Cape Argus reuslts - Moz cyclists

Hello all,
Here are the rather delayed results for the cyclists from Mozambique that took part in the Cape Argus Cycle Race 2011 on the 13th of March:


1 Mario Traversi.......... 3:02:00....... 1139/28907
2 Ian Campbell..............3:14:59.........2582/28907
3 Iulian Circo................ 3:19:04........ 3159/28907
4 Matt Singleton.......... 3:19:19......... 3207/28907
5 Simon Wright............ 3:24:38........ 4038/28907
6 Francisco Nobrega.... 3:25:34........ 4199/28907
7 Andre Ittmann.......... 3:28:36........ 4667/28907
8 Anton Calitz............... 3:28:37........ 4668/28907
9 Theron Theunissen.. 3:36:44........ 5985/28907
10 Cymon Charnley..... 3:44:52........ 7405/28907

If you know of other Moz cyclists who took part that are not included above please send me their results to mario traversi at hotmail dot com so I can add them.

Please note that though finishing times are available on the Racetec website, they are still finalising results, so overall positions may change slightly until final results are published.

There was a marked improvement in the finishing times of most of the cyclists.. was that improved fitness or the lack of wind :-) ???

Cape Argus 2011

In a word.. What an experience! Ok, that's 3 words. Let's try again. Monumental! I think that characterises this, the world's largest timed event. In cycling terms it is absolutely massive, with thirty five thousand cyclists converging onto the course from all corners of the Cape, South Africa and the whole world (with 2500 foreign entries, though Lance Armstrong & Matt Damon didn't show up again this year). This would be my second attempt, and I was left awe-struck by the first.. Would this time be the same? Let's find out.

FRIDAY - The trip to Cape Town was easy enough, with a direct flight from Maputo taking a mere two and a half hours.. (about the time of the winner of last year's edition). The plane was full of Maputo cyclists and their bike-bags, which caused some confusion at the SAA desk for the payment of the bike surcharge (note - other oversize items such as surfboards and golf-clubs DON'T PAY, but bikes do. Why?!). After arriving, and having to run around to collect our bikes, we checked into our respective digs (for me it was the Backpacker's place, Big Blue, a bit grungy but conveniently located 2 minutes walk from the finish!) and then went to collect our race packs at the Convention Centre, to avoid the Saturday pandemonium. Solomon's weren't in attendance unfortunately, but there was a lot to see there, between bikes and kit and spares and wildly improbable accessories that only rich cyclists seem to spawn.

A big blue view

SATURDAY - Today was warm-up day and Matt Singleton and I trundled past Camps bay and the long lazy ascent of back of Suikerbossie, where we bumped into Team Bonitas (ex Medscheme) and tagged along for a while as they effortlessy climbed to the top. However we slowed our pace, not wanting to burn ourselves out and once at the top, turned back for a quick exhilirating descent into Camps bay and then back to Cape Town proper.

Pit stop near Camps Bay

That night we went for the traditional pasta carbo-load in a aptly called Mario's Restaurant (est. 1971, a year after I was born). Unfortunately service that night was pretty dreadful as the two shaved head 'service ambassadors' seemed more intent on doing pirouettes than serving us. When food did finally find it's way to our table, an hour and a quarter after we'd arrived, it was Fantastic.. So my suggestion, take a crossword puzzle, because though the pasta is quite good, they're just s l o o o o o o o w .... And don't go there the night before a cycle race!

SUNDAY - It's dark outside still. Five am and my alarm goes off, pulling me away from my slumber. My bike, bottles and kit had been prepped the night before so all I had to do was make coffee and eat some food and.. ahem... hope nature would take it's course, before I set out to reach my starting gate. I dreaded the thought of having to use a porta-loo for more than a pee.. as the images of the wind blowing portaloos over at the 2009 Argus were still fresh in my mind.. Well, nature did tortuously take it's course, but I felt all the better for it and was out the door smack on 6am and hurrying off to my date with destiny.

How do I push through this bunch?

I reached the start about 10 minutes later and already the pen was half-full, but you can only be an optimist in these scenarios and at every shot of the gun releasing a group ahead of us, and as our group moved to the next pen, I stole a few places until I was finally on the front line.

