JohanDiv

Let's see some Munga setups for this year!!

I added the dot watching link to the first post on this thread.

There is the battle for top spot. I reckon Drikus will come out on top. And in the ladies field it's going to be hard to bet against Jenny Close. She has put in some solid work these last couple of months.

I don't see a topic for this year's Munga yet? Anybody seen the start list yet? Contenders to watch? On social media I see Willie "Smurfy" Smit is lining up! Should be fun dot watching how he goes. He must certainly be in it to win it.. DOT WATCHING TRACKING LINK: https://themunga.com/munga-mtb-2023-tracking/?fbclid=IwAR25HnuJdPA9gwXBXvJbZwLGm7NP5Sdwm5w7Xa0zrf5Qw3jNnrP3n1Emskw

https://mtbapp.co.za/official-statement-following-the-cancellation-of-the-2023-lions-karoo-to-coast/?fbclid=PAAaYC-umVEKp2Oq6xN-oLji110c_JGMP_vAKHwliRDGj_KJpTDxZGpRa-PoA Hats off to the organizers. This is more than what I expected they would do for us.

On their Instagram page: *Lions Karoo to Coast event cancelled to due expected adverse weather conditions* _Issued by George Municipality 21 September 2023 for immediate release_ The George Municipality Disaster Management team has deemed the Lions Karoo to Coast unsafe to proceed due to expected adverse weather conditions on Sunday, 24th September 2023. We must put the safety of people first and after deliberation notified the race organisers of this decision at 20:00 on Thursday, 21st September 2023. The event organisers will issue a more detailed release to the rider entry database on Friday 22nd September. The Lions Karoo to Coast is an annual 100 km mountain bike race held in September down the Prince Alfred's Pass from Uniondale to Knysna. George Municipality apologises for any inconvenience caused due to the cancellation of the event. We thank the participants, and everyone involved for their understanding in this regard.

VID-20230921-WA0189.mp4 Packing my wetsuit then..

Ride forecast for 24 Sept 2023 at 07:35: Temperature: 8.9°C to 17.6°C, feels like 7.1°C to 17.3°C Wind: 11 to 28,8 km/h, with gusts up to 65,8 km/h 33% probability of 0.3 precipitation

I never understood K2C seeding.. As a rookie in 2018 I got seeded in A with only a few kerk bazaar races that happened to use Racetec as timing partners. Rode a 5:45 that year. Whole day long people were overtaking me..it was demoralizing to be honest. Definitely ended last of Batch A. And since then I still get seeded in A every time.. at least now I think I can kinda keep up with the back of the A bunchers. Skipping the pub again this year. We stayed in Vleesbaai last year and drove through at 4:15 for the race. Worked quite well as a long weekend away at the beach with a quick race thrown in on the Sunday morning. Doing that again this year.

YR shows the rain only coming in the afternoon..hopefully it stays away during the race!

Ride forecast for 24 Sept 2023 at 07:30: Temperature: 9.4°C to 18.4°C, feels like 7.4°C to 17.9°C Wind: 12,4 to 26,5 km/h, with gusts up to 57,1 km/h Probability of precipitation: 0% Gonna be a windy one!!

Jeez that 2mm rain they predicted overnight turned into 32mm that I poured out of the rainmeter this morning! And it's still raining!! It's gonna be muddy..sorry I got your hopes up yesterday haha.

I can probably ride 80% of this route on my R1000 Winelands Regional Permit

We ended up at around R170 000 for our team in 2022. That included entry, mechanics, physios, own AirBnB accommodation instead of tents, pre races bike services and in race mechanical fixes, custom kit. Probably budget around R200k for a team if you want to do it this way in 2024.

I did a 4 hr gravel loop in the area on Friday, not specifically on these roads, but much the same, and it was so frustrating dodging mud and puddles all the way. Three/four days after the last rain, and the the roads were still sh#t to say the least. They are simply not draining fast enough at the moment. And all the fields are so saturated after this winter that the water just keeps collecting in the low points of the roads in the valleys, several days after the rain still. Even if it doesn't rain on Sunday, there is definitely going to be mud and puddles to deal with here and there, especially on the Old Hermon section, and probably around Kasteelberg. From Riebeeck to Gouda the road should dry out quicker I think. Also the dirt road to Wolseley shouldn't be too bad. The sandy section before Bains will probably be a bit challenging though.

"Ride forecast for 17 Sep 2023 at 07:00: Temperature: 6.7°C to 12.8°C, feels like 6°C to 12°C Wind: 3,6 to 7,9 km/h, with gusts up to 24,4 km/h 13% probability of 0.3 precipitation, 12% probability of 0.5 precipitation" Probably going to get a bit wet in Bainskloof, but cold all the way.. Not very strong wind predicted, but that direction is going to feel like a headwind all the way if the prediction sticks.

Did you guys decide yet what bikes you are taking this year? @Prince Albert Cycles any idea what the roads look like at the moment? K2C is a B-race for me this year, so I'm afraid I probably won't be getting that elusive sub-4 this time around.. but if conditions are good for gravel bikes, you never know.

Jip and there goes Adam Yates as well

I guess that is officially Game Over now.. ai jai jai..

Did Team DSM have a few too many glasses of wine last night? Of their first 4 riders two were late and two fell on the first corner.

Probably should've asked this question last week, but how are you finding them +-1 and a half years later? I just picked up a new pair this morning for R2850.. First impression is they look and feel amazing for the price! Will take them for a test ride this afternoon.

I have a feeling Wout won't sprint full-out today after yesterday emtying the tank, unless he can find Philipsen's wheel behind MVDP, but it looks like one for the pure sprinters. Rather take it easy if he can't get on that train. Saturday is a hilly route, not mountains, here he'll probably have the best shot at his first stage win this year.

If coming from outside town, I'd park closer to Bainskloof.. Cafe La Vita is at the foot of the pass and perfect for post ride meals/beers.

Haha nice! I live in Diemersfontein! Should've let me know, I'd join you on the ride!

My fantasy team is happy 😁