BuffsVintageBikes

So just enforce the full rest period, so 1st = 1st out

Maybe they should let the 10 top teams leave with 10min intervals in between the social teams, would that help with the drafting issue?

Stops were brought in as a safety measure to stop teams feeding on the road and having following cars holding up normal traffic. In the old days it was pretty chaotic, even the back drivers wanted to moer each other, never mind the riders. Strings of cars passing bunches was just downright dangerous. From a 12 rider (social) point of view, I think the event has improved a lot. Even our backup team had a jol and made new friends in the feed zones. "Teams that start and finish with all 12 riders, with the last rider finishing no more than 10 minutes later than the first, earn a special medal in addition to their normal finisher’s medal."

Interesting reading the war stories. Have to admit that when Mother caught and past us it was at the circle turning left at Robertson and they were leading the bunch at that stage. It looked to me like they had put in an attack and were getting closed down. Reading between the lines, that's clearly not what was going on 😄

Damn right, 1st rule of Fight Club 😄

What an incredible event, there truly is nothing quite like in on the calendar. After a 17 year hiatus, to do it this year with this tenacious bunch of DC virgins was quite special. Sometimes, we tend to get complacent due to familiarity and don't appreciate what we have available to us. Saturday made me realize that I need to stay well grounded and thankfully for good health, great friendships and well organized events. The value you get from this event goes way beyond a great goodie bag and braai pack, it touches hearts and strengthens friendship bonds (if you've done it right). Well done to Old Mutual Wealth, Food Lovers Market and the rest of the sponsors on an incredibly well organized and enjoyable 2024 DC. God willing I'm be back again in 2025 because this event cannot be missed ever again. We weren't the leanest or the meanest but we all had a common goal and worked towards it so beautifully that at times in the ride, I even had goose flesh, van lekker kry 😄 Hearing a DC virgin shouting out "Twaalf manne, ons is Twaalf" as we crossed the finish line had me quite emotional. Getting that Charles Milner medal was the single biggest goal. For each person in our team, it meant something different but equally as special !!!

With the "new" compulsory feeding zones it adds an interestingly dynamic to the race. For weaker or heavier riders dropped on Tradouw or Op de Tradouw, the 1st rest stop gives them 40mins free time to get back in the game. That's if your team decides to use the full 40mins allocated to their rest of course. It does however mean your rest will be a lot shorter but 40mins is a long time. At the 2nd stop you get another 30mins to latch back on. So it's always a good idea to never give up if you still have legs as you might still be able to be of use to your team in the race.

Yup, Dudon and one other are the only experienced DC riders there, the rest are all DC virgins 🤭 He's an experienced and strong rider, he's put in some solid training miles.

I love cycling but I still manage to resist going to a braai in cycling shorts 😉

My last DC was back in 2007. Back then there was no compulsory rest stops so this is going to be a great new experience. Racing with Team Shifting Hearts, an NPO raising funds for school clothing and kit for local farm school children on Bottlelary Road. Starting nice and early at 5:32am and certainly targeting a Charles Milner Medal. If all goes well it will be my 9th DC, all with 12 finishers, which to me is what this event is all about. Weather prediction is looking great so far, let's hope it holds out. The hard work is done, now it's an easy taper, eat well and try stay healthy 🤙 See you guys & gals out on the road, say Hi when you breeze past 😄 2 of our "out of towner" members not present in the Team pic.

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 😉