CSA Racing rules 2011

[Frosty]

G, hope you know all the changes i'm going to be asking you tonight

 

[fandacious]

If they want to step cycling up a gear to get South Africans on par with international cycling, we can kiss these useless little 80km/90km/100km races goodbye! Whooop-whooop bring on the 160km - 200km plus races!

 

PPA doesnt have much to do with CSA. But still it would be great if they had more 150km+ races

 

100km is finished in around 2h30-2h45 for the racing guys. thats hardly a warmup on the international scene

[Tankman]

PPA doesnt have much to do with CSA. But still it would be great if they had more 150km+ races

 

100km is finished in around 2h30-2h45 for the racing guys. thats hardly a warmup on the international scene

 

Correct, the point I am trying to make, If CSA wants to bring in all the changes to get cycling on an international standard, they have got to go all the way! Set rules and guidelines to the likings of PPA and other bodies.

 

There will be no point in changing the race format and team structures but leave the rest the same

Anyone then going to race in Europe will k*k with the first ride over 140km, and 140km is considered a easy fun ride there

[Spinnekop]

So here is my take:

 

• The proposal/draft looks good
  
• It caters for the Racing snakes, U/23, Elite, Vets, Ladies
  
• It creates a team structure
  
• It gets PDI's involved in the sport
  
• Racing according to ability and not age (Well....they are still stuck on the whole age thing as "vets" gets mentioned which I think is BS) which is good
  
• Long term goals in mind which I like
  

 

There are still a few uncertainties I think.......

1. Do the Vets teams require PDIs?
   
2. What if a 40+ Vet wants to race cat 1...does he need to get selected in an "Elite" team or club?
   
3. What about the weekend warrior like myself.....don't have a team but is fast enough to hang onto the Vets 30+ bunch....Do I now need to find a team?
   
4. On the one page it states 4-8 riders, on the other page it states 4-6 riders for a Vets team
   

 

My suggestions to improve on this current draft are as follows:

1. Keep the U/23, Elite Cat 1 group with all its rules and regulations i.e manager, DS, avg age, PDI's, etc.
   
2. Make Cat 2 & Cat 3 a bunch where ANYONE of ANY age or sex can join as individual rider based on their SEEDING/Ability and not AGE. In other words, top 200 cyclists on the CSA seeding index are Cat 2 and next 200 are Cat 3. I would say 80-90% of the current Vets 30-50 ride as individuals and not teams and to now get a "team" together will be stupid.....if that is going to be a requirement, I am racing Open Cat bunch next year.
   
3. All other riders in Open Cats A, B, C according to ability.
   

 

The question now is.....will someone at CSA see these comments we put forward on the Hub? I doubt it but can only hope.

 

As it stands in its current form, there are going to be:

• HUGE Cat 1 group where you have teams and structure and new blood and PDI's and and and.
  
• 5-10% (Two or three teams maybe) Vets 30+ team racing Cat 1 effectively killing 30+ Vets racing in total....good thing? Bad thing? The old ballies really is not part of the 2020 development, are they? But one has to consider that the Vets 30+ racing was good and brought SOME income to the CSA tables.....
  
• Small Cat 2 group with 3 ladies teams and two, maybe 3 Vet 40+ teams.....30 riders in total?
  
• ALL other riders in Open cats
  

 

So start with the end in mind....what do you as CSA want in 2020?

 

Only one big Elite bunch racing guys with no one being able to move up from "Cat 2 or Cat 3" because they are to OLD in any case or riders cannot find a team to support them to enter Cat 1?

 

Or 3 racing bunches for ALL individuals that creates an opportunity to be recognised and seen by sponsors if you move up from Cat 3 to Cat 2 and then into Cat 1 into a team......?

 

Good luck boys and girls!!!! Hope you get a formula that works for all.....

 

My main question still stands.......why re invent the wheel.....just seed irrespective of age.....take age out of the equation....Elite bunch.....then first 200 riders Cat 2....Second 200 riders Cat 3 and so on.......

