggestions. 

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, FondTF2 said:

Anyone else get the sense that Ride Joburg (94.7) is starting to loose it's appeal?

I am sure covid had a big part to play but looking at the decrease in the numbers over the last 10 years, it is evident that entries have decreased by over 50% with this year being the lowest.

2023 +/- 8500 starters

2022 +/- 9300 starters

2021 +/- 9500 starters

2019 +/- 15800 starters

2018 +/- 18400 starters

2017 +/- 20000 starters

2016 +/- 20300 starters

2015 +/- 21500 starters

2014 +/- 21700 starters

2013 +/- 20800 starters

Thoughts??

There were just under 11,5k starters (rounded) in 2023. We've never had visibility to entries in years pre-covid, only finishers on the results page. Numbers are dropping, no doubt, but compared to the boom in the 2000s and early 2010s, i would say it is less appealing.

It has always been this time of year, and mostly hot.

Here's a breakdown of the results:

[Spinnekop]

24 minutes ago, pedal menace said:

Some changes I would recommend:
1. Scrap registration. It is rather useless and most us do not want to drive all the way out there for a quick paper exercise. Surely this process can be improved! 
2. Do a quick poll - do riders prefer this route or the previous (easier) one. 
3. Now changing the venue cannot be easy. The logistics to organise this in Joburg must be insane! BUT..I rather dislike this venue, especially now that the stadium is just there in the distance.
4. Consider a date change? November is HOT! Perhaps have this in Aug/Sept?
5. Better security/management of car guards.
6. What else?

Most of the above not easy. But these are just suggestions. 

Having done 22 of them, I would like to see:

1. Scrap registration.  I can sign in with my number.  If I have paid, I can start.
2. Change the venue.  Move it more North.  Kyalami was way better.  
3. Better security / Safer venue. (Location)

[Pandatron]

I actually saw a gang of padel players abducting cyclists - nobody talks about it due to Big Padel controlling Johannesburg. 

Jokes aside, I don't see ppl from my age group leaping over to cycling in the same numbers as before. The 25 - 35 numbers aren't there in my view. 

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

Having done 22 of them, I would like to see:

1. Scrap registration.  I can sign in with my number.  If I have paid, I can start.
2. Change the venue.  Move it more North.  Kyalami was way better.  
3. Better security / Safer venue. (Location)

I disagree on Kyalami. Getting to and from the venue was always a pain. (not half as bad as steyn shitty though).

But moving it more north might make it closer to get to for more people. But then we lose that lovely stretch of M1.

[JJDT]

How does the number compare to CTCT, are their numbers also decreasing?

As for the route finishing no19 yesterday, the route was always hard. Thinking to the days of Witkoppen Road with the long climb towards the water tower in Honeydew. Few km's later the N14 first climb and then the long drag before getting of the freeway. Then it was that dreaded hill turning left into Summit Road, and the it was that heartbreak hills on the R55nheading towards Kyalami.

Then there was Riversands, where you had the climb on Witkoppen before turning right on Malibongwe, then it was the climb towards the Lion Park. The last stretch on this route was the Ceder Road climb and the last climb in Steyn City before the downhill finish.

As for security for better parking the start and end should then be moved to start closer to Nasrec with parking inside the venue.

The route Maybe have a reverse route the same that they have done with the Riversands route.

[Ncayi]

1 hour ago, pedal menace said:

Perhaps an additional factor - not as BIG as safety etc - is the race difficulty. A couple of years ago it was a 92km event with most of the climbing in the first half with a much easier second half. Yesterday was 98km in sweltering heat with some REALLY hard climbs in the second half. In fact you do over 1000m of climbing in the last 45km. Now for many of us - WE LIKE THAT! But for a large set of the general "I ride ONCE a year" group of riders - this is a rather brutal ride. I saw a LOT of riders down on the road with SERIOUS CRAMPS during those last 3 hard climbs. 

Since moving to JHB I have had 2 opportunities to do this race and opted not to on both occasions. It just doesn't really appeal to me for some reason. I'm a big guy but I can get over hills just like the next guy. But I feel like it's a lot of elevation to pack into 90kms. Especially for people who don't ride consistently.

I know it might not be a fair comparison. I bet more people travel from other provinces to Cape Town for the CTCT than travel to JHB for this race.

This year I just chose to skip this and travel to Cape Town a week before doing the DC. 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Ncayi

[Frosty]

I stopped on Jan Smuts (after finishing my own ride and riding back along the route) and watched many people come passed in the 35 minutes I was there. While there were a large number of people going slowly, and felt it was hard work, they seemed to enjoy the encouragement from the small crowd in this area. These would have been open seeded riders in batches C - M, so possibly people that cycle often.

A couple grumpy people, including one that insisted we "move out of the way", but otherwise a large number of positivity despite the hard effort required up Jan Smuts.

[Karooryder]

1 hour ago, FondTF2 said:

Anyone else get the sense that Ride Joburg (94.7) is starting to loose it's appeal?

I am sure covid had a big part to play but looking at the decrease in the numbers over the last 10 years, it is evident that entries have decreased by over 50% with this year being the lowest.

2023 +/- 8500 starters

2022 +/- 9300 starters

2021 +/- 9500 starters

2019 +/- 15800 starters

2018 +/- 18400 starters

2017 +/- 20000 starters

2016 +/- 20300 starters

2015 +/- 21500 starters

2014 +/- 21700 starters

2013 +/- 20800 starters

Thoughts??

Yesterday was also the 70.3 Ironman in Mossel Bay and the event would have undoubtedly attracted quite a few 94.7 regulars (at least 6 of my frequent riding buddies and their families went down to participate and / or support). This will have to be considered in future for both events.

[The Ouzo]

18 minutes ago, JJDT said:

How does the number compare to CTCT, are their numbers also decreasing?

As for the route finishing no19 yesterday, the route was always hard. Thinking to the days of Witkoppen Road with the long climb towards the water tower in Honeydew. Few km's later the N14 first climb and then the long drag before getting of the freeway. Then it was that dreaded hill turning left into Summit Road, and the it was that heartbreak hills on the R55nheading towards Kyalami.

Then there was Riversands, where you had the climb on Witkoppen before turning right on Malibongwe, then it was the climb towards the Lion Park. The last stretch on this route was the Ceder Road climb and the last climb in Steyn City before the downhill finish.

As for security for better parking the start and end should then be moved to start closer to Nasrec with parking inside the venue.

The route Maybe have a reverse route the same that they have done with the Riversands route.

Out of the 19 I've done since 1998, this is by far the easiest and nicest route.

Never like any of the clock wise routes. The anti clock wise ones from the early years had brutal never ending climb after climb after climb. It felt like there was no rest between the climbs. this route atleast has enough time between each climb to rest the legs.

[ChrisF]

23 minutes ago, Karooryder said:

Yesterday was also the 70.3 Ironman in Mossel Bay and the event would have undoubtedly attracted quite a few 94.7 regulars (at least 6 of my frequent riding buddies and their families went down to participate and / or support). This will have to be considered in future for both events.

 

1843 participants at the Mosselbay Ironman, plus family supporting them.

 

Probably a few hundred 94.7 entrants lost to this.

 

PS - Mosselbay was two weeks earlier last year.  Must be "fun" trying to align all these events.

Edited November 20, 2023 by ChrisF

[ChrisF]

39 minutes ago, JJDT said:

How does the number compare to CTCT, are their numbers also decreasing?

 

 

Seems 2015 was the peak at just over 34 000 entrants.  This year, less than half of that....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town_Cycle_Tour

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by ChrisF