Ready..?

Steady..

Ok, time for one last photo..

Dawn and my start fast approaching

Dawn was breaking just as the pistol went off for group D and away we went at an unbelievable speed. I hadn't reached the first curve 100m away that already 30 riders were ahead of me in a mad sprint to get in front. It was absolutely mind-boggling.. Thankfully there was minimal wind to hamper our efforts and the peloton gathered shape and speed up the highway.

What followed is a bit mind-blowing and mind-numbing at the same time. I have few words that can describe hurlting along at an average speed of 36km/hr.. That's average, so on the flats we were close to 50 and the descents were upwards of 70km/hr.. I had hardly enough time to warm my muscles that the peloton was taking a fast descent after Hospital Bend and leaving me behind! Quick! I had to get back up there.. I had to bridge across... Not easy when everyone else is pushing 50 (km's, not years..). But at the next climb the peloton slowed and I managed to catch the tail-end just in time for the Boyes Drive ascent.. and again I got dropped. My legs, normally used to a gentle warmup were not accustomed to this full-gas speed of this South African peloton. Still I maintained contact and on the undulating section at the top of Boyes I slowly moved up the field and back with the group. Then through Simonstown and another uphill, but this time I was prepared and kept pace. My Caracol training sessions were paying off finally. Then I lost my bearings completely as we turned inland and ever-upwards, and the serious climbers were putting on the pressure. Once done ascending we crossed the Cape peninsula an a seriously fast section. At one stage someone called out "Tandem!" and I thought they were moving out of the way to be courteous, but No! It was to catch his slipstream! Ever-faster on this flat slightly downward stretch.. Amazing speed. We're 50km into the race and I still haven't touched my water bottle. No, it wasn't that I didn't want to drink. It's just that I couldn't reach down and grab the bottle for the frenetic pace we were doing!

Saltwater is behind us and now we're on the slow grind up Chapman's Peak Drive. This is a beautiful road to drive up and cycle if you have time to smell the roses and look out to sea, but today was serious business and the cyclists weren't taking any prisoners! It was push and shove all the way up, no by your leave, excuse me sir or madam etc.. I felt like I was in the midst of wild animals racing for the last morcel of food on earth, or a wildebeast migration. It was mindboggling.. So was Chappies, as the sea mist came over and cooled us, and we were enveloped in a sea of fog.

With Chappies completed came the fast descent down to Hout Bay and I'm afraid to say that my descending skills weren't up to scratch as I was being passed at breakneck speed by all the tortured riders that I'd effortlessly passed on the way up. Then a short flat section at a fast pace into Hout Bay and onto the last serious climb of the day, Suikerbossie. Something to do with sugar, but the taste in my mouth was bitter as I scaled it's flank, huffing and puffing but powering up the hill.. My turn for revenge as I passed the pesky riders who'd uncerimoniously sliced past me on the downhill. See if you can hold my wheel now.. At the top I was on 2:38. If I wanted to crack 3 hours I needed to gain a minute.. Now the descent.. not my favourite..

The descent was fast but flowing as the road was wider compared to Chappies and this meant that I could take a more comfortable line around the bends.. and after the really fast riders filed past I finally managed to hold onto a group of descenders and more or less made my way down in one piece. On the undulating section into Camps Bay I frogleaped small groups of cyclists, the ejected entrails of the groups ahead, their legs tired and heads heavy.. I had no time to lose with them. I had to move forward. I had to catch the peloton. Climbing up to Bantry Bay I spied a group ahead.. If only I could bridge to them. They're climbing. They'll slow. I can catch them. But they didn't slow! Those who still had legs were going full-gas, using up every last ounce of energy. Only 7 km to go, the aura of a sub-3 hour awaiting them. No, they were steaming ahead. I'd have to will my body over to them, teleport somehow. I pushed and I stomped and got out of the saddle.. and suddenly I was back on a wheel.. I could rest, for a second.. and then power on to the front of the group. Down and around the round-about. We're on the final stretch, but the finish is still 3 km away, and suddenly a Tandem appears. "Catch that tandem!" I hear and then in disbelief realise it was I who yelled out. Was I too turning into a cannibal? No matter, no time to think, just react. Myself and another cyclist caught the wheel and struggled to keep up. Our speed was nearing 50km. The wind was blowing into us, not hard, but enough to blunt our efforts. 2 km. We're pushing hard. The Tandem cyclists are nearing the end of their rope, yet they push on. I struggle to keep up. 1 km. A final bend. The finish line ahead. I can't stop myself.. I pull out from the slip-stream and start sprinting to the line. My lungs are burning, my legs are jelly, but somehow I pass the cyclist in front of me, pass the tandem. I'm at warp 5. I'm flying.. the finish line is there. I taste it. YES!!! I've finished..

