BuffsVintageBikes

I see KoTAS has been taken up a notch or two today, sh!t must be getting real now, I had a lekka lag this morning on the gram, especially the man child chirp 😄🤣

The commoners refuse to serve under no king, we're in charge of our own destiny. The South can have their and skinny latte's and long white aero socks, we'll stick to branna & coke, black socks and have a jol out there 😉

Nice chilled Z2 rides hey @ClementLonewolf 😉

I ride that Devonvalley loop twice a week and fortunately have never had an incident there, really hoping and praying it stays that way. Sadly the Devonvalley tar descent down past the golf course is in really bad condition now with plenty of potholes so please be careful there. I've swopped to doing the loop on my gravel bike in fear of losing a rim or tyre on the road bike.

Yup, I cancelled my Zwift and went over to Rouvy at the beginning of winter because they were so much cheaper than Zwift and then a month later they put their pricing up to close to the same as Zwift. Zwift then offered me 3 months free to get me back so I cancelled Rouvy and went back to Zwift 🤦‍♂️ Now winter is over and I've paused my Zwift, basically scored 3 months of winter training for free.

Still happy with mine as well, I actually ordered 2 more pairs of Donen bibs. The Lycra is definitely not as thick or have the same amount of elasticity as say Ciovita but for the price you can't go wrong. Sizing for me was also the same as local brands. Edit: Realized this morning that I have a new pair of Souke bibs as well, with the mesh pockets on the side. Their quality is pretty impressive as well but their leg legs is a fraction shorter than the Donen's, giving a double tan line 😊 Their lycra and shoulder straps also feel slightly thicker than Donen's.

Yeah, those CSixx wheels doubled the value of the bike but the bike itself is still good value for money. I think it's safe to say that the inaugural event was a huge success and that this race is just going to go from strength to strength, as I'm sure most of us expected from the day it was announced. Almost every Pro that I follow on IG has had nothing but praise for the entire experience. Sure there were teething problems but that was to be expected on an event of this scale and magnitude, especially in those remote locations. The weather is something no one can predict, it's how you handle the chaos that matters most. Personally I really enjoyed following the feed on their website daily and I thought the evenings hi-lights package was exceptional but that to be expected from Bigshot media after so many years of shooting the Epic. I'm just sad they missed all the drama with Ashleigh's puncture because that was huge in the context of the race. Live feed would be great but I'm not sure that's going to be possible in those remote locations. Chatting to the media crew and bikers, there were things that they need to improve there as well but I'm sure that will be part of the learning curve and improved in 2026. Next year is going to be a humdinger for sure.

Well that sucks for Hayley Preen. I wonder which leading Pros requested the cancellation? 35deg is also a normal summers day in the Karoo... Gravel BURN right?

Thanks, appreciate the detailed feedback 👍

Today's stage has been neutralized up to the first water point due to strong winds.

@Spinnaroonie Do you mind sharing your source for this information as AI does not agree with your sentiments? I've been keen to order myself a set of those Meroca carbon wheels but resisted based on poor reviews of lesser know Chinese carbon manufacturers. I don't place any confidence in the reviews on Temu.

I think the finish line in the middle of nowhere is part if the idea in keeping it remote and exclusive. The event is about the riders themselves and the camaraderie amongst them rather than the large fan based. I was chatting to Hayley Preens dad before the event and he was saying that they have limited access to spectator points along the route for this very reason.

Maybe not but just about all National events are down in numbers as well and that's an indicator worth noting.

I noticed that yes and it had me wondering if it's because of associated costs or is the younger generation just not that big on cycling anymore?

Why the hell am I suffering from such FOMO? I know I'll probably die if I had to try race this, yet here I am trying to find a plan to raise 50K for next years entry fee 🤦‍♂️ What is really blowing my mind is the speed of the 50+ riders in this field. Damn, those boys are mixing it up in the Overall with the 19-34 group. Insane how strong they are.

It would break my heart to get that bike dirty 🤩

Well you certainly won't be getting snow this time around, not in Feb. Heat training 101 will be on the cards for next year, that's for sure.

I wasn't aware of that Chris, that certainly elevates him to Legendary status in my books. Myself and a friend were the backup crew for Willie Kotze in 2003 when he set the Tuffer Puffer course record at 23:51:01. At the time he was the first guy to go Sub 24hrs so it was quite a big deal... except it wasn't. He finished the race at midnight in the Waterfront and there wasn't a sole in sight to witness it. Just Willie, Henning and myself, standing at a point somewhere in the Waterfront that they deemed to be the finish line. We sat down, cracked a beer and celebrated it between the 3 of us. It was a surreal moment and at the time I couldn't understand why anyone would do that to themselves for absolutely zero glory or fame. He literally run 2 x sub 12hr Comrades back to back... over Table Mountain 😲 Those ultra trail runner are just next level, they have my utmost result for what they do simply to challenge themselves. @Zebra

I also really enjoyed this route, it had a bit of everything going for it, some smooth tar of the climb up Bains, a steep gravel descent, quite a few twists and turns along the railway track, long open gravel roads, sinkplaat and lots of rollers that chowed the legs towards the end 🤙 My only gripe was some confusion at the start when the announcer wasn't clear that only A batch was too start and a lot of the riders assumed it was a mass start and left at the first release. The result was my batch, which was C, only had a few riders in it so no bunch riding was to be had until much later in the ride when we started catching riders that had popped. I also got to meet Hayley Preens dad on the ride, a man with great taste I should add, riding the same bike as mine 😊 Spent most of the ride rotating with him into the headwind. I can see where she gets her talent from, he's in his 60's and strong as an Ox. She'll be representing at Gravel Burn at the end of the month. Other than that, it was an awesome day out on the Revolt at a great venue, well done PPA 👍

Geepers, that's a seriously stacked field, both on the Female & Male side, there's going to be some great racing happening out there at the end of the month.

I hear you. I got invited to ride camera motorcycle again but blew the motor on my KTM690 so had to decline the offer. Now I'm suffering FOMO from missing seeing the top tier riders duke it out up close and personal 😩

Looks like quite a few internationals are coming over including a few youtubers like Juliet Elliot from the UK. Ashleigh MP also racing it I believe.

Gonna give it a crack as well, hopefully it goes better than my Filthy Fondo attempt 🙄 Starting with a climb up Bains is generally never a good thing for a heavy weight 😊

Glad you got some good advice here because Vintage bikes don't have things like Shocks 😉

Another wonderful weekend in Greyton has come & gone. What a lekka place, the chilled vibe almost creeps into your bones the minute you drive down the main street. Sadly my prep for the 80kay was dealt a blowup when I picked a bacterial infection on Thur that needed an antibiotic and cortisone tablets to treat, so there went any idea I had of actually trying to "race" the event. As per normal, my legs ignored my brain telling them to let the front group go so I tried sticking with them until my heart interjected and hit the big red ABORT button after 20kms. Sanity eventually prevailed and I decided to wait at the first water point until one of my mates arrived and I rode the rest of the ride with him at a far more chilled pace. The other 2 friends where still mixing it with the front group. I was really glad I did that once we turned into that headwind... Yoh, that was just plain nasty. Got to the 2nd water table just as the first 3 from the long route came hauling past. They were literally flying with that raging tail wind. The last 20km's went by in a flash with much of it focused on trying to keep my front wheel on the ground while the wind had other ideas on what to do with it. The dust was washed down with too many beers (because there was lots of dust) and an afternoon sleep was just what the Dr ordered. See you again in 2026 🤙