Robbie Stewart

I agree with @MORNE about the "wrongness" of the transitions at Bloem. Once you have dialed in places like Hoogekraal and the rest, riding Bloem makes no sense. Those first few jumps until the wall ride are semi okay, but from there onwards it just goes wrong in all the bad ways. Their lips are too short and steep and the landings are too far away that the mechanics of the jumps just don't make sense. Also they are way too close to the exits of the berms that you can't maintain proper speed, and lastly that bottom section demands pedal strokes between every berm and jump, and if you absolutely want to face plant in your chops, guaranteed, try pedaling on a supposed jump line. You are meant to clear any jump line at trail speed and if you can't then its likely that the line is built wrong. This is why if you want to learn to jump, just go to the Leatt skills park at Hoogekraal and spend a morning there. I started back in 2020 after the end of the coof lockdowns, and could barely clear the smallest line. Regular mornings spent riding there doing the same thing over and over again until I got it right has made me progress to where now I ride whatever I want apart from the line of insanity that Mike built on the far right with that massive cannon and drop into oblivion. To my mind I probably would be able to ride it, but at my age (going on 49) I have decided its for the laaities.

that is a pretty subjective list with some notable exclusions. What about passes like Montague Pass from George to Herold and Prince Alfred's Pass from De Vlugt to Avontuur. These are just two that immediately spring to mind.

the only reason for that is because those jumps are built, well, let's just call it "sub-optimally" . . . [edit] - I left if off the list intentionally. I don't rate Bloemendal anymore. Rode there in December and remembered again why I don't anymore, but that's just me. [edit edit] - also, I'd be interested to know the ratio between broken collar-bones and clipless pedals.

depends... how well can you jump and where are you based? In the north you have Hoogekraal which is the best jump line in Cape Town that isn't Darkfest / Hellsend and accessible any time you want. It has a dedicated skills park with some progressively bigger jump lines. It also has a proper flow line that has a good few nice sized jumps. In the east you have Plaisir de Merle. Has a flow line with a bunch of jumps, but it hasn't been maintained all that well. Hellsend of course is close by, but it is not open to the public apart from open days, but it costs a ton to ride on those days. Avondale - haven't ridden it, but everyone I know who has says they won't go back. They claim to have the longest flow line for what it's worth. Some honourable mentions: Zevenwacht DH line in Bottelary has some largish jumps, but it is primarily a DH line, but it is fun. G-Spot in Stellies - has a bunch of some proper jumps. It is fun riding there. Banhoek - it has a few mid-sized jumps across the valley from hellsend. Fun day out if you're in the mood. There are a few informal DJ bike parks around, but they are very much underground and the people who ride them are a special breed. I haven't bothered to visit one myself so can't say where to find them. In the south you have Tokai which has a line with some ungroomed jumps. A bit meh, but it is what it is.

I've been reading this intriguing tale of supposed deception and failure by the Two Oceans Marathon board recently and this morning came across this, which was quite interesting as it relates to so-called accusations of defamation and the defence thereof. In light of what has been revealed in this specific case I'd say that Taun has the onus firmly on himself to prove defamation in the events where he accuses others of being guilty. My guess is that he won't be pushing too hard considering that the inevitable outcome involves a court of law. This makes for a good read: https://runningmann.co.za/2025/04/20/two-oceans-goes-the-legal-route/

Well done on the successes you've achieved @love2fly. I think it's time I take this serious again. I've been riding a bunch lately but my diet has been junk so I haven't gained any but I'm certainly not losing any either.

What's even worse is that TB has a kid on the way, who at some point will find out on the internet that his/her dad is not the hero they thought he was, and reality will come crashing in. As a dad myself I don't even want to think of my daughter seeing me as a loser who is a habitual liar and fraud. He is clearly displaying many psychological deficiencies because to my mind nothing else makes sense to explain the utter self destructive behaviour. He must have no friends. What a pitiful human.

