CTCT (Argus) Nommer 34

Dit is weer tyd vir die Cape Town Cycle Tour (Argus) en dit sal nommer 34 wees. Die weer voorspelling is baie gunstig en ek besluit om weer met my fiets in te ry stad toe en dan na die tyd terug huis toe. Die wekker jaag my 04:45 uit die bed en ek val 05:42 in die pad. Dit is redelik mistig oor Paarden Eiland en ek kan net Kloofnekweg se ligte sien. Toe ek egter regs draai op die N1, preik Tafelberg in al sy glorie voor my. Ek volg die “skares” wat na die wegspring bloke ry en is teen 06:45 in my wegspring blok. Net voor ons begin merk ek vir Jan Viljoen, my skoonseun se broer, en sy seun, Jan Malan, in my blok op. 

 

Wegspring verloop soos ‘n Switserse trein en ons begin presies 07:12. Jan en sy seun skop sommer gou stof in my oë en ek aanvaar ek sal hulle nie weer sien nie! Die “drag” teen Nelson Mandela Boulevard is maar altyd ietwat van ‘n uitdaging en dit neem my 12 minute om die 4 kilometer tot bo-op Hospitaaldraai af te lê. Anderkant af sprei die veld redelik uit wat die “stress” van vining in ‘n bondel ry, verwyder. Ek ry lekker rustig tot by die volgende “uitdaging” naamlik Edinbugh Drive, ‘n 2 kilometer klim wat my 8 minute neem om onder die knie te kry. Nou kom die mal jaag teen die bult af en met die M5 tot by die Weslake afdraai. Ek “hak” by ‘n lekker groep aan en is binne ‘n kort tydjie by die links draai af na “Main Road” en dan die “beproewing” deur Muisenberg, Kalkbaai, Vishoek en Glen Cairn tot in Simonsstad. Hierdie is maar altyd ‘n uitdaging met baie hobbels in die pad, nou paaie en baie mense wat ons aanmoedig! Na 1:16 ry ek deur JubileePlein in Simonsstad. In die dae toe ek onder 3 uur gery het was my mikpunt altyd on dit teen net meer as 50 minute te doen. So stap die jare aan en word mens stadiger! Die pad deur Simonsstad is ook maar lekker hobbelrig maar gelukkig is daar nie slaggate nie. Dit weereens interessant om die deelnemers om my dop te hou. Ek sien gereeld dieselfde persoene. Nie dat ek hulle ken nie, maar ek merk elke nou en dan ‘n “bekende” fietsryuitrusting op. Dan verwyn hulle en dan kom hulle weer verby. So “jo-jo” ons tot in Groenpunt! Een spesifieke een is “Danie” wat ‘n ou 21 wedren trui aan het.  Meer oor hom later.

 

Na 1:30 bereik ek die begin van Smitswinkelbaai se klim. Teen die tyd wat ek die klim begin is my gemiddelde spoed 30 kpu! Teen die spoed gaan ek in 3:40 klaar maak. Ek weet dit is ‘n pypdroom, want die groot klimme lê nog voor! Hierdie klim van 5 kilometer neem my 15 minute, wat ‘n aanduiding is dat die klim nie te styl is nie. Anderkant af is dit altyd ook weer ‘n nare gejaag om by ‘n bondel te hou en tyd op te maak. Na die aanvanklike afdraend van 4 kilometer is dit redelik op en af tot by Red Hill, waar ons links draai Scarborourgh toe, wat weer geleidelik af is en dan gelyk tot by die Oscean View klim, wat net na Misty Cliffs begin. Weereens nie te styl nie en 4 kilometer lank. Anderkant af en dan verby Masiphumelele na Sun Valley toe. Dit weereens ‘n stuk waar mens moet uithaal en wys want die pas is gewoonlik lekker warm. Hier kan ek vir “Danie” help om ‘n “gel” uit sy sak te haal. Dit is dan ook die laaste keer wat ek hom sien! Ek het agter gekom dat ek beter as hy klim en dit wil voorkom asof hy toe op die res van die bulte agter geraak het. Ek bereik die Sun Valley draai na 2:32 en 73 kilometer, dus het my gemiddelde spoed nou na 28.8 kpu geval. Chapman’s Peak en Suikerbossie lê nog voor so ek gaan sukkel om 28 kpu oor die hele afstand te haal. 

 

Net voor ek verby Noordhoek ry, sien ek vir Jan Malan en so ‘n entjie voor hom vir sy pa, Jan Viljoen. Dit blyk toe dat die jong man se energie so bietjie “opgeraak” het! Miskien te vining begin! Ek klim Chapman’s Peeak teen ‘n goeie pas uit en sien weer ‘n hele paar deelnemers wat ek vroeër opgemerk het. Bo-oor en anderkant af handhaaf ons weer ‘n goeie pas. Onder in Houtbaai merk ek vir Egbert Robinson, wat in ‘n groep voor my begin het, op. Nou lê net Suikerbossie voor en dan is dit “voet-in-die-hoek” huis toe. Hier kom Egbert by my verby en ek kan nie by hom hou nie. Aangesien hy 3 minute voor my begin het, moet ek net sorg dat ek binne 3 minute na hom klaar maak om hom op die dag te klop. Ek skat dat ek dit darem gehoort te kan doen. Teen die bult op gaan ek verby ‘n deelnemer wat nie hande het nie en sy linkerbeen is ‘n kunsbeen! Ek ry beswaarlik vinneger teen die bult op as hy ten spyte van sy gebreke! Ek sien ook, naby aan die bokant, ‘n tandem en probeer agter hulle inval om deur hulle “getou” te word wanneer ek anderkant afgaan, maar hulle pas is te stadig en ek ry vooruit. 