Time on the watch 3:02. I've missed my target by 2 minutes and 1 second. Yet, I am strangely elated. It felt like I've just been swimming with sharks. My adrenaline is pumping. But I've made it through the other side. I will be back again next year. You know what they say, 3rd time lucky. Although in a race like this there is no such thing as luck.

A beer with the other Clube Ciclismo members after the race at the Ferryman's - Waterfront.
Sorry though, no Laurentina on the menu.

Copa Ciclismo 2011 Results - Race 2

Here are the cumulative results of the Copa Ciclismo, including the latest two races.


Nr Name Nac. KOM SP Rec Pos TT Road Total

1. Miguel Texeira MOZ 5 5 10 103.94 103.00 206.94
2. Mario Traversi ITA 3 5 92.35 101.37 193.72
3. Antonio Fonseca MOZ 2 4 89.87 101.37 191.24
4. Vicente Mafumo MOZ 1 1 88.64 100.96 189.60
5. Patrick Verissimo GER 87.37 100.94 188.31
6. Abilio Matusse MOZ 80.21 100.89 181.10
7. Carlos Sales POR 3 78.90 101.58 180.48
8. Jan de Jong NED 4 0.00 101.79 101.79
9. Sergio Grichone MOZ 0.00 100.95 100.95
10. Cymon Charney RSA 0.00 100.94 100.94
11. Betinho Cuambe MOZ 0.00 100.93 100.93
12. Kallie Calitz RSA 0.00 100.92 100.92
13. Theron Theunissen RSA 0.00 100.92 100.92
14. Andre Ittmann RSA 0.00 100.91 100.91
15. Simon Wright GBR 0.00 100.90 100.90
16. Rui Ferreira POR 0.00 100.88 100.88
17. Gustavo da Silva MOZ 4 4 93.77 0.00 93.77
18. Imran Akuji MOZ 86.78 0.00 86.78
19. Yazid Imran MOZ 60.68 0.00 60.68
20. Tim Doyle USA 0.00 0.00 0.00
21. Liliana Sultane MOZ 0.00 0.00 0.00
22. Abub Ibraino MOZ 0.00 0.00 0.00
23. Joao Rodrigues MOZ 0.00 0.00 0.00

Apologies for the above format - my blog program is not co-operating, but I hope to have this fixed shortly.

The copa is made up of time trial events and road races, each with it's own point system, the total of the two giving the general classification leader board. Additionally there are points for king of the mountain (KOM or RM), sprints (also known as hotspots in SA), points for records broken and finishing position points. The Copa Ciclismo committee will shortly announce the classifications of the Copa Ciclismo, but most probably they will be the following:
1) Overall GC winner - person with highest total points - award will be a yellow jersey
2) King of the Mountain - person with highest KOM/RM points - polka dot jersey
3) Sprint - person with highest SP points - green jersey
4) Overall classification - person with most podium points - white jersey

As there is only one U23 cyclist there will be no Young Rider jersey.

Currently we have Miguel Teixeira who is leading the overall GC with 206.94 points, the king of the mountain with 5 points and the overall jersey with 10 points. No sprint points have been as yet awarded although this will change in the coming races.

