Ratty

SirJody, I am entered and will see you there. OH doesn't do wine tasting, plus, he will be kiddy sitting Are we allowed a pit stop at Welvanpas ? They have a really good 2009 Shiraz :-)

Yup. great trek day 2 and 3 are different to the descent. Descent day 3 is Great Trek day 2. Think Greak Trek then does Spionkop On day 3, but with out going into the reserve and doing the boat crossing. Its one of the reasons I chose the descent, wanted the same awesome route we did last year.

Check with the organisers, think there is a shuttle from drakensberg to the start for the people taking the airport shuttle, there might just be space.

I am desperately trying to get a sports pass for this. Awesome events and in one of my favourite places to ride. Problem is I'm doing a stage race the weekend before so OH not to happy with me wanting to do a race the new weekend.

I will sell to the person offering the highest amount, but only if they are offering less than my asking price. If someone offers the asking price, then they should get the goods at that price.

Wow, I'm not in the last batch, that's a surprise. Makes me feel a little better knowing that there are other people who enjoy the view in the Descent (thought it was mostly race snakes). Group H. Love looking at the team names!

10 days to go until I leave for Durban. Super excited.

I don't think so, but best to email the organisers. Think others mentioned you can camp at registration (Drakensville). You can also buy supper there.

Isn't the last water point at the top of Concordia? Or is that just a doughnut stop? Any idea where about u fel? Glad you are ok to tell the story. hope you recover quickly.

Not convinced about that tunnel over the river. What do you think?

See that's the difference between Sani and B&B, its not just about the one day. Day 1 is amazing with the views etc, Day 2, you have the boat crossing, Spionkop and the 16km singletrack descent and Day 3 is just loads of fun with lots slightly more technical singletrack (its not manicured). I actually can't decide which day I like the most. Oh and the waterpoints are beyond excellent. Last year they had a competition for the best waterpoint and the community took it very seriously. Will never forgot the Jacobs coffee at the last waterpoint on Day 1 (it was windy, cold and we were tired, coffee has never tasted so good).

We rented a car in the "hatch back" class last year as its easier to get bike boxes into a hatch with the seats down. Got there and they told me they had "kindly" upgraded my car. Some fancy saloon car, but we couldn't get the boxes in. Told them I wanted a hatch like I had ordered. They didn't have ANY left !!!!! Eventually managed to get us a Hyndai I20 (one class below what I paid for) which was an extremely tight fit. Had to move both drivers seats forward so not too comfortable, but we made it. This year will be our last so we decided to do it in comfort and have got the IX35 category. Sadly we were too late to get accommodation in Drakensville so staying at a place called Little Switzerland which is a bit closer to the start. If you hiring a car, remember you need a copy of the additional drivers license if you are using the shuttle service.

Its better than Sani2C IMO so don't think you will be disappointed.

So, who all on the hub is doing the Berg and Bush this year? Which event are you doing? I'm back for the 2nd time. Last year did the Great Trek, this year doing the Descent (dates worked better, I actually would have preferred to be in the more chilled event). 3 WEEKS TO GO !!!!!

What for the 27.5 hype to really kick in and then 29ers will be going cheap :-)

Make sure you got a good bottle cage!!! The first fun downhill, most of the concentration is spent avoiding all the water bottles that have fallen out. Weather can change suddenly, don't rely on the weather reports. Make sure if its cold you have the correct clothing, if its hot, plenty of liquid. Lots of people were suffering from dehydration when it was over 40 as they didn't expect it to be that hot. I stopped at the Diep River and dipped my feet in the water and covered my head. Also filled my camelback up with the ice cold river water and it made a huge difference. I was passing loads of people going up the next climb who were trying to find every little bit of shade they could. Concordia (sp) is the last hill, give it your all going up there. Its mostly free wheeling to the finish after that. And others had said, be carefull on the downhills. People are tired after over 10km's of downhill and make silly mistakes. Both times I've done it, there were broken bones from falls at the bottom.

Might be worth posting here as well https://www.facebook...location=stream Someone already posted on the Table View Crime and Safety facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/TVCSU/?hc_location=stream

I realised on Saturday why nutrition on a longer ride is important. I only took water (wasn't planning a long hard ride). First 2 hours I felt good, after that my body shut down. I even struggled to ride downhill as I felt exhausted. Previous weekend, did the same length ride, but instead of water I had 32GI (endurance one) and I finished the ride strong. I think for some people its more important than others. Me personally I know I need food on long rides. Gels don't work and I find real food like banana loaf, peanut butter sarmies etc works better than the expensive energy bars.

you should think about making girls ones as well (same design, just a girls top) ! Then I'd be interested.

Oh and have a look at the pretty girls version http://www.specialized.com/za/en/bikes/kids/hotrock-girls

My son is 5 and rides the Specialized Kiddies bike, its an awesome little bike. He rides the 16 inch. When I read the sizing guide, I seem to remember the 20 was only for +-7 year olds. We still have space to put the saddle up and he is fairly big for his age.

I was thinner and healthier in the days when I drank lots of alcohol.

I understand you are both upset and the reasons, but its already been spoken on one thread, why start another one to say the same thing.

Seriously?, another thread moaning about the club, its getting a bit much and clearly not getting you anywhere. If you want other trails just ask, leave the moaning out. There are so many trails to chose from. The only time I ride the club trails is when I'm short on time and just want a quick ride. http://www.mtbroutes.co.za/trails/western-cape/peninsula-a-winelands.html My favourite within an hours drive Welvanpas Delvera Jonkershoek Bottelary Tokai Just over an hours drive Thandi / Paul Clouver Lebanon OakValley Grabouw

This is the link I use https://www.facebook.com/groups/tygerbergmtb/