Firstly a BIG thank you to everyone that attended the 24 Hour this weekend. We appreciate all and any feedback. There have been a number of issues raised here which we would like to address. Catering: The caterer that was arranged to provide food and coffee was confirmed months ago. On Friday morning we received a phone-call from this company stating that something had come up but "not to worry" as he is sending someone else in his place. Obviously we were disgusted with what eventually transpired as the replacement had no idea what he was doing due to poor preparation. We will be sure not to use these people in future. We apologize for the inconvenience. We too had to make arrangements for our eating plans. Announcer: We agree, the announcer was a little too much. However, we also had a lot of good feedback from participants with his music choice and light hearted jokes. However, we agree that some of the language and jokes were uncalled for and this will be addressed. DNF Rule: Every team received a full colour double sided print with the maps and AMTRI rules. The entire set of rules is printed on this sheet. Competitors we encouraged to read and fully understand the rules. The DNF rule was also announced repeatedly over the PA system. However, we still made sure everyone received their medals. BEER GAME: It seemed that this game was enjoyed by many. If there was a broken bottle on the field, we apologise. The van gaalen cleaning staff were working at full steam over the weekend and may have missed it. Rehydration Drink: The drinks were never removed. The cases were covered up by the sponsor during the night as they were being dripped on when the rain started. Riders were still helping themselves at all hours. Drinks lasted right until the very end. Prizes: The value of prizes has always been a difficult one. Running a 24 Hour is extremely expensive. Essentially everything that is hired, (Staff, equipment, showers and toilets etc…) are being booked for TWO days. So everything is twice the price. Compared to a single day event, participants had access to two days’ worth of camping, ablutions and showers (two massive trailers with an attendant) land usage, paramedics, timing personal, tents and the list goes on. Whilst we massively appreciate our sponsors, one must understand that the financial aid by them (most do not sponsor cash) doesn’t even come close to covering the costs. Therefore, as organisers, we prefer to keep the standard of the essentials as high as monetary possible so as to not compromise on safety and amenities. Then we try our best to provide prizes with what’s left over. Clearly, the more riders that enter, the better. But as suggested in another post here, numbers have been down. (The Vlei 24 Hour also suffered poor numbers from what we understand) If competing at cycle event was all about the prizes, then the massive races like the Crater Cruise, 94.7, Trailseeker etc…would have no more than 200 riders. There are many costs associated with this event that may not meet the eye. Many people think that the usage of Van Gaalens and surrounding farms is free, it isn’t! Then the event must be sanctioned and insured, staff paid, office costs etc.. It’s easy as a competitor to ask where the entry fee goes but there is much more to it. At the end of the day, we want to do our best to bring the riders the best 24 Hour experience that we can. We believe we’ve brought a fun and enjoyable event. We’ve been inundated with compliments so far today and also a few complaints in line with what has been mentioned here. We’re not perfect but who is? Another thing to remember, you as riders (other than the crazy solos) take breaks, have family or friends to assist etc..but we the organisers don’t sleep or stop. When we’re not at the camps, we’re on the route. We were on shift the entire weekend, which for us, begins on Thursday morning and ends on Sunday evening. None of us slept at all making sure you were all safe, hydrated and entertained. The 24 Hour is an immense undertaking from an organiser’s point of view. Please understand, we WANT you to have fun, we WANT you to enjoy and we WANT to hear feedback.
