Tuesday, March 23, 2010

CAPE EPIC DAYS 2 & 3




A truly stunning race. Day 2 was singletrack day with more single track in one day than the entire Cape Epic has had in the past. This is the reason why I finally opted to do the Epic. Long dirt roads is not Mtb riding. We messed up the start on Day 2 and had to lay catchup. Day 3 was far better, coming in at 107 overall and lifting our overall GC considerably.

The pictures hereunder were taken after day 3, a long hard haul of 118 odd km.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

DAY 1: CAPE EPIC

A very difficult day. Despite all the warnings from Therese and Phil about not going hard too early, guess what - we went too hard in the early stages. We did not get a good position in the start shute and spent the first 90 minutes carving a way through the field. The hard bursts took its toll and by the half way mark the first twinges of cramp were starting to come. The spirit of the Cape Epic is such that you just fall into the trap of the hype and hammer. With cheering supporters lining the route, its hard not to hammer.

The rail line at the end hammered us and we lost alot of places. Eventually we came in at 140th overall and 25th in the Masters. Not too bad considering the circumstances and the mistake of going too hard too early. Check the full results on the Cape Epic website

Saturday, March 20, 2010

CAPE EPIC REGISTRATION - 20 MARCH 2010



Great day at the Waterfront for Cape Epic registration. It was an absolute perfect day with a large crowd in attendance and all the top riders. Lunch was at a Waterfront pasta place and our next door table featured the 2009 winners of the Cape Epic. The pic hereunder shows Phil Buys with Karl Platt and Stephan Sahn. We tucked into a massive portion of pasta while they seemed to do water and very little else. Forward to tomorrow.

Friday, March 12, 2010

POINTS TO PONDER ON THE CDC

At times the CDC gets seriously sidetracked. The Coega Daily Commute turns into an extended ride into the Coega IDZ and beyond to mix a bit of business and pleasure. Friday 12 March 2010 was one of those. Apart from getting some real work done, the following also happened:

1) From the photo's it looks like certain roles have been allocated for the Cape Epic, namely one as bike mechanic and supervisor. Seems to work pretty well!

2) We got in about six hours of saddle time, not at a great pace, but, time none the less.

3) Andrea has finally got to do the CDC and now appreciates the finer issues of wind direction of load.

All in all a really nice day and just wish we could have spent more time there. Unfortunately some of us had afternoon meetings to attend to.

FISHING ALONG THE CDC


These guys are regular features on the Coega Daily Commute (CDC). They live under the bridge at the mouth of the Papenkuils (Smelly Creek). Judging by their fishing skills, they are probably unemployed Chokka fishermen. Every now and then there is a run on barbel and they pull out lots of fish. Yesterday morning was a case in point. They must have had close to a 100 fish on the bridge and they were preparing a feast fit for a king (evidently barbel is very tasty). Love to know if there is any relationship with the nutrients (or is not effluent) coming down the Papenskuils!

RICHARD - CYCLE CLEANING WITHOUT A CHAIN

Richard is a hardened cyclist - not only does he ride to work, but, he also works on a bike. His one the guys responsible for street cleaning in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. At first glance it's a great example of sustainability, cleaners using renewable energy to clean the Metro. However, on closer inspection, the bicycle does not really seem up to it. Take a careful look and you'll see the bike his using actually does not have a chain. I was also wondering about the pocket of potatoes and the pool cleaning equipment in the carrier. My bet is that the chain broke years ago and now he just pushes the bike around - probably because of procurement issues relating to buying a new chain. Nonetheless, Richard qualifies as a CDC because he also cycles to work, though not on his work bike. Hope that has a chain! Would love to hear his opinions on why they use municipal bikes with no chains!

Friday, March 5, 2010

RACE RESULTS - SOME GET IT RIGHT - SOME NOT

The most under rated aspect of any event is race results. How you get them and when is critical to any event. The Cape Epic is brilliant at that, the Sani2C seems to be a shocker. Even local clubs have a great record for posting race results.

WEEKEND RIDING - 6 & 7 MARCH 2010

The weekends riding is as follows:

Saturday 06 March 2010: Depart from the narrow gauge rail crossing on Kragga Kamma road at 06h30. We will ride through the back of Wedgewood, get a view from the top of the Lady Slipper (Col de Foot), colddrink at Arendsberg, then return via back roads. Relatively flat ride of about 70km with about 800 meters of climbing.

Sunday 07 March 2010: Normal drill, 6 hours of Longmore, 2000 meters of climbing, leaving from the 2nd river crossing (Culturama side) at 06h00.

