Winelands Cycle Race in September

[Skubarra]

7 minutes ago, Lucas Swart said:

Hi folks. I have signed up for Sunday's race, it will be my first race and I am going alone, riding a 1987 Battaglin steel frame. I have done quite a few 50-85km rides but this will be my longest yet. I intend to take it relatively slow and try not to get in anyone's way. I am also doing the Greyton Pie Run gravel race (on my MTB) later this month, and the Cape Town Cycle Tour next month, so I am joining this one as a practice run. 

Any other relative beginners doing this ride?

Any tips from more experienced riders?

Thank you! 

Not a particularly tough route, you should be fine. Keep something in the tank for the Bothmaskloof climb halfway, thereafter its generally downhill with some rollers to the finish. Like JBR say, see if you can find a group you can hang onto. Though things might get a bit hairy in groups if roads are wet...

[Jbr]

That's right, especially if beginers groups, try to stay on the sides of the group so that you can escape if something happens ! You get less cover but it usually helps staying out of trouble !

Edited September 1, 2021 by Jbr

[bleedToWin]

18 minutes ago, Lucas Swart said:

Hi folks. I have signed up for Sunday's race, it will be my first race and I am going alone, riding a 1987 Battaglin steel frame. I have done quite a few 50-85km rides but this will be my longest yet. I intend to take it relatively slow and try not to get in anyone's way. I am also doing the Greyton Pie Run gravel race (on my MTB) later this month, and the Cape Town Cycle Tour next month, so I am joining this one as a practice run. 

Any other relative beginners doing this ride?

Any tips from more experienced riders?

Thank you! 

Have you practiced group riding?
Expect those around you to start too fast. Keep something in the tank for the climb halfway into the race. If you are not in the last batch to start then don't fret if you get isolated due to wanting to conserve energy, there are more riders coming up behind you.
Welcome to the road racing scene. Enjoy the virgin voyage. ????

[Lucas Swart]

20 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Have you practiced group riding?
Expect those around you to start too fast. Keep something in the tank for the climb halfway into the race. If you are not in the last batch to start then don't fret if you get isolated due to wanting to conserve energy, there are more riders coming up behind you.
Welcome to the road racing scene. Enjoy the virgin voyage. ????

Thanks! Really appreciate the helpful responses I am getting here.

I normally ride with a small group of about 3-6 people, depending on who can make it. I haven't really gotten the hang of slipstreaming and so on yet though, my group consists of other beginners so I don't think any of us really know the proper etiquette yet.

[MORNE]

8 hours ago, ChrisF said:

snip

 

Thus far, August 2021 has thrown down some extreme changable weather in the Cape .... the more than 100mm rain for August certainly far exceed our normal rainfall.

 

Certainly seems the weather prophets have not figured out what September is holding in stock for us ....

 

 

Hope the riders get a good day for the event

 

43 minutes ago, Lucas Swart said:

snip

Any tips from more experienced riders?

Thank you! 

#partypace at the back. the upside of it being difficult in terms of weather is, most of the racing snakes will probably stay away...god forbid their expensive bikes get wet. That also means  you'll probably finish closer to the front, and bad weather almost definitely means the delta they apply in terms of seeding for CTCT (or whatever) will be more favourable to #partypace haha

[Jbr]

1 minute ago, MORNE said:

the upside of it being difficult in terms of weather is, most of the racing snakes will probably stay away...god forbid their expensive bikes get wet.

nope

[MORNE]

Just now, Jbr said:

nope

ok then SOME and probably lol. they wont all ride in the wet - you KNOW that ☺️

[Shebeen]

23 hours ago, bleedToWin said:

Every site says something else at this stage still. ????‍♂️

 

23 hours ago, MORNE said:

im pretty confident it wont rain. The predicted rain has moved earlier to friday…so obviously that weather cell is moving quicker than anticipated. Sunday seems like the first day of a hotter week after the cold front is finished with its business here. 

as a sailor/windsurfer i have been monitoring weather forecasts for a long time now.

i'm not sure which app you're following, but I'm pretty confident there will be quite a big storm on friday and a more minor one on sunday morning. prepared to get wet, if I'm wrong, then bonus

[MORNE]

8 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

 

as a sailor/windsurfer i have been monitoring weather forecasts for a long time now.

i'm not sure which app you're following, but I'm pretty confident there will be quite a big storm on friday and a more minor one on sunday morning. prepared to get wet, if I'm wrong, then bonus

you'll see that i changed my opinion on it because the forecast changed again around 8 hours after posting that originally. just saying lol. yes...as my 2nd post mentioned...there seems to be rain on friday and sunday and the hot weather has moved on for now. 

