Following a few misinformed comments made on web forums, and questions raised in emails to the PPA Office, we’ve put together an FAQ.

Who organises the events on the PPA calendar?
Apart from a few events (like the PPA One Tonner and PPA Wacky Wheels Overnight Tour), events on the PPA calendar are organised by outside organizations, mostly service organizations (Lions,  Rotarians, schools etc) to raise funds for charities. PPA assists these organisers in various ways, detailed below.

Who gets the entry fees on the day?
The organisers of the funrides get the entry fees, not PPA. While the organisers do pay the PPA a marginal fee for their assistance and the use of the PPA equipment, PPA subsidises most events to the value of some R20 000.

Why are the entry fees so high? What costs do organisers have?
Costs to the organisers costs include Traffic fees (often well in excess of R20 000); venue hire; marketing material like entry forms, posters and notices to nearby residences; paying commission for online entries; hiring radios and PA systems; providing rubbish bins; fencing (if applicable); sub-contracting medical assistance; sub-contracting marshals, officials, motorbike marshals, security guards and the like; renting additional toilets; various lead, sweep and support vehicles, setting up water points; medals and badges; sub-contract an announcer and music, and more

What does PPA do for event organisers?
PPA staff members hold several meetings with the event organiser and Traffic officials before an event takes place to ensure that the organisers have the necessary knowledge, and checks and balances in place to put on an event. PPA further assists organisers with marketing (printed calendar and electronic media); route planning; traffic permissions; training of helpers; marshal training; PPA supplies the timing system for events as a direct benefit to members; provides event infrastructure on the day including an event coordinator to oversee the running of the event, a start/finish crew and various admin support; provides the equipment needed to mark the route;  motorbike marshals to assist the funride groups. While the organisers pay the CSA participation levies, PPA pays the funride calendar fees on behalf of the organisers. 

What is PPA’s role at funrides?
At events, the PPA funride coordinator will check the overall running of the event, oversee the start and assist with any emergencies. The PPA ground crew assists the organiser with the set-up of the start/finish, and assists with traffic control at the start/finish. PPA staff man the PPA Mobile Office to assist members with queries on the day. PPA provides start marshals to assist with the sizing of groups at the start, and who assist cyclists en route. If needed, PPA willl stop an event if deemed unsafe to continue (which thus far has happened only due to adverse weather conditions). PPA frequently also sends marshals out on the route to check the route marking, marshalling and water points, and the PPA crew will assist wherever the need arises, from marshalling to traffic control.

What caused the crashes at the Simonsvlei Funride finish, and indeed at any crash?
From reports received from cyclists, at the recent Simonsvlei event the crashes were caused by rider error (wheels touching; in  one case a puncture during the spring), and not caused by the positioning of vehicles near the finish line (despite marshals requesting cyclists to NOT park there). Crew members and officials requested riders to slow down after the finish line, yet riders (especially league riders) continue to sprint for the timing mats. In addition, many cyclists do not hold their position after the finish line, nor hold their positions in the sprint for the finish line.

Contributing factors to the falls include that, due to the fairly flat nature of the ride, bunches were bigger than normal near the finish and riders not normally in the final sprint (and not used to holding a straight line in the sprint) contending the finish sprint. Being a longer-than-normal event, riders were more tired than usual and did not ride in a straight line. The approach to the finish line (which was on the dual carriageway just past the venue) was on a narrow road, made narrower by cyclists parking alongside the road near the venue, thereby making the road look even narrower.

How important is safety at events to PPA?
The PPA considers the safety of cyclists of paramount importance, something which must not be compromised under any circumstances. To this effect, PPA will continually monitor an event on the day, and bring in additional safety measures if needed - for instance requesting additional marshals to assist at certain points; changing the layout of the finish area, moving water points further off the road, and the like.

Having said that, cycling is potentially a dangerous sport for which the riders must take accountability  – wheels do touch; riders do lose control, rocks and trees do jump in front of riders. That’s part of the game, and watching the falls on the Tour de France where professional cyclists race over a road closed to traffic, proves this point.

The PPA is there to see that the rest of it is done as safely as possible and that the organiser has covered the bases to put on a good event, like correct route marking, correct route marshalling, having medics on standby, that Traffic officers are on hand, and the like.

Of the 40-odd road events PPA oversees annually, there are perhaps 1 or 2 events where problems occur. First prize is obviously that they do not happen in the first place, but if they did, then we work with the organisers to ensure that the problems do not happen again. And if the organisers do not rise to the occasion, we do not take the event back on the calendar. Safety is of paramount importance, and if we can improve matters, we do.

What else does PPA do?
PPA Executive Committee members attend monthly Non-Motorised Transport Forums where they argue on behalf of the cyclist’s rights on the road; give input when new roads are planned so that cyclists are catered for, and organise safety rides to hand over memorandums to City Officials, to name a few. PPA also facilitates safe cycling courses at schools across the Western Cape, the building of BMX tracks and MTB trails, the repair of MTB trails, and facilitates various projects aimed at assisting previously disadvantaged communities to start cycling.

Since 2007, PPA has spent over R4m on various cycling-related projects, including rural commuting initiatives, MTB initiatives including facilitating trails at Tygerberg Hills, Tokai, Jonkershoek and Grabouw, various safe cycling initiatives including programs to make motorists aware of cyclists and teaching safe cycling programmes at schools. Read more on the project funding pages of the PPA website.

Why does everyone not get a result at events?
The PPA subcontracts and pays Racetec to time events on the PPA Funride calendar, as a direct benefit to PPA members. For events where the organisers themselves pay for the timing services (like some MTB events or the Cycle Tour), all riders usually receive a result.

What are membership fees used for?
Membership fees are used, amongst others, to run the Association and for various deliverables as per our Constitution. PPA also pays the CSA cyclosport license fees on behalf of its members. With sponsorship being in short supply in the Cape, PPA subsidises each funride to the tune of around R15 000 – R25 000 in order to ensure that cyclists will have events to ride.

What can you do?
The PPA encourages members who have questions, to email it to the PPA Office, who will forward the query to the relevant Executive Committee member if needed, and then add the answer too this FAQ. Members are also invited to attend the Annual General Meeting, where various issues are discussed. As always, people who are passionate about cycling and the Association are invited to stand for the Executive Committee and assist to make a difference.