kandui

I think I'll rather ask the bike shop to send me a Thrift Pack of dried apricots in exchange for some maps.

Thought I would throw this in for fun. Oakpics strategically placed at a couple of bumps in the road. Picture courtesy of Oakpics, thanks Fanus.

I'll work out a 10km time trial route. We need some meat on it. KOM shirt are confirmed. Official ride for the jersey will take place every 2 months.

Can't say I pass through Wellington, but if you send me a postal address, I'll send you some.

Find a a young mechanic you trust or can do a half decent job and pay him a couple of bob to be your second and tech support. If you have mates who want to do the ride, you share the expenses. Even better, convince the family to come along. 2010 and 2011 I had my wife and daughter come along and they were my support crew. While I was riding from Mossel Bay to George, they went to the beach and were at the finish when we were done.

Your plan sounds good in principle, but driving back over the Swartberg Pass to Oudtshoorn would be a bit of a drag. Especially back the next morning early. You'll find a B&B at every stop and Louvain has 44 beds on the farm for rent. Plus, there are farms next door. Saves you time in the car.

Go to www.tablemountainbikers.co.za and scan the QR code. Or get a copy of the map and scan the QR code on the map.

Cycle Lab got some yesterday and Action is on my list for today.Deluxe Coffeeworks too.

Oh, and trail signage should be in place by mid November.

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! or for Mahala

Yesterday I finally received 5000 copies of the Table Mountain MTB Trail map. I have already dropped the first batches at Revolution Cycles, Cyclelab and Bowman's and will begin distributing maps to the other bike shops from today. Maps will also be available from Cape Town Tourism, the Lower Cable Station and San Parks Info Centers. I am focusing on outlets close to the mountain, but if you feel there is a need for the maps further afield, let me know. Send me names of bike shops around town so I can make sure I am not missing any.

This was my third Pioneer and from the route perspective I would say it was not necessarily easier, but more balanced. There were still a lot of mountains to get over, but the distances were shorter which ensured the back markers still had some time to recover and get their stuff organised for the next day. A lot of what we rode was the 2010 route in reverse with the first and final day being pretty much the same as last year. I have no complaints about the routes and the water points on the way. The highlight at Water point 3 as always was the marinated ostrich filet. The food at Calitzdorp is always not the best on route, but the cottage pie at Prince Albert was a disappointment. Louvain had the best dinner, but overall, I am not there for a gourmet experience. All I want is to fill the tank. Scooters Pizza got a bit "tired" after a couple of days and the pasta was also not my favourite. But, having the same food every day for a week will test anyone's palate. The Woolies lunch and top-up meals at the Epic are just as repetitive and the dinners at the Epic, while more professionally laid on by a catering company, are no better than the Pioneer food. Everything starts looking and tasting the same after a week in the saddle. I have no opinion of the sponsors other than to say I am glad they put up the cash to make the Pioneer happen again. I am not a fan of their business model, but that's not a debate to be had here. One last thing which is still niggling with me. Where was Katot and why was he never mentioned? Has he become persona non grata all of a sudden? He is a Pioneer legend and part of the furniture. You would always see him along the route somewhere or pitching his tent next to his Landie in the afternoons. I would be interested to know. The Dryland team are still as friendly and helpful as always and I really appreciate it that they remember me from the previous years and always have time for a chat. After 2010 and 2011, my comment to Dryland was always the same: Don't try and compete with the Epic by making routes longer and harder. Find your niche and focus on the overall experience. Punish us during to the day (within reason), but make us feel like a valued customer at all times and we will happily part with our money to enter. This year, I think, they got it right on all counts.

Hi. Happy to hear the shifter worked out well and got you to the end. I am sorry about your Platinum (or should we call it "Tin") experience, but for next year you know what to do. DIY option. Let me know when you're done with the shifter. If you're doing the W2W Adventure you can give it back to me there. I didn't use the R 20 you gave me at Louvain for a coffee, I used it in George to treat my bike to a Lube and Polish. Keep in touch.

Spoke to a guy at the race who had the same gripe. In all honesty though, we are staying in small towns (Calitzdorp, Prince Albert, De Rust) and then Oudtshoorn and George as well as on a farm (Louvain). If I took a look at the average prices for a room in those places before the event and did some maths, I could have quickly worked out that I could book a bed under my own steam for a whole lot less. In fact ,a friend booked a room for us at De Rust while we were riding and we got great value for money. The farmer at Louvain offered me the empty dining room of the main guesthouse and I took it. Felt a bit *** with the Platinum guys sleeping in the same house, but those are the Lucks you have to grab. Platinum Upgrades are dangerous. What sort of service can you honestly expect to make up the price?

Maybe 7km. Climbing probably around 300m? Having said that, I still think the full 26km loop incorporating Plum Pudding is the route I would like to establish. Most of us ride 1-2 hours on the mountain anyway and this route is real test. I rode it once at a relaxed pace and it took around 90 minutes to complete.

Route in words: Short Option Start at Deer Park. Head towards Vredehoek, above the Pepper Pots. Start climbing towards the Blockhouse , but turn back towards Tafelberg Rd under the Blockhouse. Along Tafelberg Road and turn back down at the Big Tree. Long descent with a sharp left about 400m after you cross the concrete culvert. Wind down through the trees, sharp left, sharp right and finish. Don't know the distance, but the route will suit climbers and descenders alike.

Still no luck with the upload . Must be a Hub issue.

All ideas welcome. Although doing something over multiple weekends will be difficult with guys not being around all the time. I think once a month will work best. For pure climbing you have the Blockhouse TT, pretty much one , short uphill slog. The route I have in mind has a bit of everything.

If only I could get the system to let me upload the map , you can follow the numbers. My proposed route has ups and downs as well as a bit of the tar road to make up some time. The distance should be long enough so that you can't ride flat out all the way, but need to pace yourself. Once the map is up , I'll show you a shorter route. Start and end in Deer Park.

Thanks for the input. Hence my reference to the distance being similar to a race. The distance can easily be shortened. Not to compete with the Bockhouse TT, I want this to be a route of at least 10km or more.

Sorry guys. Wanted to upload a smaller map file and now the upload is failing. Will keep trying.

I have an idea to start a monthly Time Trial, following the route I suggest on the trail map. (See attached map) 26km with just under 800m of climbing. Start and Finish at the Kloof Nek parking area. Open to all comers, but the fastest TMB club member gets to defend the KOM jersey. The route has places where you can take a short cut, but with Mountain Bikers being an honest bunch, I am not going to worry about it. This may be construed as a race with the route being relatively long. Perhaps it's the start of something?

Keep the ride going. I'll be back on the 25th for a ride, and we can plan a night ride for the end of the month too. The other idea I am toying with is do start a once a month TT along the suggested 26km loop on the trail map. The map has been printed by the way and just needs to be cut and packed. Have the first copy on my desk and it was worth the wait. Enjoy Fitness have suggested a KOM jersey for the fastest time.

Out of action today dealing with my asshole landlord. Will be out of town for Pioneer next week.

Was riding on the cycle lane last week and saw the huge , man made hole in the fence. It's where the bridge over the railway line starts, coming from Paarden Eiland side. The vagrants made the hole for easy commute to wherever they need to go. Saw 3 of them come across from the other side of the road to climb through the hole. It makes the area between the tunnel and the bridge a prime mugging hotspot.