Danger Dassie

Just bought a Fenix 5 Sapphire for next to nothing, loving the upgrade-itis effect! Seeing a few 6/7 models also going for good pricing, but the 5 pricing secondhand is too good to pass up.

Nice! ... Were some of those photo's taken by Aussie expats? ... Jokes, I'm happy for you and the faded purple bike looks lovely mos.

Not sure about that, heard of a few North West groups out that side riding, I'm not entirely sure who to contact though. The segments inside are probably more MTB friendly than gravel, these were part of the Advendurance marathon and Trailseeker series a few years ago. We often drive out to Hartys and then do a number of different gravel routes along the canals throughout the area, these roads vary and stretch out quite far.

Two wildly different scenarios with no relation between the two though? Tony has been approaching retirement for a while now, it's also long deserved and the timing is perfect. Generations of riders have been through those doors. Wishing him all the best, he leaves a legacy to be proud of. Decathlon aren't "shutting shop" Some branches may close and move/clear stock, while others expand or change scale, there are some new locations in the pipeline. Normal business in a competitive environment.

A group of us were chatting about this over morning coffee today, given the Joburg info event is this evening. The Epic leaning is understandable, regardless of any criticism there may be. I mean I doubt anyone would sit on their laurels and not do anything after building something like the Cape Epic and subsequent series. He and his team created something successful and a global following with Epic. There was a lot of institutional knowledge and innovation that came out of that, anyone with experience in the event will have invaluable skillsets, many have gone on to successful career paths in the sport. So having some of those people involved does bring a level of credibility, regardless of the style of the event or it's format. Some seem to be wholesale buying into the Kool-Aid vibe that this will be a game changer for global gravel. Others are wholly dismissive, and borderline disparaging. Objectively, IMHO this isn't going to a game changer, it doesn't even have to be and that doesn't seem to be it's goal. But there's a gap for something slightly different experience-wise, which it seems this will do at least and add something to the event calendar. The costing issue is something else entirely, I suspect it'll be pretty high and budget constrained for many of us, but not Epic high. The two events are wholly incomparable afa riding experiences go though. Luckily we're also spoilt for choice.

Reckon we'll see some interesting mods, I remember when Dana Coetzee gravel converted his Trek Top Fuel for Race 2 Sun. Drop bars, gravel wheelset and tyres etc. Long before the cool kids were doing it for Leadville 🤓

Seems like they’re just bombarding info to discourage feedback? Who can interpret all those tables into something coherent?

Thanks Sally, have shared out. Good to see some kind of revision open for comment. Hopefully the necessary steps are taken.

Good for them, solid team behind the event, especially with current organisers already running established events. The timing could well be right enough and something slightly different as an addition to other events. Will be interesting to follow the progress. Best of luck.

Not half wrong, from an organisational point of view and spectator value, it was a big success. Many of the teams and WC regulars compared it to Nove Mesto. A big help is that it was fully open to the public and there was no admission fee. Largely thanks to ABSA as well. Unfortunately, the event did run a deficit, not entirely unexpected but also not sustainable over a number of seasons and no one was expecting to be balling in profit. People seem to forget that an event is like any other business, it does need to be sustainable, even at a marginal loss or to break even initially. As well as the fact that the economy was heading into a recession at that time. It is difficult to find a common ground and shared risk in such a scenario. The reality is that the decision came down to a mutual agreement not to pursue. Of course, this was also pre-pandemic, which in turn changed everything else. The so called narrative is as simple as that.

You’ll love it, such a different vibe and amazing places to explore, plus there’s big five territories nearby. It’s generally a close community that’s warms and welcoming. Mpumalanga/Limpopo is really underrated and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Especially if you love the outdoors. Will put out feelers with friends to see what’s available.

People can get quite delicate about ‘moderation’ … realistically it’s for nothing to do with America IP and laws. But more about a healthy and thriving online forum for grownups. I still remember when there was a dispute over a bike sale that led to someone then Strava stalking a lady and sharing her personal details and Strava rides on the forums, along with a vague description of what should happen to her. So yes, some form of moderation is required. If you want arguments, then join your street WhatsApp group.

If anything like Wellington and Saronsburg this year, my sack and crack are already moistening up!

How's the heat in Paarl around that time of year?

Maybe not with Cannondale, but there are several specialist paint shops in Freiburg. Even in the states, which makes sense, it would be an independent. Speculation aside, it would be a nice touch if they'd managed to do it here in the S of A, there's some good skills. Would imagine timing/logistics being a challenge though. Regardless looking forward to seeing a Saffa rolling the rainbow.