Honkdonk

Happy to report that the Cafe Du Cirque is a total find! The route from there to the back gate is easy enough and road quiet. Coming in through the back gate and turning left with that monster of climb pretty much 20 mins in is a big wake up call. But at least its done and out the way Awesome mornings riding there yesterday

Appreciated Gerald Mainly traffic volumes I guess, especially if there is no shoulder. And tissues.... tissues in the Cafe upon the return, as we have a bunch of SBR virgins coming along.

Thread revive.. Thinking of taking our group there on Tuesday but parking at Cafe Du Cirque and heading out to the South gate. I know its roughly a 12k ride to the gate then a left turn and we'll do the full thing and then back. We should be on the bikes at half 6 to make the 7am gate in time before things get too busy What is the road like from Cafe Du Cirque to the reserve gate like? Safe enough?

Personally I dont really care about the entry debacle. Its a nice gesture that they offered us all an advance entry before they open to the general public. It is one of those things, and if you happen to work in large events - whether it be sporting or musical etc there are massive inherent risks to factor in that involve massive amounts of money and the very large chance of upsetting the majority of the paying public. Its called life. The options get weighed up and a desicion needs to be made. I was on the start in 1A when they called it. We were due to be the next group off and after listening to all the drama going on I knew which way it was headed.. Safety first and foremost. I feel for everyone that shelled out large amounts to get there from Jhb, UK, Aus and wherever else. I was fortunate to save a airfare by driving down with a mate who had 14 bikes. I also scored a hotel deal paying staff rates. WIN! Will I be back next year - Its a lottery pretty much. You never know whats going to happen - fires, wind, protest. Pick two I dont know. If I cant drive with a mate who gets paid to transport bikes down or stay in a decent hotel at a 3rd of the normal price then it becomes a very expensive weekend away. The 2 coffee rides were good though. Beats the Cradle any day

Cape Town locals speak up... When the wind howls like it is (apparently) at the moment, what are the chances of it 'blowing out' come Sunday against all predictions..?

Goodness me. The pace from AL up Hillsnacks was hot.. Dropped my chain just under 10k's in and lost the bunch. Solo TT for the next 10km then got caught by the next lot and kept in going all the way through until we eventually caught up to the afore mentioned bunch close to the Cradle. The wind was a bit rough, but good work out front made light work. We could have pushed a bit harder but so it goes. Left my Pace and Power Endurashake at home so was missing some extra juice in the legs.. Nice ride though Came in at 3:10 What went down with the guy along Beyers whose chain snapped and went OTB in style.. ?

AL..

And some big ass baboons there. The hugest I have seen.. I see that is owned by Gauteng land and agriculture and not SANparks which may explain why it went to ruin. It looked good yesterday. Weeds and road maintenance will happen hopefully.

Jeez. That's a big bummer. Its really an amazing place. Beats the pants off the Cradle anyday I saw there were State Veterinary vehicles there yesterday and a mobile abattoir truck.. A culling of something perhaps?

Rode SBR for the first time this morning. What a amazing place! Breathtaking surroundings and views. Nice and tough. Loved the climbs. A good workout. I'll make sure to be back shortly with a few others as the Cradle gets a bit much week after week and we'll do 2 laps to shut the big mouths up.

Hotness..

I have ridden through there a few times now. Mostly under the cover of early morning darkness and once we came in through the main gate off Main at 7am - that was not a smart move as we got stopped and asked to leave. For the same reasons mentioned above that there could be prisoners looking for a opportunity.. The maximum security section is pretty impressive.. The other times were great - best bit is the escape through a hole in the fence! There are some dodge sections and they have a serious sewage issue in parts, so be careful wading through the Jukskei.. The sunrise view east from the koppie close to the castle is pretty good, but on the whole understand that you ARE riding in state owned land that is out of bounds.

What happened to that chap who was contemplating riding while his wife was due in for a Caesar today....

Indeed I loved the fact that so many folk achieved what they wanted too, whether it was to finish in 5 hrs or under 3. The second lap was a total eye opener in terms of regular Joe and Mandy out for the day enjoying the route and freedom of the city. That's where the value lies

I disagree there. I hit start on my polar as I crossed the mat and hit stop as I crossed the mat. The difference in time between my result and Racetec result is a negligible

I must also give credit to the bloke on MTB that did a lot of work to help catch the main A bunch. Young ou with a UNW (Potch?) shirt on He gave it stick!

Started in A It was a total mess at the start with no boards to indicate start pens.. A got off to off to a start with a hectic pace. Holy smokes it was hard going. Up Pooks and onto Summit had me in max HR off the bat.. lost the main group along Summit. Did a solo stint down the M1 until I was caught by a DL group in yellow. I slotted in with them to recover all the way to town then went off with the front guys from B until the finish. Came in with a PB of 2:41 2nd lap was great! Beer and a fillet this evening was just what was needed Legs tired Smile big

Thank you! Haha Too early for grammar and spelling..

Have a good everybody!

Who really needs a goody bag? I coudn't give a toss. I got a free bottle from Telkom, shirt from Discovery and a bunch of promo flyers. Registration was easy. Expo was all good. Some damn fine looking promo girls. Pheweee.. Got me a good deal on a workstand. Winner The mag is a pretty much a copy paste from previous years. Hints and tips for newcomers. Do's and dont's. Route maps and all that If you have done more than one its pretty much old hat. But its there to cover themselves Bring on Sunday.

Come out of the Kyalami race track, go straight up Allandale, turn right and come down through Waterfall, turn left back into R55 and carry onto Woodmead

Unfortunately not, it's a gonner

My entry is up for grabs. I cant do it anymore... Who wants?

Looks like I am going to have to bail.. Bugger Was looking forward to it AL start Fast, flat fun

Damn it man.. I stopped 10 odd years ago. Was the easiest thing to do. Guess I was just ready I got retrenched at the end of August and am also going through a divorce after 11 years of marriage. Over the last few months one thing has led to another and I find myself chuffing away again. I have had to go back to the industry I was in from a few years back and its a stressful one at that, so with everything going on right now it just 'happened' I can still pack a good ride in with decent results, and I am better off this year than I was last year this time in terms of time in the saddle and average speeds etc.. But I need to give it up again So dissapointed