Headshot

I'll be on my 26er Spaz Enduro - havent decided on the outfit yet :-) I think organizing these races costs time and money so we can't begrudge the organizers their due but maybe a 20% increase is a bit steep. Once you factor petrol into the equation it becomes an expensive day or weekend out.

http://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Bikes,3/Evil-Bikes/The-Following-X1,16785#product-reviews/2385 $5k is not cheap but its also not bad for a decent build and 13 kg weight.

There isnt any rule against it and besides, Meurant usually tapes the route differently to the standard trails if memory serves...

Ya, me too. I believe the WPGE races start a bit later in the year. Only downside is the spiraling cost of entries and bike parts to keep our machines running. Think the last Dirtopia event I did last year was R250, not R300.

Okay, so who is busting to do this one? I have entered. I recon the trails will be great after the rain.

*doping like flies.

I think it is important that as many of us as possible make written submissions with constructive suggestions if we have any. The more support that is shown, the harder it is for the naysayers views to hold sway. I must admit that my interest is primarily in getting Tokai opened again. The rest of the trails will be nice to have but will never be the same as custom built mtb tracks with DH options as we had at Tokai.

Apparently the attrition rate for 2016 was "only" 16% which is about 2% more than usual. Is that a significant deviation from the mean to garner the overused "toughest yet" title? I think all stage races are a rip off. Why for instance pay R4000 each to ride a race on the garden route, mainly on trails you can do any time. Sure a race is a fun social event, but is the social side worth the money? I recon your cash better spent doing single day races and exploring new riding areas. So that's what I'll be doing.

Umm, but they have thousands of customers who do view it in exactly that way and whose Strava exercises are a 100% accurate reflection of their activities and fitness. No problems syncing with Strava in my case and no manual uploads possible as far as I know.

This is very hard for me, but I have to admit that I actually like that 29er quite a bit...

Oh dear, what a lot of double speak - the whole changeeroo has kept vitality members off their feet and stuck to their keyboards for days instead of exercising. Whoopee I can get 100points for a walk but zilch for my strava rides. Idiots.

Good thing too. All my strava rides are hard - I probably spend much of my MTB rides in the red both up and down and the same on the road. By all means reduce the points, but forcing me to buy another device is BS.

Ah, so not an April Fools prank...

Still getting those points yesterday - when will the change come in?

I ride with no HR and get 600 points per 60 min plus activity based on speed alone. And I am not fast.

Brilliant riding and edit - so cool seeing CT city from a BMX vid perspective...

They were doing something like this at the last Nationals at Jonkers.

Ya, spot on re the personalities thing. I am late to the gravity game and have always found the peeps super friendly and willing to help or share info. How you do Duane?

Ya true enough. Meerendal just seems like a poor substitute.

Must say I think its a bad call from the Epic. The prologue is still a few weeks away. The route is mostly nowhere near the campus anyway. Bring in some security and away you go. I was looking forward to the crash video from THE Single Track :-)

what a joke - a few signs did not a closed road make...

Mmm, sounds like it will change a lot over winter...

Yup, I know Steilte quite well, there are several different options at various points along the so called main line. It looks as if some of the existing trails were used in places but a whole lot of the track was fresh. The very rocky garden being a case in point...

That is very cool indeed. Duane - what is the new track like - the rots tuin looks scary and the corners look loose as hell...

Duane I hear you and *** excuses are always *** excuses. The organizers deserve a medal or two for persistence. The thing with any racing is its time and money. I'm doing roadie training and local MTB rides - dirt cheap with no petrol and time travelling. For those of us with kids and kid responsibilities a whole day away from home is a long time. . The CTCT is a joint effort with my wife and later in the year I'll race as many enduros as I can and maybe one DH round. I dream of a DH round at Tokai before I am too old to ride a bike. i could ride there from home and be back for a late lunch...