City Cycling & Athletic Club

City Cycling Club August Newsletter


WPCA Annual General Meeting

In what must have been the shortest AGM in recent history, Francois Ashton was elected unopposed as chairman of Western Province Cycling Association. Sharon Allen was elected unopposed as secretary/treasurer and Janine Brown as race organizing secretary. Jerome Hendricks replaced Willie Newman as the additional member for Development.

Club rides

From BikeMax

John Rubidge will be leading the combined BikeMax/City Club ride on Sunday 15 August. The ride will start at 8.00 am and will cover about 80 km with a break for coffee. It is hoped that this will be the start of a regular Sunday morning training ride. Meet outside BikeMax, Stanhope Road, Claremont at 7-45 am. Phone John Rubidge on 082 694 1202 for more details.

From the Northern Suburbs

Members are continuing to ride from the BP garage in Edgemead on Sundays at 7.30 am and making a turn at the Milnerton Wooden Bridge at 7.45 am. Phone Graham Ward on 558 0582 for more details.


Vets Tour

The Veterans 40-49 and the Masters 50+ three day stage races are taking place on the 17, 18, 19 September. Details are still sketchy with regards to the routes etc but we have been informed that the race permanence will be the Klein Joostenberg Market, Muldersvlei.

Are you in a team? Do you want to ride for a City/CSC team? If so contact John Moss on 422 5020 or john.moss@absamail.co.za with your details. City have decided to offer the following to members who form Club teams:

supply a back up vehicle to club members;

after race camp;

provide after race refreshments to club members;

provide massage facilities, if needed.

To budget and ascertain whether what is on offer will be used by our members please contact John. There is no qualification to enter this Tour - as long as you are a member of the PPA and in the 40-49 or 50+ age category you may ride.

Dean and Luthando in Canada

At the recent Tour L'Abitibi held near Montreal, Canada City’s Luthando Khaka, in his international debut, finished 24th overall, five minutes down on the winner. City’s WP road race champion, Dean Hopf, finished a little further back and played a major role in helping South Africa finish third in the team competition. The highlight for the SA team was the performance of first year junior, Duncan Viljoen, who finished eighth overall. Both Dean and Luthando are still training hard for selection for the Youth Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia later in the year.

Winter League Report back.

Boland’s Paarl road race, due to be held on 17 July, was cancelled as the organizers did not receive permission to use the roads. Due to the inclement weather conditions turnouts in the latest events have been down compared with the beginning of the season. A positive side to this, especially in the veterans section, is that riders who don’t usually stand a chance of winning have been appearing on the podium.

We are now entering the last month of the season and there are only three races left. They are: 14 August Kommetjie road race; 21 August will see the culmination of the CVT/Carbostax Criterium series at Killarney Gardens; and the last event on the calendar will be the WP Time Trial Championships at the Silos, Klipheuwel on 28 August

Coping with colds and flu

Colds - the most effective treatment for a cold is to let the cold run its course naturally, taking anti-histamines, decongestants and using nasal sprays will give you relief from the symptoms of a cold but most of the time they make you feel tired and lethargic. Rest and drinking warm fluids will help your body get rid of the virus. (Jump into bed, miss work and sleep).

Sore muscles, ear infection, high temperature and a sore throat are indications that you have an bacterial infection. The best bet is to go to your doctor and rest, rest and rest. As a rule, before returning to training, take two days rest for every one day of fever and then take care to ride within your limits of your energy and capability and stay warm. (Serious Cycling, Edmund R. Burke)

Velodrome meeting 5th August

This hastily convened meeting of all WP licensed cyclists was called because of an announcement by the SACF stating that licensed cyclists may not ride with unlicensed/funriders in organised events such as PPA leagues/funrides. This is a UCI and SACF regulation that may be waived should the SACF sanction the event i.e. like the Argus. Francois Ashton, the new WPCA chairman, tried his best to answer questions put to him by the cyclists present. Neither Francois nor Dave Bellairs of the PPA were able to come up with the reason why this regulation is now being implemented. Francois made a list of all queries which will be addressed by Gotty Hansen of the SACF.

Where does that leave the club and its members? City and its members are affiliated to the WPCA. Our SACF licenced members race under the banner of the WPCA, race provincial and national championships on the road and track. Many of our members have raced overseas in the Junior, Elite and Veterans World Championships and Olympics. For this you need a SACF licence. Most of our members take part in the PPA leagues and funrides, the highlight being the Argus in March. We are confident that sanity will prevail and the PPA/SACF will find common ground and sort out this mess. My advice to members is to continue riding your bike.

Good luck

Terry Burrell will be jetting off to take part in the World Masters Road and Time Trial Champs to be held in late August in St Johan, Austria. This is the second year in a row that Terry will be taking part and he is confident on improving his position in both events.

John and Janet Moss are off to the Masters World Track Champs in Manchester, UK in early September and are training hard on the track in the hope of bringing back some medals.