Argus 2010

And so, after lots of training and racing, we were as ready as ever to tackle the Argus 2010. The weather was beautiful, the restaurants deliciously evil, the wines better than ever, and the wind........on race day.......... almost as bad as in 2009. Sigh......

But we, the Bulla Team don't worry about the wind. We had a good time. Campsbay was the Head Quarters and we started off with a delicious breakfast, enjoying the scenery and watching the people passing by. Friends dropped in at HQ and we just had to celebrate that.

Breakfast turned slowly into lunch while the 12 apostles were frowning on our eating habits.

More friends dropped in at HQ and we had to lift a glass of wine in their honour.

We ate some more, and watch as the day drew to a close with the most beautiful sunsets. If you missed out this year on the Argus, just make up your mind not to miss it again. How could you with a sunset like this.

The next morning we got confronted by the howling South Easter. I tried not to think about the wind, but rather concentrated on the people around me, like these jockeys.

I still don't like Boyes Drive, and was swearing under my breath about uncompleted road works. The rest of the route with the beautiful scenery made up for it. The end was a bit like a construction site and we had to go from here to there to here to there to here. I'm sure next year will be a total different end with the stadium at Greenpoint completed. At the end we got welcomed by the rest of the Bulla Team already in.   

The huge beer tent was crowded, loud, boisterous, filled with tired cyclists, sweaty cyclists and grinning family members. Some fairies also came in.......... 

We ended this wonderfully jam-packed day with a scrumptious meal and get-together at the Brass Bell. All the stories were told and retold accompanied by more eating and more wine. Will I do it again? What a question. See you next year!

Wear a Black Band

The cycling community is shocked by the killing of 3 cyclists outside of Oudsthoorn. Their last training ride for the Argus Cycle Tour. It is for this same reason that The Argus Cycle Tour was initiated by a couple of friends, and that was 32 years ago. A lot can be said about what has government, municipalities et al done to find harmony between motorists and cyclists.

I don't want to go that route but would rather ask, what have we as cyclists done to make sure we have a safe ride. Don't point a finger, rather find solutions. Make things work, get involved.

I urge my Spinning Gym and all other cyclists to wear a black arm band on Argus Sunday (14 March) to show solidarity that we want to find solutions, that we want to be able to cycle safely and to show empathy with the families.

Wear the band!

Cycling South Africa (CSA) has responded with the following:

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Wednesday 10 March 2010


CYCLISTS TO WEAR BLACK ARMBANDS AT CYCLE TOUR

Thousands of the 35000 entrants of Sunday’s Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour will wear black armbands to show a collective sorrow at the death of three cyclists hit by a motorist outside Oudtshoorn on Monday morning.

Frank Nel (60), Jan Elloff (73) and Magda van Lill (50) died instantly when the bunch they were riding in was hit by a bakkie overtaking a truck on the R62, nine kilometres outside Oudtshoorn.

“This is yet another tragic incident which could have been avoided,” said Hendrik Lemmer, Director of Cycling South Africa’s Road Cycling Commission.

“On behalf of Cycling South Africa, I’d like to extend condolences to the families of those cyclists who died. I also want them to know that our appeal to cyclists to wear black armbands in the Cycle Tour on Sunday is more than a sign of our collective sorrow, it’s a commitment to do something about the lack of general awareness of cyclists on our roads.”

Lemmer says that Cycling South Africa is committed to working with the authorities to make the roads safer for cyclists.

“It’s not something that can be done overnight, because it’s a matter of raising awareness and changing attitudes,” explained Lemmer. “But we’re determined to succeed. We have the most active recreational cycling culture in the world and it’s growing daily as more and more people discover the health and fitness benefits of the sport. On behalf of all cyclists in this country, I appeal to motorists to please be more aware.”

On Tuesday, it was announced that one of South Africa’s top professional cyclists, Daryl Impey, had become a patron of Sign-Up, a national campaign aimed at raising funds to erect more government-approved ‘beware cyclist’ signs along popular cycling routes throughout the country.

“I think cyclists and motorists need to begin by obeying the laws of the road,” said Impey. “Cyclists need to realise we are not owners of the roads and vice versa. I believe we (the cyclists) should set an example for others to follow. It takes one second to slow down but also one second to kill someone, mutual respect is what we need.”

Impey races on Lance Armstrong’s Radioshack team and is a rising star on the international cycling stage. He is currently in the country accompanying Armstrong during his visit this week to Cape Town in conjunction with the JAG Foundation. Both will compete in Sunday’s Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour, which, in terms of numbers, is the world’s largest cycle race.

“It is great to have Daryl as an ambassador and patron of Sign-Up and it will hopefully bring us much deserved exposure’, said Shaun Hannie, founder and chairman of Sign-Up.

“At this time, this is the only national cyclist awareness campaign in South Africa and it’s completely reliant on sponsorship and donations. Frustratingly, we can’t brand national road signs with corporate logos, but we appeal to companies that support cycling to support Sign-Up. One extra sign could safe one cyclist’s life…”

To find out more about Sign-Up and its initiatives, visit www.sign-up.co.za


ENDS.