[1hill@aTime]

Spinnekop for president?

[Spinnekop]

I still say.......the best formula for SA.......

 

Join CSA with an option of TWO categories:

1. Elite rider with a team and structure and regulations etc - "High" entry fee for team in total
   
2. Category racer - Low entry for CSA membership to all!
   

 

Your starting batches are easy:

1. Elite bunch - LONG DISTANCE RIDE
   
2. Cat 1 - Short distance, top 200 riders on CSA seeding (Excluding Elite riders)
   
3. Cat 2 - Short distance, top 201-400 riders
   
4. Cat 3 - Short distance, Top 401-600 riders
   
5. Open groups A, B, C - Short distance, Rider 601- ad infinito
   

 

That way an A bunch rider can advance to Cat 3 or Cat 2 can advance to Cat 1 and Cat 1 can get noticed and get a ride on an Elite team.

 

Marchalling from CSA's side only gets done on the Elite bunch. No need to do Cat 1 or 2....they are in effect...and lets be honost...funriders....

 

NO FORCED STRUCTURED TEAMS in Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3 bunches....PLEASE!!!?? You are going to kill a LOT of sponsors and entries by doing this!!!!

[Scalpel]

Spinnekop now you are making sense where there is little sense doing the rounds. I am one of the individual week end warriors. I dont have a team and it is highly unlikely that I will find a team. Why? Because I prefer to race by myself. No pressure from anyone and nobody tells me where and when I have to race. I do believe that the current system is flawed, so some of these suggestions make sense.

 

Bring in categories, but keep the 30+ cats seperate from the other rules. Cat Elite can abide by these rules as they are supposed to be the future 2020 vision. We as vets just want to race. It takes me back to the SuperVet series of two years ago where the top 100 30+ vets raced each other. Now that was fun!! CSA place is in cats according to our seeding and not age. Dont apply all the rules of teams, some of of us and to some extent I think it might be the majority prefer to ride as individuals.

 

If the teams are enforced over the board I for one will be riding in the open cats if at all. I think a lot of sponsors will quit the sport of cycling as it is known in SA. It is just getting to expensive. Look at the other threads regarding the cost of licence fees. Now one has to be licenced, you have to be part of a club and you have to pay for your 4-6 man team as well. Now the team has to enter races. These races arent cheap anymore. So every race enrty will cost a team plus minus R1000-00( Iam talking big races). Whereas an individual can decide where and when he races.

 

These are just my thoughts and I really hope someone at CSA reads all of our Hub rantings. I wanna race. I wanna race in categories according to ability and not age, but I dont want to be forced into a team!!!!

[Tankman]

Does anyone have a clear definition of "PDI rider" please...?

[Spinnekop]

Does anyone have a clear definition of "PDI rider" please...?

 

Come on Tankman......you live in SA. This will be anyone not white. Easy as that!

[Tankman]

Come on Tankman......you live in SA. This will be anyone not white. Easy as that!

 

oh ok, as long as it has nothing to do with that previously disadvantage crap, that was like 16 years ago!

[Scalpel]

PDI= Previously Disadvantaged Individual as far as I know, but I might be wrong!

[bikemonster]

Does anyone have a clear definition of "PDI rider" please...?

 

Anyone who used to ride a Raleigh.

[AndreZA]

Anyone who used to ride a Raleigh.

 

I still do. So I qualify?

[Tankman]

PDI= Previously Disadvantaged Individual as far as I know, but I might be wrong!

 

I was also previously disadvantaged, I didnt own the right gear, didnt train correctly, didnt use supplements, didint have any cycling knowledge, didnt know about the hub! Aren't we over this yet?

Some of these "PDI" riders have bikes and gear that is worth more than my car, which puts them at an advantage now, so how does this get measured?

 

Anyone who used to ride a Raleigh.

 

[bikemonster]

I still do. So I qualify?

 

Sorry, there is no CDI category.

[1hill@aTime]

Anyone who used to ride a Raleigh.

 

I still ride a Raleigh and an definately not a PDi rider