PPA and safety

[Edge_Design]

From the other side of the story... the short and medium route riders pay the same entry we all do, but then they do things like on Sunday and make them start at 8.40 just to convenience us long route riders. My g/f paid R150 to ride before finding out the start time had been delayed, she ended up doing the 20km route (R7,50 per km!) because she would have ended up starting closer to 09.30 with the temp numbers and couldn't spend the whole of sunday stuck in stellies at the ride. That is absolutely ridiculous, if they are going to be set aside for the long route then they must pay less, they do not get the same for their money that we do as the rules are structured by the long route riders (these are also the ppl who take it seriously and fight for new rules as in this post). We should be supporting the beginner, true 'fun-riders' as well as the serious racers. It takes all types of cyclists to support the sport, not only those who race seriously.

[Guest coenie]

Has anyone seen this link on the PPA website - Safety at Events and FAQ?

http://www.pedalpower.org.za/News/NewsAdministration/tabid/159/newsid611/96/mid/611/Default.aspx

 

What nonsense they speak, besides them not being able to spell...

 

We were told TO PARK there and never requested NOT to park there.....Again PPA is indemnifying themselfs...

 

(wheels touching; in  one case a puncture during the spring), and not caused by the positioning of vehicles near the finish line (despite marshals requesting cyclists to NOT park there).

coenie2010-02-08 07:36:33

[Guest coenie]

How abou this joke

 

"Having said that, cycling is potentially a dangerous sport for which the riders must take accountability  ? wheels do touch; riders do lose control, rocks and trees do jump in front of riders. That?s part of the game, and watching the falls on the Tour de France where professional cyclists race over a road closed to traffic, proves this point"

 

Rather than say sorry PPA, just blames the riders and try to justify their "lack" involvement in the whole story....like we said before

 

It WILL be riders fault NEVER PPA....I thought the PPA enforces UCI rules? But we can not report a rider for bad behaviour? So what do they do again bisides indemnifying themselfs....

coenie2010-02-08 07:35:44

[Baldrick]

 

From the other side of the story... the short and medium route riders pay the same entry we all do' date=' but then they do things like on Sunday and make them start at 8.40 just to convenience us long route riders. My g/f paid R150 to ride before finding out the start time had been delayed, she ended up doing the 20km route (R7,50 per km!) because she would have ended up starting closer to 09.30 with the temp numbers and couldn't spend the whole of sunday stuck in stellies at the ride. That is absolutely ridiculous, if they are going to be set aside for the long route then they must pay less, they do not get the same for their money that we do as the rules are structured by the long route riders (these are also the ppl who take it seriously and fight for new rules as in this post). We should be supporting the beginner, true 'fun-riders' as well as the serious racers. It takes all types of cyclists to support the sport, not only those who race seriously.[/quote']

I was going to ride with the mrs, but when we saw the starting time we stayed at home. It sounded like there was chaos on the road when the medium route went through Stellenbosch. I realise that safety is an issue, but pushing back the weaker riders so that they have to finish in hot conditions will only reduce the number of riders.

 

[ccc2]

 

same here , i was going to ride tandem with my son but to start at 9.40. no way. the new start process for the leagues 6.30 and then the funrides at 7.00 works because the leagues don;t get caught by the ab's funriders. but start the short ride straight after the long route have departed. the majority of the short should be finished by the time the long finishes. the best solution is to have long long routes ie 120+kms and short short routes ie 50 - 60 kms max. the problem with mixing long and short are not the last stragglers of the short route but the middle to high up seeded categories that are fast enough to hang in the long route bunch. they hang in there by the seat of their pants, all over the show. thats what causes the falls. < id="gwProxy" ="">< ="jsCall;" id="jsProxy" ="">

[HomerSimpson]

Shaun231 and ccc2 make valid points here.  This situation will unfortunately probably lead to some rides eventually disappearing from the calender, or at least not being considered as league events.

On Sunday, the 62 km ride was started at 08:40 to prevent the league bunches and the faster funride bunches (A-G) mixing with the 62 km riders back through Stellenbosch and on the narrow sections of road just before Spier and on the Annandale road, not to mention at the finish.  If the 62 km ride had started immediately after the long ride most of the funriders would have been on the road at 07:45.  This would have meant that at around 08:45, the first of the short route would have done about 35 k's which would have put them on the road into Stellenbosch at about the same time as the elites.  The rest of the racing groups and the majority of the 62 k riders would have met up in Stellenbosch and just beyond.  So the only way to avoid this was, I guess, to start the 62 k ride late (which meant these riders had to deal with the traffic both going out and coming back)

So the organisers are stuck with a catch 22 situation.  Safety of the racing and fast funride bunches, or making things easier for the funriders in the 62 k ride. 

 

The real problem (to my mind) is the nature of the race/funride route. 

(A)  Joining long and short routes will always be a problem.

(B)  Having to take cyclists through a fairly busy town between 09:00 and 11:00 on a Sunday morning is not really desirable.

I have a feeling that this particular ride will not be able to exist in it's present format for too much longer.  I think it is time for the race organizers to start thinking about alternatives.

 

And spare a thought for the PPA marshals who worked at Sunday's ride...there at 06:00 a.m and most only got to start with the temps at the end of the medium route, at about 09:20....

 

HomerSimpson2010-02-09 02:26:37