Ride for Sight !!

[Solis]

Yip, we had the same situation on the 62km ride. Also put the Tandems with the AS bunch, for what ever reason?

Had a nice race though, but the route, as decribed on the CycleLab entry page, was not the same we did in the race. Some of our Tandems riding in the front, missed out on the turn-off and this caused us to loose the front part of the bunch. Tried our best, but could not catch them.

Nice race though!!

[TNT1]

Everyone seems to have the same comment here. That the races are dangerous. The Herald in PE was the same, big bunches and very dangerous, cars coming from the front, riders pushing in to miss them. NOT NICE.

 

These new rules for bigger bunches does not work in SA. We need full road closure for that sort of racing. And the seeding has to be correct. They are not seeding the bunches properly at all.

 

I recon cyclists should stop supporting the events that are dangerous. You pay entry fee for and organised event in which there is no regard for the safety of its participants. You are putting your life and well being in danger by supporting these events.

 

Lets learn from our black population... MASS ACTION!!! that’s what gets results!!!

 

Hit the organisers where it hurts. Thier pockets! and they will hit CSA to fix the problems.

 

Yes,in part, the new rules handed done by CSA are impacting this. Unfortunately, we, as organisers have very little influence as to what CSA does, and how they do it.

[nautical]

both the C4 comms said that C4 is to be DQd in it's entirety. sorry to the FEW who did pull over at first request but seriously... to the C3 and C4 guys concerned...

 

1 - if you get dropped by C3 do NOT jump in to the C4 bunch

 

2 - if the next bunch catches you and the marshal (at request of comm) rides up saying "get left please and let the next bunch go" it does NOT mean "ooh, your d$%^ is small, speed up and mess up their race"

 

3 - when the marshals then come up and instruct that the tandems be allowed to go and the C4 to drop back (ie C4 to the back, then the rest, then the tandems can be on their way" do NOT come with shitty attitudes

 

4 - when the marshal then comes and says "C4s, the comm says your race is over, please pull out now" do NOT continue with **** attitude. if you are NOT C4 then let the marshal past to advise all. when the marshals and the comms are hooting to get past and yelling for ALL C4s to pull over DO SO.

 

bunch of pathetic twits and the C3s who were in that bunch were also disgusting. the whole damn lot deserve the DQ that both comms said they were gonna get. it is just a pity that the few guys who DID behave must now also suffer a DQ.

 

you lot always bitch and moan that the safety etc is not up to scratch - but ffs, if you deliberately disregard the rules AND ignore instructions then what the heck do you expect???

 

i need to take my SV to be fixed (having just spent over R2k oon a service i seriously can't afford this) because of damage sustained by "offroading" etc while playing "chicken" with 18 wheelers and luxury 4x4s in order to get you safely to the finish line. at this stage the ONLY reason i've not stopped marshalling is that i have friends who are cyclists. and in this instance a whole lot who have been negatively affected - someone who DID pull over when asked to do so, tandem riders and A bunch riders. all of whom did NOT have a good day because of the idiots in the C4 bunch and the C3 dropouts who contributed to the mayhem

[jasper]

Once again, Thank you to all the cyclist that participated in the race, it was nice to see such a lot of participants coming out for the day. From the marshalling perspective, yes, it was interesting. Especially from the front. Those are problems we will discuss and remedy with the organizers as we go along.

 

The 'not so nice' thing is that we had cyclist swearing at us. Calling names etc. this while we were trying to keep them safe and make an enjoyable race for everyone. The Helivac Marshals motto is "Cycling Safety is our Concern" working together with Sign-up and Right to Ride, we are trying to promote awareness amongst cyclists and motorists alike.

 

We rely on the support from the cyclist to make this campaign possible. Being sworn at and not being listened to, is going to have a negative impact on some of the Marshals. We are trying to get some more people on-board and not scare them off. The way forward with this at races is to rely on the more senior cyclists to dissipline these guys in the bunches. So please guys, next time, kick them off the bicycle, cause these kind of attitudes does not belong on the road. 'Share the Road" remember?

 

I had the under 16/14 group on the 62km race. I must apologize to the guys here. It was a small group with an early break-away by 4 cyclists. I remained with the big group at the back while to commissaire followed the break-away. At the first water point the 62km turn was not well marked and no foot-marshals available to indicate the turn. To my knowledge, it was a very dangerous turn and I elected to leave my group and take control of the situation at the turn-around.

 

I controlled the turn around, stopped the traffic to allow the cyclist to pass through. Some oke's did miss the turn and had to back-track. For this I apologise. I do not know why there were no foot marshals positioned there.

 

Other than that, we had an enjoyable race. We hope to all at the Berge en Dale, as well as the Macsteel.

