[Event] Cape Town Cycle Tour 2023

[bleedToWin]

19 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

the device NASA invented for its astronauts to write in space (while the Russians used a pencil)

Pencils in space are bad, even mechanical pencils. Graphite fragments and dust caused problems for both the Soviets and NASA. The Million dollar space pen was privately developed and pitched to both agencies whom adopted it virtually at the same time.

I'm fun at parties

[Spinnekop]

28 minutes ago, MORNE said:

I'm sorry but you cant ride the whole route, not to mention on your own these days..you are not allowed to ride on the m3 anyway and you ar basically garenteed to get bike jacked somewhere along oceanview these days. 

You can watch rugby on TV 'for free' on your own too...but people still enjoy hanging out in crowds and being part of an event🤷‍♂️. I do it because i cant ride the routes any day on my own, and i enjoy the vibe of the event.

 

That's why I said MOST of the route.

"still enjoy hanging out in crowds and being part of an event"
My club ride.  3 times per week.  

 

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Spinnekop said:

None of my 150 club mates own a R300k bike.

secondly.  I can ride most of the days most of the route for FREE.

The whole "timed event" thing is dwindling to say the least with mostly egotistic Vets and wannabe pros still "racing".
The rest of the people just want to have a good time on the bike.  Which they can do any day of the week.  Free.
These days R750 can goes a long way to pay for fuel (or breakfast) to go ride a route that you have not done before instead of a day out in the Cape the has a 80% chance of getting cancelled and that you have done previously.

 

 

Uhm jaaaa ....

 

We have driven (in a car) the route twice since the last CTCT.  I also regularly have work days that end in Noordhoek, with the perfect excuse to cycle, then ride, Chappies.

 

So many of the open/legal sections are traffic heavy, and with minimal to no shoulder.  Chappies towards Cape Town I simply hate having to hug the shoulder when the wind pumps ....

 

And YES, each time we see many cyclists enjoying these open roads.

 

Personally - I prefer the supposed safety that the CTCT event offers.

 

That said, I have many friends that find the masses of inexperienced riders more dangerous and avoid the CTCT .... to ride the route on other day (at least the open bits).

 

 

 

Frankly, we are spoilt for choice.  "we" get to enjoy the CTCT for the reasons dear to us, and all cyclists gets to enjoy most of the route for the rest of the year.

[Spinnekop]

I suppose all said and done.......... and putting aside the devil's advocate theme.......

Its a fairly free country.  Enter if you want.  Most average people living in SA will not be able to and I think that is why one or two people are a bit pissy about the entry fee.
Almost ALL our classic one day events in Gauteng (Tshwane Classic has 80% road closure) cost HALF the price of the August.

The guys doing it for love and safety and the awesomeness that is on the day will enjoy it 100%.  It is a truly amazing experience.
Expensive......sure.  Worth it?  I would say yes.  
Would I do it for the 11th time forking out R15k for the weekend?  I cannot.  

  

Edited October 6, 2022 by Spinnekop

[Skubarra]

2 hours ago, Spinnekop said:

None of my 150 club mates own a R300k bike.

secondly.  I can ride most of the days most of the route for FREE.

The whole "timed event" thing is dwindling to say the least with mostly egotistic Vets and wannabe pros still "racing".
The rest of the people just want to have a good time on the bike.  Which they can do any day of the week.  Free.
These days R750 can goes a long way to pay for fuel (or breakfast) to go ride a route that you have not done before instead of a day out in the Cape the has a 80% chance of getting cancelled and that you have done previously.

 

In principle I agree with you 100% that you don't have to pay excessive entry fees to get great cycling experiences.

For me the road closures, the vibe with 1000s of other cyclists are big selling points over normal funrides and yes I'm still one of the vets & wannabes that sometimes imagine what they do can be considered racing...

If I was unfortunate enough to live in Gauteng I certainly would not be able to afford to do this trip annually (or rather I would be spending my cycling money on something else most years), lucky for us Capetonians its only the entry fee so the increase doesn't make much of a difference.

 

[MORNE]

Ok so you cant ride it anyday of the week then? You know..because you live 1500km away, critical info! 😅 Yes the borderline extortionist prices to get down here at the moment is part of the issue for you guys. My original reply was on the assumption that you lived this side. @Spinnekop

That changes it yes. But your gripe in that regard has also been covered by other people already. @ouzo is in the same boat. The cost of entry in your case is nothing compared to the cost of travel etc.  I wouldn't either that regard.

But I do it because it is in my back yard and it is a staple on the local calender -  and again, because I cant rise that route any day of the week. 

I'm not saying this to be nasty in anyway...but even if nobody from up north comnes down for it...it will still sell out/ be packed...like it did in 2021. and to be honest...the vibe was even better that year. People were just happy to be able to ride it. There was a distinct lack of aggro everywhere. At the time we joked and said it's because there were basically no GP's there haha. (ps i say this in jest as an ex-GP'er)

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by MORNE

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, Spinnekop said:

None of my 150 club mates own a R300k bike.

secondly.  I can ride most of the days most of the route for FREE.

