Denis Dell

Buddy of mine pushed a buggy as well, we looked at your handle bar and said, damn,why did we not thought of that! Also planning to make improvements to the buggy, even just some minor suspension will go a long way to make it more comfortable for the rider inside.

A buddy of mine and I were roped into pushing a buggy. We haven't been able to do the training we needed to do a proper CTCT time, so figured, hell why not. If you know any of these guys I am referring to in this post, please give them a shout out. So, here is a fun one. At the top of Chappies, I spotted Father Christmas. First, I thought I was hallucinating (chappies can do that to you on the best of days), but when I spotted more than one and they were all “ho ho ho”, I realised maybe this was more than just hallucinations. So I tuned them that they look way too happy for this event. Why don't they contribute some of that holiday spirit on Suikerbossie to us… also, if that spirit can take physical form and push as well, then awesome! As we descended towards Suikerbossie, I saw one Santa pass us after the next. I was thinking to myself, Yeah, thanks for nothing. However, true as nails, when we reached the bottom of Suikerbossie, this brigade of Santas awaits us next to the road. I shout, they shout, I wave, they wave, they kickstart their sleighs… They shout, we move over, the Christmas Spirit is here. I just thought, awesome, this is exactly what I need, an army of jolly old men in red spandex… I can now use Suikerbossie to recover somewhat. Now, I appreciate that just the thought of using Suikerbossie for recovery may well be very indicative of permanent brain damage, but that should give you an idea about the intensity of the rest of the event. (If you haven't pushed a buggy yet, add it to your bucket list!) And then, it happened: the Santas started pushing. And when I say “pushing,” I mean they weren’t just helping a buddy out. No, they were launching themselves forward like rocket-powered reindeer. I glanced down—ah, okay, e-bikes, that makes sense. I think, “I’ll recover on the downhill. Let’s stick with these guys rather” And then it happened. One of them hits the big red button. The kind of button you’d see in the Oval Office. I’m talking about a button that screams, “WARNING, Nuclear Launch Button.” It had a safety cap and everything. They press it, and it takes about a second or two, but then the bikes start belching smoke like a factory on fire. The top tube, the rear tube, hell, even Father Christmas’s ears started smoking (okay, maybe I imagined that part). I look down again. Oh boy. These weren’t the cute little e-bikes I was used to seeing on the road. Oh no, these were the kinds of bikes with batteries big enough to power a small village. Through winter. In Greenland. Long story short, I got dropped so hard on Suikerbossie by my buggy and the Santa brigade; it was not even funny. Fortunately, my buggy had the good sense to wait for me on the top of Suikerbossie, but apart from losing out on my recovery, it also meant I never got a chance to thank the Holiday Spirit for taking on physical form and helping us out. So thank you Santa! Also a big shout out to Andrew and Mark (sorry, I did not get their surnames), for helping us out when the going got hard on Smits Winkel and Chappies. For those who have never pushed a buggy, seriously add it to your bucket list; you will not regret the experience.

I am resurrecting this topic because Lachlan Morton was cycling around Australia. The D'Ville Cycling Club's Audax group was talking about it and trying to find out what the record of cycling, say the length, breadth, and perhaps around South Africa is. We could not find anything, so I'm wondering if anybody else has a link or contacts to find out what those records are. We have some real monsters in the Western Cape who like these ultra-distance rides.

The calculation error you've made is that the segment is 2.3km, you still need to go down as well, so one lap will be 4.6km. The actual elevation is also 133 meters (total lap gain), so that means you need to do 66.9 laps, rounded up, so that means you need to do 67 laps. However, you NEVER want to be one lap short, so see the last lap as a victory lap and to make sure you definitely exceed the 8848. So the correct calculation is 4.6km * 68 = 312km for the day. (of which 2.3km * 68 = 156.4km is climbing)

in terms of the segment, that specific segment has been used in the past for various everesting attempts, both quarter camp, base camp, full and 10k. 4 people have done the full everesting on Malanshoogte, here are their Strava activities the last one being done by Willem Mouton on 21 July 2023. https://www.strava.com/activities/4243455478 https://www.strava.com/activities/9501669270 https://www.strava.com/activities/5225232380 https://www.strava.com/activities/5225075364 Andrew and Stephan also did the 10k on that climb https://www.strava.com/activities/6370185909 https://www.strava.com/activities/6370170084 We did contact the Hells500 club about the segment but haven't had a response yet. However, given that the segment has been vetted numerous times before (and the rules haven't changed), I don't think one needs to worry too much.

To do the full Everesting, you will need to do about 68 loops or 312km. Granted, half of that is downhill.

Okay, so looks like my question escalated very quickly.... 😉 Also, to be clear, I was not referring to the section slipping off the mountain due to the fire and the rains. I think the organisers did a great job ensuring rider safety at that point (and at most other traffic furniture). I was referring to the section going past Capri, which resulted in many a puncture. Either way still remains a great event and would definitely ride it again (even if that means I need to mount a cooler box onto my bike next year to keep my drinks cool)

I just have two issues/questions about the CTCT, why would the organisers only allow one coke and one water at the finish line? I did not need to stop at any of the water points yet I am allowed one coke at the finish? Seriously, that could be done better. My other issue, the CTCT trust is boasting about plowing in Rx millions into the western cape, why of why can't some of that funds be allocated to fix some of the roads? Friends of mine had some horrific crashes (written off bikes, cracked helmets, personal injuries the works) and I had a close call or two due to bad road surface. Nothing like doing over 50km/h and then hit a a bad section in the tar that takes you airborne, and the altering your voice a few octaves higher for the rest of the day. Is it just me, or is the above two points also a concern for others?

I do hope this returns to the calendar for 2024, hopefully without all the double bookings.

It does look like Skubarra is correct, here are the fastest riders per group/wave: Wave A: 2:24:16 Wave B: 2:37:24 Wave F: 2:38:36 Wave D= 2:40:48 Wave Z: 2:41:23 Wave Y: 2:42.09 Wave G: 2:44:09 Wave C= 2:45:27 Wave M: 2:48:55 Somebody is going to start in different starting groups soon....

where do you see that? I still only see the old crappy website on https://results.finishtime.co.za/results.aspx?CId=35&RId=4364&EId=1&dt=1 also, when can we expect the new seeding to come out?

it is not just this race, most races that start in "towns" tend to just be crazy from the word go. Just a question: how did they "practically" do this for you guys in the A-bunch? Did they have a marshall which you shall not pass?

I could not agree more with you. I too would like to see how my starting block/category did. FinishTime obviously has all the data, but their website does need some work.

Okay, that is good news. Meant it wasn't too serious then.

It was still within the first 10km of the race. Don't think the front guys in D even noticed it.