Absa Cape Epic 2022

[Fred van Vlaanderen]

2 minutes ago, thisismyotherbike said:

Don't you love how Supersport will wait for wait for the moment Van Der Poel makes his attack, then promptly show you the Cecil Nurse and Marriott Investment Managers ads?

Showing the HL package while there is live racing on the go is equally tone-deaf.

At least I've got respect for the impeccable timing of the ads... lol

[Jewbacca]

4 minutes ago, Fred van Vlaanderen said:

While I do think there is merit to what you are saying in the broad spectrum, I doubt that it will apply to the top contenders. I would think those ladies are competitive as hell. While the average Jane might be less competitive than the average Joe, I'd bet that the top ladies are close to being as competitive as the top men.

I'm looking at it as women as a whole. 

I think the racing field is thin because most ladies are still in pre season mode and unless you're Annike or PfP this is not the right setting for a pre season block. I also think team budget and backing comes into play too.

Most XCO teams simply don't have the budget to throw at an out of season race that isn't 'that' complimentary to the XCO focus. 

I reckon there are cheaper, more effective ways for the ladies to get a healthy pre season block in without the risk of Epic

[eala]

Men have large ego's .Putin example .Woman don't .You see it when they are three to four years old already .Midlife crises management should be the new name of the Epic .But it is OK .Rather do MTBing than shooting at your neighbor's  

[Fred van Vlaanderen]

1 minute ago, Jewbacca said:

I also think team budget and backing comes into play too.

Definitely plays a huge role.

[DieselnDust]

1 minute ago, Fred van Vlaanderen said:

While I do think there is merit to what you are saying in the broad spectrum, I doubt that it will apply to the top contenders. I would think those ladies are competitive as hell. While the average Jane might be less competitive than the average Joe, I'd bet that the top ladies are close to being as competitive as the top men.

In terms of commitment yes. Sometimes more so. Which is why I feel it’s a disservice to the women to cut to mens highlights. That race deserves the same attention and focus.

[Fred van Vlaanderen]

11 minutes ago, eala said:

Men have large ego's .Putin example .Woman don't .You see it when they are three to four years old already .Midlife crises management should be the new name of the Epic .But it is OK .Rather do MTBing than shooting at your neighbor's  

Yeah, but I feel that people generalise too much with this. The ave. male and the ave. female are very similar in most things and I would argue the same about ego. I agree that men will on average have larger ego's, but at the extreme points of the spectrum (where people like Trump, Putin, etc. would be) the largest ego's will be exclusively male. However, very few men are actually like Putin and one must just be mindful of that.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Fred van Vlaanderen
Grammar

[TheoG]

Both teams I'm supporting had a bad day today, Scott Sram and BMC Racing ...  ☹️

[Sid the Sloth]

Amazing ride from Private Client Holding ladies today... Proud of my friend Hayley! 

[Danger Dassie]

10 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

In terms of commitment yes. Sometimes more so. Which is why I feel it’s a disservice to the women to cut to mens highlights. That race deserves the same attention and focus.

Well yes and no, these things are also dictated by airtime and production requirements, as frustrating as it is. Ariane Luthi brought up a good discussion on her FB feed regarding the Elite Women's category. 

[DieselnDust]

5 minutes ago, Danger Dassie said:

Well yes and no, these things are also dictated by airtime and production requirements, as frustrating as it is. Ariane Luthi brought up a good discussion on her FB feed regarding the Elite Women's category. 

Link?

[Headshot]

38 minutes ago, Fred van Vlaanderen said:

Yeah, but I feel that people generalise too much with this. The ave. male and the ave. female are very similar in most things and I would argue the same about ego. I agree that men will on average have larger ego's, but at the extreme points of the spectrum (where people like Trump, Putin, etc. would be) the largest ego's will be exclusively male. However, very few men are actually like Putin and one must just be mindful of that.

I doubt the wannabe dictators of the world are there solely because of big egos. There is probably a healthy dose of abnormal pathology present in Putin and Trump for instance.

[Fred van Vlaanderen]

38 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Link?

[Fred van Vlaanderen]

11 minutes ago, Headshot said:

I doubt the wannabe dictators of the world are there solely because of big egos. There is probably a healthy dose of abnormal pathology present in Putin and Trump for instance.

Oh for sure. No doubt in my mind. I was trying to make the point about the size of the ego in the different genders and referenced Putin as @eala mentioned him in the post. Wasn't trying to make the point that it is solely an ego thing (although ego will perhaps play a significant role). But people like that are definitely crazy.

[Jbr]

Better start working on my daughter's training plan then, if the prize money is the same but the field is much smaller, the chances of success are much higher ! (Even though the top of the field is still mad strong)

[Jewbacca]

I don't think it is the biggest stage the wold can offer though?

It's marketed as such, but in reality it isn't. Marathon racing is not a big sport in 99% of the world. 

XCO, CX, crits and road racing are far bigger in most places. The emphasis isn't there. 

If they want more teams and bigger names, they will probably need to move the race outside of pre season too.

I'm a huge fan of women's sport. I love the raw emotion and the competitive unpredictability. But MTB, and women's MTB, are still relatively juvenile and basic in the era of pro sport. 

The fact that a student and a full time employee could break with the best the pro field could throw out today is testament.

It shouldn't happen.

If the epic team want to grow the race in that regard, they need to look beyond marketing and actually discuss a timeframe and negotiate options with the stakeholders in international women's cycling.

 

[openmind]

2 hours ago, Headshot said:

What kind of pathetic thin chains are these pros using? I mean who breaks a chain these days of you're using the right one? 🙂 

(Actually there is some truth to this bit of attempted humour - I suspect those lightweight hollow pin and cut away side plate chains are not the strongest)

Hollow pin chains are stronger than solid pin chains because they can peen the pin more (look it up). So it's not that.