PPA has me frustrated.... help please!

[Guest coenie]

The PPA organisation and system is cool.

And worthit, Elton.

Try it and then comment.

 

And like all things in life, PPA has it's flaws...

Are you from PPA? I am asking because no one else seems to understand what PPA does and why they control Racetec?

 

If it is a PPA race? Then why is it that PPA does not take FULL responsibility? PPA always refer us to the race organiser?

 

If PPA is an advisor then SURELY a temp number can see his / her time?

[andretraut]

I would like to add to this thread... what was up with all the rudeness of the PPA volunteers at the start of the Engen Dynamic. Noticed this old bag walking around in cycle kit (instead of Grim Reaper's coat)shouting at poor youngsters who obviously participated in a race for the first time. Enough to put you off cycling, which is supposed to be fun, for a long time. Not cool at all!

[Guest coenie]

I would like to add to this thread... what was up with all the rudeness of the PPA volunteers at the start of the Engen Dynamic. Noticed this old bag walking around in cycle kit (instead of Grim Reaper's coat)shouting at poor youngsters who obviously participated in a race for the first time. Enough to put you off cycling, which is supposed to be fun, for a long time. Not cool at all!

She does it at EVERY race......and dare you complain about it to PPA

[Guest Frail4Life]

She does it at EVERY race......and dare you complain about it to PPA

 

Was that Old Baldie Bernie?

[Guest coenie]

Don't know her name, just that she always very rude to the rides

[paarlmtb]

At the end of the day if you see anything with PPA in it just know it will be a stuff up.

 

They are the limp wristed mafia who have their foot nicely in the door and dont give a crap about the sport but rather the business side of things. They do some PR once in a while and dont really contribute to the everyday cyclists enjoyment of the sport. Not sure if you were here last year when a cyclist was killed the PPA used this as a great opportunity to make a noise and that's all they did. Nothing came of it.

 

Cycling safety has not improved, events have not improved, but business is good as cyclists have no choice but join the mafia I mean PPA.

 

My 2c!

+1

For the life of me also can't understand why PPA members don't add voice to the issue of timing.

How do you measure yourself against the other competitors when they are not being timed?

Surely you would like to compete against the whole field!

Had a long email exchange once with PPA head and whilst I have to concede they do an enormous amount (check out their website)for promoting and developing cycling it seems to me they are in the process of poisoning their well, by being just plain obstinate.

 

Coercion stinks big time!!!!

[Edge_Design]

My only major gripe with PPA is that their excuse for everything they do (and their ridiculous fees/race entries) is that it's for developing cycling in SA, what about giving something to the members who pay the fees? I have now completed 10 consecutive Argus's (and thus been a PPA member for over 10 years) and genuinely feel I have never received anything other than a hole in my wallet from the PPA.

 

In running, a club organises a run for all entrants who pay the entry fee, this qualifies them to run on the same grounds as everyone else. You do not get prejudiced against for not being their member (and temp numbers are cheap, literally the additional cost they incur for you).

 

Funrides should be organised for the cyclists participating in them, with an occasional fundraising event (like the Argus). There are a lot of people who don't have R100+ a week to give to charity.

 

Anyways, this is all a waste of energy. They have gotten their monopoly on cycling, and until someone else puts up the money to set up competition for them, they will keep pushing up entry fees (someone please find a big corporate sponsor for a new series of races!)

[Kranswurm]

I would like to add to this thread... what was up with all the rudeness of the PPA volunteers at the start of the Engen Dynamic. Noticed this old bag walking around in cycle kit (instead of Grim Reaper's coat)shouting at poor youngsters who obviously participated in a race for the first time. Enough to put you off cycling, which is supposed to be fun, for a long time. Not cool at all!

 

Why dont you walk up to her and tell her to put a sock in it.Simple !

[Topwine]

+1

For the life of me also can't understand why PPA members don't add voice to the issue of timing.

How do you measure yourself against the other competitors when they are not being timed?

