Shoei...what a day!...Hero gravel, except for the beach in the valley just before the first watering station! Cramps at the last climb...that's becoming a thing now!!!🫤 Time not so great but a jol with SIL!
Oh...forgot...Insta360 jumped out its pocket at the quarry/railway DH...thanks to the marshall there for picking it up and add 3k's to the Filthy Fondo to go back and get it! One lens poked but still covered with the other one!
Panaracer GK SK+ 50mm tan....good all round for mix of firm gravel and tar, slips a bit when presented with the steeps with marbles! 3.5bar on most terrain for me is good with no s/wall roll in the corners
More akin to these you often see sign posted: can't be too difficult to manage as there are numerous checks along the way...averages get flagged against classification for e-bike then after a few infractions over the regulation, a "gentle" reminder SMS gets sent to potential offender?
So my graveller is a Chinese brand (Pardus Uragno 2 x 11) but nicely specced out and has a few add-ons eg Redshift Shock Stop seat post for long hauls, dropper for short stuff, Redshift Suspension Stem....GRX 105 full hydraulic Groupset and lots of attachment points for bags and wotnot....paid about 32K 2 years ago. Done loads of gravelling with it as well as a big 5-day self-supported trip late last year...Zero issues with any hardware on the bike...
They just brought out their latest version which now comes with e-tech...top of the range with SRAM Rival AXS 1 x 12:
Price equivalent to ZAR 47.5K....almost half of that is for the e-groupset alone......
No i didn't, but picture the scene, there I am in the middle of the climb up Smits, the S/O hears a commotion and walks in and sees me sweating away on the treadmill, with a stranger dressed as Borat jumping up and down besides me!!!
Juice, NO! Unfortunate changes to my schedule had me out the country this year so sadly I had to skip...however, I made up for it .....
Saw Argus organiser Dave Mellors with this one:
And then because I was there.....
Forgot this one.....
And off the bike:
Neville! Great ride....bad timing for posting though! In middle of a Pre-Friday heated discussion...unless of course you were on an e-bike and deliberately posted to show you followed the rules perfectly with that time!!🤣
TBH the whole e-bike thing and the limits imposed by the organiser is all a bit pointless as it seems e-bikers are still dashing to the end then hanging out near the finish to come in under regulation time....but I guess that's at least some semblance of control to allow for a range abilities of e-bikers to enter...
Unfortunately, what you and others that similarly got DQ'd actually did beside obviously enjoying yourselves ...which is great and the aim of most participants I imagine...was also provide ammo for the anti-ebike crowd as well as maybe the organisers to clamp down on e-bike entries to events such as this...thereby removing the possibility of those that actually struggle to cycle a "natural" bike due to a disability, from also enjoying themselves.
Excellent thanks! Was hoping there was a way from Gannaga Lodge direct to Ouberg Pass via that Northern Plateau skipping the R354....there appears to be a 4 x 4 track that starts after you climb out from Gannaga Lodge....about halfway to Middelpos..but it looks pretty hardcore....can be seen better on Komoot..runs along that plateau and meets the R354 S of Kompromise, turn right down the R354 for a few k's then left back onto a gravel road that eventually either loops around to Sutherland or goes to head of Ouberg Pass???
Anyone know of this route?
PS tried to create a route this way on Komoot but it rejects it...will only go via Middelpos then just past Kompromise then to top of Ouberg...so maybe its a no go!
