Cape Town Cycle Tour 2022

[Long Wheel Base]

I don't think I have ever raced(or even trained) in such hectic rain and wind combined before. About 15 min before I got out of bed it started raining at the waterfront where we were staying. Rode to the start in the rain. Waited in the # chute in the rain. Started in the rain. Decided while in the chute to just take it easy and finish safe instead of chasing a time/position. It rained softly until about the university, then it was a bit harder until just after cresting Edinburg drive. Then it was soft again until just after turning onto main road. This was also when the wind started blowing all over the place. Luckily it got soft again by about kalk bay. The coming into Simonstown it came down hard again(we could see the lights but no boats in the harbour) and boulders it got so hard I felt like I was being attacked by a hornet. The wind also picked up again and we got blown around a lot. The rain and wind eased off somewhere up smits. Then near Scarborough area(where the sea is right next to you) we could hear the waves but couldn't actually see it. The visibility was about 20/25 metres due to the rain. The driest part of the route was up chappies under the bridge things. It was just constant soft rain from chappies to the finish. 

Some parts of the route the road was completely under water so just one big puddle.

I saw so many punctures(luckily didn't see any crashes but did see on 2 occasions someone being loaded into an ambo). Shame even saw one guy changing his tube with about 1km to go.

Carbon rims don't brake so well when wet so I had to go very easy on all the descents which is where we are able to make up time on the tandem. 

Ended on a 3h 35m so it's one of my slowest times but at least we finished safely. 

31 tours for myself and 33 for my Dad.

 

Thanks to all the marshals and organisers. Always a great event. Can't wait for 2023. 

[babse]

That was some extreme conditions as it rained from start to finish. I started getting very cold just before chappies and really made the run in miserable for me at least. I must admit I was slightly underdressed as I convinced myself the rain would stop and we would finish in sunshine.

Nevertheless, managed to stay out of trouble at the pointy end of "&" and relieved to roll safely over the line!

[K20Champ]

started in the & Group, was sitting comfortable in the bunch, until my chain dropped on Edinburg drive, and saw the bunch disappear ahead. 

Still managed a sub 3:10, all in all a tough day out.

Better conditions pretty sure that time would have gotten me a Sub 3

[Pure Savage]

30 minutes ago, Long Wheel Base said:

I don't think I have ever raced(or even trained) in such hectic rain and wind combined before. About 15 min before I got out of bed it started raining at the waterfront where we were staying. Rode to the start in the rain. Waited in the # chute in the rain. Started in the rain. Decided while in the chute to just take it easy and finish safe instead of chasing a time/position. It rained softly until about the university, then it was a bit harder until just after cresting Edinburg drive. Then it was soft again until just after turning onto main road. This was also when the wind started blowing all over the place. Luckily it got soft again by about kalk bay. The coming into Simonstown it came down hard again(we could see the lights but no boats in the harbour) and boulders it got so hard I felt like I was being attacked by a hornet. The wind also picked up again and we got blown around a lot. The rain and wind eased off somewhere up smits. Then near Scarborough area(where the sea is right next to you) we could hear the waves but couldn't actually see it. The visibility was about 20/25 metres due to the rain. The driest part of the route was up chappies under the bridge things. It was just constant soft rain from chappies to the finish. 

Some parts of the route the road was completely under water so just one big puddle.

I saw so many punctures(luckily didn't see any crashes but did see on 2 occasions someone being loaded into an ambo). Shame even saw one guy changing his tube with about 1km to go.

Carbon rims don't brake so well when wet so I had to go very easy on all the descents which is where we are able to make up time on the tandem. 

Ended on a 3h 35m so it's one of my slowest times but at least we finished safely. 

31 tours for myself and 33 for my Dad.

 

Thanks to all the marshals and organisers. Always a great event. Can't wait for 2023. 

You did not even wave back in the start chute.

[Leon V]

21 hours ago, Mamil said:

Such a clever photograph

Rebel

[Wannabe]

The amount of gel and energy bar wrappers that was flapping in the wind did not bother me so much, but the number of discarded Tubes got me hot under the collar. Jeesh, there was one every few hundred meters it seemed.

FFS, you carried your spare tube up to that point, just roll your old tube up and put it a shirt pocket, it does not take up much space at all. 

Rant over.

 

Coming down into Houtbay, at the corner where the statue of the Leopard is on the rock, there was a fallen rider against the curb. Luckily there was a Marshall with him already, and Woofy stopped at the Ambulance stationed in front of the filling station to inform them about the patient. Hope he is OK.  

[ChrisF]

Where do you see the official times ?

