So here I go again, it was 05:40 Sunday morning in Cape Town, sitting on the floor in pen H with an hour or so to wait thinking I would be the first but no there were still half a dozen or so riders bagging that front spot for the all-important start. Its cold, dark BUT no wind this year!! That hour flew by as I ate, drank & contemplated just 1 more loo visit??? 10 mins to go and were herded like sheep to one of two start lines getting 35,000 riders off is potentially a logistical nightmare but these guys have it off to a tee. I am at the front!! A rope divides group H and two more groups ahead of me. A few photos, which of course I have prepared for ;-) and were being counted down by the now famous compare ready to hear his hooplaaaar roar! And were off.. an incredibly fast start considering weve all been sitting around for an hour, no chance of a warm up here! Im in the lead group of my group of 600! Fantastic, first objective achieved, the run out of Cape Town is along a dual carriage way and with an incline enough to hurt . Still hanging on at the top we hit the first high speed section, this is four lanes of silky smooth tarmac enabling speeds of 40 mph plus, however, the first test is a sharp right and 4 down to 2 lanes the infamous hospital bend which in 2007 caused a massive pile up and a number of casualties!! Round safely now to try and settle, get the heart rate down and stick to my race plan. Being a stone heavier than last Summer I was under no illusions that that my group would spit me out at the first big climb. First though, is the M3 which is a fast but usually windy stretch of a few miles that you need to get in a good pack. Again, all going to plan, still in the lead group, rattling along at between 25 & 30 mph and heart rate barely out of resting levels Im loving this! But then I feel that all too familiar bumping feeling when your rear tire just doesnt feel right a sodding puncture I dont believe it the best road surfaces ever, that I actually witnessed being SWEPT the previous day (seriously, they sweep the whole route!!) and I find something to puncture with gutted! I manage to hang on to the group until we leave the dual carriage way and pull over. I watch in despair as my super-fast peloton disappears up the road gutted. Anyway, onwards an upwards the good thing about this race is theres always another peloton just around the corner!! Puncture repaired and a new group to cling onto. Now, this race isnt the longest, or indeed the highest.. but its fast and of course the route is just breath taking! I am pleased to say the rest of the race went to plan Edinburgh Drive, Fish Hoek, Simons Town, Smitswinkel Bay, Misty Cliffs (they really are misty!! & cold!!), and finally the two signature climbs Chapmans Peak & Suikerbossie. The final climb is straight up, by now very hot and very, very painful. The best part though is the road is lined with supporters and the space to ride through them narrows towards the top so yes, for those moments of pain you cant help feeling like a Tour rider in the Alps ?. Having reached the summit of Suikerbossie there is about 10 miles to go; I knew at this point that my personal target of 3:30 was definitely on the cards, even with the puncture. The first 5 miles is an amazing gentle decline which hugs the coast reaching speeds back in the 40s again. I managed to link up with another guy who seemed stuck to my wheel after some gentle persuasion and maybe the odd heated word he got the message to do some work and between us we hurtled along towards Cape Town. Time Trial mode kicked in and I finally dropped my passenger. There is one final danger spot a sharp 90 degree right hander at the base of a short decline. A wall of crash barriers line the corner as you rip round it screams of hold your fing line in strong Afrikaan accents fill the air safely round again & 2 Ks to go pace going up again as the guys around me now clearly want a strong finish, 1K to go no Saffers gonna beat me in the sprint I can tell you, 500, 400, 300, 200 off my lead out bang Im there hands aloft won my little sprint, crowd screaming, cameras flashing for a few seconds I AM a Pro!!!!
35,000 starters, 28,676 finishers, my position 4983, official time 3:31:26. So not my best time, but better than last year
The first picture is the coast you follow back to Cape Town, this is the last 5 miles, & just behind the bushes is Camps Bay.
The wife managed to capture me having crossed the finish! She'd only just arrived as well!!