Wear the band!

Some statistics of cyclists fatalities in 2008


             GA   KZ   WC   EC   FS   MP    NW   LI   NC   RSA
 Bicycle 77  22  47  20  14  26  51  24  7  288


Information from Arrive Alive!

The Argus and the Baviaans

Goodness Gracious! It is March already. I hope that you have by now slotted yourself into a nice training programme.

Lots have been happening here at the gym. The bike workshop with Gert was a huge success as was the Urban Assault. We’ve also done a couple of good training rides as well as some racing, road and dirt. The most successful was the Ride for Sight with many participants from the gym.

Argus 2010

We wish all the riders taking part in this year’s Cape Argus, a wonderful ride with a lot less wind than last year. Go fast, but go safe!

The gym will be closed from Fri. 12/3 – Mon. 15/3. Classes will run normally again from Tues 16/3. Just a reminder that Mon 22/3 is a public holiday and that the gym will be closed. And then in April, the gym will also be closed during the Easter long weekend Fri 2/4-Mon 5/4.

Baviaans MTB Challenge: 14/15 August.

I’ve received a lot of interest for the Baviaans this year. It is a mountain bike marathon starting in Willowmore to Jeffrey’s Bay. 230km in 24hrs! Willowmore is a tiny little town in the Karoo and accommodation is scarce. I’m busy organising accommodation and if you are definitely sure you want to do this, speak to me URGENTLY otherwise I’ll have to leave you to find your own accommodation. Accommodation in the school hostel is available with thin mattresses and rickety beds and 2-drip showers. I’m looking for something a little more comfortable. I’ve put a list of sorts together. If you don’t understand all the technical talk, please ask.

You will need:
Gear
A Mountain Bike with shocks. (Dual suspension an added bonus).
Bike lights- Rodney is the man to talk to.
Headlamp
Slime
Squirt
Chain links
Spare Batteries/ Battery packs
Tubes/pump/CO2 bommers
Backlight
Cable Ties
Duct tape
Camel bag /Bottles
First Aid Pack
Whistle
Multi tool
Chain breaker

Clothes
Rain jacket
Extra cold jacket
Leg warmers/ long cycling pants
Toasties socks
Gloves: short/long/rain
Undergarments: Nike/Canterbury/second skin
Cycling shoes, maybe extra pair for wet weather.
Buff/winter buff/balaclava
Extra set of riding clothes for change over.


Food
Energy bars
Biltong/Dry wors
Bananas
Nuts
Energy drinks.
Lots of food and drink are available at all the checkpoints. You just need extra for in between checkpoints.

Remember: It is not what you’ve got, but how you train, that counts.

Emperor's Palace and sponsor this cyclist

It is February and every one is training hard for the Argus tour ahead. And, every one by now knows that Lance Armstrong is going to be the celebrity at the tour, accompanied by our own Darryl Impey. Back to the past weekend and the Emperor's Palace.

It didn't rain! The weather was perfect with a slight breeze, not bad conditions at all. The start of the race was a bit of a shambles with no proper announcements made, and some cyclists were caught up in road works which delayed them and made them have to rush to the start. But at last we were all on our merry cycling way.

All went well, until close to the end of the race when one Bulla cyclist pulled ranks and passed the two oldies seeded in the front bunches. It was our own Bulla Hero, Mario! Needless to say we gave chase, but only caught up with him at the water table at the end. We waited for the others to come in and while waiting, I let my camera do the looking around.

I spy with my eye a very weary cyclist and nobody talking to him. It's great to have a Bulla teammate not far off.

I spy a stubborn shoe that refused to part with the pedal. A long journey relationship?

I spy the ice cream man and his bicycle receiving a medal. The biggest smile I've seen in a long time

I spy Rodney coming in.....

......and I spy a cyclist coming in, with a helmet perched high on top of his woolly cap. The cyclist with the t-shirt and self-sewn back pockets and chamois sewn into his shorts. Pedalling with takkies on clipless pedals. Please identify this man and sponsor him. A call has already gone out this morning on http://www.thehubsa.co.za/ after I published a photograph of him on The Hub.

Be the first to make a difference!

See you at the next race, the Ride for Sight or at the gym.

Urban Assault

At last the weekend arrived for our Urban Assault event. We were anxiously watching the weather for any rain and was holding thumbs that the weather would hold. The route was planned to minimize crossing over intersections and to keep it in the surroundings of the neighbourhood. 2.55km per lap, not a big distance but with enough sharp little hills to tame the legs and lungs. With everyone here and all the teams registered, the rules of the event were read and explained. A " baton" (a raw egg) was handed over to each team for safe keeping and was to be kept in perfect condition till the end of the race. Lots of penalty points were explained to the teams before taking off on their first lap.

The point scorer was Hybre, a previous teacher who is very stern, which resulted in all the teams playing according to the rules, except for a few unruly members.

One of the teams, Team Bling, was clever enough to get a pro to take part in their team. Jason,  better known as the Bling Machine,  did many consecutive fast laps, resulting in the rest of the team, resting, braaing the meat, loafing and laughing around. Well done to Jason for being such an inspiration to us all and for all the tips and do's and don'ts advice he offered throughout the day. It was fun having you around.

