Cape Argus Classic 2010

This race took place on 14 March 2010, but I have gotten behind on the postings of some events to the blog. So, here goes….

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The Cape Argus Classic is the all-time best bike race in the world, with more than 35,000 riders from around the world. After a couple of decades of running this race, the organizers have process refined and have been able to scale this ride up to the size that it is without sacrificing safety or enjoyment. Quite simply, this race is a huge celebration of fitness on two wheels and takes place in the most scenic routes on the planet. This is the third year in a row that I have been lucky enough to have business in Cape Town during March and been able to participate. It is certainly worth the trip!

My start time was around 7:30 am in the “W” group. Each starting corral fills up with riders about a half hour before the scheduled starting time and the groups go out in waves, spread about five minutes apart. Each bike has a timing chip attached to the front fork spindle so your finishing time is from when you cross the start to the end. The groups are seeded based on previous race times, so I was with guys who were going to average about 29-30 km/hr on a normal day. The photo below is our W group lining up to start.

The day was windy with 35 km/hr headwinds, but not as bad as 2009 when there were 90 km/hr gusts and sustaining winds of over 40 km/hr. While I was able to jump into a few pacelines during the first 60 km into the wind, I was still out there with my nose in the breeze for far too long to be efficient. But, my plan was to start of slow and gain speed during the ride, which I did.

My only real problem was a mechanical one and I had to stop for about three minutes to adjust my seat at about 40 km into the race. Although I had sent exact instructions to Olympic Cycles in Cape Town, who had been sent the bike to set up before my arrival, the mechanic had simply eye-balled the scuff marks on the seat post and had never measured it to the exact 76.2 cm from the center of the crank to the top of the saddle. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a tape when I adjusted it on the day of the race and the height was just two low for good seated power on the climbs. If fact, I never got it right until I arrived home later in the week and was able to measure it correctly. It is amazing how a difference of just a cm or two can make to good performance.

My stats weren’t awful, considering the wind and the hills. 25.7 km/hr for 4:15 with 1,584 meters of climbing. The most interesting numbers were the first and second half splits, with the split coming not exactly at the half way point, but at the point where we had gone the furthest south and into the wind. So, although the second half had the biggest hills, my speed was still 28.2. Nothing to brag about, but nothing shameful either.

						---	---	---	---		Split	Hour:Minute:Second Time	Kilometers Distance	Kilometers per Hour Avg Speed		Summary

Those two big hills, right after 75 km, are Chapman’s Peak and Suikerbossie Hill and, yes, doing those two climbs back-to-back is a bitch. In particular, Suikerbossie hurts because it is a much steeper grade. The two pictures above, taken by Action Photo, were both on that final big climb. However, as I had taken it a bit easier in the front half (and was feeling frisky) I dropped one hell of a lot of riders, many a few decades younger than myself, on that climb and on Chappies. (Here is the full race profile)

Happy to have the race over! (above) The Vineyards Hotel, where I was staying, sent over a car to pick me up and by early afternoon I was re-loading the carbs with some fine local Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc.

Just as a bit of perspective, the race along the coast going south along the eastern shore and then north along the western coastline, circles Table Top Mountain, pictured above. Everywhere you look there are incredible vistas! (This photo was taken the following day, heading out of town.)

Following the race, Kate and Andrew (friends in Cape Town), took me up north to their family home along the coast to chill for a day and far too many bottles of wine and a fabulous braai. Very cool. Race hard, play hard.