The whole "timed event" thing is dwindling to say the least with mostly egotistic Vets and wannabe pros still "racing".
The rest of the people just want to have a good time on the bike.  Which they can do any day of the week.  Free.
These days R750 can goes a long way to pay for fuel (or breakfast) to go ride a route that you have not done before instead of a day out in the Cape the has a 80% chance of getting cancelled and that you have done previously.

 

cool, this post has an 80% chance of being wrong.

but yes, if you wanna do the Argus lite without having to support the race and/or charities here is your go to for more info.

https://capecycleroutes.co.za/route/cycle-tour-364

obviously this is hosted by WC tourism, so your taxes have already paid for it so you're not even getting this for free. 

 

 

 

[Shebeen]

22 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

I suppose all said and done.......... and putting aside the devil's advocate theme.......

Its a fairly free country.  Enter if you want.  Most average people living in SA will not be able to and I think that is why one or two people are a bit pissy about the entry fee.
Almost ALL our classic one day events in Gauteng (Tshwane Classic has 80% road closure) cost HALF the price of the August.

The guys doing it for love and safety and the awesomeness that is on the day will enjoy it 100%.  It is a truly amazing experience.
Expensive......sure.  Worth it?  I would say yes.  
Would I do it for the 11th time forking out R15k for the weekend?  I cannot.  

  

ok. let me do the maths for you here using your numbers, the race fee is 5% of your total basket for the experience. Or, if it was halfprice like your local events.

Argus at R750 entry fee, cost of weekend = R15 000

Argus at R375 entry fee, cost of weekend = R14 625

 

 

 

 

 

[Jase619]

2 hours ago, Spinnekop said:

None of my 150 club mates own a R300k bike.

secondly.  I can ride most of the days most of the route for FREE.

The whole "timed event" thing is dwindling to say the least with mostly egotistic Vets and wannabe pros still "racing".
The rest of the people just want to have a good time on the bike.  Which they can do any day of the week.  Free.
These days R750 can goes a long way to pay for fuel (or breakfast) to go ride a route that you have not done before instead of a day out in the Cape the has a 80% chance of getting cancelled and that you have done previously.

 

Maths behind this please? Or are we just grossly exaggerating for effect?

25 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

I suppose all said and done.......... and putting aside the devil's advocate theme.......

Its a fairly free country.  Enter if you want.  Most average people living in SA will not be able to and I think that is why one or two people are a bit pissy about the entry fee.
Almost ALL our classic one day events in Gauteng (Tshwane Classic has 80% road closure) cost HALF the price of the August.

The guys doing it for love and safety and the awesomeness that is on the day will enjoy it 100%.  It is a truly amazing experience.
Expensive......sure.  Worth it?  I would say yes.  
Would I do it for the 11th time forking out R15k for the weekend?  I cannot.  

  

Can we compare apples to apples please? 100% road closure costs or nothing, assuming here that 100% road closure adds a significant portion to the costs involved.

[Jase619]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

ok. let me do the maths for you here using your numbers, the race fee is 5% of your total basket for the experience. Or, if it was halfprice like your local events.

Argus at R750 entry fee, cost of weekend = R15 000

Argus at R375 entry fee, cost of weekend = R14 625

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I understand for the locals, the lucky buggers that they are, that the price increase is a moaning point, being most if not all of their costs (excluding any of that yummy looking Ciovita kit they have this year).

For us upcountry folk, this is such a tiny, insignificant part of our costs that it doesn't even make a dent. Taking into account our fuel from the Free State, accommodation, and then all the meals (which we have now taken to self-catering accommodation to help reduce), whether we pay R650 for the entry or R750 doesn't make a difference, that's barely even a meal for one person at a restaurant. We make a week out of the trip and it makes it worth it in the end. 

[Jase619]

35 minutes ago, Spinnekop said:

Almost ALL our classic one day events in Gauteng (Tshwane Classic has 80% road closure) cost HALF the price of the August.
  

Just going to Racetecs website I have the following:

Emperors Palace Classic(assuming not full road closure) R490

Die Groot Trap (not sure about road closure) R490

Montecasino Classic (Assuming not full road closure) R490

Only the N3TC Meals on Wheels race comes to R300

So not sure where almost all comes from, or should we only look at the 1 out of 4?

[Bub Marley]

19 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

Argus vs Burger .....

 

There was only ONE cycle race in the Afrikaans papers .... "Rapport Toer" ..... wonder if it got mentioned in the English papers ....

 

 

some really daught stuff in our history .....

What has happened to the Burger/Stellenbosch race? 

Was always a staple for me a long with the Argus.

[bleedToWin]

4 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

What has happened to the Burger/Stellenbosch race? 

Was always a staple for me a long with the Argus.

Netwerk24 Paarl Cycle Tour being touted as the replacement but it's really juts a new race on the calendar.

[Jbr]

I hope someone brushed their teeth after talking so much crap

[ChrisF]

20 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

What has happened to the Burger/Stellenbosch race? 

Was always a staple for me a long with the Argus.

 

Real pity it fell away.

 

Its combination of long and short routes allowed everybody to take part.

 

It was a nice introduction for kids and younger riders.

[zeerpuD1]

Try the Griffon 99’er in Feb for a substitute. Nice run before the Argus to see if the fitness levels are there. Got a 50km and 100km. Start at Durbanville race course.