Shebeen

They first did it in 2011, 110km stage back then the descent into the valley was also the return path, I have put today's route in orange, which should have made a clash less likely. https://www.strava.com/segments/718210?filter=overall

They were going to do 20, but didn't like the original design of the shirt. It needed to be iconic, and timeless. So they commissioned Jenni Button to design it, and it took much longer so the extra year.

the live timing is not so easy to navigate this year. if you dnf at a waterpoint, i guess thta means you got there and pulled out. there must still be like 40+ teams with timing still at WP2 Welgemeen (47km), but not yet tracked at WP3(70km). They've been going for at least 6:30 hours now. What's the cut-off going to be? still a climb out of WP3 to then go down the wapad, they will be struggling.

in the video there's a bit in the manual where it says it's "not for racing". 🙂 KTM is an interesting choice, since they make MTB too, just not R200k ones.

This old horse, do we really need to flog it more? This came up on my feed, I am not a motorbike guy, but I really enjoyed it. this topic will come up again, I think this video does an excellent job of point out why it's not an apples vs apples scenario.

https://escapecollective.com/why-are-modern-bikes-so-expensive/ seemed like a relevant place to post this

well well, guess who is a brand new member of discovery bank with a zero fee account. flights are worth the effort it seems, but don't quote me on that just yet!

@Titan Racing Bikes It does not go unnoticed how you're engaging so well with the target market here. One can spend a metric whack of money on product design/launch/promos etc etc but to have someone immediately backing up queries does the brand so much goodwill and is time/effort well spent. I'm not in the market for any bike just now, but I find Titan will always be on my radar going forward for these exact reasons - it has been earned consistently over time. If your boss ever moans about you spending too much time on the interwebs please show this post.

just *** en betaal. The cynic in me says ACE are not unhappy to have people pull out in the first few stages as it makes second half logistics easier for them. looks like a 3way fight for the UCI men, with teams within2mins. SCR and Wilier are not out of touch yet at 8min back. UCI women is shaping ghost/cannondale straight showdown. 3rd is Songo maybe able to do something from 8min back

https://www.amazon.in/Everything-need-about-Bicycle-Chains-ebook/dp/B00O46YUW0?ref_=ast_author_mpb book is free to read now it seems. should be a fun afternoon going through that

if you're one of the stopped backmarkers, you can at least get some awesome pictures of the leading groups.

last start was 8:15according to Sabine/Gerald. so if my sums are right it has taken the backmarker 2:15 when their ~17km met up with the elites at ~84km using the same trail. maybe it is silly to send the race up/down a hiking trail? maybe the slow guys are just too slow?

he has finished quite a few though. and dr jannie du plessis finished munga. some big okes can take the heat

so this whole vitality save money on flights thingymajig. do you really have to join the bank first to get a discount, or is there another link that they hide??

another thing. remember the Cape Epic fantasy league? imagine having to pick the ladies field with it being so shallow? https://www.facebook.com/capeepic/posts/the-absa-cape-epic-fantasy-league-is-live-on-the-bike-hub-make-your-predictions-/10156348334238319/ 4th place is 10+mins back, 6th is almost half an hour off GC (in contrast, GC mens have still got 9 within 10mins).

more importantly, I have clearly been living under a rock. Bart cut off the pony tail?!!!

Did you hear that?! It was loud, it was fast It was his point flying past you, but you missed it completely? He most definitely believes in science, which is why he told you to go get some science to back up your topic (you're the one who started it, so bring some evidence to back up your concern). I'm going to put myself firmly in the "not worried" camp. If the entire cycling world is ok with plastic bottles, from WT level down then the risk is something I'll accept. For now I'd put a pause on this thread as you've just compared drinking out of plastic bottles to smoking. Suggest you go here, hone your skills and come back charging! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2046014892372345

extra 19km has extra 700m climbing. that should answer your questions

I do think ACE are very keen on growing the live coverage, that is what would make the event actually financially lucrative. It's very difficult, but they have been leading inoovaters in this field (the ebike livefeed for one was a spinoff company that pushed to get it, but it gets stuck with cell coverage sometimes). The terrain and broken racing make it incredibly hard to put on a good live product. Go watch any trailrunning live stream and compare.. or here is the feed from the World Marathon champs last year to compare

dunno about that entirely, probably more down to cyclelab pushing the brand. It's not like Bulls ever had much market here despite 10+ yrs of podiums

might not be for everyone. lots of cheapo nylon still there. not an easy village to organise, i suspect there will be a lot of people in tulbagh/ceres/wolseley guesthouses then moving to wellington/paarl

do you still have the yoga for cyclists DVD? like the marianne vos title. 11 years ago - (just won omloop the other day)

Great story. As much as I was one of those moaning about the cost and commercialisation of the Epic at the time, KV kickstarted an industry. Not mentioned here, but I know the IDC took on funding commitments before ABSA came in and it could wash it's own face - incredible investment if you think what the event has given back to RSA inc. Very interesting to see where he goes next. Maybe reading too much into it but the door for him to setup a rival series with staff he trusts seems open.

@Nick just for reference sake, found this on the topic tag - your review on the 2017 S-Works epic, (guessing that would be about V5 in the range if this is V8?) Was R140k, and the comments are indeed similar on pricing at the extremes of the range! https://bikehub.co.za/news/first-ride-2017-specialized-s-works-epic-29-world-cup-r6033/

That's the crux of it. As mtb has become the "new golf" and C level execs all need to be in on it to be making deals, so the market has shifted. Not sure if this is a good thing for joe public at the middle end as it clearly generates healthy revenue for the LBS or just makes everything relatively pricier. 20yrs ago, you could not buy a version of the world champion's bike. At that level there would be a lot of custom kit, any top10 rider on a stock bike would make a few waves. Things have changed, and rapidly. I'm surprised you're surprised people are still talking about it. MTB for R295k - of course people are going to roll eyes and comment. Wasn't that long ago that the first R100k+ RRP bike got the internets burning. Also, this is launched at the backdrop of Trek downscaling their stock and models with an oversupply.