Just a short word of advice, make sure you have enough water. Brits - Thabazimbi area can be gruelling hot and we don't want to hear everybody accusing you for bad planning, lack of water and the extreme weather conditions (as for the Van Gaalens) It should be a great trip!!
I agree 100% I have Giordana and Series and on 100km plus ride there is absolutely no difference between the 2. My LBS managed to get me some Series just the other day although I understand it has been discontinued.
Hi Fritz, Thank you ever so much for your efforts to keep the environment tidy. If you have cleaned the route straight after the event it certainly is a great effort of commitment. I don't think people always realize the consequences of plastic on the environment, wildlife and farming activities. In my opinion organizers should remove every piece of plastic directly after the event and for MTB riders I think we should feel ashamed for the amount of litter after an event. I took part in the Marrick Stage race outside Kimberley which passed through a number of game farms and it was appalling to see the number of empty satches en-route and may I say mainly left by the "lead riders"
Dirtracker I live in the area and we ride the Boschkop area weekly. I often ride alone and I have never felt unsafe. PM me should you be interested in joining up for a ride
I think race organizers should show more responsibility in cleaning the route after hosting a race. On Saturday morning I went out on a ride in the same area where the Nissan Hazeldean MTB race was held on 5 June and there were still tape and pointer boards lying around. I can now understand why some landowners refuse their properties to be used for races and recreational riding. Yesterday I went on sections of the route used for the Beast of the East MTB race which took place on Saturday 2 October and found all the route markings still untouched. However in many places tape has come loose from trees and is lying all over the area. It is a shame that race organizers don’t show the responsibility to properly clean the race route after an event. Are they perhaps too busy counting the profits they made?
In my opinion you should never mix energy supplements. If taken with intervals 32GI on its own is an awesome supplement, during a ride there is no need to spike yourself with anything else. It certainly will be a recipe for disaster. I currently take a drink of about 50ml every 15min and that sees me through, I did a 5 hour training ride on Saturday and 3 hours yesterday and still felt strong after that.
I've had my 705 for about 6 months and until now I am very satisfied. Excellent with navigating and finding new routes. The virtual traning partner also comes in very handy when your training partnet doesn't pitch.
I also sometimes do ride alone but do take extra care, time of the day, route planning, difficulty, etc. What amazes me is all the ladies that ride alone.
