Rob K

Has the route changed from last year? Where does this 1850m come from? Rob

A really worthwhile read from the trenches and well worth it. We only get to see the highlights on TV and they mainly concentrate on the pro's. We get very little info from the troops and your articles are much appreciated. Good luck and keep them coming.

Ok EDIT I just found out that Presta or Schrader valves are the tube valves. I need the little rubber washers inside the Pump Nozzle - which I suspect are worn. Thanks in advance. Rob

Presta or Schrader valves Where can one purchase replacements - mine seems to have worn out and won't stay on the tube valve unless I hold it in place?

Hi There j, I don't know what or who changed at Argus management but I am get a distinct taste of that horrible word 'greed' coming through. Maybe that's too harsh a choice of word, but with the charging of cyclists, first to just enter the Expo more than once and then for the second lap - mmmm - something's not right up in the tower. Now your experience - what happened to the Spirit of Argus I wonder?

Agreed Mike, I posted an Accuweather screengrab which is relatively accurate. We need the locals to give us feedback on the trend and see if Accuweather is on the numbers.

Exactly what I was looking for. Well done Gary - It's just like driving the route - gives you the heebies, it feels soooo long. Is there a way of printing out the elevation scale and is it quite accurate. It would fit perfectly onto the top bar. Again well done and Thank you. Rob Edit: Just went through the first part in slow motion and the elevation scale is very accurate.

Now that the training is done - let's focus on the next BIG thing. Looks good for now - let's keep an eye on the trend.

Mine also requires a password - maybe a MAC thing??

Well done 3Wings on initiating an interesting thread with, notably, lot's of positive feedback. Probably some of the best advice I've seen on The Hub and so well done to all the contributors - I'm sure there are many of us who are quietly lapping it all up. I'm have trained for and am going to try for my PB this year and am also grappling with all these interesting issues and mindsets. I think psychology is a huge factor and probably the best advice I can give myself is - ride within yourself for at least the first half and ride your own race - don't let the odd overtaker or passing bunch change your strategy. If you can get to the bottom of Chappies feeling relatively strong - then go for it - you'll enjoy the climbs more - feeling strong - and finishing strongly really feels good. Sometimes I feel I finish with too much energy and kick myself for not going faster - but it's nice to think - "what if" BTW your average speeds you quoted earlier would give you a 30.8 km/hr average - around 3.5 hours. Best of luck to everyone riding and here's to everyone finishing safely and with there new PBs

We have just this morning decided - Full Road closure only - from now on for us.

I agree with you DJR. I was fine with the whole Expo thing until last year when a cyclist who had bought too much stuff to carry to his car in one trip, was forced to pay to re-enter to collect the balance of his purchases. Overzealous security gaurd I know - but WTF. That left a bitter taste in the mouth and spoilt my "Spirit of the Argus" fundraiser of note - mindset. Since then I've seriously questioned who the real beneficiaries of the Argus are and now that the organisers have decided to charge for the second lap - well - go figure. Lest they not forget where The Argus would be without The Cyclists.

Great thread - nice to follow all these interesting cycling goals. Mine are similar to some earlier posts :- Sub 3:00 94,7 (3:09 to beat) Sub 3:30 Argus (3:47 to beat) Get back on my Mtb - haven't ridden it for 6 months after a big fall

Hi Hubbers, I have been a bit remiss in not taking the time to praise Leonard and his product. I purchased a set just before the Jacaranda Satellite race and had quite a bit of stress trying to get them fitted in time for the race. We discovered that two of the brake-pads supplied were wrong handed (2 lefts instead of a L/R pair) I called Leonard and he immediately said - just purchase a new set and I will re-imburse you. That saved the day and I was all set to go racing. Leonard duly kept his word and deposited the cost of the new pads as promised. The pleasure of dealing with a reliable supplier just further enhances the satisfaction of owning a quality product. I am no race snake but can report that my two races to date with the Concepts have been PBs although it is hard to judge the improvement just from riding. As far as the wind questions go - there is a little bit more side force than I had with the aluminium wheels previously - which was well tested in this years Amasova - but it is not material and should not be a factor. Probably the biggest improvement is the looks - pic follows to show it happened

Ricky - thanks for sharing. Those photo's really capture the spirit of the day. We chasing our times and only see red flags all ride long and don't "see" half of the sights along the way. Rob

I think the Racetec results are preliminary. Yesterday mine was 3:13 and today back to 3:09:12 which agrees exactly with my Garmin which I started on the gun even though I was not near the front of the group. Oh - and toughest climb for me was that last little climb before turning into Waterfall and the finish. I nearly nearly abandoned ship there. Scraped in.

Have to agree. Also saw a bit of that and can't understand it. Maybe the characters in question think they riding the Tour de France. Great organisation and great day all round. The logistics to get 30000 odd cyclists around a major city must be eye-watering. Well done to all involved. :clap: :clap: Rob

Great - thanks for taking the trouble

Ok The GPX file works - now I just need the 3:00 version Thanks for the help Gerald. edit - just seen that its the same file though it shows 3:08 (total time on perhaps?)

Hi Gerald, Thanks so much for taking the trouble. I followed your explanation to the letter and not winning. I also tried to drag the file into the COURSES folder which also did not work. I will try upload a screenshot - essentially the files in the COURSES folder are extension FIT and this file is a TCX if that helps. Any ideas. I am on a Mac BTW

This is interesting - can it be used with a Garmin 800? If so please explain how to upload it.

Based on the complaints from last year referred to by a poster above - it seems like quite a few items were improved on this year. Certainly I thought the marshals did an excellent job, they were highly visible and were very pro-active. Also moving the start from NECSA is a big improvement notwithstanding the finish line immediately after a 90 degree hard left. I think the big problem in terms of all the traffic issues stems from the participants being used to full road closure and perhaps riding as if there is full road closure thus setting themselves and others up for the inevitable clashes with traffic. I certainly don't need a goodie bag, I do like getting a medal but most important to me is a safe race. That is non-negotiable.

Yes I thought it was well organised. For a non-road-closure, traffic was not too bad barring the odd a-hole screaming past big groups and some of the oncoming trucks made life interesting. Vrekpoort seems to get shorter each year or is it just me?

That's interesting - My Garmin reports 1293m gain and 103.26km

Hi All, My first (and best) Amashova. We left Durban at 4:00 am to drop my girls at their 65 km start. The marshals were already at their stations and I think in light of their long long day - they did a great job. I found the route a lot more challenging than anticipated - loved the quip that Durban is actually higher than Maritzburg - a lot more climbing than expected - but overall a great route and fantastic event. Having everyone's first names on their number board was a stroke of genius and the level of spirit and camaraderie was second to none. We had a lot of laughs despite the wind and were extremely lucky the rain held off. I'll definitely be there next year. Rob