Honkdonk

Black route is around 50km odd.

Big up to the crew who have put the new signage up at Northern Farm. 5 routes with the black one giving good mileage. But WTF is with the mud? Winter is supposed to be dry, but damn, there are some hectic muddy sections that would give the Spruit a run for its money in the middle of rainy season with burst sewer pipes all over the show... Never in the 5 years I been riding there have I experienced it like this. No worries though, I'll just HTFU #justsaying

Had a set of XCD's on my old 26" hard tail. They were good strong wheels.

I did.... Rode around the resort in talkies a lot with the laaities. Drove over Breedts Nek on the way back yesterday. Would have been total suicide!

Spent the weekend out at Sparkling Waters with the family and 2 mates of the mrs. I was the only man amongst us with 5 adults and 5 kiddies. So it was agreed on that I could enjoy the surroundings by bike on Saturday. Sports Pass! This is a rare occurance on family breaks so I was going to enjoy every minute. Having done the Magalies Monster a few weeks back I had worked out a short loop from the hotel and then out to Mountain Sanctuary park then up and over Breedts Nek and back. Packed the car and off we went on Friday. Took a mellow drive with lunch at Van Gaalens and arrived around 3 at Sparkling Waters. Unpacked the car, had a sherry and then it dawned on me... I cleaned the shoes that morning, put them down on the kitchen counter and that's the last I remember of them. Face palm The kids had a blast though.

Apple cores as well...?

Witkoppen to rivonia road, turn left and follow the extension therof. Up to Sunninghill, then up past Kyalami to Crowthorn turn right and head up to Carswald and into Midrand. A fair bit of climbing... The route back can take down Harry Gaulan through Waterfall, Sunninghill and Witkoppen..

More than it cost me to service my Hilux on its 40 000km service. BUT, I had to buy: chain, middle blade, BB, Headset, jockey wheels, pedals. All XT

Also make sure the tensioner on the roller is in the the metal bit and not on the plastic..

There were times towards the end when I wanted to throw it all, sell the bike and take up knitting instead! Crappers, that was tough. Never mind cramp in the legs, I was fighting it off in my hands and fingers on the descents! The ride up the monster was awesome. Just powered through it. Pity I didn't stop to get soak in more of the view. Those winning times are the stuff of legends. Serious respect. I would like to see how that lot navigate some of the trickier rocky sections. Especially the last bits towards the end. Had a sense of humor failure there... Well done to all that finished. Till next year...

I am there, ready, able and god willing strong enough to get in under 4h30 If anyone needs a ride up on Saturday morning sparrows, let me know..

Did mine right after the 94.7 expo. Found it a little odd that it instructed you to put on the right hand side and not the left... But its done none the less and the more stickers on cars, the more people see them, the more awareness it creats.

Agree with eccentric 1. Had a company vehicle that did not have hi tensile bolts attaching the towbar to the bumper. They sheared clean off on route to Kenton on Sea a few years back while towing a trailer that was well within the limits. The driver felt a judder and saw the trailer heading off into the veld on the left. Very lucky that it did not go the other way into oncoming traffic Dont take chances

Loved this race this year. Will be in for the 70k! Stay at Sparkling Waters again and make a weekend of it.

Did me a 3:20 something. 1st time round on me alu 26" MTB with slicks. Loved every minute of it! Will be back next year hunting down a sub 3!

Looking forward to this. My 1st one! Will get my seeding redone so I can get a decent start and not too caught up in the masses. Knowing the right folk helps! I am well familiar with the last section of the route from the N14 through to the finish line. Play it through my mind daily. Mental prep is key!

I dont have a GPS of this. I follow my nose, been riding there for years so I know it backwards Route 3 is the longest, but its easy to combine a few of the tracks once you get used to the area Mr Maxxis you welcome to join. I do all my distance training there. I see you organise the Slow and Unfit rides, ... I tend to give it stick My 85km's last week was at an ave of 21.8km/h. But I be willing to show anyone the ways of the Farm, however I wont be there until the weekend of the 24/25th. My rides are Sunday mornings..

Northern Farm is my regular. I usually do a lap of the perimeter (route 1) as a warm up then get into the juicy bits with route 3 and then a bit of whatever tickles my fancy to close. Ended up with a 85km on Sunday with not too much repitition. There are some nice new trails and overall the place is looking great.

Same here. I go out with the best intentions of keeping it chilled and relaxed, but half an hour in and I end up giving it horns. As long as I feed and drink things seem to be ok. Even on the IDT its a sweat pouring epic. No half measures, but that is the story of my life. But I can see the results - did my best distance/ave speed this last weekend, weight loss and recovery times improving. No Dr Jeroen Swart am I, but its all for the enjoyment and health benefits.

I got one for you

Was in for the 70, but family commitments have clashed Entry up for grabs

The root garden used to be a wooden bridge, but it got wiped out in the fire a few months back. However its a nice challenge now, not sure if there are plans to rebuild it... either way I dont mind. A good 26/29er challenge.. Nice of ianhoy to commit, there is so much that can be done there and it is awesome to see that you are soldiering on with a goal in mind. Keep it up! We all know it takes money and time, so its nice to see someone involved taking a interest. I was at Groenkloof yesterday and although its rocky and has some climbs and giraffe etc, its... noisy and I felt like I was never far away enough out of the madness..

Spot on, also 15mins from my pad so very easy for a early start and early finish. For climbing i do a few repeats of Interval Hill, but its not the same as a good rocky technical ascent. But its a good ride none the less

Seemed OK. I definitely noticed a lot of new signage..

+1 This is a good thing. If trail 3 is almost 50k then my usual route should get up to 70k odd with very little doubling up. I like! Not sure who is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep - NFRUG or Club 100 or a combo? But its nice to see the entry fee's being spent, or if the work is on a volunteer basis...? I saw a bunch of development riders as well yesterday , very encouraging to see.