The event was in the form of a relay, so most members of a team would do a cycling lap and then hand over the "baton" to the next team member. Every 4th lap was a running/walking lap. The team members would anxiously wait in the street to see if there was any sign of the member out on the course. Of course, different teams were waiting in different ways for their team to come in.

It was tougher than anyone thought it would be. In the early hours team mates were still eager to complete laps, but later in the day it was difficult to decide who was going to do yet another walking/running lap. By noon we had a lovely fire going and soon the smell of the meat cooking,  drifted through the air. Everyone was ready to do a quick Boerie roll to still the hunger pangs. Round and round we went and the number of laps were piling up.

Coming 6pm, while I went out to get more charcoal for the evening, a decision was reached by the teams, calling it quits. They had enough and would rather end with a nice social around the fire. I wasn't going to complain. The winning team was crowned and their prize handed over.

It was good sitting around and milling the day over in one's mind. Well done to Team Bling with their 1st place; 48 laps doing a whopping 122,4km. Second was Team Bandana with 44 laps and 112,2km under the belt, followed by Team Speedy Conzales doing 40 laps, 102km and Team Caromba's bringing up the rear with 36 laps and 91,8km. They started late and Mario put in a huge effort to ride with his children as well as riding his own lap.

This sums up the whole event: GREAT!

It's February!

Only 5 weeks left to train for the Argus. Make the most of it. It is a good idea to enter a few races to sharpen your riding skills, just to see what is happening during a race and also to spend more time in the saddle.

Training Schedule:

Sat 6 Feb: MTB at Q Sera @ 7:30 25/54/72km

Sun 7 Feb: Emperor’s Palace Race 99km


Sat 13 Feb: MTB at Q Sera @ 7:30 25/54/72/90km

Sun 14 Feb: MTB or Road at Q Sera 7:30. Time trial lap 11km. At least 3 or 4 laps, ok.

Sat 20 Feb: MTB at Q Sera @ 7:30 25/54km


Sat 20 Feb: Bike maintenance course 13:00-17:00 R250p/p. Bring n Braai


Sun 21 Feb: Ride for Sight 116km


Sat 27 Feb: MTB at Q Sera @ 7:30 25/54/72/90km

Sun 28 Feb: Road at Q Sera @ 7:30 48/96km

Bike Maintenance Course

You always wanted to know how all the bits and pieces of your bike fit together, so here is your chance. On Saturday 20 Feb at 13:00-17:00 we will have our first course here at the gym. Course fee is R250. It will be a practical course with Gert v Rensburg from Karsten Cycles showing you the finer details of your bicycle. You will be working on your own bicycle. We will end the afternoon with a braai. Places are limited, so book now.

You will need:


· Pay R250 course fee and book your place


· Bring your own Mtb or Road bike

· Multi–tool and chain breaker


· Tyres; tubeless, normal or road


· Tyre levers


· Bike hanger (bike specific)

· Braai meat and drinks


You will get:


· Course material


· How to fix a broken chain

· How to replace tyres


· How to replace a tube or fix a puncture-gator or patches


· How to set gears


· How to replace cables and housings


· How to change your bike into a single speed to finish a race

· How to replace a hanger


· How to fix brakes


· Fun time with everyone at the gym!


News Flash!

Baviaans mountain bike marathon entries open 1 February 2010.

The Fast, BUT Wet One

The new year brought along a challenge to the first ride of the year. Rain! And lots of it. Buckets full, until the rivers were springing their banks, the mealie fields next to the road pouring muddy waters right onto our path and the roads, heaving with the load of water, breaking up into big, huge potholes. Did that deter us from taking part? Never! We were there, like many more cyclists, dressed up in the brightest colours of the rainbow.

Some of us were dressed in the latest fashion jacket which had no more sticky, scratchy velcro, but had smooth magnets to keep the jacket's bits and pieces together. Just remember to fasten your helmet properly before diving into the Fast One. Remember it is fast.

As this is an open-ended race, one is always stuck for transport back to the car, or, more difficult, find a driver that would be prepared to be dragged out of bed in the early hours of the morning just so we could satisfy our little habit. We found such angels in Bennie and Richard. Thank you guys for supporting us!

The angel in the middle is Marle

A big "well done" to the organisers and marshalls who braved the rain to give the cyclists a safe ride. There were marshalls more than ankle deep in watery potholes waving red flags to warn us of the danger. A lonely marshall underneath a red umbrella with a plastic crate covering a crate(r)-hehehe and bright red cones in many a deep pothole. With the rainwater filling the potholes it was very difficult to judge how deep a hole really was, so the marshalls did just such a splendid job. I told you it was going to be fun! We all made it to the end in one piece and sat around our beer table, reliving our ride.

Congratulations to Mario and Marle with excellent times. They had every reason to smile and smile big!

Now for the next competition at the gym. The next photo is showing off some of our men here at Bulla. Your task is to write a speech bubble above each head or just one, or whatever good or funny quip you can come up with. What is Ian, Rodney and Mario saying? You tell me!