Cape Town Cycle Tour 2022

[ChrisF]

7 hours ago, NickGM said:

Can someone please clarify something from the CTCT emails:

"Plan to arrive at your Transition Area no more than 10 min before your start time."

And then...

"The Grand Parade is quite exposed, even if the breeze is light and for most the wait in the start chutes will be an hour or more, so don’t forget to pack a lightweight wind-cheater, to stay warm."

To me this implies that if your start time is 7:00, you must arrive at the Transition area at 6:50 (or later). Then you are likely to spend an hour in the start chute, so you actually start at 7:50, nearly an hour after your start time.

To be honest, last year was a bit like that. But I just thought that was a stuff up and an exception. So have I miss-understood something, or have they provided conflicting information, or do you generally end up starting quite a while after your official start time?

 

Would also like some feedback from the experienced riders on this.

 

Get the feeling I need to chat with someone that knows the drill .... 

[DJR]

F

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

Would also like some feedback from the experienced riders on this..............

If you are a racing snake and you want to hang with the fast people in your starting group, get there a little earlier and enter your designated starting chute as early as they open it. That way you will be at the front with mostly like minded competitive people. How early? It used to be at least an hour before, but that is now frowned upon. The other way is to arrive at the last minute and then push your way through the mass of people to get to the front. That was difficult because the starting chutes were so densely packed. Last year it was easy because everyone tried to stay at least a metre away from everyone else ....... and that left the perfect gap for thick skinned racing snake types to worm their way to the front.

If you are like me, and you no longer care too much about whether you take 12 699th place or 13 000th place, just rock up a few minutes before your own starting time and start with your group. Starting at the tail end of your group is also just fine, because the "fast people" from the group after yours will catch up with you before you get halfway to Hospital Bend and you can then catch a wheel from there if you so feel.

If it is too congested for your liking when you get to your own starting chute or you misjudged the time and end up too late, just go into the starting chute for the group after your own seeded one. In the middle third and later in the race, it really doesn't make much difference.

Ai tog, when I read this it sounds like I'm half dead, but really, except for the front 10%, perhaps, it is just a fun ride with glorious scenery, a great vibe, cheering spectators and car free roads to enjoy. If you overthink and over stress, it will make you miss the best part of the tour. 

Edited February 25, 2022 by DJR

[Mamil]

I see that all groups before 2a get a uniform batch start time while 2a onwards are timed from the moment their transponder crosses the mat.

Hi ho

[ChrisF]

35 minutes ago, DJR said:

F

If you are a racing snake and you want to hang with the fast people in your starting group, get there a little earlier and enter your designated starting chute as early as they open it. That way you will be at the front with mostly like minded competitive people. How early? It used to be at least an hour before, but that is now frowned upon. The other way is to arrive at the last minute and then push your way through the mass of people to get to the front. That was difficult because the starting chutes were so densely packed. Last year it was easy because everyone tried to stay at least a metre away from everyone else ....... and that left the perfect gap for thick skinned racing snake types to worm their way to the front.

If you are like me, and you no longer care too much about whether you take 12 699th place or 13 000th place, just rock up a few minutes before your own starting time and start with your group. Starting at the tail end of your group is also just fine, because the "fast people" from the group after yours will catch up with you before you get halfway to Hospital Bend and you can then catch a wheel from there if you so feel.

If it is too congested for your liking when you get to your own starting chute or you misjudged the time and end up too late, just go into the starting chute for the group after your own seeded one. In the middle third and later in the race, it really doesn't make much difference.

Ai tog, when I read this it sounds like I'm half dead, but really, except for the front 10%, perhaps, it is just a fun ride with glorious scenery, a great vibe, cheering spectators and car free roads to enjoy. If you overthink and over stress, it will make you miss the best part of the tour. 

 

Thanks.

 

First Argus, as a cyclist ... done the spectator thing in the past

 

NO seeding ...

 

E.bike .... 😋

 

Happy to start dead last .... used to doing this at fun rides ... 

 

May even have a coffee stop at Seattle in Houtbay .... 🤣

 

 

 

Parking ?  Starting in the latter groups parking may be an issue ... CTICC ?  Ride to start from there ...

 

Is it easy/safe to cycle back there from the finish ?

[Wannabe]

Park at CTICC, it's just down the road from the finish, and close to the start.  Alternatively park at Waterfront.

