Skubarra

I'll suggest that for next year, I think we are at the point that distributing gpx files are standard for gravel races. In our case it just comes with a few complications...

I agree with you, and I do all my gravel races with a gpx file loaded on my garmin. But around Durbanville cycling access to farms is a super sensitive issue, and the farmers have a genuine problem with entitled cyclists rogue riding on their properties. Some farmers straight out refused to even talk to us about crossing their farms. So not distributing gpx files its a small gesture from our side showing that we take their concerns seriously and at least prevent people from doing route recces before the race...

tx for letting me know - will check quickly

*bump* Online entries close at midnight!

TB is a tricky race to pick a gear ratio for, you really need a wide as possible range because outside of fangs/MAC you are also dealing with long flat sections and relative downhills where you want big gears. Generally speaking I think 34 and 36 are fine, depends on how you deal with long climbs usually. Fangs are very steep but relatively short. MAC is a long grind but not particularly steep.

As long as the pros pick duel sus over a gravel bike I think that settles the argument That said I think Tristan could have probably won the race on a gravel bike as well.

Bucket list event but agree that its overpriced, as much as I enjoyed the experience I wont be back for a few years.

Opposite for me... I have a KOM on a short Tygerberg trails downhill segment that I know for a fact is a GPS reading error but is just "slow" enough to look realistic (unless you are aware of my lack of descending skills)....

must have been soul destroying... Easy one to miss if you weren't looking

To say I enjoyed that big climb in the middle would be wrong but I appreciated the challenge 😀 Good to have something like that in a race, even the sketchy downhill afterwards wasn't too bad!

Hi Guido Excellent event, excellent route (had something for everybody), great vibe. Hope to be back next year. My 2c, test your idea to add forest singletrack with other riders as well. Personally I think most (of the long route gravel riders at least) would not really appreciate singletrack right at the finish after 4 to 6 hours in the saddle, by then you just want to be done with the race and a singletrack detour through a forest not a particularly fun concept. Check the thread for race 2 the sea for how that concept was received on their race. Maybe something that will work better for the shorter distances. A pity there wasn't a beer tent, our group ended up socialising at the nearest restaurant where beer was available... We assumed it was because the venue was at a church 😂

Personally not a big fan of "fun singletrack" in gravel races 😁 So you wont see me complaining about the forest section being taken out...

Congratulations bikehub and @Nick. Thanks for providing an online home for SA cyclists to learn and rant for many years now Only a member since 2011 so I guess I am still a newbie relative to the others on here. So many good memories from this site. Got into my first hubfight a few weeks after joining when I made a snarky comment about people with expensive bikes complaining about expensive funride entry fees. Legends like Tumbleweed that are no longer with us (played both moderator and instigator..).Still annoyed with hub experts that convinced me to go for a better specced 26er over a modestly specced 29er in 2012. Dodgy joke threads and pictures of girls that got the hub in trouble...Handbags over white privilege, evolution, abortion, vaccines and other fun non-cycling topics - miss those days but I guess we all had to grow up with the site & times. Looking forward to spend more time on here over the next 20 years.

Great news for the organisers! Managed to get accommodation so we will be staying the weekend. Weather is looking decent for cycling.

Our accommodation booking for the April long weekend is already uncancelled. 🥳

I'm not really involved with the DD mtb organising but what I can tell you is that unfortunately race organisers don't get to use any route they like, even if they have a good relationship with the club. It's a seperate negotiation with each seperate landowner (Tygerberg trails go over something like 30 properties) for each section the race wants to use and every owner and farm manager could have their own demands (some simply don't allow racing on their property) and sometimes one party agrees but another says no. Its a bit of a nightmare to put a racing route together on Tygerberg. Most likely why you see very few marathon races on the Tygerberg trails (no Trailseeker etc anymore)

I can relate - after roadie season I properly suck on a mtb even though I should in theory have a lot of base fitness. For me its just that mtb requires a different kind of fitness & skill, the short punchy climbs in lower gears than you are used to, the beating your body takes from the terrain, the concentration required on singletrack. Changing pace all the time and not the consistent cadence & rhythm you would do on a road bike. Usually takes me a week or 2 to adapt.

Since we are playing devils advocate - the way I see it as long a you have a good frame you can upgrade your lower end disc brake bike over time to high-end, if you have a high end rim brake bike the next upgrade you would want is the brakes but the only way to get there is to basically buy a complete new bike. In my personal case I have some mild buyers remorse for opting for a rim brake bike 2 years ago - the limitations of rim brakes never particularly bothered me until I rode down Chappies at high speed on my gravel bike and saw it can be fun not just nerve-wrecking . Would also like the option of wider tyres but have limited options. Managed to get a good carbon wheelset a year ago but again it was obvious I had far fewer options for my rim brake setup, don't think that situation will improve. So I just think its important to understand that the reason that great rim brake bike is going for a bargain price is because you are locking yourself into dead-end old tech. Of course if that is the bike you are happy to ride for the next 10 years with no serious upgrades its perfectly fine.

what he said - when you are used to disc brakes, especially on your gravel bike with a broadly similar setup to a road bike then rim brakes are an irritation because you know on your other bikes you actually can have control of your bike on steep downhills and round tight corners. You can get great deals on rim brake bikes because the market trend is towards disc brakes. Great if the budget is tight and you can live with rim brakes for a few more years, not great if you change your mind on the brakes because your rim brake bike will be worth far less in a year or 2 and cant be upgraded to disc brakes.

On the flipside they get honest feedback on the idea they are pitching? We are not paid influencers who are remunerated to promote bikehub's advertisers.. fwiw I really like the idea - but I also suspect that it will possibly be stupid expensive and out of my budget. Think the success of this will very much hinge on being able to attract a big headline sponsors & being able to successfully market it as a great cycling adventure for the average weekend warrior despite the price tag. Neither of the 2 a given in the current economic environment but I genuinely hope they can pull it off.

Gravel and mtb routes are safe Helshoogte a bit of a hotspot, Morningstar in Durbanville also dodgy, try to avoid if you can. Not sure what type of cycling you generally do but Durbanville nowadays have a lot of groups one can join, covers the whole range from "semi-pro" to social, great for safety and good company.

Last year Gravel Monster was in September, they moved their dates to the DD weekend after the DD gravel option was announced For good measure PPA decided to also now host a road funride a day after the Durbie Dash 🤦‍♂️ So instead of helping the PPA is now basically competing with the only independently organised road funride left on the calendar in the 2nd half of the year. I think the DD gravel route will be a nice suprise for northenr suburb locals because we have access to farms & gravel roads neighbouring Durbanville not normally accessible to local riders. Also hopefully the 80km DD and 160k GM will appeal to different type of riders, but lets see. Apologies @Red Cherry Events for hijacking your thread

Don't want to complain because overall the event was really good, but yes the finishing kilometers... Why??? Can only think the traffic authorities intervened and spoiled our fun there because I cannot imagine the organisers thought it was a brilliant upgrade to the perfectly normal gravel road the race ended on last year.

Small touch I really like about this race. OK, this year just the ribbon not the actual medal - but still, gives each person something to aim for, not just the podium contenders

Would be awesome if they can add solo entries as well..