hboli4

Route is marked

Difficult to read when bleeding through your eyeballs after a hard effort😀

Looks like the answer is provided by Strava above the Top 10?

I run the XR2's front and back - no issues in the last 5 years riding all types of surfaces.

With no education or self-control? Sorry-not sorry🙃

Yoh that is quite a big difference but 25mm would explain it.

I reckon it should but I'm sure a shop can confirm for you. There is quite a lot of clearance which cannot be seen in the 1st pic. Close-up pic for reference.

My L fitted with 2 x 800ml bottles.

....'We'll get him when he comes back in'....'He's not coming back.'

Well done to all that tackled this year and big kudos to those who finished - had a couple of friends riding and from what I heard and saw - a proper big challenge and nastiness all around. Had to sit out this year(sounds like I should be glad) but will hopefully be back for number 6 next year.

Would not surprise me in the least - they are not the best when it comes to comms... They apparently received a lot of requests to revert back to the 10.00am start to try and avoid colder/wetter conditions as per the last couple of 5-7am versions. I actually prefer the earlier start.

Hi Edgar, There is no road closure - I cannot see that you will not be allowed to drive to Willowmore. Our support usually stays with us and drive to Jeffries later the Saturday morning - if you so decide to stay in Willowmore I am sure that you will be able to send a bag with one of the numerous support drivers going to Jeffries that will be able to drop the stuff of with your support.

Aish - then I could have been as famous as Gemmerbal😉 No bad on you - we never saw each other again as far as I remember - actually - I think you signed in at VDK just as I was leaving. The gilet will hopefully find a new home - even only as a dust rag. Yip - was a battle, or rather a war. Will share more - not so frequent on the Hub anymore.

Yip that is the one. My conversation with you started with "Is jy nie die berugte Gemmerbal van die Hub nie😁". I'm the plonker who was not concentrating and rode past WP2 for a couple of km's having to turn back. To answer how my race went from there - some background and before and up to that point. It was actually touch and go whether I was going to start. I rode Wines2Wales early November. When I got back I got bronchitis....3 courses of antibiotics later and just concentrating to get well meant the first time I got on the bike after W2W was the Munga startline - off the bike for 4 weeks not ideal...Doctor did clear me from a medical perspective but I knew it was going to be a slog and vasbyt. I've done lots of longer rides(Transbaviaans & 36One for example) and have not had any issues or bad luck during the last 12 years - this all changed during this ride - a couple due to my own stupidity. I started very slowly but battled keeping my HR low during the 1st 7 hours - luckily got lower when temps went down. Before WP2 - forgot my bumcream after applying at WP1, forgot my one bottle at Joggie's pop up stop after filling up and then rode past WP2 - luckily only an extra 4km's. After WP2 - was caught in the rain on the way to Van Der Kloof(proper storm) - lost my gilet somewhere when carrying my bike around some rocks and mud(probably did not close my saddlebag properly when taking out my rainjacket). Luckily the Enduroplanet tech support guy at VDK had a bottle and gilet which I purchased. Left VDK in the rain again after about an hour stop and rode well up to the waterpoint before Britstown. Some more bad luck - broke the Boa on my left shoe...Duct taped the shoe to my foot and on I went. I planned to have a couple of hours sleep at Britstown but could not fall asleep. Rested a couple of hours and left there at about 19.00(catching the back-end of the storm you were caught in). The Enduroplanet guys once again 'saved' me - they were able to repair the boa but had to shorten the wire quite a bit resulting in a battle to get the shoe back on. Rode well through the night and decided to grab a powernap at the WP before Loxton. This is where the major issue struck. After a solid hour powernap I got up from the mattress and a sharp pain/cramp shot through my right leg when I put pressure on the foot. Stretched out the cramp but felt that my achilles was very tight and a bit tender. Nothing like this has happened before(In hindsight - I 'passed out' on my stomach and also had my legs sticking out in the passage with a cool wind passing over me - according to the bio this sleeping position shortened the achilles and calf muscle and coupled with the cold wind resulted in the issue - lesson learnt). I did not feel the achilles at first when cycling but it got worse and worse untill a couple of km's before Loxton where I really battled to peddle and walking was also very painful. I thought my ride was over...To be continued - just realised this post is getting too long🙂

Thanks Tienie - really enjoying the read and enjoying 'riding' again. I shared a boerie and brief chat with you at WP2.

