A big thank you to Robert Filmer for his ride report, congratulations on completing this challenging event. A massive well done to Robert and Don, especially as Robert has overcome some pretty epic health issues in recent years. He is proving that cyclists are made of tough stuff!
This years 110 km Cape Argus Cycle Tour was run on Sunday March 9th. Over 31,000 starters began. At 0630 with elite cyclists leading off the early groups riding for some useful prize money. Later times had the starting groups getting up to the course, which starts in the commercial centre of Cape Town, and heads out on one carriageway of a motorway, into the eastern suburbs skirting around Table Mountain.
Still on closed roads the route heads south to a string of small coastal towns on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsular that eventually leads to the Cape of Good Hope. After about 50 km the course goes up over the ridge towards the west side of the peninsular and the rugged Atlantic Coast. Then eventually heads north to get back to Cape Town. The scenery along this side is quite spectacular the road often right beside the sea, and at times 400 to 500 ft above the sea on cliff roads. Eventually the route comes into the smart resort suburbs south of town, with thousands of people cheering the cyclists home, rather in the style of the London Marathon.
The course is mostly undulating with very little flat, but 4 or 5 times it kicks up to between 140 and 170 metres often from little above sea level which takes it toll.
This was my third Argus, and almost as bad as the first in 2009 there was a gale blowing from the southeast, just the direction of the first 45 km! Even after turning for home the wind at times still manages to hit you in the face. I had a target to match my second ride of just inside 4 hours, but with the wind could only manage 4.35 but at least I was in the top 15,000! I came to the conclusion that I am too old for that sort of punishment!
I was travelling with Don McMillan, having entered the Argus as an incentive to drag ourselves out on the bikes in the foul weather of last winter. Both of us getting through rehab after a year with no cycling.
We arrived a week before and each morning went out for training rides mostly on beautiful coast roads with not a single pothole. We managed to clock up a couple of hundred miles during that week which set us up nicely for the Argus. Although the amazingly cheap eating and drinking available was no help.
Another Argus fact that I thought interesting. Because so many riders fly in from all over South Africa the planes cannot cope with so many passengers with bike boxes. So they get in extra planes for the passengers and truck the bikes by road. At the finishing area there is an enormous bike park with every one of thousands of bikes allocated it own parking space, they are then all delivered back to Joburg or wherever by road over the following week.
