JeremyCPT

What an awesome event. Loved it in 2017 and doing it again this year. I think the pricing is fair. Not cheap but fair. They have a lot of logistics to handle with the point to point nature of the event unlike a lot of the other stage races that have multiple nights in the same camp. Best food and vibe in any of the multi day races I've done. Very good combination between a hard enough route but still able to have a jol without killing yourself. 9 weeks to go, lots more training to be done. Dreaming of :Great wall my China, Sollys, Umko, Harrisons, Rock & Roll, Gumtree, etc etc

Lots of gravel grinding options in the direction of Elim also Arniston and Die Mond. You can easily string together 100kms of gravel with very little tar. Just don't get stuck out there coming home into a monster wind having long since run out of water and food. After biting off more than I should've I had to phone SWAMBO to come collect. I can highly recommend the tracks above Bredasdorp. Lekker little trails, mostly single track, some good gradient changes and nice rocky bits. The last time I bumped into Naas he explained that they were trying to open up trails all the way to Napier, maybe some of those are open now. Drop him a line via Southernmost Foundation website or Facebook - Naas Vermaak

Good fun little event. 50kms is a proper workout. Welvanpas trails are always great. Lots of other fun little bits of single track. Not much jeep track. Worth doing.

I did the event and had a great time. Its not cheap, but that seems to be common across lots of the mtb events. Water tables were good, I couldnt fault them. I love that route. If it wasnt challenging enough then just ride it faster. I found it to be a good combination of climbs, single track, pine forest, indigenous forest, open views etc. The route was well marked. The accident was apparently well handled. The ambulance got there quickly even though the accident was at a tricky spot. She was stabilised and transported out. Unfortunately it looked like it was a particularly nasty accident. I hope she recovers quickly. The goodie bag was acceptable with a nice Cape Storm top, coffee vouchers and few other little bits. Lunch was fine without being exceptional but what else do you really want? The free Mitchels beer after was great. I found the waiters to be generous and there were lots more than the allowed one available. Car transfer is fairly steep at R600 for 3 days but I look at that as a charitable donation. There was a free shuttle if you wanted it. Interesting how different people experience the same event.

Your assumption is correct

Im am going to miss the challenge and bragging rights of conquering Swartberg and Kamanassie. The Dryland guys always put on a good show, I am sure they will find some very cool routes for us. The more time we spend on technical tracks or single tracks the better. Looking forward to some new trails.

There is great riding in the pine plantations past Hoekwil. I think its called Bergplaas. Not sure where you get permits because I was taken there by a local farmer and he had permission. The seven passes route is also nice even though it is on tar. Its the old route from George to Knysna. Garden route trail park, Homtini, Petrus se Brand and Harkerville are too far away.

i live in wynberg. I'm doing a fair bit of riding these days, gearing up for W2W and the DC. Happy to show you around a bit. Also getting fed up with these attacks on cyclists, making me feel uncomfortable riding alone Cheers Jeremy

why not join some of the Table Mountain Bikers rides. check their website for details. wednesday mornings 6:30 to 7:45 vredehoek to blockhouse Thursday evenings 18h30 to 20h00 Kloof rd to blockhouse and back will need lights for both Pace is quite fast but they wait at each major intersection good fun

my youngest has used hers for 2 years now and she loves it. She got her balance on it very quicly and i dont think she will have any problems moving to a pedal bike soon. got ours at City bikes in Century City and at the time it was the only place that had it in allof century city, toy shops and sports stores included.

conditions should be good for the Race. I did the ride and things were drying out nicely but still a fair bit of standing water and muddy patches. Looks like Grabouw has had a bit more rain but nothing too serious so should be fine. Heard that a few trees had been blown down on the Ride yesterday but I am sure the Route crew would have cleared them. The Ride was fantastic, had great fun. Will definitely be back.

loving my 2013 Advanced! I think the R12k is worth it to have the better wheel set and full XT. Also check if you can get one of the last of the 2013 models. I think the only difference is the Fox CTD vs the Rock Shox. I have no complaints about the RS setup and its easy enough to lock out both on the longer smooth climbs or short bits of tar. A month ago there were some very good deals available on the 2013 Advanced

2 x 10 is great. I never used my granny gear on the 3x9 because it was such an unreliable change. Therefore just had to push hard on some of the steeper hills. So I now have lower/easier gears available for the climbs. Havent checked it scientifically but I seem to have a little bit less gearing for the downhills but that shouldnt be too much of a problem. Paid R31 400 for mine from Marco at Action Cycling in Cape Town, that included swapping out the Tundra for a Gobi saddle.

Had my Giant Anthem Advanced now for 3 weeks. Loving it! Upgraded from a 2009 GT marathon Elite 26er. The bike feels very efficient. Very little bobbing even when pedalling hard. and the suspension is very compliant. The lockout makes a nice difference and I can climb standing up without feeling like I am wasting lots of energy through suspension movement. The XT groupset all works well, particularly the brakes. The shifters arent as good as my old XTRs but I havent missed a shift so they definetely work will enough. its more of a feel vs the XTR issue. I am setting loads of PRs on Strava on routes that I ride regularly so it is a lot faster. I am not finding any issues with tight single track which is one of the areas that sometimes marks the Anthem down. Great buy and most LBS will do a good deal on the 2013 because the 2014 is due soon. Cant comment on the Merida but I investigated most other brands in this price range and the Giant offers the best bang for buck in my opinion.

I love the Cedarberg. very cold in winter so be prepared. saw that they have had lots of rain recently so that could make things even more technical. The maltese cross side is still closed because of the January fire. check with cape nature. Download the Iride map and that will show most of the riding. Enjoy the Cedarberg wines, also some of my favourites.