RavensLog

Ok ok… So I’ve been a bad blogger. I know I should be blogging everyday and I don’t have a valid excuse for my lack of enthusiasm. I’ll try to be a better blogger… but I’m not gonna promise anything…

The 2009 Argus Cycle tour, the biggest timed cycling event in the world, has come and gone…with the wind *hehe* being the most HECTIC its ever been. Almost a week later and everyone who rode And those who chickened out are still talking about how windy it was. And it was extremely windy so I don’t blame people for bailing at the start, especially the people who got blown over before the start line, that’s enough to discourage even the most hardcore cyclist.

I’m glad I rode though because it’s definitely the most memorable cycle tour I’ve ever done! Not only was it the windiest but it was also the year that Jan Ullrich started in the same group as me… and I beat him… ok so I beat him last year too but he wasn’t in my start group last year so that doesn’t count… or does it? and the fact that he rode for charity and probably took it easy to enjoy the ride definitely doesn’t count… haha

Right so the Argus cycle tour is done but the training will hopefully continue… I have the habit of parking the bike for a few months after an event but this year will be different! This year I plan on riding at least twice a week… well that’s the plan… but I’m sure good company and coffee and ice cream pit stops will continue to motivate me…

The Pedal Power Association organised a Safety Awareness Ride for Web 3 December 2008 so join the masses if you have a bicycle…

Some details:
“Join the PPA Vice-Chairman, Elton Davids, in a Safety Awareness Ride from Wynberg to Cape Town where a memorandum re safe cycling and concerns of cyclists will be handed to an official from the City of Cape Town. Cyclists will meet at 06h15 at the Wynberg library parking lot (near Maynard Mall, next to Dept of Home Affairs), leaving at 06h30. A security guard will look after vehicles. The procession will travel along the Main Road (you are also welcome to join en route), aiming to be at the Civic Centre at 07h45 for 08h00. Cyclists are also welcome to meet at the Melkbos Pick n Pay at 06h30, travelling along Marine Drive. Please note cyclists will be expected to observe all traffic rules.”

Commuter and recreational cyclists from all over Cape Town are invited to take to the city roads on Wednesday 3 December 2008, to remind motorists that cyclists are legitimate road users, and deserve to be treated with caution and due care.

Too many cyclist are being killed by ‘blind” motorists… I did a short 30km ride this afternoon and nearly got taken out at least 3 times by motorist who just came too close or misjudged my speed or they just don’t think while driving… Their excuse, what ever it may be, is meaningless after they’ve already knocked the cyclist.

Ok, so the double century is coming up. They’ve finally decided on a date, Saturday the 22nd November so lets hope the weather is nice. The start/finish venue will be at Swellendam Primary School and covers a distance of around 205km, so that’s the Argus cycle tour plus 100km or something like that…

We started training a bit earlier this year and have stuck to the program so far. So we should be well prepared on the day if we continue with our training plan.

Our training for double century 2008:
13 July – Strand – 90km
20 July – Stellenbosch – 90/100km
27 July – Melkbos – 80/90km
03 August – Gordons bay – 100km
10 August – Stellenbosch/wine route – 100km
17 August – Fisantekraal – 110km
24 August –Cape point/chappies/campsbay -120km
31 August – Stellenbosch/agterpaarl – 120km
7 September – Franschhoek – 150km
14 September – Durbanville/stellenbosch – 150km
21 September – Gordons bay/pringle bay – 130/150km
28 September – Stellenbosch/klapmuts/pniel – 140/150km
05 October – Bettys bay – 160km
12 October – Fisanterkraal/agter paarl/klapmuts – 180km
19 October- Cape point/chappies – 120km
26 October – Gordons bay – 100km
02 November – Stellenbosch – 90km
09 November – Durbanville/contermanskloof – 100km
16 November – Cape point – 80km

Then all that riding should prepare us adequately for the 205km on the 22 November.

The route:
From Swellendam we follow the R324 through Suurbraak and over Tradouw Pass towards Barrydale. A left turn onto the R62 takes us to the challenging 7km Op de Tradouw, before making our way to Montagu. We take on the the most challenging climbs, Tradouw and Op de Tradouw Pass within the first 60km of the ride. That’s gonna be fun…

The route then snakes through Cogmanskloof towards Ashton, turning left onto the R317 towards Bonnievale and back to the finish in Swellendam.

Bring it on! We’ll be ready…

Cycling really has become an extreme sport…and I don’t mean mountain biking. Other road users never see road cyclist or just don’t care. Cyclists have to dodge potholes, pedestrians, parked vehicles, moving vehicles, dogs, bricks, logs, stones, glass, other cyclists, etc, etc…

Every time I go out cycling, either myself or someone else in the group has a close call with, in most case, a motorist – car vs bicycle, I think it’s very obvious who would win.

This weekend was my turn. I had to hit the brakes to avoid being pushed off the road by a motorist who saw me but didn’t care. Hitting the brakes resulted in the cyclist behind me smashing into my back wheel and hitting tar… never a pleasant sound but fortunately this time was at low speed so no injuries.

Then we came to the traffic lights less than 500m down the road. It went green for us as we approached and the cars on my right all came to a stop and the cars in the turning lane to my left came to a stop but one idiot on my left went straight through the red light. He only came flying through after I had already entered the intersection (which means the light was red for a while). I saw him quite late and had to hit the brakes again to avoid being run over by the idiot… I would not be writing this had I not seen him… I couldn’t have been much more than 2 meters away from being a weekend statistic.

There was at least one incident over the weekend that left 4 cyclists injured. A motorist smashed into a group of cyclist and then drove away!

When will the carnage stop?

In New York cyclists aren’t even safe from the police. During a Critical Mass ride in New York City on 25th July 2008 a cop body-slammed one cyclist and then lied about it… The incident was caught on film though, lucky for the cyclist not so lucky for the cop. You can read more about that story Here