Red Bird

Heard there was a massive crash 5km into the men’s elite race. Anybody know what happened? Someone I know broke his front wheel, lost car key and got some nasty roasties.

Cadence sensor could also be in the way

Quite easy. You can buy QR adapters that works like a thru-axle

Isn’t Jesica spelt with two s’s?

https://inthebunch.co.za/2020/02/i-go-into-my-new-role-with-eyes-wide-open-says-csa-president-ciska-du-plessis-austin/ Great vision. Let’s hope she can progress the sport.

The first official Gauteng Cup race is on 22 February. More A-lines. More climbing. More stoke.

Put on a tyre with a bit more height on the knobs. Tried the Vittoria Barzo/Mezcal and its grip comes alive in the wet. It should still struggle in deep mud like any tyre, but I have found that something with flat knobbies slides all over the place.On the technique: just get into a low gear and pedal through. Follow the tread patterns of the ones before you to help steer your front wheel in the right direction. Otherwise your wheel will have a way of its own...

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It was a scorcher. More than 30 riders in the youth category - a record number of participants. Masters and vets categories also increased a bit in numbers. More competitors, more fun!

Results will be posted by Sunday evening http://www.xcosa.biz/xcosa-events/

Route is the same as previously, only in reverse. This increases the technical demand: 1) start off with technical climb which will spike your heart-rate 2) recover on a tar section 3) the dragged out climb along the fence is now a fast downhill 4) more punchy climbs 5) A-line drop-off and gap jump / B-line with logs to slow you down 6) sprint to the finish line on a slight incline

No changes to age group start times, however the amount of laps has increased for some groups... Course profile to follow soon.

Hi Stiaan. It depends on the event. The first at Avianto is quite technical; second one at Red Barn is fast and flowy; third at Modderfontein has lots of flowy singletracks but you climb a bit more than at the Barn. For 50km as the longest distance, it actually takes you almost as long as a marathon as most of the route is singletrack.

I have a Trigon HT and it weighs 10kg, but is almost just as comfortable as a FS so it is a win-win. I recently put a Vittoria Agarro on the front for a more trail feel to the bike and I absolutely love it! It makes the bike 400g heavier so for races I will put my Barzo back on etc. I just don't like the generalisation in judgment that comes with the HT. People just assume you're all about racey racey and no fun. But a comfy hardtail is super fun to ride plus you can have the speed when you need it.

A Kenda Hellcat is similar to a Vittoria Agarro. It comes in 2.35 and 2.6. Tried it in the wet and it GRIPS and is so much fun to ride. The 2.35 is not as wide as you’d expect though. It measures just as wide as my Mezcal 2.25. Tiny negative aside, the Agarro is my new favourite trail tyre

All race results available at http://www.xcosa.biz/xcosa-events/

Development league #2 is on 1 February. It will be even more fun than race #1... More technical features will be used to challenge the riders... Enter at https://www.cyclingsa-events/

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Some of the action that took place. Muddy and slippery in the rock gardens...

2020 GC XCO League #1 on 18 Jan 20 - in other words: "The exhilaration never stops ..." > Online entries www.cyclingsa.com (closing today) > Late entries & number pick-up at venue on race day (late entries R250 + R50) > Vital stats of track: 4,2 km, 97 m vertical ascend per lap > NO jumps, drops, rock gardens this time ... > Enquiries Pierre - 0797171209

Registration should be done one hour before your start time.

During the entry process, people can select whether they want to race for podium or just ride.

Track for the first XCO introduction league race will be ready for practice from 6 January... It is a less demanding track to ease into the racing season. 4,2km / 97m ascent per lap

I’ve had Strava since 2017. This year, I doubled up on 2017/2018 combined... Biggest climb is the Mamba in Sabie - 556m in about 8km