[Event] 99er Cycle Tour

[ChrisF]

21 minutes ago, NicholasH said:

Hi

In short the route change: we were forced to change the start from Durbanville Racecourse for many reasons. After literally 2 months of scouting grounds, driving the routes a few times and looking at every possible option (remember I am a keen cyclist myself and head of operations) this was the only route choice we had. Durbanville simply does not have the infrastructure to support a 4000+ strong cyclist event. What people also don't realise is that you cannot simply send 1000 cyclists out of Durbanville on any route. You have to look at timing of when the elites and A and B groups come back to the start vs the other slower and short routes leave. It is ridiculously complex and respectfully to everyone here, unless you have planned a race yourself, you have no idea...

Anyway, we try our best to still be unique, hence 3 road routes and a longer gravel route.

Vissershok HAD TO be removed because local municipality refused to maintain the road and thus we couldn't use it. Odendal and D'Urbanvale fell away because we now HAVE TO end on Koeberg. We are still the only event that uses the Old Malmesbury road which is fast and safe. Looking forward to meeting you all on raceday 

 

THANK YOU to you and every member of your team for all the hard work to put this event together.  

 

 

Sure you would have loved to keep the old Odendaal finish.

 

Let's not forget all the threads about events in other provinces, rather, the lack of events .... let's be greatful for what our authorities signs off on.

[NicholasH]

6 hours ago, Rudii said:

99er and Durbie Dash is pretty much becoming carbon copies of each other. Organisers will have to think outside of the box to differentiate from the other.

This year's race IS OUTSIDE THE BOX, believe it or not.... we started route planning in July already and after "finalising" the routes 3 times we came up with what we have now.... it's not as simple as it seems. We are also actually quite different from Durbie Dash. Very good friends with the organizers. I believe that the 2 events actually compliment each other

[Wannabe]

@NicholasH. I need assistance in redeeming two free entry vouchers we won last year, for this event. The e-mail address stated on the Voucher we got (winners@99er.co.za) gets returned as not valid, and all other e-mails goes unanswered. 

[bleedToWin]

On 12/6/2024 at 4:07 PM, NicholasH said:

We are still the only event that uses the Old Malmesbury road

Checking my race calendar...
*cough* Philadelphia *cough* Kalbaskraal

You don't need to claim that to be relevant though...

[NicholasH]

8 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Checking my race calendar...
*cough* Philadelphia *cough* Kalbaskraal

You don't need to claim that to be relevant though...

Hi. Yeah, sure. Its not about relevance per se. The point I am making is that we ARE still a unique race in terms of route. As I have explained, Durbanville has grown from 5000 people to 50,000 (I have lived here all 56 years of my life) BUT we still only have the same 5 roads in and out of the now, town, not dorpie like it was

[NicholasH]

31 minutes ago, Wannabe said:

@NicholasH. I need assistance in redeeming two free entry vouchers we won last year, for this event. The e-mail address stated on the Voucher we got (winners@99er.co.za) gets returned as not valid, and all other e-mails goes unanswered. 

drop me a mail and I will put you in contact with the right person. nicholashaupt@gmail.com

[NicholasH]

On 12/6/2024 at 8:51 AM, MongooseMan said:

Just had a look at the road route, 2 interesting changes:

1. No more crit circuit through the suburbs to start (this is good)

2. No more Odendaal hill to finish (looks like the normal Durbie Dash/Tour de PPA finish on Adderly, maybe a bit further down the road).

 

Also means 94km instead of 99...

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/313014923

Hi

Yes, we have been forced to finish Adderly because of the loss of Odendaal.... sorry all but urban progress feels rocks for cycling 😞 

[NicholasH]

On 12/6/2024 at 9:49 AM, MongooseMan said:

The "crit" is an issue because A batch has it as neutralised, B batch doesn't.

So last year, for 99er and Tour de PPA, B batch caught A batch before the 5km crit section was done, which lead to all manner of issues.

 

Agree on Odendaal, it was a unique finish, it's now the same as all the other Dbnvl races.

Yes, that was me again... We had to slow A down but then I never thought about B (I'm a software developer that loves cycling, not a professional cycling anything 🤣 and we all volunteer for this event as it is our school) So it ended up that the winning time of B was actually faster than A. This year with the route change the neutral will apply to ALL groups as we have a much more dangerous right turn this time onto Wellington but from there it is game on for everyone. H

[NicholasH]

On 12/6/2024 at 9:47 AM, hunterza said:

The route changes are a bit of a pity. I never found that crit circuit at the start particularly dangerous - just *very* hard right at the start if you were in a group that was pushing the pace (all the times I can remember!). And the end up Odendaal was always very memorable and challenging, although the ending crit circuit through the suburbs felt a lot more dangerous. I'll still ride it and, I'm sure, enjoy it - but it does feel like it has lost something. I suppose it's quite likely that the organisers didn't have much of a choice here though...