[nautical]

I am a rider in C4 and obviously read the negative comments with some dismay and a lot of disappointment. It is a pity that a "self-chosen" few would cause such aggrivation and mayhem at the expense, safety, general sanity and joy of the majority of decent riders. It should also be noted as one individual commented (and in hind sight, it may be better for the tandems to start before C4 at least {some of them posted times that placed them among C1's})The argument by some then, that one should not have a racing licence if you are going to get caught, does not hold water, since the new seeding system in the catagories, is done to supply an equalisation of ability. It is only natural that some will get caught by riders in later start groups- it is the nature of cycling. To get back to the C4/ tandem fiasco, do note that a minority was responsible for the ultimate disqualification. From where I was positioned, we shouted at C4 and SOME A1 riders to fall back and not chase. The tandems caught us on a very narrow road with a rough surface. At that stage, our group was still very big and it was impossible to suddenly engage single file in order for them to pass. Maybe, the marshalls should have held them back till it was safe in terms of numbers, road width, etc. to pass? There were 10 of us that ultimately sprinted for a top 10 finish (futile exercise ultimately)in our group, riding in good time and I just feel the marshalls should have noted specific race numbers of the culprits and remove them from the race. For what it is worth, apologies to those affected by the fools in our group.

[swiss]

Had a great race, would have been nice to have more hills to break the bunches up earlier.

 

Very happy with my time, checked my official time this morning on Racetech......nothing

 

Really disappointed, need my official time

[Harry Potter]

I had my time from racetec yesterday afternoon

[Zerin]

The 'not so nice' thing is that we had cyclist swearing at us. Calling names etc. this while we were trying to keep them safe and make an enjoyable race for everyone. The Helivac Marshals motto is "Cycling Safety is our Concern" working together with Sign-up and Right to Ride, we are trying to promote awareness amongst cyclists and motorists alike.

 

I find it disgusting that you marshals got sworn at and called names. I have nothing but praise for you guys at yesterdays race. I made a point to say hello to just about every marshal and say thank you when they kept traffic back for us to pass through the intersections. I was not racing, i rode to finish and it cost me nothing to say thanks.

 

It is a thankless task being a marshal at these events. Perhaps some cyclists need to consider this and save themselves from being an arse by keeping their rude mouths shut.

[jmaccelari]

Tandems racing with singles in a race this size? They accelerate differently, they brake differently, they change line differently, they corner differently, ...

 

I have one question:

 

What moron made that decision?

[Bike Mob]

Loads of crashes in Cat 1 also!!! But nothing to do with the organisers. Just a bunch of nervous guys trying too hard!!

 

Enjoyed the ride. Was fast!!

 

This was my 1st JHB race and wow the bunch was skittish in Cat1... every intersection was a lock up your brakes and go affair with some bad crashes.

 

Insanely fast route though, which was very cool, but the bunch just didn't seem right. It was like a crash derby, guys are kamikaze pilots up there!

[1hill@aTime]

i had a jol, Cat2 race was fast but bearable....everyone kept the rubber the right way round,

 

I can say all the times i have done this race in the past i swore i would never do it again, but not after yesterday, thumbs up to the organisation

 

p.s and a to the barone ladies at the 80k mark

Edited February 14, 2011 by 1hill@aTime

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I used to enjoy the RFS but I stopped doing it about 2 years ago. For me it was just way too dangerous.

[Bbox]

I'm still shaking... Had a few close calls on Sunday. Finished with and avg speed of 43km/H...... Dangerous stuff!

[David Marshall]

Like Trubie I got stuck at the back of the ALs on the line. I did not manage to rejoin the main group but the smallish bunch I was in (mixed with tandems) had a safe ride all the way, finishing in just over three hours.

 

As to the issues raised in this thread, I think riders have to be made more aware of the rules and etiquette of group riding. Riding in the licensed groups last year I was shocked at how many riders are guilty of cheating by hanging onto passing vehicles and bunches - some of them not even aware that it is not on. It is so dishartening when the guys you have dropped come flying past you on the back of the A bunch.

 

Perhaps the marshalls should have a photographer on the back of the bike to record the culprits. A warning and pic in the post may help.

[Li Mu Bai]

No problem with the organization in our social group. Was seeded in the CL group but rode with friends in EL. Pace was hectic but no incidents and thanks to the guy on the motorcycle. Eventhough some cyclist at some stage crossed the white line, he was totally in control and no shouting to get back. (situation was not dangerous I must say)

 

Must say I fail to understand why people ride licenced when they get caught by the EL group before SBR. Waste of money if you ask me. We passed a few C3 and C4 riders.

 

 

umm, if someone punctures (I did, twice) you end up having to ride with groups behind you, and after a lot of solo time trialing too...

[nikki]

Tandems racing with singles in a race this size? They accelerate differently, they brake differently, they change line differently, they corner differently, ...

 

I have one question:

 

What moron made that decision?

 

 

 

People that have never riden in a tandem race before.