Skubarra

Please do the gravel ride then!! 😀 You know how bloody difficult it is to create a gravel route in the northern suburbs that is at least 70% gravel. We had to do a lot of exploring, trial and error and re-routing! Will be a proper gravel route and take you to some places we are not normally allowed to ride. The mtb I suspect will be similar to previous years, mostly Tygerberg (because that is what is there) but with some links on farms not normally rideable.

I'm helping with the gravel race, will ask the organiser to merge the posts 👍

Agree - bike lights (especially on a mtb (and for that matter anything on a mtb) take a lot beatings and are exposed to the elements, eventually something will break...

First one I got away unscathed, 2nd one the brick the guy threw at me did some nasty damage to my wheel but I managed to dodge the bastard so it could have been much worse. Certainly not save to cycle on your own in the dark (ironically both times I was on my way to a group ride )

Yeah sorry for the harsh comment - maybe the PTSD of the 2 attacks on me on my bike the past year & half coming out. From my lived experience these guys do violence first and then worry about the finer details like the size of the haul later.

Unless something changed from last year you wouldn't need a GPS device, last year the route was marked.

And if the thug with the gun at your head can't get what he wants he is just going to shrug and walk away, at worst maybe shake your hand and congratulate you for outsmarting him?

Sure, you make the effort to do all the extra admin. Not everyone is as organised as you 😀, for those people that burner phone is just a nuisance to everyone around them. I have mixed feelings about that idea, the guy that is mugging/attacking you doesn't know you are only carrying a burner phone so you are no less of a target than the guy next to you. I have insurance for my phone, my health & wellbeing is what I am more concerned about in that type of situation.

The one problem with the burner phones I have seen is the extra admin involved if you ride in groups. Often the other people in the group won't have the burner number or the person with the burner phone doesn't have the numbers of the people in the group. Burner number would also not be in the watsapp groups used to communicate. So if you/him are late for a ride or something come up during the ride there is no way to contact mr Burner phone unless he made sure everyone has his number.

What works for me is to every year take a month off completely, not doing any training whatsoever. Usually around the winter school holidays. Then 2 months after that only light training, fun stuff on the trails and easy coffee rides. Means after 3 months I am fat & unfit but fully rested mentally and physically and highly motivated to get back to form. Usually takes me another 2 months to get back to where I was, but I find that pattern works for me much better than trying to maintain full fitness 12 months per year with short breaks in-between.

I just took a look at Rapha as you suggested - not seeing plenty of 1,2 and 3 star reviews 🤷‍♂️ Not even plenty reviews for that matter. With Duane on this one - if you want honest unbiased reviews don't go to a marketing website.

Both are awesome events!

For one you are very vocal that he shouldn't have been named (though I doubt the parents of the other minors he coached share this sentiment) - I would consider that protection given the seriousness of the charges a much softer outcome In line with above most of your concerns seem to center on "What if he turns out to be innocent?" Not regurgitating that debate but for most here the bigger concern is the impact on the victims and other potential victims.

Thought the same. As I understand he feels CSA should have suspended him immediately after the initial allegation but also not name him - slightly curious how these anonymous immediate bans would play out in real life but also this is getting off point.

You mean CSA should announce SNB is banned from coaching for 15 years on unspecified charges and won't be taking any questions on it? Or quietly ban him for 15 years without announcing anything to anyone and trust that he will abide by his ban and that this won't cause any confusion or problems down the line for anyone? Surely you can see the problems here with the alternatives or do you have a better solution in mind for CSA?

I get your sentiment here but I don't see that they had any other option once he was found guilty (and lost his appeal). How do you apply a lifetime or 15 year ban anonymously? CSA also has responsibility to its other members especially junior cyclists.

Genuinely curious to understand how you think CSA should have handled this differently? From the statement and @amac's additional clarification it appears that a proper and thorough disciplinary process was followed? Where in the process do you say they went wrong?

SRAM Apex 1x11 - the normal corrugations & rough surfaces usually not an issue, extreme corrugations where you are more or less shaking down to crawling speed on a gravel bike the chain regularly would jump off. Hoping a chain catcher would solve the issue.

Paid school fees on Saturday (time to invest in a chain catcher). Dropped my chain shortly after the 1st turn onto the gravel on that initial bad corrugations, thing was properly entangled behind my chainring and by the time I managed to unravel the mess everyone was long gone with only the sweeper bike patiently standing behind me. Was never going to make it back to the lead bunch so from then on it was a long solo ride, only after the last waterpoint did a little bunch form around me. So lekker to be able to recover while slipping another rider! 🤣 About 15km to go our little group scattered and again it was a solo ride to the finish (except for the bastard that hung onto my wheel for the last 5km quite obviously determined to sprint me around the rugby field). Finished around 5h30ish with a sprint finish with above mentioned bastard. The free beer at the finish was awesome. Really digged this route, will be back next year (with a chain catcher!)

I am in for this one as I am doing the gravel series - just exactly what do you mean by "technical sections"?

Wow! I see Ronde van Riebeek has about 400m more elevation (and I thought it was a flat race) Guess the road conditions are luck of the draw, last year it was mostly good with some rutted sections in-between but not enough to spoil the ride.

Much more in line with what I think a gravel race should look like compared to the 2 mentioned above.. Average speed of the winners last year was 32km/h+

Probably the most gravel bike friendly of all the races I have done, especially if the 20km section after the tar road to Gouda was graded recently. Really the only tricky section on the gravel bike would be the jeep track next to the railway between Riebeek Wes and Riebeek Kasteel near the finish.

I did this ride on a mtb last year, hated being bullied by gravel bikes and the penny finally dropped that I am wasting my time gravelling on a mtb. So unfinished business for me and unless there is a monsoon on Saturday there is no way I'm not showing up in Riebeek-Kasteel with my gravel bike.

If I have it right your bike is about 10 years old - will be a tough sell at the price you are looking for even though the condition is good. Bike geometry have improved a lot over the decade. You either are going to take a knock on the asking price or like the others said, ride it till the wheels fall off. I would say that bike is perfectly fine for social rides, you don't need to invest more.