Cape Town Cycle Tour agrees to Women’s only Invitational start group starting in Glencairn

Maybe I am missing something here but also having a huge WTF moment here.

 

SA Cycling wonder why our girls have such a tough time to get into the European style of riding and the answer to this is a shorter race?

Racing in South Africa aren't going to help them make the step up. Racing in Europe is the only  way. But making them race on their own (not hanging on to the faster groups) and more importantly, safer, I think is a big win!

Edit: Spelling

That is crap!

Ladies can start behind Vets as separate group. If A or B group catch up, they must pass them and the ladies are not allowed to follow them. Red card, finish and klaar...

Racing in South Africa isn't going to help them make the step up. Racing in Europe is the only way. But making them race on their own (not hanging on to the faster groups) and more importantly, safer, I think is a big win!

Not all have Euro ambitions

Creating cool opportunity for local women's racing is definitely important

Let's see what the feedback is afterwards

Browsing through some of the races on the UCI calendar I see distances of 175 km etc.  I agree with the Women who should have their own races and it has been a problem for many years especially on the CTCT.  But for SA Womens cycling to be more competitive on International level I think we are fooling ourselves.  Maybe my perception is just warped but that is the way I see it.

wow, surely this is too late for such a drastic change - even if it is the right one?

not ideal that it has to be shorter, but if it's the only way to get a true lady's field - then it must be.

I'm sure my undertrained mother in her 60's wouldn't mind starting at glencairn, wonder if she should apply?!

That is crap!

 

Ladies can start behind Vets as separate group. If A or B group catch up, they must pass them and the ladies are not allowed to follow them. Red card, finish and klaar...

Easier said than done.  Done a few CTCT where we caught the ladies and it has always caused a problem (Ok they did ride with VC).  

Has there been a Womens only group on the CTCT.  I beleive so but not sure.

Maybe I am missing something here but also having a huge WTF moment here.

 

SA Cycling wonder why our girls have such a tough time to get into the European style of riding and the answer to this is a shorter race?

Believe it or not most races which are short are hard and many a TDF shortened stage has proven to be the most important - all the way back to 1996 - Bjarne Riis when he basically won the tour on a shortened to about 45 km stage due to weather.

the elites start at 6.15 and will take around 2h35? for a finish time around 8.50

the ladies will start at 6.30 and may take 2hrs? to finish at 8.30.

should be enough time gap to let the ladies finish without interference with the men

Okay, so if the men's race is say 200km, what would the women's race then be?

 

If you say about 150km, then I would see this as making sense. . . a proportionate reduction in the race distance. And more importantly allowing the women to race on their own.

UCI rule 2.3.002 The maximum distance for one-day road races shall be as follows:

and .. they announce this 2 1/2 days before the start .... why not make it from next year if they want to give the elite ladies a shorter route ... then they can at least train properly for it ....

 

So now they trained for 109 km ...  including 1 extra hill .... If they had known .. they could have adapted there training accordingly ... Sometimes i wonder if the organizers know how much there decisions affect the participants .. Maybe only if it effect the bottom line then they will worry.

2 years back / due to fires the race was shortened to 48 km - believe it was still the same line honors winner as the year before - and that year a track specialist Cav road!

Not all have Euro ambitions

Creating cool opportunity for local women's racing is definitely important

Let's see what the feedback is afterwards

True.

Hope the feedback is good.

I always type like this when I reply to your replies.

Weird

So, they not riding the CTCT then? What they gonna call the race? 

I do believe the answer to your question lies in the first three words of the story... "Following a request"

Gee thanks. Must've missed that.

True.

Hope the feedback is good.

I always type like this when I reply to your replies.

Weird

Creepy post

Apart from being totally misogynist I'm sure you can work it out for yourself.

 That's a bit unfair. I was merely inquiring about the justification of the change.

The men start at 6:15 some 34.2kms away.  The Ladies start at 6:30 34.2kms in front of the men.

At a 2:35 pace for the men (last year's winning time) meaning an average speed of 48 kph, the men will reach Glencairn at 6:58.

With men at a 2:35 pace the Elite Women would have to ride at an average of slower than 33.7kph to be caught on the finishing straight.

I think this is a huge change for the CTCT and will add to the event.

I hear a rumour, early stages, of following what is happening in London and Geelong where the fun ride takes place for the amateurs in the morning and the pros start later and do a longer route and finish AFTER the fun ride component. How cool would it be to be able to ride AND watch the finish sprint.

We can comment on that it would have been nice to know that this concession was going to be made, and on the merits of a shorter distance. Yet it is also a positive thing as it does give the ladies an open road ahead and behind them. And for those that want to enjoy the full route, they will be done in tine to do the second loop.

Whatever their reason, but only days before the event?Surely the request didn't happen yesterday.

Selling ladies racing short, I think.

Will it count as a sub 3? 

Will it count as a sub 3? 

What about a sub 2h30? I would hate to see in a few (3 to 4) years many girls have more sub 2h30 than me!!! hahaha

We may be short on water but at this point in time we have electricity.

Floodlights, we need floodlights all along the route and then the ladies can start at 4am 

Not sure if you are sarcastic or not?? Whether the race is 109 or 100 or 90km would have made no difference to their training at all.

 

For years the organisers have failed to find a starting spot for the ladies where they don't get caught by the fun riders - think this is a great solution.

 

If any of the moaners on here have a brilliant alternative solution that nobody else have thought off I'm sure the organisers would be more than happy to hear them.

Don't you think the problem is: They are not doing the Cycle Tour anymore.  It is a different race now, just happens to overlap part of the Cycle Tour's route...

Not sure if you are sarcastic or not?? Whether the race is 109 or 100 or 90km would have made no difference to their training at all.

 

For years the organisers have failed to find a starting spot for the ladies where they don't get caught by the fun riders - think this is a great solution.

 

If any of the moaners on here have a brilliant alternative solution that nobody else have thought off I'm sure the organisers would be more than happy to hear them.

Very well said.

Any distance is a respectable race length

Depend how hard you go

And those women can roll ????????????

Suddenly a sex change does not seem to be such a bad idea