Primal Odyssey

Cape Argus Cycling Tour
4 ~ 12 March 2007
Tour Pictures
4 March
After 15 hours and 3 planes, we arrived in Cape Town for the big week run up to the Cape Argus 2007 Adventure. Arriving in Cape Town to a Cold and windy night we where met by the Dircteur Sportif at the airport. The team now almost all together we bundled into the Deep Blue Team Bus and headed to the team hotel. All too tired and not wanting to look at food after 25 hours of airline food we hit the sack.

5 March
Bikes built and off on the Rooiels ride “Stage 1″. Total pg 44km we where introduced to the Cape South Easter (Wind like no wind found in Brisbane.) Along an awesome coast line from Gordon’s Bay to Rooiels on a short yet undulating out and back ride. This ride was an eye opener to the the views that the Cape Coast has to offer and the Wind which you woun’t forget in a hurry. Gordan’s Bay is a must see village if you’re heading to the Cape.

Stage 1 Results
1st Place: Princey
2nd Place: JB
3rd Place: Sueby

6 March
This mornings ride rolled out from Durbaville along open roads with little to no traffice once 10k’s out of town. Throught rolling grasslands and open fields with gentle undulations and a great tailwind. The Joy of riding ended and the U-Turn point, It was on this ride back to DurbanVille that I started to wonder if cycling was for me, It was a tough slog back to the team bus.

  

Stage 2 Results
1st Place: JB
2nd Place: Sueby
3rd Place: Princey

7 March
The final memeber of the team arrived at 7:20am into Cape Town. Wazza had arrived to take on the worlds larges timed bike race and the South African IronMan. Straight back to the hotel and Princey and JB had Wazza bike built at a slow and steady speed. Bit confusing with a few parts left over?!?!?!

Stage 3 Paarl to FransHoek a gentle 25km ride we where told (Flat I believe was used by the Dircteur Sportif (first rule of cycling if they say it’s flat or easy….it isn’t) Lets setup this stage with the a wind report, “50 to gail force winds”. Yes the ride was a haed wind, the ride ended with a 1.5km climb, Today the wind claimed it’s first and only victim. The reports came back at the top of the climb from Wazza that Princey had cracked…. Dircteur Sportif returned with the team bus to find Princey lying down under the shade of a tree. 

Stage 3 Results
1st Place: JB
2nd Place: Sueby
3rd Place: Wazza
Princey: DNF.

8 March
First day of no riding and a welcome day for Princey. A perfectly clear day so we headed up to the top of Table Mountain. Aftr a short wait in the usual tourist trap que to get a ticket we where on the mountain taking pictures and drinking beer. What a start to a rest day.

  

9 March
Early start to head out to ride Stage 4 the penultimate stage before the big day on Sunday. Today’s stage would start at a group of shops yet to be determined at this stage. Princey and JB did not ride as there race taper required a rest day. This stage took the riders out to along an undulating course of 50kms. There was no wind to be spoken of after the ride. Stage finish in Durbanville once again. In the afternoon we drove the Argus course with race instructions and tactics been given by the 16 times Argus finisher Dircteur Sportif. 

10 March
Once again a rest day for all. Today we drove out to Stellenbosch, the premier wine growing region of the Cape. With old Cape Dutch architecture this is the second oldest Dutch settlement in the 1820’s. We headed out to Tokara for lunch that over looks the Stellenbocsh region. After lunch we headed down to Boschendal winery to taste the local drop.

     

11 March (Race Day)
Race Report After days of winds ranging from 30 - 50 km/h we woke to an below average speed of 15-25km/h winds, almost unheard of for Cape Town, South Africa. An early breakfast an into the team Hippie VW Combie for the 25 min trip into race start. All the talk in the bus was the usual tongue in cheek who’s going to smash who. (Results speak volumes in the end) It was bikes out of the trailer (Sueby did not take part as this is a fully sponsored trip and “The Mechanic” was on hand to do all for the alleged Pro Tri-Hard) Hand Shakes all round from the boys and wishes of good luck, Sueby yet to emerge from the Bus, like the true Pro trying to psyche out the fellow team members.After days of winds ranging from 30 - 50 km/h we woke to an below average speed of 15-25km/h winds, almost unheard of for Cape Town, South Africa. An early breakfast an into the team Hippie VW Combie for the 25 min trip into race start. All the talk in the bus was the usual tongue in cheek who’s going to smash who. It was bikes out of the trailer (Sueby did not take part as this is a fully sponsored trip and “The Mechanic” was on hand to do all for the alleged Pro Tri-Hard) Hand Shakes all round from the boys and wishes of good luck, Sueby yet to emerge from the Bus, like the true Pro trying to psyche out the fellow team members.

Start line fever.
With 38 000 riders to roll off from the start at 4 and 5 min intervals from 6:15AM to well after 10:30AM the atmosphere was electric. Music pumping down the start grid as you slowly move forward into position after 45mins of being in a chute. Bang and you’re off. The following results are the official results as of the 13 March 2007. A good and safe day was had by all.

Race finished we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and then off down to the V&A Waterfront for a celebratory drink and to start the tales of how each others race plan worked or failed.

Dinner Table Banter
After Bikes where packed away the team headed out for the “Last Supper” and presentation to the Dircteur Sportif for a well planned Argus Trip.

12 March
The team spreads it wings and fly out to Durban for rest and Port Elizabeth for the South African IronMan, Good Luck to Sueby and Wazza in the IronMan, All the hard work it done so enjoy the the big day.

Please submit comments of support ofr Sue and Wazza on the South African IronMan.

Cape Argus 2007 Offical Results
Who	Race Time	Position	Gender Position	Age Position	Age Group	Group Position	Avg Speed
Steven Rooks	02:57:55	1125/28726	1060/22408	107/3129	M 45-49	104/157 (VB)	36.76 km/h
JB	03:21:23	4493/28726	3964/22408	550/2620	M 30-35	12/693 (U)	32.48 km/h
Sueby	03:24:51	5060/28726	306/5476	64/892	F 40-44	27/586 (BB)	31.93 km/h
Jan Ullrich	03:32:23	6485/28726	5799/22408	734/2620	M 30-35	464/625 (J)	30.79 km/h
Princey	03:41:41	8612/28726	7593/22408	1194/3127	M 40-44	46/579 (CC)	29.50 km/h
Greg Lemond	03:56:28	11674/28726	10117/22408	1519/3127	M 40-44	14/491 (MM)	29.50 km/h
Wazza	04:01:31	12794/28483	10995/22408	723/1598	M 55-59	141/586 (BB)	27.08 km/h

The following table represents the split time required to make the 3hr 30mins.

Cape Argus 3:30hr Spilts Race Plan
No’s	Points on Route	K’s	Total K’s	Split Time	Ave Spd
1	Top of Edinburgh Drive	11.3		0:23:31	28.83
2	End of Blue Route (turn @ Steenberg Rd)	10	21.3	0:37:58	33.66
3	Jubilee Square Simonstown	17.1	38.4	1:06:17	34.76
4	Top Smitswinkel	12.6	51	1:34:40	32.32
5	Soetwater (10th Water Table)	13.7	64.7	1:58:26	32.78
6	Turn at Sun Valley to Noordhoek	8.1	72.8	2:14:38	32.44
7	Top of Chapmans Peak	9.2	82	2:35:45	31.59
8	Top of Suikerbossie	11	93	3:02:52	30.15
9	Finish at Greenpoint Stadium	16	109	3:30:00	31.14