So I can sit back and relax this morning with the satisfaction of having my first Cape Argus Cycle Tour behind me... not to mention the fact that I can sit this morning! All in all I was very pleased with my result, my final time was 4hrs 20'' 20'. According to the website that placed me 16118/28706 overall and 89th out of the 565 cyclists in my group. Not too bad for a first time I think, and about 20 minutes below my expected time.
All the way through the race though there's a really good vibe amongst the cyclists and the spectators, with a healthy dose of good natured heckling, encouragement and 'advice' - like the guys who stole the '100kms to go' marker and then set it up next to their spot at the the bottom of the Smitswinkel climb (which is really about 65kms to go).
So the first half was pretty easy, but what of the infamous Chapman's Peak and Suikerbossie? Well, they actually weren't that daunting, although Chapman's does have an awful lot of false summits and does look a bit scary when you come around the corner after Little Chapmans to see the rest of it soaring above you... there were quite a few walkers by that stage. The 4km of sweeping downhill into Hout Bay does make the big climb worthwhile though.
The exit from Hout Bay did see my first sign of cramp, although fortunately it happened just as I was passing an Arnica massage tent, so all I had to do was pull over and say 'Cramp!' and two lovely yellow clad massage girls immediately set to work with the Arnica oil. What fantastic organisation! So back in action, I hit the dreaded Suikerbossie, which wasn't really all that after which it was all downhill through Camps Bay, and Greenpoint and onto the last flat before the finish. The Arnica treatment wore off about 2kms from the finish, but by that stage I just decided to push on through, and ignore it. And then it was over. Just under 4 1/2 hours on a bike, and actually a really awesome day.
Next year? I'm definitely keen to do it again, and get my time under 4hrs. If I get myself organised, you may see some steamy Wildchaps cycling gear too - that'll get the knees trembling! For the moment though I'm planning on getting back onto the knobblies and off road again for a while though as the next really big events lined up are Karoo to Coast in September (100km offroad from Uniondale to Knysna) the bike section of the Triple Challenge in KZN in November. But I may just take it easy for the next couple of days...
Everything started rather slowly, with a lot of waiting involved in actually getting to the start - especially as I was in the absolutely last group. I have never seen quite so many bicycles in one place before and could never 
have imagined that bikes (and cyclists for that matter) came in such a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and forms! The first few kilometers were a bit congested, especially up the hills and there was quite a bit of dodging involved in overtaking - not too mention avoiding some of the other cyclists who didn't always hold their lines quite as well as they should, but things opened up quite well after a while and I got into quite a nice bus of cyclists going down the M3 to Muizenberg, so we really whipped through that section. After Muizenberg things broke up again and it was back to weaving through the traffic.
have imagined that bikes (and cyclists for that matter) came in such a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and forms! The first few kilometers were a bit congested, especially up the hills and there was quite a bit of dodging involved in overtaking - not too mention avoiding some of the other cyclists who didn't always hold their lines quite as well as they should, but things opened up quite well after a while and I got into quite a nice bus of cyclists going down the M3 to Muizenberg, so we really whipped through that section. After Muizenberg things broke up again and it was back to weaving through the traffic. All the way through the race though there's a really good vibe amongst the cyclists and the spectators, with a healthy dose of good natured heckling, encouragement and 'advice' - like the guys who stole the '100kms to go' marker and then set it up next to their spot at the the bottom of the Smitswinkel climb (which is really about 65kms to go).
So the first half was pretty easy, but what of the infamous Chapman's Peak and Suikerbossie? Well, they actually weren't that daunting, although Chapman's does have an awful lot of false summits and does look a bit scary when you come around the corner after Little Chapmans to see the rest of it soaring above you... there were quite a few walkers by that stage. The 4km of sweeping downhill into Hout Bay does make the big climb worthwhile though.
The exit from Hout Bay did see my first sign of cramp, although fortunately it happened just as I was passing an Arnica massage tent, so all I had to do was pull over and say 'Cramp!' and two lovely yellow clad massage girls immediately set to work with the Arnica oil. What fantastic organisation! So back in action, I hit the dreaded Suikerbossie, which wasn't really all that after which it was all downhill through Camps Bay, and Greenpoint and onto the last flat before the finish. The Arnica treatment wore off about 2kms from the finish, but by that stage I just decided to push on through, and ignore it. And then it was over. Just under 4 1/2 hours on a bike, and actually a really awesome day.
Next year? I'm definitely keen to do it again, and get my time under 4hrs. If I get myself organised, you may see some steamy Wildchaps cycling gear too - that'll get the knees trembling! For the moment though I'm planning on getting back onto the knobblies and off road again for a while though as the next really big events lined up are Karoo to Coast in September (100km offroad from Uniondale to Knysna) the bike section of the Triple Challenge in KZN in November. But I may just take it easy for the next couple of days...
2 comments:
need a second for hte knysna race..i could use a holiday. As for hte few days off....stop slacking...4 november is only about 220 present shopping days away:)
ps...did u race with a camera?
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