[Event] Tour du Cap Road Stage Race

[babse]

Just now, Jbr said:

I usually keep getting the emails even after I entered

 

like our val de vie entry '23 you secured?

[Jbr]

1 minute ago, babse said:

like our val de vie entry '23 you secured?

I thought we were doing Eiselfontein rather

[Meezo]

10 minutes ago, Jbr said:

I thought we were doing Eiselfontein rather

👀

[Mamil]

Almost time for the annual "take a week off and pretend to be a pro" event.

Will be my third one. Who's riding?

[Mamil]

Is no-one riding this year? Starts Monday.

[Shebeen]

6 hours ago, Mamil said:

Is no-one riding this year? Starts Monday.

Just you. Let us know how it goes

[Mamil]

9 hours ago, Shebeen said:

Just you. Let us know how it goes

Doesn't bode well for the race. Be interested to see how big/small the open group is.

[babse]

4 hours ago, Mamil said:

Doesn't bode well for the race. Be interested to see how big/small the open group is.

How you feel about the 5 day format? 

From racing point its amazing and the route is proper. 

I feel like the open cat should probably be kept to 3 days? 

 

Also weather isn't looking amazing. Du toits is/was closed due to a severe fire. Cant see racing going up there in a few days?

[Mamil]

6 minutes ago, babse said:

How you feel about the 5 day format? 

From racing point its amazing and the route is proper. 

I feel like the open cat should probably be kept to 3 days? 

 

Also weather isn't looking amazing. Du toits is/was closed due to a severe fire. Cant see racing going up there in a few days?

I love the idea of 5 days of racing - view it as good prep for the grit in April. I think it limits numbers though cos not everyone is self-employed and willing to take time off - as it is I will be working in the afternoons after the stages.

I have wondered about the fire - haven't heard anything from organisers about it - rain forecast for Monday so ...

 

[Meezo]

Du Toits open again, fire has been contained.

[Mamil]

Yr suggests an ark may be a better mode of transport than a bike. Biblical levels of rain predicted.

 

Edited March 3 by Mamil
Typo

[Mamil]

Stage 1 was great. Weather was cool and all but windless and about 35 open category riders headed out towards Tulbagh at an easy pace. 

So easy that I thought I'd pretend to be a proper racer and put in a little dig which the proper riders ignored and once me and another guy were hauled back in, the proper riders declared amateur hour over and put down the hammer. I tried to chase but I was boxed in (my story and I'm sticking to it) and after about half an hour of me and a few others trying to get a paceline organised, we realised we weren't going to catch them.

At Tulbagh they had 3.40 on us when we picked up one of the racing group who had had a mechanical and he soon had us strung out in a straight stripe. He thinned the herd and those of us left in the bunch at the bottom of Bains agreed that we'd enjoyed having him and please could he come again in stage 3. 

The pass was gorgeous in a light misty drizzle and every man for himself as usual. Averaged 34kmph and pennies for the 102km which is good by my standards.

Today's TT was great. I caught 3 or 4 of the riders ahead of me and only 2 caught me. One was the animator of the break.... Everywhere I go there's someone in a pure savage jersey dropping me like a cheating spouse.

A good thing I didn't make the break actually because he put 4 mins and change into me and I was 2 mins faster than last year to come in at 29.59. I'm claiming it as a win.

3 big rides to go... Including bothmas tomorrow where I've lost count of how many times I've been shelled out the back.

It's great fun but a little tiring. Early starts and driving back to CT because I have to do some work in the afternoons could get old by the end of the week but smashing out everything I had through the misty rain this morning and crossing the line under 30 mins at about 60kmph and then cruising down the pass back into the morning sunshine I counted myself a happy man. 

More of us should support this event IMO, as logistically challenging as it might be.

Alan hatherley currently leading the elites with Kent main in second place. Strava tells me the latter put 10 minutes into me and did 435 watts for the 20 minutes. Amazing!

 

[ChrisF]

Respect !!

 

 

 

Thank goodness we have a cader at the weather station .... as usual nothing came of the warnings of the mother of all storms .... lightest mist rain, barely 10mm in 20 hours.

[Mamil]

1 minute ago, ChrisF said:

Respect !!

 

 

 

Thank goodness we have a cader at the weather station .... as usual nothing came of the warnings of the mother of all storms .... lightest mist rain, barely 10mm in 20 hours.

There are 2 people on e-bikes there .... #justsaying

[Bub Marley]

26 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Stage 1 was great. Weather was cool and all but windless and about 35 open category riders headed out towards Tulbagh at an easy pace. 

So easy that I thought I'd pretend to be a proper racer and put in a little dig which the proper riders ignored and once me and another guy were hauled back in, the proper riders declared amateur hour over and put down the hammer. I tried to chase but I was boxed in (my story and I'm sticking to it) and after about half an hour of me and a few others trying to get a paceline organised, we realised we weren't going to catch them.

At Tulbagh they had 3.40 on us when we picked up one of the racing group who had had a mechanical and he soon had us strung out in a straight stripe. He thinned the herd and those of us left in the bunch at the bottom of Bains agreed that we'd enjoyed having him and please could he come again in stage 3. 

The pass was gorgeous in a light misty drizzle and every man for himself as usual. Averaged 34kmph and pennies for the 102km which is good by my standards.

Today's TT was great. I caught 3 or 4 of the riders ahead of me and only 2 caught me. One was the animator of the break.... Everywhere I go there's someone in a pure savage jersey dropping me like a cheating spouse.

A good thing I didn't make the break actually because he put 4 mins and change into me and I was 2 mins faster than last year to come in at 29.59. I'm claiming it as a win.

3 big rides to go... Including bothmas tomorrow where I've lost count of how many times I've been shelled out the back.

It's great fun but a little tiring. Early starts and driving back to CT because I have to do some work in the afternoons could get old by the end of the week but smashing out everything I had through the misty rain this morning and crossing the line under 30 mins at about 60kmph and then cruising down the pass back into the morning sunshine I counted myself a happy man. 

More of us should support this event IMO, as logistically challenging as it might be.

Alan hatherley currently leading the elites with Kent main in second place. Strava tells me the latter put 10 minutes into me and did 435 watts for the 20 minutes. Amazing!

 

Out of interest, how was the numbers this year compared to last year. I enjoyed the weekend format and was considering doing it until they opted for a longer format once again which made it impossible for me. 

[Mamil]

Just now, Bub Marley said:

Out of interest, how was the numbers this year compared to last year. I enjoyed the weekend format and was considering doing it until they opted for a longer format once again which made it impossible for me. 

I'd say about 10 or 15 percent down on last year maybe? Could check on the results