The 109 km race which goes right around the Cape Peninsula was won by Robbie Hunter in a time of 2 hours and 27 minutes. Which was kind of the time I stood on the bridge taking photographs. Thank goodness for digital cameras is all I can say! No, do not ask how many photos now clutter my hard drive.
One of the things that makes the race remarkable is that all proceeds go to charity and the whole thing happens in the spirit of good and family fun. Because there are so many entrants the race starts at 05h45 and the start continues until 10h09! While I watched over 2000 cyclists went past - or rather - under the bridge I was standing on.
It's the most amazing spectacle of colour and the sense of camaraderie between cyclists and spectators is huge. And of course, the highlight is simply cycling around what is probably one of the most scenic routes in the world.
Riders come through in bunches of colour
These shots are taken at about the 21 km mark
It was about 8 in the morning and shadows were still long
Just look at that scenery...
Pedal power
Some get dressed up, just for fun, or to raise money for charity
And some are exhausted just watching...
29 comments:
Sounds like a great time and a good cause. Nice pictures too!
Paul
Wow sounds like a wonderful day. And your last shot and comment were the first laugh of my day!!
Is it mostly a flat course, or just that part?
looks great! I used to cycle everywhere in Holland but here in the country it is just too dangerous on those narrow roads. I do miss it though.
I think it must have been pretty exhausting, Paul, the temperatures were well up in the 30s - I certainly wouldn't have liked to have been out there cycling! But it is a great race and lots of fun for cyclists and spectators.
That scene gave me a good chuckle too, Taff. No, it's mostly a very mountainous course. That stretch is about the flattest. The riders basically go over five mountains and there are plenty of hilly bits all along the way!
It's a good way to get some exercise, Middle Ditch
a great way to raise proceeds for a good cause, get some exercise and some good photos too :-))
i'd agree with middle ditch, cycling in south africa (or australia for that matter) is a totally different experience to here in holland... distances are reasonably short and not exactly life-threatening most of the time :P
thanks for the well-made photos :-))
keep well...
Wow it's great to be reminded that somewhere in the world it's actually summer. We had the worst storm of the winter last night. It was brilliant but I'm so ready for the spring now. Loose cotton and linen clothes - I'm longing!
We've just moved to the country and I'm looking forward to getting out on my bike this spring for the first time in years!
Those charity riders had a bit of a chicken theme going on. Atyllah would be pleased!
I don't know! They looked like Chickens in poorly fitting human suits to me.
That sounds like a lot of fun. I liked the pictures too. The third one is my favourite because I like the shadows.
I bet that the girl who got exhausted just watching woke up with a headache: fair hair, bright sunlight beating down on her head.
Very cool, Abby.
Am diggin' your work on Flickr. :)
Haha . . makes our little "Tour de Hills" run by the local Rotary Club look a bit pathetic! Very colourful. I love the sound of a bunch of bikes whizzing by . . it's unique. .
Great pictures (as usual ;) ) and a good cause.
I'd be the one lying down, watching... (though I'd be under a parasol).
It's a great event, Bart, even if one is just a spectator. So many take part that one usually knows someone who's racing. And yes, I guess cycling here would be a bit different from Holland! ;-)
Atyllah reckons they're all mad, Janey, wonders why people don't just teleport! :-)
So much for summer - it's piddling with rain today - so don't feel too bad :-)
Yep, that's what Atyllah would say too, Brian! ;-)
I suspect not only was the girl exhausted by the sun beating down on her but also by the very big breakfast and quantities of champagne that had gone down a wee bit before, Steve! ;-) So, yes, it would have been a whopper of a headache to wake up to!
Thanks, John, you've got some stunning stuff on your account too! ;-)
It is a cool sound, isn't it, Baino!
Shame on you, MD :-) - mind you, I wasn't much more active - just standing there clicking away - and even that was hot work! :-)
It looks brilliant! And look at that scenery *sigh*:-)
Great photos - some good material there for digital editing! Could do with some of that weather here as well....
My chakras feel cleansed just looking at the pics - all that streaming energy. Wow.
Love the pic of the long bike shadows.
Great post! Thanks for the report.
How'd you get those cyclists in the third photo to line up their shadows so nicely? I really like that one.
"Abby," huh, John? I think I like that! Good work, Abby!
It's gorgeous scenery, isn't it, Lane, and it gets even better on the other side of the mountains where they meet the sea :-)
Am sending sunshine your way, Julie. Haven't thought of digitally editing the pics - not sure what I'd do with them - any thoughts?
It is a wonderfully streaming energy and with all those colours, isn't it, Reya ;-)
It was really cooperative of them to line up like that, wasn't it, Bonnie ;-)
Uh, Abby, yeah, well, so long as I don't become Dear Abby...
;-)
Folks, I must apologise profusely for being such a lousy blogger and not being out there visiting as much as usual. I'm being swamped by story and am very, very distracted as a result. Please bear with me and thank you all for still visiting while I'm being so blogging bad!
wow! cool pictures and really lots of colours! Sports is always amazing, it unites different people with similar interests :)
Is cape Down in South African Republic? I used to cycle a lot.
these pics are so great! i so want to take part in events such as these! the only cycling i do is in the gym and that is not even a quarter as exciting as this!
Sport is really brilliant for uniting people, Lena, I totally agree. I've seen the really powerful role it has played in bringing together a very fragmented nation - ie South Africa.
Yes, Ropi, Cape Town is in South Africa.
You sound as bad as me, PureSunshine! Mind you, until I crunched my bike tyre under my car, I did used to do a bit of road cycling! :-)
Sounds absolutely exhausting - I broke out in a sweat just reading this...my friend Rups just did a nude bike ride in Melbourne - have you ever done that?
My husband would love doing this! He used to do Duathlons all the time. You need to constantly hydrate but the wind resistance helps a little.
Neat event.
Brilliant pictures, Vanilla. :-)
hey very interesting.. never heard about this before
The scenery is awesome indeed!!
Just loved the vibrant splash of color!Cycling on such a stretch must be a wonderful experience indeed.The last pic was cute :)
LOVE love love the shots.
Lady, you are one awesome photographer.
And the race looks like it was fun too!
The shadow shot is the best, I think.
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
I can't say I have, Mutts, I have a public conscience you know and would hate to frighten anyone ;-P
It's a brilliant event, MOI, because it goes through most of the city and roads are closed, everyone is obliged to be involved, whether they want to or not! ;-)
Thanks, Suzan.
It's very cool, Rambler.
And that's only some of it, Mystic - the rest is a lot more spectacular as it comprises of mountains meeting sea.
That's what always strikes me, Sameera - the colourfulness of it all.
Thanks so much, Scarlett - and I agree, I like the shadow shot best too.
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