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I have seen people ride into a clearly marked and cordoned off area in Tokai Forest while the loggers were felling trees and the chainsaws were screaming for all to hear.
Scary! In my young life I have seen a couple of accidents involving falling trees and it did not end well.
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Respect to you and your behind ????. I am not talking about 10km shortcuts, merely short sections of single track that loops from the main route that would keep back markers busy for 10-15 min at a time. I know because It was on private farms where I had access and where I cheered for 95% of the field and later had to move out of the "loop" in order to cheer for my buddy and a few other teams that that did not do the loop.Lots of Epic haters out there. I agree that the back markers are crap but the story about redirect and shortcuts is pure garbage and I know because I'm at the back.
rubbish, more and more people are making cut off. Its just easier than it was in the past.
Trail conditions are the same for everyone and its been a factor since 2004. Yes even the journey days had rough, sandy, corrugated, wind, mud, cold , heat. The fact is its shorter and with less climbing, therefore easier.
This year I saw on 2 stages back markers being redirected to shortcuts in order to make cut offs. The fitness and skills level of back markers is shocking to say the least.
I could not care less. People cheat, either on normal bikes or E-bikes . Every race I see people taking short cuts, people taking " the short route exit" and then tagging in or going over mats.
Then you get Strava KOM hunters taking on a specific section of road depending on wind direction, people cruising zone 2 but bombing certain sections and then bragging about it.
The golden rule is don`t be a chop! If you are on a E-bike do not interfere in a race or where ever and same goes for normal riders.
What a great event!! I'm definitely coming back next year! I only got a entry 3 weeks ago, so my training was not nearly enough in the months leading up to the race. I only met my 3 team mates two weeks before the race.
Our initial aim was to finish in 14-16 hours, but I was feeling confident that we can make it in 14 hours with 12h30min moving time and 90mins total stoppage at checkpoints. I ended up doing just over 12hours moving time, but 5 hours + of stopping!!
The weaker rider in our team already started cracking at 80kms, and pushed every uphill onwards from CP2. It took some motivating from the rest of the team to convince him not to pull out of the race. On top of Baviaans Back, waited 30mins for him. On top of second Fang another 30mins.. at CP3 we took a bit more time for him to try and recover. We decided to start MAC together as a team, and he gave us permission to pedal to the top and wait for him at Bergplaas. We gladly took the time penalty at Bergplaas for arriving one team mate short. There we waited over an hour for him to arrive, plus another 45mins for him to recover. He was adamant that he already decided while walking up MAC that he is pulling out at Bergplaas. We convinced him it is downhill from Bergplaas to CP5 where his wife will be waiting, so he might as well continue instead of calling it quits. From Bergplaas we decided there is no point for us to pedal out in front and wait 30min for him every now and then, and from that point forward this will be a support ride from us to stay with him and making sure we get him to the end. At CP5 after seeing his wife and refueling his spirits improved a bit and we got him convinced that Neverender isn't so bad and he'll see his wife again at CP7. He still fell behind a bit on Neverender and Mini Mac, but we tried to keep the gaps smaller than 10mins and wait at the top of every climb to regroup. We finally went over the finish line at 03:20 in the morning. 17h20mins later!! Through all of this there was no tantrums thrown, no moaning, and the sense of humor never left our team. I think that was the key to get all 4 of us over the line together.
At least I never had to get off my bike to push, climbed MAC in 30mins, and finished still feeling quite strong with an average 40kmh tempo ride from Mini Mac to the singletrack section.
I have a bit of an unfinished business feeling hanging over me knowing that we still had something left in the tank when we crossed the line and missing our target by that much. So we'll just have to come back next year!
kudos on your team mate for completing. I have only done the TB in 4 man teams and we have a rule that no matter what we stick together. We have done many races and sometimes you are the hammer and sometimes the nail. I have learnt that riding next to a struggling team mate motivates him and when I am the nail I am constantly looking for someone to pace me when i struggle.
Hi David
I dont understand the power at 150bpm. Why 150bpm?
Big issue is cost. Typical one farm access for event is about R30-40k. (STB used to go over 4/5) Add R10k per police managed crossing. All sudden you need massive sponsors to just to brake even, let alone make money.
There simply no big sponsorships (500k+) to make big events happen so everyone is going where they can still make money.
Charging event organisers R30-R40k for access is ridiculous. What is so special about Stellenbosch? I know for a fact that land owners in the Overberg does not even ask a fraction of that even for events like Epic, W2W etc. I am speechless
I was riding behind the bike when the crash happened. There was a crash in front of the bike and he had no choice to brake/stop. Alot of riders passed the bike in the neutral zone and that is a recipe for disaster.You mean the quad biked parked in middle of road in pitch black? Assume he stopped for the fallen rides to assist them and no one could see the bike. We just missed it luckily , it should have had more lights..
hopefully next year they will wait for sunrise so its bit safer
Just hit the mute button
If i have to guess : Franschoek pass> Van der stel pass to Botrivier . From Botrivier Hotel railway service road to Caledon. Klipheuwel road > Waboomskloof road> over private roads to the R320 at Shaws pass. Tesselaarsdal road loop around the mountain back to Shaws Pass via Solitaire rd. Hemel en Aarde rd to Die Bos dam> Karwyderskraal to Benuela Cove. 160 km basically on the dot.
sadly not .....
Many people dont understand the basic food groups, ie Protien, Carbs, etc ....