 

Anderkant af vorm ‘n paar van ons ‘n bondel. Na ‘n ruk kom die tandem verby en ons val agter hulle in. Ons vorm ‘n groep, maar begin vinniger as die tandem ry en hulle raak agter. Na ‘n rukkie kom die man met die kunsbeen verby! Hy trap ‘n “mal” pas en ek moet ekstra hard trap om by te hou. Hy val egter terug en ek en ‘n klomp ander deelnemers ry alleen voor. Nie te lank nie en hier kom hy weer verby en die keer teen ‘n spoed waarvoor ek nie kans sien nie. Teen die tyd lyk die moontlikhied om onder 4 uur klaar te maak goed en ek ry binne my perke. Deur Bakoven, Houtbaai en Clifton en dan teen die seefront af. 

 

Ek bereik die eindstreep in 3:51 en voel heel goed dat ek dit weer reggekty het om onder 4 ure te ry. Die weer was egter perfek en die omstandighede vir ‘n goeie tyd was dus baie gunstig. My finale gemiddlde spoed was toe 28.1 kpu.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time for the Cape Town Cycle Tour (Argus) again and it will be number 34. The weather forecast is very favourable and I decided to ride with my bike into the city and then back home after the event. The alarm clock wakes me up at 04:45 and I hit into the road at 05:42. It’s quite foggy over Paarden Eiland and I can only see the lights of Kloofnek Road. However, when I turn right onto the N1, Table Mountain looms in front of me in all its glory. I follow the “crowds” heading towards the start blocks and am in my block by 06:45. Just before we start, I notice Jan Viljoen, my son-in-law’s brother, and his son in my block. The start goes like a Swiss train and we start exactly at 07:12. Jan and his son quickly kick dust in my eyes and I accept that I will not see them again! The “drag” up Nelson Mandela Boulevard is always a bit of a challenge and it takes me 12 minutes to cover the 4 kilometres to the top of Hospital Bend. On the other side, the field spreads out quite a bit, which removes the “stress” of riding fast in a pack. I ride nice and easy until the next “challenge” namely Edinbugh Drive, a 2 kilometre climb that takes me 8 minutes to get to the top. Now comes the mad rush down the hill with the M5 to the Weslake turn-off. I “catch up” with a nice group and in a short time I am at the left turn towards “Main Road” and then the “ordeal” through Muisenberg, Kalk Bay, Fishhoek and Glen Cairn to Simonstown. This is always a challenge with many bumps in the road, narrow roads and many people encouraging us! After 1:16 I ride through Jubilee Square in Simonstown. In the days when I rode under 3 hours my goal was always to do it in just over 50 minutes. So the years go by and you get slower! The road through Simonstown is also quite bumpy but fortunately there are no potholes. It is once again interesting to keep an eye on the participants around me. I regularly see the same people. Not that I know them, but every now and then I notice a “familiar” cycling outfit. Then they disappear and then they pass by again. So “yo-yo” we up to Green Point! One specific one is “Danie” who is wearing an old 21 race jersey. More about him later. After 1:30 I reach the start of the Smitswinkelbaai climb. By the time I start the climb my average speed is 30 kph! At this speed I will finish in 3:40. I know it is a pipe dream, because the big climbs are still ahead! This 5 kilometre climb takes me 15 minutes, which is an indication that the climb is not too steep. On the other side, it is always a nasty rush to keep up with a bunch down the hill and make up time. After the initial 4 kilometre descent, it is quite up and down up to Red Hill, where we turn left to Scarborough, which is again gradually downhill and the climb up to Ocsean View, which starts just after Misty Cliffs. Again not too steep and 4 kilometres long. Down the other side and then past Masiphumelele to Sun Valley. This is again a section where you have to show your mettle because the pace is usually nice and hot. Here I can help “Danie” get a “gel” out of his pocket. This is also the last time I see him! I noticed that I climb better than him and it seems as if he then fell behind on the rest of the hills. I reach the Sun Valley turn after 2:32; 73 kilometers, so my average speed has now dropped to 28.8 kph. Chapman’s Peak and Suikerbossie are still ahead so I’m going to struggle to make 28 kph over the entire distance. Just before I pass Noordhoek, I see Jan Malan and a little ahead of him his father, Jan Viljoen. It turns out that the young man’s energy has “run out” a bit! Maybe he started too fast! I climb Chapman’s Peak at a good pace and see quite a few participants that I noticed earlier again. Over the top and down the other side we maintain a good pace again. Down in Hout Bay I notice Egbert Robinson, who started in a group ahead of me. Now Suikerbossie is ahead and then it’s “full throttle” home. Here Egbert passes me and I can’t keep up with him. Since he started 3 minutes before me, I just have to make sure I finish within 3 minutes to beat him on the day. I think I can do it. Up the hill I pass a participant who has no hands and his left leg is an artificial leg! I hardly ride faster up the hill than he does despite his disabilities! I also see a tandem near the top and try to fall behind them to be “towed” by them when I go down the other side, but their pace is too slow and I go ahead. On the other side a few of us form a bunch. After a while the tandem passes and we fall in behind them. We form a group, but start to ride faster than the tandem and they fall behind. After a while the man with the artificial leg passes by! He pedals at a “crazy” pace and I have to pedal extra hard to keep up. However, he falls back and I and a bunch of other participants ride alone in front. Not too long and here he comes by again and this time at a speed I don't see a chance of.

 

 

 

At this point the possibility of finishing under 4 hours looks good and I ride within my limits. Through Bakoven, Hout Bay and Clifton and then down the seafront. I reach the finish line in 3:51 and feel very good that I managed to ride under 4 hours again. However, the weather was perfect and the conditions for a good time were therefore very favorable. My final average speed was then 28.1 kph.