If that suits your riding need, RSVP by texting 0832283055

Thursday, March 4, 2010

CYCLING IN LINKSIDE


The Headmaster of Linkside High has started a debate on closing off access to the PE Golf Course from Wychwood Avenue. According to the "Linkside & Mill Park column, maintained by Peter Thorpe, the argument is to close off public access to the golf course through Wychwood Avenue due to safety concerns. You can download the full newsletter here.

I want to lodge a contrary argument, one that turns our view of crime on its head, and argues that we need to build on the success of the Dedicated Patrol Service (DPS) which has been so good at virtually eliminating crime in Mill Park and Linkside.

The basis of Mr Hay's argument is that to eliminate crime we must secure the criminal areas - ie close off the golf course and so forth. What the DPS experience has actually shown us is the value of securing a community. While people have bought additional individual security, the DPS actually succeeds because a community has clubbed together and bought good protection which has not secured individual properties, but, whole neighbourhoods. People are no longer afraid to walk around Mill Park because we are safe in our community. I would argue that we need to extend the same logic into both the Golf Course and Baakens Valley. Instead of closing off public access, or avoiding the areas completely, lets take them back.

The following sort of things can be done:

1) Firstly, get rid of all the exotic trees such as the Stone Pines on the golf course. However, only remove them once pockets of indigenous vegetation are established. That way we re-establish habitats for wildlife to extend from the valley into their original habitats on the golf course. The empty spaces around the golf course is the best place for pockets of thicket / forest. The thicket provides habitat for birds, but, not for criminals (ever tried to walk through proper indigenous thicket? - only Rhino's can). As the thicket establishes itself, so you remove the Stone Pines.

2) Secondly, build recreational paths along the periphery of the Golf Course and establish a network of recreational trails across the golf course area. Lets start using the area for cycling, running and letting our kids play away from traffic. You can look at a possible route in Google Earth here. Your need to download the Google Earth viewer if you cant open it. Lets use the Golf Course for its original intention - recreation - and make it part of our community. If we don't, its just a matter of time before we see golf estate housing become a reality.

3) Thirdly, why not establish a DPS centre on the Golf Course itself in one of the vacant buildings there and let the DPS officials start patrolling the golf course as well (they are doing it anyway). And while we're about it, why should the DPS be a vehicle based patrol. E-Bikes (or electric bikes)are great for security patrols in residential and recreational areas.

4) Fourthly, lets start putting pressure on the municipality to spend more funds on rangers patrolling the valley. Here we need to work with the Baakens Trust and simply insist that this sort of work gets done.

5) Finally, children commuting to school do so under very dangerous conditions. It is simply not safe for children to commute down a street like Wychwood ave or Wares road. If we don't have bike paths, the car culture will merely continue. A safe recreational path through the golf course, could mean a new generation of scholars commuting to school by bike. If parents were satisfied that its safe, they would encourage it. At present, they can't.

I think the security concerns raised by Mr Hay are commendable and need to be supported. He is anticipating a problem and proposing potential solutions. The easy solution is the proposal which he has made. The more difficult, and correct solution for the longer term is the proposal above.

It is possible to have safe and secure public areas - its not an oxymoron. The benefits are enormous and all it takes is for us as a community to start working together instead of retreating into isolated cocoons of false security. I don't want to live in a community where I don't know my neighbour, where I cant walk the streets in safety and where my children cant walk or cycle to school. Battening down the hatches by closing off public access is only going to worsen the situation and our captains of governance, culture, education and industry need to lead the way!

RIDING IN THE BAAKENS VALLEY - HIGHS AND LOWS


Yesterday was a day of Highs and Lows. I had a meeting in town in the afternoon and the Coega Daily Commute (CDC) could not happen. To get in the training for the Cape Epic, I did a loop around the Marine, then jumped into the Fossil Mobile for the dreaded drive to work. Onto the freeway and got caught in a traffic jam. Our local upholders of traffic laws were on strike. A week or so ago I praised the traffic department for their action on motorcycles. Now I curse them! The day I dont do the CDC they cause a traffic jam. There is nothing that gives greater satisfaction than riding past lines of stationary cars!

The evening ride involved a Time Trial in the valley and that was a great workout. It just makes one realize how lucky we are to have such great single track and riding in the Baakens valley. The Fat Tracks club is again starting to do great work. However, there are many threats, with one of the most prominent being infrastructure for transportation and commerce. The latest is a plan to upgrade the 3rd avenue dip with a 8 meter + road bridge. Bridges, golf courses and stormwater infrastructure have caused havoc for Mtb trails in the valley. I have lodged an official submission to the EIA process and have asked Fat Tracks to do the same. You can get in touch with the EIA consultant to lodge your concerns.