Skubarra

If it was me I would have picked the red kit - at least from the pictures it looks pretty nice

If the VIP log is anything to go by there are about 400 peeps qualifying for the 30 jersey and only about 20 for the 40 jersey So those 2 are pretty exclusive... (Almost 20K qualify for the 10 jersey so that one not so much...)

You are right, bunches usually quite spread out after the climb. So in theory it should be ok, I guess the organisers/safety officers err on the side of caution.

Maybe Zwift, Rouvy or other virtual trainer program? Apparently I have also visited New York, London and Italy with my bicycle.

Where I think you are going wrong here is that the Eddington number is far more likely aimed at the very casual & occasional cyclists to motivate them to do a little more, as opposed to the serious cyclists who already have a program & structure in place. I can't see any serious cyclist paying attention to this other than for brief amusement, lets face it, nobody cares about your Eddington number. Imagine the weird reaction you would get if you try to brag with it to your buddies...

Why so serious? - Its really just a bit of fun / useless but interesting trivia

Still need 61 rides to get to 100 miles, probably going to take me a few more years!

How do you convert yours to km's? Mine is 80 (as in miles) Dont think I'll get to 100 anytime soon...

Lets just say that your definition of fun might differ from other people...

Technically she wasn't busted for "doping" 😈

Doing a race is a good idea, but I think even more fun if you can get a few peeps together is book accommodation in Prince Albert, do a ride to Die Hel, one to De Rust and then on the other side at least the Kruisrivier road as well (not to mention Bosluiskloof/Seweweekspoort) - you can easily string together a weeks great riding, you are really only limited by the time you have available. That is what I would do if I stayed up North, rather than flying down for a race.

Glad it wasn't dead or that I didn't poke it to find out... - was quite an impressive specimen.. Think it was someone else we saw taking the photo, so probably a few versions floating around on social media now 😀

We start demanding this from every property we ride on then soon we will have no where left to ride other than a few venues that charge massive entry fees. I think as mtb'ers we should accept that we are participating in a relatively dangerous sport and that there are risks involved.

Actually saw the same snake yesterday on the Rooiels road (and someone taking a picture so it might have been you 🤣) - it looked a bit dead to me but it might have just been lying very still, wasn't inclined to take a closer look.

Depends on the race and your fitness... But typically you should be finished before lunch and have enough time & energy left in the afternoon to do some easy activities with the fam

Only upside of these ridiculous cycle tyre prices is that whenever I put tyres on my car it feels like a super bargain!

Outside of the big name ones (like W2W, Sani2C and Epic) where it is probably not practical most stage races are very flexible when it comes to bringing the family along. For most they can sleep with you in the race village + you can also book meals for them and many have the option for people to do one of the stages as a single stage ride. Trans-Augrabies (Chris mentioned above), Namaqua Quest, Ride the Karoo are races that jump to mind I did that catered very well for bringing the whole family along.

Last year the road between Calvinia and the Tankwa Padstal was in a decent condition & add to this a tailwind for the first +-150km (granted this could easily be a headwind any other year) it was not nearly as bad as you imagine it to be. The other Tankwa roads are generally in far worse condition from what I remember from other rides.

I don't think there is a clear winner here - up to personal preferences. I think if you are going to race for podium probably gravel bike (and if gravel bike is your thing), rest of us will be happier on a full-sus mtb. Saw loads of gravel bikes having mechanicals last year, don't under-estimate the terrain. But at the same time gravel bikes were clearly faster at the times they weren't breaking down (excluding Katbakkies pass where we passed a few)

Agree - it does have its own charm and for the most part was pretty well organised this year. Wouldn't mind flying up for it again.

Weird that in the year 2022 a cycling shop that is prominently featuring online can't be bothered to implement a proper online order & payment system. Have ordered a few times from them without issue but prefer using online retailers using a proper IT system.

Think the major issue is that the 109km as it is stretches the support (traffic,medics etc) and logistics to the limit, this is probably the only practical option as it uses the existing route?

Just saw on another watsapp group the real reason for this change is to cater for e-bike riders during loadshedding....

Going to try that for the 2023 version... Don't think the peeps doing the short version will be that fussed about the lack of scenery (it that is super important to someone do the long version) - think the opportunity to be part of the vibe but no need to do the long distance and the opportunity to ride relatively safe highways not normally accessible to bicycles will count for more. Think this will mainly attract peeps who weren't going to do the long route anyway - so great idea imo. Wonder if it will give more 3-hour riders the opportunity to do double laps? (if they can start with the short distance riders and catch the backmarkers of the long route?)

Didn't they attempted to organise the Saturday funride option just before covid? I remember at the time the City flat out refused, combined with other logistical issues the idea was stillborn... The Ride Joburg 94.7 also have the short route option on the day - seems to work quite well.