There's something that the organisers of Wines2Whales could learn from - posting medals to participants. (And while we are at it, how about throwing in a bike wash as part of the R4k entry fee, instead of charging R60 a wash)
Most places down here are safe - the only place I would worry about is Table Mountain. I tend to prefer Lebanon too - a bit more of a technical rush, while Oak Valley is more a manicured red carpet kind of ride. You know we're spoiled for choice when you can fill a week with riding at a different place each day, and still have places left over.
Conti don't do a 29er UST Race King. But that said, I rode on 29er Race Kings last year without any issues. Maybe have a look at the Geax range - some nice tubeless options there...
I rode past the scene this morning just after the paramedics had arrived. By the way they were walking away from the cyclist towards the vehicle I realised that something was seriously wrong. The guys bike was totally mangled - the rear wheel was completely shredded, and had been knocked out of the frame (and it wasn't held in by quick releases - it was bolted in). The guy was also lying about ten meters from the edge of the road, so I think he was hit at quite a speed. The sun was up, and quite bright, but at that time of the morning (6h50) it is already quite high in the sky. I felt quite vulnerable after that and when I got cut off by a taxi on the R44 I almost sh@t myself! Very sad indeed - condolences to the family.
The Rules of the Cog Rule #33 Shave your guns. Legs are to be carefully shaved at all times. If, for some reason, your legs are to be left hairy, makesure you can dish out plenty of hurt to shaved riders, or be considered a hippie douche on your way to a Critical Mass. Whether you use a straight razor or a Bowie knife, use Baxter to keep them smooth.
I like this report on PBP - the author came to the same conclusion: 1200kms on a bike is shear madness. Other tips for long distance riding - settle into a rhythm. If you're feeling good, slow down - the next bad patch is just around the corner. Don't push heavy gears. Break the ride up into mentally manageable chunks - waterpoint to waterpoint or something similar.
Trust me - grabbing a musette is not as easy as the pro's at the TDF make it look. While I haven't heard of any serious injuries (I saw one guy with his arm in a sling and nasty roasties) from this weekend, it would have been carnage if the less experienced teams were given the option of feeding from a musette. We weren't even that brave. Rather have a blanket rule and make a few exceptions for the top teams. As it is, there is no love lost between the top teams, and so any slight infringement is likely to bring about a protest. I doubt however that any of these perceived infringements really altered the overall outcome of the race.
Go for the 29er hardtail. While you might enjoy the Zula on some of the descents, I think the 29er will be of more benefit in the 2nd half of the race. Remember to stop and enjoy the burgers, doughnuts and other treats.
No - last year you couldn't feed from the vehicle either, however, like last year, if you were in a top team, you could request to feed without stopping (ie - grab a musette) . In future, I suggest they have a bike marshal for each top team - to enforce the rules and look for people doing bad things. Then we won't have to wait on the results and there'll be no he said she said allegations...
So the keys fell out of your pouch while riding in the Spruit in Jhb, and were found in Helderberg in Somerset West. Must have been one hell of a ride...
The Red route takes us around 1h30, and there are two other shorter options - Green and Blue. They have most of the single track, but slightly less climbing.
Lebanon is great - nice technical single track. Not as manicured as Oak Valley. Bit more of an adrenaline rush. It is a pity that they are cutting down some of the trees though. There are showers, although I have yet to figure out how the hot water tap works.