Copa Ciclismo - Moamba race

On Sunday the 6th of March the fourth Copa Ciclismo race took place, from Matola to Moamba and back along the EN4. There was quite a large turn-out for the race, with 21 entrants. The race started at 7:13 with Kallie setting a sedate warm-up pace. As we rounded Shoprite, where we would later end the race on the return leg, the pace started picking up with both Jan and Kallie working, soon replaced by others as the paceline started working. Halfway to Moamba the peloton split with a lead group composed of Jan, Mario, Miguel, Carlos, Patrick, Vicente, Grishone, Kinha, Cymon and Abilio. Unfortunately Abilio touched wheels and fell, but the peloton slowed to see if he could catch up.
At the Moamba turn the peloton turned right towards Moamba but then some confusion ensued as some cyclists turned around right away instead of heading towards Moamba. The chasing peloton also arrived but they went on to Moamba. Some cyclists were able to take advantage of this situation and sped off in a breakway while the stragglers were strung out in ones and twos. Some eventually joined together and began chasing. The cyclists were heading into a headwind which also made matters more difficult, but then who said cycling is easy!
The cyclists in the breakaway pressed on until one of them was dropped with a few km's to go leaving Miguel to solo to victory, with Jan a distant second and Carlos coming third half a minute behind, which considering that he was halfway to Moamba when the peloton turned early is quite a testament to his cycling. Mario and Kinha sprinted to the line and were joint 4th.
Two more groups of cyclists came in, with Rui rounding out the finishers with a well-deserved finish, considering he'd been off his bike for a few weeks.

Quite a few cyclists finished the day, 13 out of the 21 starters, with most managing a credible time. We had quite a few new cyclists to the racing scene (Liliana, Abub, Cymon and Tim), and we hope to see them in the future. The next race will be on the 20th of March, the Goba climb 10km time trial. A record of 26 minutes 37 sec was set in 2007 by Joao Rodrigues (who raced today but had a flat), so start practicing your climbing!

N.B. - A protest was lodged with the race organisers regarding the confusion of the Moamba turn-off and it was decided by the Race Comissaire to award finishing points but no time differences.

Race results:

Place	Name	Time
1	Miguel Teixeira	2:40:00
2	Jan de Jong	2:43:00
3	Carlos Sales	2:44:00
4	Mario Traversi	2:44:10
4	Kinha Fonseca	2:44:10
6	Vicente Mafumo	2:45:36
7	Sergio Grichone	2:49:20
8	Patrick Verissimo	2:49:20
8	Cymon Charney	2:49:20
10	Betinho Cuambe	2:52:18
11	Kallie Calitz	2:52:18
11	Theron Theunissen	2:52:18
13	Andre Ittmann	2:52:18
14	Simon Wright	2:52:18
15	Abilio Matusse	3:52:23
16	Rui Fernandes	3:22:00
DNF	Tim Doyle
DNF	Yazid Imran
DNF	Liliana Sultane
DNF	Abub Ibraino
DNF	Joao Rodrigues

Rolar por Imran - Photos

The cycle ride commemorating Imran Akuji went off without a hitch last Sunday. The event started at 7:30 on the dot and slowly meandered up to the Portagem where the TRAC officials opened the side road to let the large number of cyclists (about 40) through, as planned.



The municipal and provincial traffic police escorted the cyclists as well as a large group of motorcyclists and support vehicles. We arrived at 9am at the spot where Imran was killed, just past the Umbeluzi water treatment plant. One lane had been blocked off for the event, and traffic was directed onto the single lane, with the traffic police ensuring no bottlenecks. The cyclists placed their bikes in single file on the closed section of road as a form of protest, showing that this space also belongs to us.



The areas was cleared and a search party dispatched to find any pieces of the bicycle. After a while Imran's father-in-law opened proceedings with a muslim prayer that he later translated into English. Then Yazid, Imran's eldest son spoke. Sebbie, a schoolmate of Imran from Swaziland and who had come especially for the event also spoke about his early days with Imran. Danilo Correia and Luis Filipe spoke on behalf of the Maputo cyclists. Iran's brother closed the session and then Imran's children proceeded to burying some parts of Imran's bicycle and laying some wreaths.

A moment of silence was kept for him and for all cyclists killed on the road.
Once proceedings were complete the cyclists remounted and headed back towards Maputo - destination Nautilus Cafe, the favourite post-ride haunt of the Maputo Cycle club. A few minor cycle accidents on the return leg occured, mainly due to fatigue of the younger and more inexperienced rides, but nothing more serious than a few scratched elbows and a broken spoke.
We all assembled, cyclists and Imran's family and friends at the Nautilus cafe for a well-deserved coke.