Skubarra

You might have missed this part of the marketing blurb + the fact that it is now an established Epic prep race, I don't see organisers moving the date unless entry numbers take a series dip

Cape Town itself not really great options for gravel routes, neither the towns nearest to Cape Town. You have to go out a bit further. Paarl, Wellington, Riebeek Kasteel. Over the mountains Greyton, Robertson/Montagu your best options. For something more extreme you can look at the Ceder mountains few hours north of Cape Town or Tankwa Karoo for desolate desert riding. Stellenbosch/Franschoek probably the best places if you want to do wine farms and meet other cyclists, but not a lot of gravel riding in those areas.

Serious question - when was the last time there was a decent Argus goodie bag? I have been doing Cycle Tours since 2012 and I have never seen a decent goodie bag. Based on what evidence/perception do people expect a decent goodie bag? The event could probably go on for another 20 generations and you will still find people being genuinely surprised and disappointed that the goodie bag is not any good.

Good idea to ride with a hydration pack given the shambles and carnage of 2022 but I cannot see how they can really enforce such a rule on such short notice, Its not an insignificant expense if you don't own one! I am VERY light on water, I usually ride with a single water bottle and I just fill up at waterpoints (including races like Atta and Karoo Burn) In the 2022 heat wave I distinctly recall being in a panic on how I am going to survive the 20km disrict roads between 2 waterpoints on just one bottle? Hopefully it wont be as bad this year but not a chance I am taking! Edit - just to add, in theory he has a point. Most waterpoints are spaced about 20kms from each other and on normal days cyclists able to do the Atta should be able to go the 1 to 3 hours between waterpoints on the bottles you have on the bike. Problem is in extreme heat you can quickly down a liter of water and still be thirsty and once you are dehidrated the damage is done. There is no quick comeback, you are going to struggle the rest of the ride.

Silver lining is that the Grootbrak side looks better, as long as the heat is not ridiculous when we start (like in 2022...) it should be ok And at least we dont have to worry about mud and rain 😜

Soos dit nou staan lyk dit of my luck dalk kan draai 😀 Grootbrak vge Sat

I have a knack for picking the Attas with the worst weather and skipping the good weather years. Did the monsoon in 2020, the extreme heat wave in 2022 and will be back this year, so prepare for the worst...

You can do the Atta on a HT but... what would be the point of owning a DS then?

We are hijacking the OPs thread but I think the great thing about bikepacking is that unlike a race or organised event there is no fixed way to do it, you plan your days to suit the type of riding you prefer. 6 to 8 hours might not sound too much but add an hour for lunch, another hour for stops + extra time in case you take a wrong turn / detour + reserve time to deal with potential mechanicals and very easily you are into a potential 12 hour day on the bike.

I think unfortunately for everyone you have to make that mistake first before you could appreciate the advice....

With a loaded touring bike on that type of terrain I think optimistically you look at 20kph even for a strong cyclist, so yes 6 to 8 hours riding per day excluding stops. Tough ask to do 8 days in a row.

I hope you were just being modest when you said you are decently trained... Because that is an incredibly punishing schedule for a bike packing trip. Even without he headwinds, summer heat & corrugations - you are looking at a very tough 8 days. All the best!

There are a few weird quirks and small detours that might just be a function of komoot's mapping but I see nothing that will take you to a dangerous or unrideable area. My biggest comment would be that I see you bypass a lot of the towns in the vicinity of your route, which means you miss out on interesting places to visit, buy provisions and sleep over (there won't be many shops along the gravel roads of your route) I don't think sleeping out in the open on this route is really a practical (or save) option, there would be enough affordable accommodation options along your route to not have to risk it. On a long bikepacking trip Oudtshoorn to Prince Albert is a tough extension, Swartberg pass is challenging so give yourself at least 2 days to do the out & back, it is a worthwhile detour if you are fit enough and have time. And I concur with @Dappere - The Cape Cross cycle route & website is a good reference for planning a route

Thats what I did. Stopped reading after the 1st paragraph but now I can't really contribute constructively to the comments on the letter. 😄 Will just say, I am analytics minded, can easily spend hours on analysis paralysis. I get great value out of Strava, mostly looking at my own progress, sometimes chasing KOMs, finding interesting and new routes to ride etc. I don't really get the hate Strava generates, the output is customisable, You don't like what you see just unfollow, you dont like to be seen up your privacy settings.

If you can conjure up an inspiring gravel route for a race starting in Durbanville I think you will have the ear of a few race organisers 😄 That said also not the route I would have picked, think it is A) too short and B) the Klipheuwel trails bit is not going to work well for gravel bikes. The big challenge for the race organisers would be to add a gravel route that attract new riders and not simply transfer riders from the road race to the gravel route.

Not sure I follow. If they pull too hard to show off let them go and do their own ride 20 meters ahead of the group, they'll catch the drift soon enough or next time they will join another group that is more on their perceived superior level. I find these things sort themselves out soon enough. Edit - that said, groups that ride unsafely or are too big I avoid - I have no intention of risking crashes because people around me ride like hooligans, luckily I live in a place with enough different groups to have options.

Funny you should post that pic on the tar road I use to get to those trails (Tygervalley road) we have had a few incidents now of a taxi buzzing us on our weekly early morning group rides, despite the fact that we were riding in the yellow lane every time. It was always dark when it happened so we havent been able to catch the number plate, but I have a very strong suspicion its the same guy thats a regular on the route and gets a kick out of scaring cyclists by racing past them as close as possible. I'm not a confrontational type of person but I would really struggle to keep my calm if I catch up to him at a traffic light.

I don't really see that as a problem - the one doing the most work up front is also the one getting the most benefit from that group ride. 👍

Cool thread... I certainly don't have an issue with my own company, commute on my own and every now and then a short ride on my own. However I found that cycling with others certainly lifted my cycling to a new level, much easier to get up in the early hours for a group ride than a solo ride. A long ride goes by much faster in the company of others than on my own. Guess those of us living in the CPT northern suburbs are lucky that there are loads of cyclists of the full range of abilities to choose from to ride with + a full range of mtb, gravel and relatively safe roads on our doorstep.

Rationalising behind the safety of a keyboard it is very easy to say you should have just shrugged it off and let things be (and that is the correct advice). But being buzzed by a car is a pretty harrowing experience and I certainly don't blame you for lashing out moments after you saw your life flashing past your eyes, I can see myself doing something similar in that situation. However at this point I don't see what can be gained by pursuing this further? An apology? A warning? Is this something worth spending your valuable time and money on?

Durbie Dash dependent on school calendar (incl sports calendar) because kids & parents are involved in hosting event - no chance of flexibility on that date Prince George also on the same weekend just to complicate things further. If Eselfontein move to a different date I will definitely do it again

This is actually a bit worrying to me - are they struggling for entries? Getting the vibe that if this event is on your bucket list don't put it off for too many years....

I admire your enthusiasm 🙂 Entries will probably only open sometime in late January? Don't think you have to worry about the race selling out though...

Sorry Im from CPT - I meant FNB Stadium Yes Ellispark - great idea for a cycle tour venue if someone wants to kill off the race 🤡

Not sure the R200m profit just goes to government. afaik TMNP and Kruger park are the only profitable entities in the SANparks group (who knows, possibly Kgalagadi also) - so the profits from TMNP subsidises other parks in the rest of the country. So yes there is a good argument that more of that money should be use to protect the goose that lays the golden eggs but issue is not as straightforward as Facebook would like us to believe.