[bleedToWin]

8 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

 

as a sailor/windsurfer i have been monitoring weather forecasts for a long time now.

i'm not sure which app you're following, but I'm pretty confident there will be quite a big storm on friday and a more minor one on sunday morning. prepared to get wet, if I'm wrong, then bonus

Where should we be monitoring it?

Ventusky has 0.5mm over 3h accumulated only from 11:00, and nothing before:

[Lucas Swart]

52 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

 

as a sailor/windsurfer i have been monitoring weather forecasts for a long time now.

i'm not sure which app you're following, but I'm pretty confident there will be quite a big storm on friday and a more minor one on sunday morning. prepared to get wet, if I'm wrong, then bonus

I am going to come prepared in case it rains, but I won't lie, I am hoping it doesn't. Or at least not a lot. Could do without that extra handicap.

[Lucas Swart]

1 hour ago, MORNE said:

 

#partypace at the back. the upside of it being difficult in terms of weather is, most of the racing snakes will probably stay away...god forbid their expensive bikes get wet. That also means  you'll probably finish closer to the front, and bad weather almost definitely means the delta they apply in terms of seeding for CTCT (or whatever) will be more favourable to #partypace haha

#partypace sounds like something I can get behind! Starting to get excited now.

[mrcg]

My latest predictions based on various models is actually a dry race, with a light NE swinging to a more medium strength NW through the day.

So, without knowing the route, I guess head and tailwind somewhere along the course ????????

If you are not experienced in group riding/slipstreaming, then it's not advisable to try at a race. It is an "art" which requires practice, knowledge and experience

Enjoy the experience and take it easy ????

[Shebeen]

1 hour ago, bleedToWin said:

Where should we be monitoring it?

Ventusky has 0.5mm over 3h accumulated only from 11:00, and nothing before:

 for a random spot you don't monitor much, 4/5 days out yr.no everyday of the week. 

and then windy is nice to full around with to see what could be affecting things.

https://www.windy.com/-33.910/19.120?-34.017,19.081,10

in this instance you will see a low pressure moving in and breaking up. the remnants could just slide into the peninsula and beyond on sunday. there's a low confidence in all forecasts due to this.

 

once you really know a spot, then windguru forecast is good.

[MORNE]

2 hours ago, Lucas Swart said:

#partypace sounds like something I can get behind! Starting to get excited now.

Yea we dont like plastic bikes in the partypace groups. Only steel and/or other conversation worthy bicycles with man gearing. 
So sounds like you’ll fit right in with that oldie. PS I did the previous PPA event (85km?) on my 1987 Atala Professionisti (this bad boy down here), it was good fun and got plenty of conversations going along the way because of it. Some hubbers even came and Id’d me after the race haha. Weather depending (i want to be home before the Dutch GP) Id probably do this on my new steel bike.

[Lucas Swart]

3 hours ago, MORNE said:

Yea we dont like plastic bikes in the partypace groups. Only steel and/or other conversation worthy bicycles with man gearing. 
So sounds like you’ll fit right in with that oldie. PS I did the previous PPA event (85km?) on my 1987 Atala Professionisti (this bad boy down here), it was good fun and got plenty of conversations going along the way because of it. Some hubbers even came and Id’d me after the race haha. Weather depending (i want to be home before the Dutch GP) Id probably do this on my new steel bike.

That there is a beaut sir! I will look out for it on Sunday. Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I was having visions of being whizzed past by a blur of carbon fibre and then not seeing another human until the end of the race.

This is my Battaglin, which is currently being cleaned up and serviced at Woodstock Cycle Works.