Really interested in this. I have been trying to plot a route home from Prince Albert, but Majtiesfontien sounds more do-able without taking protracted leave.
There is the north route, straight over the N1, and after a few km, turn left and onto the gravel road to the Tankwa, Ceres,....
An alternative is to head south to Montagu (via Touws River or Laingsburg), then to Greyton, then Franschoek,....
The Biedouw Valley road is incredibly scenic. Often take it on the way home from Afrika Burn (from the old site). The National Park was horribly corregated when we were there last year.
"Fueling" is allowing ONLY Pogocar to beat the worlds best climbers by minutes?
All of them have the same access to nutrition and altitude training and all the rest.
If Chris Froome did this a few years ago, everyone would be screaming EPO from the roof tops. He had that one huge stage in the Giro "which raised questions"; but if he did 5 days of it back-to-back, the press would be going mad.
Pogocar does it for a week on the Giro, followed by 6-8 days of thrashing everyone on the TdF, and we need to believe it is due to his access to special nutrition?
Even Lance Armstrong is saying "buddy you pushing your luck, you got to dial it back a little"
Indeed, first 10 minutes is painful and one just has to skip it. Then skip the second session of ads. JB2 is far better in that regard.
Whereas one appreciates that the show has to be financially viable, there has to be a more eligant way of including commerical matters.
https://trailtechcycles.co.za/collections/ergon/products/ergon-ge1-enduro-evo-grip-all-round-mtn-enduro-descent
Got a pair of these a few months back and they are fantastic. Get rid of a lot of hand discomfort.
After seeing your post yesterday, I started watching "Sprint" as I am huge fan of Tour de France Netflix series. The sprinters (aside from some of the American ladies), seem to be world class knobs. Couldn't watch the whole of the first episode.
I have been thinking of this lately in the context of the Olympic sprinters. After watching 101 youtube clips guys preparing for the Unbound gravel race and optimizing aerodynamics and Cav with his super aero socks and shoes for the sprint, then one watches the Olympic 100m and 200m qualifying events and many of the female sprinters have massive hair-do's. Over a 100m, would shaving your head or wearing a swimming cap not save 0.1 or 0.2 of a second?
Asking about 40 vs 45mm:
You will roll slightly faster on road.
You will be less comfortable off road and perhaps slower off road.
You will have greater mud clearance.
And all of this depends on air pressure :).
(I have copied in a few Youtube clips above. From all of Ben Delaney and Dylan Johnsons advice, it seems that for Gucci gravel / tar, 40-42mm seems to be the sweet spot. For rougher rocky / corrugated gravel, 45-47mm seems to be good (at lower pressures).
I bought a set of Schwalbe G-One RS Super Race 40 for the Swartberg Fondo based on the review below. They are great, faster than my Panaracer 38 slicks, and if you lean them over (mtb bike body separation style), they do grip enough in corners for dirt roads (and down the Swartberg pass)
However, I see other reviews love them but note that others last longer (and are much slower)
Bike body separation cornering style:
The Slingsby Maps are great quality and cover a lot of it:
https://www.mapstudio.co.za/product-category/slingsby/
There are gaps, e.g. the area north of Montagu up to the N1, but in general, great touring maps.
When trekking in Nepal I was initially wearing 2-3 pairs of socks to keep my feet warm, but they were freezing. The guide told me to take off a pair to "create an air-sock". If you wear too many pairs of socks and squeeze your feet into shoes, it squeezes all the air-pockets out and the ability of the socks to insulate your feet. In cycling shoes, one wants one fluffy pair of socks that can trap lots of air in loose fitting shoes. Think of the socks like a down-filled jacket, compressed it has zero insulation value.
My Raleigh Burner BMX comes to mind, but also my Giant XTC 2004 - did everything from Dirtopia Enduro, to Karoo-to-Coast, to the Single-Speed World Cup, to touring France and climbing Alp du Huez on it. Now days, I have three bikes trying to do the same thing
I flown too and from Europe with a bike a few times and have not been stopped.
Perhaps take an old bike bag across with you, throw a bit of mud on the bike, throw in your cycling shoes and helmet, so it all look like you have been on a trip.
My response as well. That is why I thought "hang on, this dude is just making syrup". It must be hellava sticky. Nothing like going down the Swartberg Pass with a bottle of stroop in your back pocket - what could go wrong?
I am a huge fan of trying and testing your solutions, I am trying it the whole time, but this dude is essentially making syrup. The wife makes different syrups for her baking in this way. Google "syrup recipes" and one will find how to make syrup for different purposes with different flavours etc.
One could just purchase one of these "energy gels" and have a sip every 30minutes. It will last a few rides:
https://www.takealot.com/illovo-golden-syrup-squeeze-500g-x-2/PLID91126553?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxeyxBhC7ARIsAC7dS3_0XWHLNRpUSL2VlhF28CpTqDaPRqtPf7ym8lMNA7eU-rx3lfOAiqgaAgX0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
As mentioned, when you create a spreadsheet with costs / carbs, it is hard to beat date balls. If one buys dates from the caking section in checkers and adds powdered almonds and coconut, one ends up with a lot of umphh at really low cost
