Roneblack46

Great route, awesome views. will definitely be riding the trails. I had the misfortune of losing 2 chainring bolts at the 36km point of the marathon. Strange that there was no indication of the bolts been loose or gone. I assume 1 went then the other. So there I was stuck on the route minus 2 chainring bolts. Luckily for me the camera guy and a quad rider arrive to shoot some footage. Quad guy, I think his name is Christo - well his shirt had the name christo on it- was awesome. he had a pliers and after a quick search of the surroundings i came up with a rusty piece of razor wire. Tied the chainring back in place with the rusty wire and well off I went. Completed the full distance. Luckily i was running 1x9 so only 1 chainring to keep fastened. see photos of the ghetto fix. Once again - awesome race. sorry about the crapberry photo.

Will be going to Nashua Mobile Head Office in Midrand this morning. So will provide feedback thereafter.

What gets me is that the package is only R199 per month phone included. Where do they come up with the figure R769.00????? Such a random amount.

The scenario: I took out a cell phone subscription for my 12 year old daughter from Nashua Mobile. Nothing special: 100 anytime minutes and soft locked if it goes R50 over. So month 1 and 2 go by and she gets soft locked as instructed when exceeding her limit. So early September Nashua Mobile sends her the following SMS: (note she received this, not me) Dear valued Customer, due to your account being in such good standing, your Call Limit was adjusted to R769. Should you not wish to increase it, please reply "No" to this SMS. Standard SMS rates apply- Thank you for your continued support. From Nashua Mobile. Obviously my daughter does not even read it or respond, as there are daily advertising SMS,s sent from cell phone companies etc. Never mind all the 419.SH%T. So I get my Nashua Mobile account today and my daughters number has an account of over R1000.00. WTF.... So I go through her phone and come across the above SMS. Since when can a NON REPLY be accepted as a YES. I see this as a fat chance taken by Nashua Mobile. I will be confronting them tomorrow. So moral of the story please check those sms's and read them especially if your kids have cell phone accounts. I hate to think how many more people have been conned by this.

why not just stop and pick it up?

The difference between the 70 and 40 is chalk and cheese. This been a charity event I do not see it been difficult. Based on last years race the only BIG climb is concrete strips and the little bit beyond it. The rest of the climbing are the long drags which can be bumpy/rocky/ grassy. We rode on a section that was newly cut last year so was not worn in. In my opinion in terms of technicality out of 10 I would say a 5 at most. But then again as said by others this depends on your fitness and skill level. Do not be put off by what is been said on the Trailseeker Forum. Horses for courses. If you are comparing it to Red Barn then I would say you are going to enjoy the race on Saturday. You will come back for more. One of the best places to ride your mtn, it has a bit of everything. See you on Saturday.

I rode last years race. If I remember correctly it is mostly the same as the 1/2 Marathon route with a couple of add ons by the river. Same route from start to concrete strips but turning right at the T after the strips. Then through farmlands and under the help oor road. Then to the river and up towards the mountain area near Greek church. Not a difficult route at all. Distance was just over 50km.

Anybody have a profile of this race? Hope so- I like to know when a hill is waiting for me. do not like surprises.

The last time I saw so many "bonnets" at once was at Teazers.

The last time I saw so many "bonnets" at once was at Teazers.

So anybody interested in doing an 8 man marquee as suggested? I am riding in the 40-44 age group. May I suggest we get 8 names confirmed and then arrange as suggested. So if interested add your name please. R150 for a good spot for 4 days is a bargain. The list: Roneblack46

This is what I found: "Clothing Footwear shall be fully enclosed A competitor must wear appropriate riding attire, including a shirt with sleeves of a minimum short sleeve standard which reaches half way from shoulder to elbow. Eye protection is strongly recommended. Wearing of a helmet which meets minimum ANSI/European standards is mandatory during training and racing, and should be able to absorb severe shock" So proper mtb shorts is appropriate riding

I am not a fan of the " help my sterk lyk" shirts. Shirt will be standard. I am sure proper mtb shorts will be allowed? Let me find those rules..... Or save me time. Anybody know?

I know about that. Just wondering how many riders did order. I am thinking of riding in mtb baggies/shorts. The weight difference will not matter for me. May need the extra pockets for energy gels for all those climbs....

Do not want to hijack this thread but have a question: Who is riding in SA colours?

I see some big (quick) names rather far down the rankings. Must be the result of a late registration date. Good luck to all.

http://mtbworldchamps.co.za/masters/ See under XCO rankings.

The seeding for the age groups is available on the website. Looks like 60 - 80 riders in most race categories. I got a good seeding. Happy. Now just have to find out how to stay there.

On chicken runs: At Hayterdale SA Champs this year I took the alternative section at one of the technical sections. A pretty blonde spectator commented saying " should we make chicken sounds for the chicken" I replied : "please do as I have a big cock" Was very quiet the second time I went through there.

I snapped a spoke on my 26er a while back. Just cable tied it to the closest spokes and rode for another week like that. Did Groenkloof - all routes up and down with no problems. No other spokes affected. Repaired when I had time for R60.00.

It may be. Never seen that happen though.

If you are 18 years old on 31/12/13 then you participate in the Junior Men category. If you are 19 years old on 31/12/13 then you participate in the Senior Men category, I stand to be corrected but may be U23. So your time to race on Saturday would in all probability be either 12:00 or 12:15. To be safe you need to be there at least by 11:00. In time to see us older guys suffering.

How old are you? I can find out in what category you will partake in, and let you know your start time.

The posted program is for the SA National XCO series. The Gauteng program runs on the same time format. You can go online to bikeabout.co.za and register. Alternatively they have taken registrations on the morning in the past. All classes are sport. There is no recreational class race. You race in your age group.

I am going to ride the course tomorrow afternoon from about 2pm. Please feel free to join if you want.