Sid the Sloth

Thanks @HubArchfor putting on so many races and growing the local gravel scene. These are also some of the more accessible races, not everyone can afford a weekend away, and a r2000+ entry fee as well as accommodation and transport for the bigger gravel races like The Ceder and Swartberg. There’s a space for everything. I think the price is pretty fair.

You can ride the better parts do the Cape Town cycle tour route any time of year, yet people happily pay for the experience. Paying for a race isn’t to do the route, it’s for the whole racing experience - the competition, the motivation of completing a challenge, and an incentive to train for something and try your best. Almost every race in South Africa can be done at any time. These races also have costs to ensure there is safety for the riders, they have to pay for csa to sanction the event, and have to eat. Putting on races keeps the local riding scene healthy and supports the industry. I’ll be there and I would put a wager on more than 49 others being there too.

One of the highlights of the year!

Gotta back yourself! Haha

There was once good prize money, I think in the form of bitcoin. And the value has skyrocketed since then even though it’s taken a recent dive. If they still had good prize money I would love to try tackle it, but with desert dash offering a better prize pot for (hopefully!) less suffering, I think it attracts more talent.

RH77 to smack everyone again. We could have had a 5 min handicap last year and still won comfortably. And our star rider could have ridden the whole thing alone faster.

In hindsight I am inclined to agree.

I am not paid to ride bike so I don't identify as a pro, unlike many of the other SA "pro" riders!

I’ve secured some funding and leave to hunt for an entry. If anyone’s looking to sell, please send me a message.

If this is the William I know I hope you don’t, but if you do we need to continue our chat 🤣

Eish

No man this is a nightmare

Yes there’s a hut on the right about 500m from the manor house that you can pay at, as you ride towards the reserve from the circle from Orpen Road/Tokai main road (near gear change and bootleggers)

Doolhof descent was super nice and smooth, and the left right up down after that was enjoyable. The head wind was tolerable on the way out, I found the corrugations after the 50ish km water point more challenging. It was a fun day out. Pity about the timing overlapping with Pioneer leading to a less competitive front end of the race.

The pros have teams that pay for their entry or a racing budget that covers these costs. It’s the same for any race. They are usually attracted by prize money, which the event has in great supply.

Commit to 36one if you haven’t al ready, at least it’s super established and it’s unlikely to be cancelled. I loved it this year. Not exactly a cheap exercise though.

I’d kill to do this. Looks awesome. Enjoy!

What a country, I enjoyed my time there. Hopefully back soon.

Luckily that is a tail wind on the flat section and a head wind on the climb.

I saw speculation on Instagram he will be joining that new Modern Adventure Pro Cycling Team with US background cofounded by Hincapie.

Good news for my ballies who are moving to Greyton and will have some accommodation available… now I just need to find a partner!

Yeah super unfortunate! Looked like a great initiative.

It literally has 0 effect on your day whether they occupy the entire lane or ride single file. You have an entire lane to pass safely, they should get treated like any other slow moving vehicle. Same applies to a cart horse or that old Toyota Tazz taking some Oom and his lady to church on a Sunday. If it was a Friday afternoon and full of traffic and the cyclists were over taking slow moving vehicles blocking both lanes you wouldn’t hear the cyclist complaining that the road is being taken up… It’s shocking that you claim to be a cyclist and call this a problem. And then get support in this thread. People like you are the reason we won’t see change, and no amount of bright kit or radar will fix your attitude and the attitude of the majority of motorists. On another sad note, a Cape Town local was tragically hit in Hermanus yesterday and passed away. May he rest in peace, and hopefully be the last for a long while.

I’m much more concerned about this. The prevalence of fake parts on Aliexpress and similar platforms is higher than ever, and the values are getting higher and higher - xx1 cassettes and chains and lightweight cranksets, knock off handlebars. I saw a seller upload 3 “brand new” cassettes the other day that looked suspicious. if you know what to look for you can avoid it, and if you buy through Bikehub pay and can get the item inspected by a professional, but I think a lot of people are going to be caught out.

Aged like fine wine