[Jbr]

1 minute ago, ChrisF said:

Where do you see the official times ?

racetec

[bleedToWin]

1 minute ago, ChrisF said:

Where do you see the official times ?

RaceTec.

[Wannabe]

6 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Where do you see the official times ?

Racetec site. 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Wannabe
Spelling corrected.

[K20Champ]

Only 343 riders managed a sub 3 this year.

Guys that usually ride around the 2:50, didn't manage to achieve a sub 3

[DieselnDust]

58 minutes ago, babse said:

That was some extreme conditions as it rained from start to finish. I started getting very cold just before chappies and really made the run in miserable for me at least. I must admit I was slightly underdressed as I convinced myself the rain would stop and we would finish in sunshine.

Nevertheless, managed to stay out of trouble at the pointy end of "&" and relieved to roll safely over the line!

Indeed I thought you knew something about the weather that the rst of us didn't know! All swanky in white and Olive

The ointy end was definitely the place to be. I got caught up behind three guys tangling handlebars at the on ramp ustafter the start. Sprint up the onramp to get back on. then get switched by some bloke in infinity kit, unclipped and regained balance, repeat sprint. Then by UCT there was more handle bar banging near the back and then on Edin burgh I got caught up again. At ths point I started thinking of hanging a left on Lakeside main road and heading back to bed...

You okes near the front got away on Edinburgh, those of us caught up by the handlebar skirmish chased hard down the M3 but the group was too small and not everyone wanted to work so it was bye bye from there..

Well done, great race especially since you rode the XCO non saturday as well

[thisismyotherbike]

Why all the punctures when it rains? Does the rain spill gunk into the road that would normally have been cleared by the traffic? Or do people hit more cracks/holes/cateyes because of the poor visibility?

[babse]

6 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Indeed I thought you knew something about the weather that the rst of us didn't know! All swanky in white and Olive

The ointy end was definitely the place to be. I got caught up behind three guys tangling handlebars at the on ramp ustafter the start. Sprint up the onramp to get back on. then get switched by some bloke in infinity kit, unclipped and regained balance, repeat sprint. Then by UCT there was more handle bar banging near the back and then on Edin burgh I got caught up again. At ths point I started thinking of hanging a left on Lakeside main road and heading back to bed...

You okes near the front got away on Edinburgh, those of us caught up by the handlebar skirmish chased hard down the M3 but the group was too small and not everyone wanted to work so it was bye bye from there..

Well done, great race especially since you rode the XCO non saturday as well

Honestly if I had to come better prepared for rain I probably wouldn't of come at all as I really never had appetite for another day in extreme conditions after Saturdays hell ride in Paarl 🔥 

That handlebar escapade on the N2 on ramp happened just next to me and that was a sign that I was already too far back as I would've liked.

Well done on still kap'n aan to finish. 

[Skubarra]

19 minutes ago, K20Champ said:

Only 343 riders managed a sub 3 this year.

Guys that usually ride around the 2:50, didn't manage to achieve a sub 3

Interesting for me is that the Racing Vets (@) winning time was pretty much on par with the previous 2 events (which had perfect weather). But  & and especially 1A were much slower (1A by more than 15 minutes).

I suspect a lot of peeps who would usually ride in 1A were seeded in @ and $ so the upper alphabet soup groups were possibly depleted compared to previous years. 

It was noticeable in @ that people were more sensible and slower on the downhills, but I had to do PR's on every climb except Smits to keep up with the bunch so everything still evened out. Going up Smits slowly into a headwind was the only place I really noticed the weather is holding us back, so kudos to the guys up front who did the hard work to keep up the pace for the rest of the route.

Also well done to the winners of @ who did their breakaway on Chappies and rode almost 5 minutes into the chasing group in the last 20km, very impressive.

[bleedToWin]

5 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

Interesting for me is that the Racing Vets (@) winning time was pretty much on par with the previous 2 events (which had perfect weather). But  & and especially 1A were much slower (1A by more than 15 minutes).

I suspect a lot of peeps who would usually ride in 1A were seeded in @ and $ so the upper alphabet soup groups were possibly depleted compared to previous years. 

It was noticeable in @ that people were more sensible and slower on the downhills, but I had to do PR's on every climb except Smits to keep up with the bunch so everything still evened out. Going up Smits slowly into a headwind was the only place I really noticed the weather is holding us back, so kudos to the guys up front who did the hard work to keep up the pace for the rest of the route.

Also well done to the winners of @ who did their breakaway on Chappies and rode almost 5 minutes into the chasing group in the last 20km, very impressive.

Funriders weren't having fun.
Racers raced.

🤷‍♂️