Future of SA road cycling

[Net800m]

I am concerned over the future of road cycling events in SA. Most events are getting canceled due to road surfaces that are bad, road works, sponsers and so on. Do we need to consider another discipline? 
I like road cycling but cannot train for an event that just gets canceled. 

[Jbr]

20 minutes ago, Net800m said:

I am concerned over the future of road cycling events in SA. Most events are getting canceled due to road surfaces that are bad, road works, sponsers and so on. Do we need to consider another discipline? 
I like road cycling but cannot train for an event that just gets canceled. 

Like what event ? This side (Cape Town) we haven’t had that many events cancelled recently ?

[robbybzgo]

Maybe it's time for every city/ town/ dorp to have a Cycling Safe committee where their main goal is to create safe cycling conditions in their local areas. Yes, I know that local municipalities are constrained financially (mainly through an erosion of funds due to corruption) but we need to soldier on to create a safe environment to do our sport.

Suggest that the committee through the participation of all the local clubs identify the most often used routes and the put pressure on the local government [LG](even with petitions) to re-tar, fix holes and trim roadside foliage so that safe cycling can continue. Even extending to fixing potholes themselves in a group effort. Getting reports in local newspapers about the unsafe conditions, getting letters written stating that should anyone cycling be injured from a reported hole or inferior road surface then the LG will be held responsible for all costs relating to damage/ injuries that follow.

Yes, people sometimes say that it's a lost cause. Well, it will be if we give up and don't do anything about it...

[W@nted]

Gravel racing is the future. (At least outside of WC province). Public roads are getting worse by the day. 

[W@nted]

2 hours ago, robbybzgo said:

Maybe it's time for every city/ town/ dorp to have a Cycling Safe committee where their main goal is to create safe cycling conditions in their local areas. Yes, I know that local municipalities are constrained financially (mainly through an erosion of funds due to corruption) but we need to soldier on to create a safe environment to do our sport.

Suggest that the committee through the participation of all the local clubs identify the most often used routes and the put pressure on the local government [LG](even with petitions) to re-tar, fix holes and trim roadside foliage so that safe cycling can continue. Even extending to fixing potholes themselves in a group effort. Getting reports in local newspapers about the unsafe conditions, getting letters written stating that should anyone cycling be injured from a reported hole or inferior road surface then the LG will be held responsible for all costs relating to damage/ injuries that follow.

Yes, people sometimes say that it's a lost cause. Well, it will be if we give up and don't do anything about it...

This is a good suggestion. However, how sustainable it is I do not know. Maintaining a public road costs a lot of money. Especially longer distances. Also, out of experience, fixing potholes with bags of ready mix tar does not last. Especially when sharing the road with trucks. It is a losing battle.

[babse]

48 minutes ago, W@nted said:

Gravel racing is the future. (At least outside of WC province). Public roads are getting worse by the day. 

Logistically and safety wise it just make sense...

 

...goes back to classifieds to scope for my first gravel bike 🙃

[Eagle_i]

I also loved road cycling, we had plenty events in Bloemfontein, at least one every month. Now there's none, even the MTB events are scarce... there used to be loads of guy's on the road, training.Only a few die hard guy have resorted to indoor training, strava etc... Bloem has become a cycling gost town...

[mecheng89]

5 hours ago, Jbr said:

Like what event ? This side (Cape Town) we haven’t had that many events cancelled recently ?

Satellite Classic, Macsteel Classic and Race for Victory, all in GP.

[betaboy]

… I do alot of early morning walk/runs and I don’t see cycling dudes anywhere… road is dead. Too dangerous and our roads are shocking, who wants to go risk been a tar cowboy? The truth is the good old days of road events almost every weekend are gone. Plus the sport is becoming less accessible to many, to start this sport now, a parent would need to take an extra bond out to cover costs. Gravel is the future.

[Jewbacca]

1 minute ago, betaboy said:

… I do alot of early morning walk/runs and I don’t see cycling dudes anywhere… road is dead. Too dangerous and our roads are shocking, who wants to go risk been a tar cowboy? The truth is the good old days of road events almost every weekend are gone. Plus the sport is becoming less accessible to many, to start this sport now, a parent would need to take an extra bond out to cover costs. Gravel is the future.

Not trying to start anything, but how is gravel any more accessible than road to the same parents?

Just trying to understand where you are coming from.

 

[Danger Dassie]

1 hour ago, betaboy said:

… I do alot of early morning walk/runs and I don’t see cycling dudes anywhere… road is dead. Too dangerous and our roads are shocking, who wants to go risk been a tar cowboy? The truth is the good old days of road events almost every weekend are gone. Plus the sport is becoming less accessible to many, to start this sport now, a parent would need to take an extra bond out to cover costs. Gravel is the future.

How’s that quantifiable as “road is dead”? I do plenty early morning runs/rides as well as the evenings. Plenty groups out riding in the mornings all around Jhb. 
Cradle and SBR is pretty busy as well. 
I use my gravel bike plenty on the road when not out mountain biking. 
 

[Jbr]

sho I had no idea... here our roads are mostly in good condition and packed with cyclists on the weekends. Only reason I ride the gravel bike mostly is the abundance of idiots in their cars or on their feet that can't open their damn eyes and/or use them

[Mamil]

Cape town roads are mostly in good condition. Plenty of road, gravel and MTB options as we all know. Rode from southern subs to stellnbosch and back from breakfast with my daughter yesterday. Good roads with shoulders most of the way. Only one really dangerous spot where bicycles shouldn't be.

[NickGM]

14 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

Not trying to start anything, but how is gravel any more accessible than road to the same parents?

Just trying to understand where you are coming from.

 

I think "Gravel is future" is unrelated to the comments about cost. The comment about cost relates to a general decline in the willingness to start the sport, whatever your flavor of bike.

ie: Road cycling: expensive and dangerous. Gravel cycling: just expensive. Therefore "Gravel is future."

That's how I took it anyway.

 

[NickGM]

Despite the good surfaces, one thing I have noticed about the "utopian" western cape is how much busier the roads have gotten. I've been here for 10 years now and there were stretches of road where it was very easy to get a gap in the traffic (both oncoming and in my lane) if I needed to turn right. Not so anymore. Combine that with a declining appetite for risk and I actually do very little road biking on a genuine road bike anymore. I use a gravel bike just because it's that must easier to ride a stretch of road safely if it has no hard shoulder, it's easier to make a hasty jump up onto a kerb, etc. Plus I'm not too concerned about trying to be fast or aero' anymore, just comfortable and safe.

Side note: I'm sure I remember some thread on the hub about a kzn race being cancelled due to poor road quality. I thought it was the amashova but a quick google tells me I'm wrong.

[bleedToWin]

16 hours ago, mecheng89 said:

Satellite Classic, Macsteel Classic and Race for Victory, all in GP.

And this after the might of CSA backed Satellite Classic for it's National Road Series that only includes races with the "highest standards of safety and racing for licensed road cyclist in South Africa and will only make use of established and/or sanctioned road races"...