I must say it has become quite expensive. I rode my first one in 2010. A four man team plus conservation levy plus pasta meal worked out to R875/person. Yes, I understand inflation and increasing costs, but a four man entry now works out to R2335/person and will probably be more per person if you compete in a 3 or 2 man team and the offering has become less it seems. But it has been said before, nobody forces me to enter...

Yip that was me. Did eventually get a spoon from Veronica(Vero's owner) but then realised that one wasn't going to help and I would probably end up destroying my carbon rim. Yip I do not blame anyone for not giving me a wheel, as you say it was chaos. Well done on your finish!

Thanks Chris, would have loved to continue and keep the 'streak' going but it was obviously not meant to be. I've replayed everything in my mind and can't see what I could have done differently... I guess I was due some issues, have not had a single issue in the 13 or so years doing loads of events and rides. I'm actually toying with the idea of riding this weekend to scratch the itch but that means another R8k at least.

I have done the last 11 editions and did a couple of 'doubles' - so 13 in total. This was definitely the 'worst' conditions I've ridden in. It was wet and cold from the start - we did toe covers/booties over the shoes, knee warmers, bibs, base layer(First Ascent polyprop), cycling jersey, gilet, warmer fleece top/hydrophobic top, rain jacket, buff around neck and head, warm gloves. In retrospect could have done more for the feet and hands. We started just before six and rode in the rain and against a slight head wind until 46km when I realised I had a front flat. By this point my tyre was almost on the rim, I simply did not notice through all the rain,mud and bumps and must have lost a lot of sealant by then - I also suspect that the sealant was not as efficient in these conditions as in the dry. As soon as we stopped we started to feel very cold - it was all good and well while cycling but as soon as you stopped the cold really got into your bones. I had a cut on the tyre surface between the knobblies. It must have been glass or metal - bad luck. I plugged the cut and bombed it(the bomb froze to my hand and had to be pried off). We did a couple of km's and had to stop again for another bomb(this time it felt like the whole bomb contents did not go into the tyre - possibly due to the first bomb 'freezing' some sealant?). I said to my partner that we must limp to the checkpoint and should be able to get some mechanical assistance or then try a tube. When we got there it was chaos, probably 150 riders standing around in space blankets and around the fires - they were not going to continue. People were standing inside the house as well. The mechanic that was supposed to be there wasn't, they were helping getting people back to Willowmore. We got the tyre off and I inserted the tube. I don't know if the cold contracted the tyre a bit but we could not get it back on. I broke 2 tyre levers trying to get it on but no luck - it wasnt even close to getting back. We were four guys trying pulling and whatever but it would not budge. I asked a couple of the riders with the same type of wheel if they would perhaps donate in order for us to continue but did not have any takers(don't blame anyone). By this point we were also shivering and I did not see any other option or plan but to withdraw. Lots of people was in a very bad state - with most looking to have dressed properly. This is just my observation. You were fine while moving but as soon as you stopped for too long the trouble started... I'm still battling to get my head around the fact that I did not finish....

This will work 92% of the time - the year after 'Langsbaviaans' - which was 2012 if I remember correctly - there were loads of watercrossings in the Kloof, we stopped counting at 40. Lots of teams changed clothes and socks/shoes at CP5 only to have to wade through the river almost hip high just before you hit the Neverender - this was the only time I've seen water there in 12 years. Have not heard so much continuous swearing since😁

Might as well keep the streak going😉

Very true, the environment just adds to the - word of the day - brutality😀

Thanks Dogs - yip that was me. They make it a bit extra special with the black number & medal and a gift at the end.

You are in a different league to me, I can only dream of riding that fast. Well done!!!

I remember how those hills caught me out on my first one and even the 'rollers' after the last waterpoint which felt like proper hills and the tar road that just does not come closer. At least you know what to expect the next time but they do not become easier😀 I must say it was colder than I expected. Paced the ride well but did not hit our target time of 26 hours - came in at 26.30. Proud of our MD who did his 1st one and finished strong. Well done to all - it remains a good old solid tough ride.