Surely you would like to compete against the whole field!

 

I totally agree. Not showing ALL the competitors' time is not only bad service for the visitors and non PPA members, but also rude to me as a PPA member. Surely I want to see everyone's time! I paid for that. They must start treating participants as true customers of a business if they want to stay in business.

 

In my opinion PPA actually made some big business blunders by acting in a monopolistic, capitalistic way. They actually encouraged other timing companies to start providing services in competition. I also bought a Racetec chip and am now sorry I did, because there are now so many other good MTB events and races that are not hosted by PPA and not timed by Racetec, that I rarely use the chip. They let a good opportunity slip by being greedy.

 

As an MTB only rider, they also host too few worthy events to really justify the subs. If it was not for the CSA license, I would drop them in a heartbeat next year.

[Icycling]

Edge_Design - I have done 27 ACT (3 in under 2h30min) and been a PPA member for 28 years.

 

I also still sit on PPA committee (for 15 years)only because their are not enough people who are willing to be on the committee - we are currently 10 and we meant to be 12! What ever money I get from PPA I give to Wed night Killarney plus other sponsorship.

 

So my fellow hubbers instead of bitching - get involved - or are you all just takers?

[Guest coenie]

Why dont you walk up to her and tell her to put a sock in it.Simple !

She will write down your number. What she does with it no one knows......

[Guest coenie]

Edge_Design - I have done 27 ACT (3 in under 2h30min) and been a PPA member for 28 years.

 

I also still sit on PPA committee (for 15 years)only because their are not enough people who are willing to be on the committee - we are currently 10 and we meant to be 12! What ever money I get from PPA I give to Wed night Killarney plus other sponsorship.

 

So my fellow hubbers instead of bitching - get involved - or are you all just takers?

Why is that when someone points out something a committee member will have this excuse....why can ops not do things right rather than hide behind this excuse that you do not have staff.

 

You don't need more staff to be nice to people...treat them ad humans at the start of a race? Huh?

Edited October 13, 2010 by coenie

['Dale]

Are you from PPA? I am asking because no one else seems to understand what PPA does and why they control Racetec?

 

If it is a PPA race? Then why is it that PPA does not take FULL responsibility? PPA always refer us to the race organiser?

 

If PPA is an advisor then SURELY a temp number can see his / her time?

No, Coenie, I am an amateur rider like most of us within this forum.

PPA and it's flawedness does not affect my love for cycling in any significant way. B)

Edited October 12, 2010 by AirBender

[Icycling]

Coenie - I was not their this past weekend but:

 

1. PPA does have staff but only a handful and I can assure you most do not go ever weekend to the funrides.

 

2. Then PPA has funride teams who go out on the weekend who do get paid.

 

3. Then PPA has PPA Marshals - who are basically volunteers who help our funride teams at the funrides - these are unpaid and by the name mentioned (shes been with PPA even longer than me) in the tread the a marshals may have been rude - very hard to discipline a volunteer and yes PPA is running out of Marshals. Believe me the funride would function a lot worse without the PPA marshals - they normally organise all the start and for that they get to start at the back!

 

4. Then without the funride organizers - who basically do 1 funride each year - their would be hardly any funrides, yup these people normally fall under Rotary or Lions clubs and that why entries are their to help their causes! But why not go to JHB and pay 3 times the entry for a promoter to pocket?

[Mads]

Now in all aspects I am a noob and an amateur. But the way I understand it is as follows:

 

I buy a racetec chip and do a race.

 

Whether I am seeded or a member of the PPA, my results will show on racetec's website. It will not show on PPA's website and I will not be seeded, therefore I will have to start at the back of a PPA race with no change of the so very important bunches etc.

 

So in my opinion, if I want the benefit of seeding I have to join the PPA and If not I start at the back.

 

Simple......... or do I have a misunderstanding of the whole thing?

[Icycling]

Mads - thats basically correct and as it a PPA seeding index surely it should be for PPA members?