Rouxenator

Still the best Philadelphia MTB I have done thus far so whom ever organised it - you're doing the right thing!

Those climbs were epic, really enjoyed those. Added more sealant to the tyres before the race however it seems this year that was not necessary. Took one wrong turn on the 76km which had me and a couple of guys climbing over a fence and almost heading to the 2nd hill again

70km was perfect! Great route and lekker weather. Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

Yes you can, Racetec will pick up what group (distance) you start in and your result will be for that distance.

Up up and away!

As someone that has done the last 7 Fine Breede MTB rides I am more impressed every year. It just gets better and better. In 2011 there was no single track, now there is some of the most fun single track with magnificent views. What I like most about rides in this area is the sand, it's lots of fun if you manage to stay in the groove. The Brandvlei Cellars ride is just as much fun if you like a bit of sand. Thank you so much to the organisers, trail builders and everyone else involved. This is one of the few events where my wife and kid wake up at 5am just to come along for all the fun at the venue. We will be back next year.

After Sunday the whole tarmac thing became to high risk for me.

FFS the wind was not that bad out there on the blue route! We all could have rode that. But I have found the real reason why they stopped it. Illuminati confirmed!

Haha! Had to laugh at this bit though But.... clearly the first part is null and void because they deemed the winds unsafe?

Yes you should be able to collect it from the PPA table. Just email them and ask them to take it along for you.

well said! Yeah I blew my budget for this month and next month. But at least I know it was a wise investment. Those events are 100% guaranteed to start, unlike certain roadie rides

Last year was my first time and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'll be back this year.

76K it is for me!

I was tempted, but I would rather not put my "safety" into the hands of the race organisers who will then promptly cancel the race

I'm in for my 7th one - awesome ride, great venue and lovely people hosting it.

I will remain a PPA member as I do save on entries to their MTB rides, which are very good. It also helps that I start with the first bunch so I can finish earlier. Their decision to not even refund second lap entries have put me off road cycling to such an extent I might just sell my road bike. I have only once had a MTB event that was cancelled and I was refunded. Two other had the route shortened due to extreme weather (2013 Wolseley and Schappenberg). The terms and conditions of something like TransKaroo was much better. Entry Fee Policy UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL REFUND OF ENTRY FEE BE GIVEN. Deferment of the entry to the following year may be granted at the discretion of the race organisers, and will only be considered if supported by proof of a valid reason.

If you look at the treasurer's report from the last PPA AGM you will see that their pockets are already lined very well and the CTCT is a big cash cow for them. Now personally I would happily live with all that if only they carried my double entry over to 2018.

If you do mail them make sure you never use the word "refund" else it gets an instant reply saying they don't do refunds. When you word your email to exclude that and enquire about the second lap entrants you yet again get the finger.

You should come again for some of the other excellent rides we have here. There is the One Tonner, Karoo 2 Coast, Cederberg 100 Miler, so many I can go on... all of them 100% safe and 100% risk free. They will not get cancelled no matter what.

I completely agree with you on this. After giving it much though I have to say I somewhat disagree with the stance Geoff Hookins takes. 1) In civil society the law needs to be upheld. There can be absolutely no exception for when destructive protests or other forms of lawlessness is condoned. If is a very slippery slope once you start allowing that. 2) The facebook post of Geoff Hookins tries to take a look at the bigger picture of this "destroying a gem of the rich". I'm afraid at 5km from this huge informal settlement named Masiphumelele you are not getting the big picture. Let's take an holistic view and ask who are these people? Where do they come from? What are they doing here? Who told them to stay in these tin houses with no municipal services? 3) Ah yes, "gem of the rich". While there are cyclists who have R100k bicycles, R1m SUVs and can afford to do the Epic there are many more who are not that rich. My hatchback is worthless than some of those bicycle and my 2002 Giant OCR cost me R4k secondhand in 2011. I alternate between it and my R6k MTB for the daily commute because I can only afford petrol every second month. You see my fuel and cycling budget is the same thing, so a double entry for the CTCT is a lot for me. In retrospect this whole incident got me thinking about the events I take part in. I am all for charity but my preference will be towards rides and routes that use their proceeds to better the trails by employing people for an honest days work. If by preferential you mean free - then yes.

Not good enough at R1k. Yesterday on my commute home I pondered the idea of calling it quits after 5 tours. Along with that also strongly advising people to not take part in CTCT. Why pay other people to make sure you are "safe" when you can do it yourself for a lot less? I think it is time to get on the anti-Argus soapbox.

LOL! Nice one. Unused laminated pink "ride twice" start card. Any takers?

Hell no! This whole road cycling thing is way to much of a gamble. I'll rather do the Fine Breede MTB on Saturday. Much safer and a 100% guaranteed start.

Haha! I see it now, 2013 before 2012. It's at the back of my tool cupboard, not easy to reach in there.

Although I feel the same I'll definitely still do the CTCT MTB events. Travel cost is R0 since it's a nice little 10km warm up ride for me. Same goes for STCT, 1 tonner and Stellenbosch MTB.