BuffsVintageBikes

Only R54 per kilometre, it sounds like a bargain 🤭 At that price the CTCT would cost you R5 940 per entry but of course you wouldn't get fed & bed 😉

The Elsenburg drag... I absolutely love that piece of road on a quiet day 🤙

Our annual 2 day trip to Riebeek Kasteel happened this past weekend... pure gravel riding heaven. We call it the Riebeek Roller.

I can vouch for the SP Connect product. I have a phone mount on my adventure motorbike and mountain bike and it's performed outstandingly over the years despite putting it through some hectic terrain 👍

Yeah, my wife asked me over the weekend, what am I going to do if I'm out in the hills alone, an hour or two away from home and get bitten by a Cape Cobra. My answer was simple... "I'm going to die babes". That's probably the reality of it because you can't just go lie down and hope someone comes riding past, especially if you're in Bottelary Hills. It's also one of the reasons I prefer riding early mornings in spring/summer, just to reduce the risks. I've seen enough of them on the trails to make me wonder how many I haven't seen and just missed 😲

Don't be, it's for the Social Elite 😄

As a tandem newbie last year (both me (the pilot) and my mate (the stoker)), by far the biggest challenge we faced was racing in a bunch with single bikes, especially if the tandem still has rim brakes. Single bikes are quicker to maneuver in a bunch and now with disk brakes around, they stop a lot quicker as well. This caused a few sketchy moments for us in the lead-up races to the CTCT with guys grabbing handfuls of brakes in the bunch for silly reasons and I'd like to think it's just my experience on a bike that saved us from some serious road rash. This probably won't be a huge issue if you're riding socially but if you're caught by $ group and end up mixing it in the middle of the bunch doing 70km/h down a hill you'd better know how to handle a bike and rub shoulders 😅 Thankfully at the CTCT they seeded us in the Racing Tandem group and that went a whole lot better as there the reaction times are all similar when something happens in the bunch i.e. slow 😄 We were on a loan tandem from Mark at Marks Bicycle Workshop but should I ever buy one for myself with the intention to race it, I'd definitely go for a bike with disk brakes.

I did my 21st CTCT last year and celebrated it by riding it on a tandem with an old mate. It was a great day out on the bike and we did a great time as well... Sub 3:30 🤙

Exactly the reason I didn't pay money to enter it. Rather just get a couple of mates together and go for a 500km ride.

The Cederberg's climbs are truly "next level". I've done then numerous times before on tours and each time I still seem to be caught by surprise on just how challenging they prove to be... or maybe it's because I'm just getting older 😊 Have you done the Plett 2 CT Cape Cycle Route yet? I can strongly recommend adding that to your "To Do" list. Longer than the Cederberg but less challenging terrain and absolutely stunning scenery.

LOL... I never even saw DJR's reply before hitting the quote button... great minds and all 😉😄

Fixed 😉

I tried to warn you about those climbs and a loaded bike but it's something you need to experience yourself to truly appreciate 😉😅

Yup, I see my age group (Men's 55-59) finished in the same time as the Elite women. Though I'm not surprised after seeing names like Udo Bolts placing 3rd in the group. The old ballies are hasty.

The road is still full of stop & go's after the flood damage so at times there are zero cars allowing for great photos 😉