My average HR used to consistently hover around 160 - 165 BPM. Then I weighed much more than I do now and rode on weekends only. The last two years I started riding in the week, staying in zone 2, 3 max for around 1h45 per ride. Since I've been doing that my resting HR is around 47bpm, ave hr of 130 and I would ride hard and not touch 160 very easily. Today I did a longish ride in a strong headwind and managed to get the HR up to 186 for around 2 minutes. For the first time in a long while my ave hr was 155 today. My take away is that regular rides not beyond zone 3 for around 1h45 has made a significant improvement in my hr, as well as my strength and speed on the bike. I do around 4 rides during the week and then play on weekends on the trails. I'll be hitting 49 later in the year for what it's worth

When I was a kid growing up, my dad was regularly reminding my boets and me of how we behave ourself to not bring shame on our reputations or his. I would rarely make it past a day or three without someone saying, "are you Hennie's kid?", or "I know your pa." and that always filled me with a sense of pride. Maybe it's just me, but I have difficulty reconciling how someone such as Taun is happy to throw his reputation away so cheaply. It is rather sad actually to have a few forums dedicated to people who are properly angered by your shenanigans and are actively seeking your confrontation with a court of law. Not sad from the people he burnt's perspective (other than they got burnt) but sad that someone calculates the outcome and still decides they are okay to become known as a complete tool who deserves what is coming his way.

Rode Hellsend last weekend. That flow line middle section is F A S T ! ! ! and not really all that difficult. Nothing out of the oridinary if you ride the Hoogies Hammer from time to time yet I really had to check myself a few times and came close once or twice. I agree that speed is a "silent" villian more so than a techy trail is. With speed on a flow line you don't really notice the red line creeping up on you before it's too late and you're almost guaranteed a crash. I may have veered off-course into the bushes once or twice.

Sure, but that isn't confined to e-bikes only. Many top manufacturers sell with low end components like wheels and brakes, which to my mind should be where the money should really be spent. My Stumpy Evo for instance came with the same rubbish wheels you find on a Kinevo and Levo SL eeb. Thankfully we have 4-pot brakes, but the point being that you need to spend extra anyway, and with Spez Roval entry level wheels that happens sooner than you want or expect. But why does anyone need a e-mtb that can go that fast? There have been some recent crashes at Contermans for instance where people got badly hurt on the Rhino going fast. On normal Amish bikes. Now to add speed to the mix, but still have mediocre brakes and wheels is just asking for trouble. @MORNE can elaborate about crashing on the Rhino at speed. There have been other incidents as well.

Not for me. I find that distance between my bed and km 001 to be a million miles long.

I dunno hey, this new Levo G4 that Spez just launched has a pretty powerful motor producing 111Nm and 720W. That's pretty powerful and the touted top is 45kph...

he should. Who in their right mind eats that crap anyway . . .

My take on this for what it's worth. Should you decide to carry, whether on or off a bike, just make sure that you are 100% committed and capable to getting rounds down range, onto the target, as soon as you draw your firearm. The same goes for if you carry a knife, the difference being you had better be ready, willing and very able to stab your opponent until they stop moving, or else you are the one who will pay the price in blood. Now, place yourself in that frame of mind while riding a bicycle and then ask yourself if it's even feasible, and if so, must you carry? If you can answer yes, then my next question relates to your proficiency with said firearm. How often do you practice using it? Once a week, once a month, once a year? Less than that? If you are not firing that gun at least weekly you are merely bluffing yourself and placing anyone in close vicinity to you in grave danger. If you haven't fired your gun in the last 12 months, what do you have it for? Safety? How long do you need to find the keys to the safe and open it, then to unholster the firearm and get a round in the chamber, and fire off some needed shots before you're in trouble? Hopefully at least you have it unholstered with one in the chamber already but people are known for doing dumber things. But I digress. Good luck to anyone who thinks cycling with a firearm is a good idea. And in saying all that, I agree that crime in SA has gotten even more out of hand, but carrying a firearm while cycling just doesn't strike me as being very smart.