Yep, we had no choice due to losing the race course as the start/finish. However, we believe that despite this change that this year will see our biggest and best event in many years. We are approaching record entry numbers plus the Trilogy was a huge success and we are building on it as well as having 3 road routes. We all loved to hate Odendaal (RIP) but we are now into a new era....

[NicholasH]

On 12/6/2024 at 10:05 AM, Skubarra said:

Also sad that the finish through D'Urbanvale and Odendaal has been taken out, its the one aspect of the race that was unique compared to the other northern suburbs races, but I get why - traffic congestion a big headache in the northern suburbs with the town expanding (Clara Anna etc). I do hope at one point the roads will be fixed to the extent that they can bring back Vissershok and Van Schoorsdrift, the Malmesbury out and back not particularly exciting imo.

You hit the nail on the head. Durbanville roads have not kept up with its expansion. Vissershok will be repaired BUT just after Hoogekraal it will now turn right and cut past the quarry to come out near Zone 7. Thus we can never again come up from that side again. To go from the new start (sports club) up and over Tiekiedraai to get to Vissershok will also never happen. So, we have to make do with what have out here.... ie unexciting Malmesbury and back 🤣

[Bub Marley]

26 minutes ago, NicholasH said:

You hit the nail on the head. Durbanville roads have not kept up with its expansion. Vissershok will be repaired BUT just after Hoogekraal it will now turn right and cut past the quarry to come out near Zone 7. Thus we can never again come up from that side again. To go from the new start (sports club) up and over Tiekiedraai to get to Vissershok will also never happen. So, we have to make do with what have out here.... ie unexciting Malmesbury and back 🤣

This is a real pity. 

 

I remember in the past when we went over the gravel section on Malans and then did Vissers and then Odendal. Now that was a proper race. While i get that these things are out of your hands, it’s still a massive dampener to all to have all those stripped away.

[Titleist]

Thank goodness Odendaal is gone. The 3 circles between the finish and Adderley was huge accident waiting to happen. All because the wheel suckers who do nothing at the back for 98km suddenly wants to work 1km from the line. 

[ChrisF]

@NicholasH will the Durbanville sportsgrounds serve as the "final point" ?  (though the finish line is as we enter Durbanville)

 

 

We circled the sports grounds area on Saturday.  Nice little leg warmer from to get to the start.  Less nice little climb to get back home .... 😬

 

Hopefully we can drop down from Durbanroad towards the start without going through the sports grounds.

[NicholasH]

32 minutes ago, Titleist said:

Thank goodness Odendaal is gone. The 3 circles between the finish and Adderley was huge accident waiting to happen. All because the wheel suckers who do nothing at the back for 98km suddenly wants to work 1km from the line. 

🤣 yep, don't we all love those wheel suckers....

[NicholasH]

14 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

@NicholasH will the Durbanville sportsgrounds serve as the "final point" ?  (though the finish line is as we enter Durbanville)

 

 

We circled the sports grounds area on Saturday.  Nice little leg warmer from to get to the start.  Less nice little climb to get back home .... 😬

 

Hopefully we can drop down from Durbanroad towards the start without going through the sports grounds.

Yes, the start and finish *VENUE* is the rugby club BUT the race will end on Koeberg road and then a neutral zone through the suburbs and across Wellington road past our school (El Shaddai) to enter the rugby fields via a specially constructed bridge to get across the Kuilsriver canal. (I think very people understand the complexity of putting on a race - nevermind the fact that each person on the committee is just a parent of a kid in the school and we all have day jobs 😁)

Edited January 14 by NicholasH

[NicholasH]

48 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

This is a real pity. 

 

I remember in the past when we went over the gravel section on Malans and then did Vissers and then Odendal. Now that was a proper race. While i get that these things are out of your hands, it’s still a massive dampener to all to have all those stripped away.

Lol! I actually rode that race before I was a parent of a kid in the school. What a disaster that gravel bit was for roadbikes! I still rag some of the committee who are still serving and that were involved in THAT race. Broken collarbones and bikes piled up at the medical tent 😂

And yes, the Vissers/Odendaal combination were legend...RIP

(in fact, we could quite easily use that exact route now and label it "gravel" race and it would be an awesome event!)

Edited January 14 by NicholasH