 

[Wayne pudding Mol]

If I ride hard the best I’ll achieve is a no man’s land 330

So the last couple of years I’ve guided first time friends around trying to keep them safe and having fun. Last year I took someone on a tandem which I’d never ridden.

make no mistake I push hard between coffee stops and my now traditional beer stop before suikerbossie 

This year I’m guiding once more and I’ve found this so much more rewarding than having my relatively large frame drag a bunch of sub 3 no hopers from Scarborough to noordhoek 

as for ebikes, I don’t care and it it doesn’t hurt my ego nearly as much as if a + 95kg middle aged man drops me. That stings just like when my neighbours 15 year old daughter passes me as she does regularly. I now ride before she finishes school

Whether you’re a savage putting down the hammer for your hard earned sub 3, a weekend warrior just trying to finish within your goal, an ebike enjoying the privilege of this glorious route or a Uber cool devastatingly handsome gravel biker who can’t grow a beard,    we should all take time out to remember how lucky we are to be able to pedal around this majestic peninsula whilst so much real sh!t is actually happening

here endeth my sermon, have fun

[DJR]

37 minutes ago, Wayne pudding Mol said:

....................... I now ride before she finishes school..................

😀😀😀

[TyronLab]

1 hour ago, Wayne pudding Mol said:

gravel biker who can’t grow a beard,    

How did you even buy it in the first place without passing the mandatory gravel biker entry survey?

1. Beard, or at least a Selleck-esque moustache with curled up ends.

2. Susceptible to poisoning from coffee that doesn't come in bean form and needs a mechanical device and 30min to prepare.

3. Has been commercial-beer sober for four years, but at a functioning level of drunkenness on imported Ales for an equal amount of time.

4. Wardrobe consists of exclusively trailerpark-chíc flannel printed clothing items.

5. Drives an Alfa Romeo, Land Rover, or has equivalent experience of being berated, sanity and financial prowess questioned, and generally distrusted by traditionalists (or Hilux Drivers in the aforementioned cases).

 

It's kinda the law....

Keep in mind that I got my steel gravel bike because I got a softening on rule 2 (Nescafe and Jacobs are indistinguishable to me, was nearly beaten to a pulp for that) and I have rule 4 down, but not exclusively.

 

Also, enjoy the CTCT! 

 

 

[The Ouzo]

13 hours ago, Mamil said:

I see that all groups before 2a get a uniform batch start time while 2a onwards are timed from the moment their transponder crosses the mat.

Hi ho

its from 3A onwards 

['Dale]

Die briesie above Camps Bay today

[Cutney]

13 hours ago, Mamil said:

I see that all groups before 2a get a uniform batch start time while 2a onwards are timed from the moment their transponder crosses the mat.

Hi ho

"For start groups up to the end of wave 2, each rider will receive an identical “bunch” start time.  From group 3A onwards, each rider’s riding time will only start once they have crossed the actual timing mat." - Start-line-101

[Wayne pudding Mol]

2 hours ago, TyronLab said:

How did you even buy it in the first place without passing the mandatory gravel biker entry survey?

1. Beard, or at least a Selleck-esque moustache with curled up ends.

2. Susceptible to poisoning from coffee that doesn't come in bean form and needs a mechanical device and 30min to prepare.

3. Has been commercial-beer sober for four years, but at a functioning level of drunkenness on imported Ales for an equal amount of time.

4. Wardrobe consists of exclusively trailerpark-chíc flannel printed clothing items.

5. Drives an Alfa Romeo, Land Rover, or has equivalent experience of being berated, sanity and financial prowess questioned, and generally distrusted by traditionalists (or Hilux Drivers in the aforementioned cases).

 

It's kinda the law....

Keep in mind that I got my steel gravel bike because I got a softening on rule 2 (Nescafe and Jacobs are indistinguishable to me, was nearly beaten to a pulp for that) and I have rule 4 down, but not exclusively.

 

Also, enjoy the CTCT! 

 

 

Geez I’m an open book - I qualified on every front (apart from facial hair)

in my defence I only got the gravel bike after realising I had all the necessary quals 

and the land rover and alfas have moved on ….

[Dicky DQ]

On 2/24/2022 at 4:08 PM, Bub Marley said:

So I qualified for this but I’m starting in 1C. According to the email, you must have crossed the line for the second lap by 9:45 for the latest. I start at 6:45 which means I would need to finish lap 1 around 2:50, which leaves me 10 min to get from the finish back to the start. 
 

It’s literally throwing away 650 bucks. I’m certain the organizers know this as well so I can’t fathom why they would offer it to someone from 1C. 

Because a lot will enter and pay. Facepalm.

[Dicky DQ]

4 hours ago, 'Dale said:

Die briesie above Camps Bay today

It was fresssshhhh going up black hill to Simons Town, but the trip back was way cool. Almost looked like the 'Argus' out there.

[DieselnDust]

21 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

Would also like some feedback from the experienced riders on this.

 

Get the feeling I need to chat with someone that knows the drill .... 

just hang bal around the entrance to your start pen till 10min before your start time then enter the start pen

[ChrisF]

Entry paid, and email received with a reference number.

 

How do I go about finding out my start time ?  Or must I wait for an email ?  Or will I get all the information when I collect my race number and transponder ?