[Event] Cape Town Cycle Tour 2023

[HdB]

31 minutes ago, Jbr said:

yeaaaaaah... last year wasn't so lekka, hopefully less rain this year

...entered !

Same feeling here.
I don't mind if it starts raining if I'm already riding. But driving to the start in the rain, unloading the bikes in the rain, standing in the start chute in the rain, and then riding 99.9% of the route in the rain... was definitely not my favourite day on the bike ever.
It did lead to me buying a big rear mudguard, hydrophobic jacket and a Mac In A Sac, so at least I'm ready for the next rainy race 😁

[throttles]

25 minutes ago, MORNE said:

please remember to also list the direct flights to these destinations that exclude 8 hour layovers in the crappy airports/countries that are painted on the aeroplanes lol....those where you have to sleep on the airport floor. Also, knock knock.....whos there? Visa. Visa who? ....ah you got deported because you dont have a Visa!

☺️

I take it you had a bad experience with Kenyan Airlines, I haven’t used them.

no issues with Qatar though, what I wanted to highlight was the cost of airfare. If it was a similar price for me to travel to Jhb vs international. I would go international everytime even if it was just for a couple days.

[Long Wheel Base]

37 minutes ago, HdB said:

Same feeling here.
I don't mind if it starts raining if I'm already riding. But driving to the start in the rain, unloading the bikes in the rain, standing in the start chute in the rain, and then riding 99.9% of the route in the rain... was definitely not my favourite day on the bike ever.
It did lead to me buying a big rear mudguard, hydrophobic jacket and a Mac In A Sac, so at least I'm ready for the next rainy race 😁

You got to drive to the start in the rain. We rode from the hotel and it was raining already when we left so we were drenched already when we got to the start chute. It only stopped raining after we got back to the hotel. Even rode back after finishing in the rain.

A wet, windy, lousy, slow CTCT still beats many things in life IMHO.

[dexterdent]

Last year was horrible. So excited to finally get an ok seeding, got a friend to come down from JHB, new carbon bike all sorted.

Wet on the way down to the start. Wet and cold all the way to Ocean view. Puncture and take 12 mins to get the stupid GP4000's off my bontrager rims. Solo'd to the end. No celebrations afterwards, we were too cold and just wanted to ride back home.

It was awesome, can't wait to do it again.

[MORNE]

11 minutes ago, throttles said:

I take it you had a bad experience with Kenyan Airlines, I haven’t used them.

no issues with Qatar though, what I wanted to highlight was the cost of airfare. If it was a similar price for me to travel to Jhb vs international. I would go international everytime even if it was just for a couple days.

 Hehe, No im just saying thats a skewed picture sometimes. Local flights are only that much in high demand periods or when you left it last minute.com. We paid R10k for 2xreturn tickets to jhb when comair went bust and there weren't enough flights. They rip you a new one because they can. The following week the only tickets available were business class…same story. If you have to fly you have to fly. Not long after that I paid the usual R2000-return on SAFair
 

I have also spent enough of my time in layovers to now know ill rather pay a few grand more and fly direct overseas…because how much is that 4/6/8/12 hours of your life or that extra day on holiday worth to you in the end? A direct flight excluding visa to the uk will put you back close to double that (BA)…well from CT atleast. Same with dubai.

 

[HdB]

8 minutes ago, Long Wheel Base said:

A wet, windy, lousy, slow CTCT still beats many things in life IMHO.

Agreed. But in this case, it did not beat skipping the second loop and having a early braai.

[The Ouzo]

5 minutes ago, MORNE said:

 Hehe, No im just saying thats a skewed picture sometimes. Local flights are only that much in high demand periods or when you left it last minute.com. We paid R10k for 2xreturn tickets to jhb when comair went bust and there weren't enough flights. They rip you a new one because they can. The following week the only tickets available were business class…same story. If you have to fly you have to fly. Not long after that I paid the usual R2000-return on SAFair
 

I have also spent enough of my time in layovers to now know ill rather pay a few grand more and fly direct overseas…because how much is that 4/6/8/12 hours of your life or that extra day on holiday worth to you in the end? A direct flight excluding visa to the uk will put you back close to double that (BA)…well from CT atleast. Same with dubai.

 

not sure if you've looked at local flights lately ? but with the collapse of a number of airlines, those still in operation are charging prices that you would normally only see at absolute peaks for their normal flights.

[MORNE]

21 minutes ago, ouzo said:

not sure if you've looked at local flights lately ? but with the collapse of a number of airlines, those still in operation are charging prices that you would normally only see at absolute peaks for their normal flights.

School/uni holidays. Uct/stellies Students packing airplanes like sardines on the way home for a week or two. Was actually the case back then too. Ppl forget that. My wife did it too back in early 2000s when we were studying at tuks. Would fly home to CT every holiday. Watch the prices climb again around 10th when they all head back to school/hostel again.  
 

edit: the break is from end sep to 10th Oct. Prices show that. Spare a thought for the poor engineering bastards who have to ride a bus from the southern cape to Pukke….

Edited September 23, 2022 by MORNE

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, ouzo said:

there you go again with the dont moan stuff.

 

B.T.W. I've been an up country PPA member since 1998.

In 1998 it helped me get a better start position as I was unseeded. Since then it has done nothing for me, but up until very recently I had to be a member just to enter CTCT.

moan moan moan

I'm not sure if you have really done it since 1998, you'd be calling it the Aurgust if that was the case.

FYI you don't need to be a PPA member to do the race, all those wasted member's fees could have saved so much on the entry fee increases.

[The Ouzo]

15 minutes ago, Long Wheel Base said:

A wet, windy, lousy, slow CTCT still beats many things in life IMHO.

I've got a bone to pick with the timing clock at CTCT, but, if it is to dish up lousy weather again I'm more than happy to do a repeat of last year.

[The Ouzo]

1 minute ago, Shebeen said:

moan moan moan

I'm not sure if you have really done it since 1998, you'd be calling it the Aurgust if that was the case.

FYI you don't need to be a PPA member to do the race, all those wasted member's fees could have saved so much on the entry fee increases.

I see your italics.  the only place I call it CTCT is here, cause you know, to be cool you have to keep up with current lingo, its also why I call a cluster a cassette now.  

[Shebeen]

5 minutes ago, ouzo said:

I see your italics.  the only place I call it CTCT is here, cause you know, to be cool you have to keep up with current lingo, its also why I call a cluster a cassette now.  

ha ha, I was about to tjoon you properly until I saw I made the same mistake.

I feel like we're at the bar, and you're acid about your tjerrie who gives you so much grief and admin, but we all know you're never going to drop her cause you love her too much.

[splat]

9 minutes ago, ouzo said:

I see your italics.  the only place I call it CTCT is here, cause you know, to be cool you have to keep up with current lingo, its also why I call a cluster a cassette now.  

'cassette ph#ck' doesn't have quite the same ring to it...

[Shebeen]

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

Let's HOPE airfare drops before then !!!

 

A return ticket was less than R3k in May 2022, now regularly between R6 and R7k.

 

But you live in Cape Town or do you take a round trip a little too literally...... 

[ChrisF]

25 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

But you live in Cape Town or do you take a round trip a little too literally...... 

 

Hiehie ....

 

Just noting the reality for @ouzo and those coming from afar .....

 

 

 

We do regular flights for work, thus knowing how these rates sky rocketed.  Few weeks back the client called the meeting late, 2x R7k return tickets.  Thats more than double the standard rate in May of this year.