A big thanks to Andy Bartlett & Pete Scoats who got me hooked on this race in the first place when they made that call back in the Summer of 2007. Or as I refer to them - my Team Leader & Coach... :-)
Comments
Cape Town 2011 Cycle Tour The Argus
So here I go again, it was 05:40 Sunday morning in Cape Town, sitting on the floor in pen H with an hour or so to wait thinking I would be the first but no there were still half a dozen or so riders bagging that front spot for the all-important start. Its cold, dark BUT no wind this year!! That hour flew by as I ate, drank & contemplated just 1 more loo visit??? 10 mins to go and were herded like sheep to one of two start lines getting 35,000 riders off is potentially a logistical nightmare but these guys have it off to a tee. I am at the front!! A rope divides group H and two more groups ahead of me. A few photos, which of course I have prepared for ;-) and were being counted down by the now famous compare ready to hear his hooplaaaar roar! And were off.. an incredibly fast start considering weve all been sitting around for an hour, no chance of a warm up here! Im in the lead group of my group of 600! Fantastic, first objective achieved, the run out of Cape Town is along a dual carriage way and with an incline enough to hurt . Still hanging on at the top we hit the first high speed section, this is four lanes of silky smooth tarmac enabling speeds of 40 mph plus, however, the first test is a sharp right and 4 down to 2 lanes the infamous hospital bend which in 2007 caused a massive pile up and a number of casualties!! Round safely now to try and settle, get the heart rate down and stick to my race plan. Being a stone heavier than last Summer I was under no illusions that that my group would spit me out at the first big climb. First though, is the M3 which is a fast but usually windy stretch of a few miles that you need to get in a good pack. Again, all going to plan, still in the lead group, rattling along at between 25 & 30 mph and heart rate barely out of resting levels Im loving this! But then I feel that all too familiar bumping feeling when your rear tire just doesnt feel right a sodding puncture I dont believe it the best road surfaces ever, that I actually witnessed being SWEPT the previous day (seriously, they sweep the whole route!!) and I find something to puncture with gutted! I manage to hang on to the group until we leave the dual carriage way and pull over. I watch in despair as my super-fast peloton disappears up the road gutted. Anyway, onwards an upwards the good thing about this race is theres always another peloton just around the corner!! Puncture repaired and a new group to cling onto.
Now, this race isnt the longest, or indeed the highest.. but its fast and of course the route is just breath taking! I am pleased to say the rest of the race went to plan Edinburgh Drive, Fish Hoek, Simons Town, Smitswinkel Bay, Misty Cliffs (they really are misty!! & cold!!), and finally the two signature climbs Chapmans Peak & Suikerbossie. The final climb is straight up, by now very hot and very, very painful. The best part though is the road is lined with supporters and the space to ride through them narrows towards the top so yes, for those moments of pain you cant help feeling like a Tour rider in the Alps ?. Having reached the summit of Suikerbossie there is about 10 miles to go; I knew at this point that my personal target of 3:30 was definitely on the cards, even with the puncture. The first 5 miles is an amazing gentle decline which hugs the coast reaching speeds back in the 40s again. I managed to link up with another guy who seemed stuck to my wheel after some gentle persuasion and maybe the odd heated word he got the message to do some work and between us we hurtled along towards Cape Town. Time Trial mode kicked in and I finally dropped my passenger. There is one final danger spot a sharp 90 degree right hander at the base of a short decline. A wall of crash barriers line the corner as you rip round it screams of hold your fing line in strong Afrikaan accents fill the air safely round again & 2 Ks to go pace going up again as the guys around me now clearly want a strong finish, 1K to go no Saffers gonna beat me in the sprint I can tell you, 500, 400, 300, 200 off my lead out bang Im there hands aloft won my little sprint, crowd screaming, cameras flashing for a few seconds I AM a Pro!!!!
35,000 starters, 28,676 finishers, my position 4983, official time 3:31:26. So not my best time, but better than last year
Well Im going back again ..
Any takers?????
Would like to join you one day. Maybe 2012 for a good crack at the benchmark?
well in mate, great achievement!
did you pick up a pro fit medium ashwell top on your travels?!!! (joke!)
mwhahaha!
I bet your well chuffed with that result!!!
The wife managed to capture me having crossed the finish! She'd only just arrived as well!!
A big thanks to Andy Bartlett & Pete Scoats who got me hooked on this race in the first place when they made that call back in the Summer of 2007. Or as I refer to them - my Team Leader & Coach... :-)
next year chaps???