Places to ride a TT bike in Cape Town?

[Spirog]

I'm just starting out on my Triathlon journey and planning to semi grate to Cape Town later this year. 

I was wondering where one can ride a TT bike (as a noob) where it feels safer than the normal routes along the Atlantic Seaboard?

[Jewbacca]

5 minutes ago, Spirog said:

I'm just starting out on my Triathlon journey and planning to semi grate to Cape Town later this year. 

I was wondering where one can ride a TT bike (as a noob) where it feels safer than the normal routes along the Atlantic Seaboard?

Are you a part of any of the 'teams' like EMBARK, ATC, Multisport etc?

I'm sure they have their routes, but in reality I see those dudes with starships for handlebars tapping out a rhythm all over the place.

Flat/rolling roads are obviously the best, so I used to do Muizenberg to Cape Point, round the back to Misty cliffs and back (I found that replicated the PE conditions pretty accurately)

I wasn't part of any team/club, but spent enough time stretched over the TT bike 

Good luck, Tri is fun. It just got a hugely expensive and very repetitive for me. There are only so many times I can pay to ride/run the same routes before they get pretty boring..... 

[Spirog]

6 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

Are you a part of any of the 'teams' like EMBARK, ATC, Multisport etc?

I'm sure they have their routes, but in reality I see those dudes with starships for handlebars tapping out a rhythm all over the place.

Flat/rolling roads are obviously the best, so I used to do Muizenberg to Cape Point, round the back to Misty cliffs and back (I found that replicated the PE conditions pretty accurately)

I wasn't part of any team/club, but spent enough time stretched over the TT bike 

Good luck, Tri is fun. It just got a hugely expensive and very repetitive for me. There are only so many times I can pay to ride/run the same routes before they get pretty boring..... 

I'm not a club member but should probably look at that. I'm coming down from Joburg, having been a long-term Cycle Lab member. I'm quite comfortable on the skinny bike in the Cradle.

I'm new to the TT bike so nervous to do busy roads and fast down hills, hence my search for quieter and (maybe) safer roads???

[Jewbacca]

6 minutes ago, Spirog said:

I'm not a club member but should probably look at that. I'm coming down from Joburg, having been a long-term Cycle Lab member. I'm quite comfortable on the skinny bike in the Cradle.

I'm new to the TT bike so nervous to do busy roads and fast down hills, hence my search for quieter and (maybe) safer roads???

I'd regard the atlantic seaboard as safe and less busy! hahaha

You always have the option of getting on the brake levers, so just treat it as a road bike with optional arm rests until you get confident.

There are no closed off roads or quiet areas in Cape Town unfortunately. The stretch from Fish Hoek to Misty Cliffs and back is about as flat/rolling and quiet you will get. 

Is it safe? Dunno, but I traverse those roads all the time. I guess it's safe until it isn't.

[El Duderino]

26 minutes ago, Spirog said:

I'm not a club member but should probably look at that. I'm coming down from Joburg, having been a long-term Cycle Lab member. I'm quite comfortable on the skinny bike in the Cradle.

I'm new to the TT bike so nervous to do busy roads and fast down hills, hence my search for quieter and (maybe) safer roads???

You'd be best off riding in the Cape Point Reserve. Minimal traffic (tour busses during tourist season) but they generally behave well and stick to 40km/hr speed limit. You would have to do kind of circuit in the reserve to get in longer ride. A really nice ride with minimal traffic is to start at Kommetjie, ride to the reserve via Scarborough, ride into the reserve and do all the right turns, and then ride up to the Point and then return to Kommetjie. Lots of long straights and very few climbs. And minimal traffic. This would be about an 80 to 90km ride.

Edited August 16, 2023 by El Duderino

[DJR]

2 hours ago, El Duderino said:

You'd be best off riding in the Cape Point Reserve. Minimal traffic (tour busses during tourist season) but they generally behave well and stick to 40km/hr speed limit. You would have to do kind of circuit in the reserve to get in longer ride. A really nice ride with minimal traffic is to start at Kommetjie, ride to the reserve via Scarborough, ride into the reserve and do all the right turns, and then ride up to the Point and then return to Kommetjie. Lots of long straights and very few climbs. And minimal traffic. This would be about an 80 to 90km ride.

Good answer👍

[ratherberidin']

R27 from Melkbos (Blouberg) out west coast way has a shoulder mostly. Would still ride with bright lights/Radar and keep an ear open.  Long road no madatory stops. 

[Jbr]

7 hours ago, Spirog said:

I'm just starting out on my Triathlon journey and planning to semi grate to Cape Town later this year. 

I was wondering where one can ride a TT bike (as a noob) where it feels safer than the normal routes along the Atlantic Seaboard?

get a WPMC (Killarney) membership, you get 2 hours free every monday evening on the track. Then you can also do the PPA sessions when they happen (not every week though), probably the safest option, but also durbanville side there's plently of long roads with few intersections that will work

[Jbr]

1 hour ago, ratherberidin' said:

R27 from Melkbos (Blouberg) out west coast way has a shoulder mostly. Would still ride with bright lights/Radar and keep an ear open.  Long road no madatory stops. 

Meh, I ride there a lot. Lot's of trucks/busses using the shoulder to let other cars pass. I do use it, but would not recommend to someone (especially not a "noob")

[Zebra]

A good, safer TT ride is to park -and start - from within the SOETWATER reserve near Kommetjie (safe parking), then out of the reserve and right at ONE 4-way stop, then right at ANOTHER, 3-way stop (base of Red Hill), up to Cape Point Nature Reserve, around a CIRCLE, and all the way back, with a stop-street in Scarborough.

(their is a cattle grid AT the circle - proceed slowly, OUT OF the TT bars!)

this route is exactly 40km’s (standard tri cycle leg distance) and has LOWISH traffic volumes and ALMOST zero hard stop streets….

Enjoy!

[MORNE]

I see those ‘spaceships’ behind the boerwors gordyn every now and then. Guess the relative safe, open, rolling hills make for good riding on those things. Theres also that stretch between blouberg and melkbos with the relatively wide cycle lane….you’ll almost always go warp speed to melkbos and then ride into a 60kph south easter on your way back haha. Good way to test your aero-ness?😅

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by MORNE

[ChrisF]

31 minutes ago, MORNE said:

I see those ‘spaceships’ behind the boerwors gordyn every now and then. Guess the relative safe, open, rolling hills make for good riding on those things. Theres also that stretch between blouberg and melkbos with the relatively wide cycle lane….you’ll almost always go warp speed to melkbos and then ride into a 60kph south easter on your way back haha. Good way to test your aero-ness?😅

 

 

Jip, see these riders often between Stellenbosch and Malmesbury.