I certainly went about it the wrong the way when I tried to "eat less" a few years ago .... cutting out the "good food", and thus eating more of those very food groups that I was supposed to be eating less off.
For those that do understand the food groups, and their bodies and their health .... yes, it should be as easy as "eat less, train more".
For those that dont understand these basics ..... PLEASE consider a couple of sessions with a dietitian, which in turn should be asking a lot of medical questions, to ensure the advise they give are applicable to YOU .....
o-well, just my two carrot sticks, and 200g steak, on this topic ....
I agree. I believe in a balanced diet and training. People tend to starve themselves to lose weight then they dont have energy to exercise. My diet changes with my training blocks.
Guys I have a silly question so please forgive my inexperience. With regard to seeding index. I haven't done many events as I have only been cycling for a year. I did the CTCT, Knysna Bull, and the Knysna Cycle Tour last weekend. The aim being to get a fairly good seeding for Karoo to Coast later this year. When you look at your index, they give you a number. Are we trying to get that number as low as possible or as high as possible? And for a amateur cyclist hoping for a decent batch at K2C what number index am I aiming for.
How does this thing work? Seems like you need a degree to understand it.
Ppa events/racetec timed events in theory is supposed to give you a seeding index based on your ability. What boggles my mind is all the people with A numbers these days. They force themselves in front in the first couple of Km just to hold everybody up and then they blow up spectacularly.
Yes it is off topic...why does it bother you? do you feel better now calling a stranger a chop and yes you are calling him a chop. I am sure the OP will realize it along the way and elevate his social media skills to your high standards. If you cant be nice keep your bloody mouth shut.Off Topic, this is a good example on how to look like a chop because you don't understand social media.
OP: I am not saying you are a chop. Maybe go edit your 1st post.
The organisers have plans to improve the final 5 kms
Starting and finishing in the historic Overberg town of Swellendam; the full distance route takes in many of the region’s most spectacular sights. The rolling gravel roads cut through the emerald green wheat fields and canary yellow Canola blooms. At the 100 kilometre mark the race crosses the Breede River on the country’s only remaining hand-drawn ferry. Before embarking on the Malgas Ferry riders will be able to refuel, enjoying a 45 minute neutral zone, on delicious roosterbrood – hot from the fire. The final 60 kilometres return to rolling hills; which the locals know as die Rûens, for the hills’ appearance like a series of backs stretching off towards the Langeberg Mountains.At the foot of the mountains the finish line awaits. As one approaches it the vegetation becomes greener, lusher, better nourished by the rain clouds which bank up against the high peaks above Swellendam. In previous years the final few kilometres have failed to live up to the splendour of the rest of the route. Not so in 2019, thanks to Swellendam Municipality.“We are thrilled that Swellendam Municipality have agreed to road closures in town, which allows us to provide a fitting end to the Chas Everitt Around The Pot - Overberg 100Miler - Presented by SEESA,” Rudolf Botha of Petrichor Adventures enthused. “The final five kilometres now take riders through town, showcasing some of the historic Cape Dutch architecture of Swellendam and providing an easier run into the finish at the Swellendam Showgrounds.”
Ag no man.... it was nice passing all the gravel bikes in the last 5km
I am 37 and push my limit to 194bpm . One of my riding buddies at the same age struggle to get 175 and then he is hitting the same watts as me.So it not the same for everybody. I do however train at different hr zones depending on the day/program. Some days zone 2 , intervals in zone 4 and 5 and so on. It all depends on your goal.
Hi and Welcome.
Can't wait for the financial geniuses to comment. Getting my popcorn
Wait, did a new bike do that? HOW?
haha...getting fitter does not mean you can only ride longer if you know what I mean
My 2c....I financed my 1st new bike after losing money on buying 2nd hand and going after " more bang for buck" . Services and repairs amounted to almost what I paid for the bike. I just wanted to ride and enjoy myself and be fitter and more healthy. Waiting two years and saving was pointless to me. After discussing it with my family and making sure we can afford it I bought that damn bike.
I paid it of 6 months earlier, went from a weekend warrior to a everyday rider, stopped smoking, lost 15kg , more energy, far less medical bills, met incredible people, rode incredible trails and roads, no stress, happy life , happy wife etc etc. My money is hard earn and I don`t like parting ways with it but I also realized that you cant put value on life, health and living. ( within boundaries)
Will I do it again?Hell yes
Thank you.
VERY good to see that things improved.
We certainly do want to introduce Maritz to the "two-day" type event ... feedback from day 1 had me "dissapointed" ...
Looking back and after chatting to some of the people involved it was clear that it was " one of those days" where everything went wrong on day 1. For me good customer service is how you react to criticism and your attitude towards clients and fixing what went wrong. They did just that and with a smile. Despite day 1 the crew is very friendly and obviously they work hard to host a mtb event. I for one was negative yesterday and dished out criticism but I must admit that they stepped up big time and that is what impressed me.
I am a Free Stater. Our word is our word. We bulldust nobody and if you bulldust us, we climb in our bakkie, come to your house and moer you.
Seker nog n Hilux ook
4
Day 2 feedback: Event organisers came to the party, they apologised for yesterday and promised a great day 2 which they certainly delivered. Race started on time and route was very well marked. Route had everything from open roads, single track and nice climbs. Could see that the organisers was relieved. I will be back
Karoo to Coast
in Events
Posted
No man, jy trek jou ore plat en laat loop. Watse ge briek briek is dit dan nou????