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DPLot

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Everything posted by DPLot

  1. Did it last year and glad I opted for MTB instead of gravel bike. Definitely not gravel friendly. If its not rocks its sand so rather use an MTB duel sus if you have one. Its a tough race but if you are just racing the cutoff it can be done. Just sit with the grupetto at the back they'll pace you in. Recommend rather using a Garmin with a battery bank. The Baviaans lights should work fine.
  2. Avalanche Envi 29 Running 1x11 SLX with 38T in the front. Upgraded wheels to Token Vigilante. Saint disc breaks with 203mm rotors. Rapide bars front and back. Specialized cobble gobbler seatpost at the back. Just over 18kg of pure terror on the downhills.
  3. Added it to an order from china for like R10 I did see Solomon and Cajees stock some.
  4. Hi yes they look a bit newbie but i wont go touring without them again. They help so much in traffic and checking on your partner.
  5. Took our Trek Stache 5 29+ bikes bike packing around Bali this Dec.
  6. Finally manged to complete my anthem build over December hoping for a good 2020
  7. Hi All Anyone heading down for the repeat on Friday and back on Sunday? My lift cancelled so I'm a bit stuck. Don't mind carpooling driving down alone is just to expensive. Send me a PM should you be able to help.
  8. DPLot

    Trans Baviaans 2017

    Hi Guys So I just got an entry for the repeat on the 19th. I manged to sort most of the arrangements but it looks like the shuttle is fully booked. Does any one have an extra driver that can maybe assist in driving my car down to Jeffreys?
  9. Charging my Edge 520 I get about 8hours extra using a 2500mAh running the screen at 20% back light.
  10. Ok so short recap of the race. - There will be a full write up in next months Ride Magazine. Heading out of town the first 10km was a neutral zone but we averaged 30kph on the tar. Once we turned off the guys really went out hard and split the bunch before the 20km mark. As we hit the first water point at 50km it was all confusion as you had to check in with your support crew ( we only had a little mud some sidetrack and a puddle or 2 to contend with up until this point). This split the bunch again 3 guys got away with a big bunch forming behind them these guys put down the hammer and I decided to rather drop off and keep my own pace. 5 min later my lights failed as JCZA said lights/batteries and comparability was a problem. I rode with Corras using his light to guide us to the second check were i could get a new light. This was the biggest stop but luckily we were very split up and it was easy going through. I strapped on my second light and got my food packet and was off again. this section of the route was very lonely with a few small climbs i only passed 1 team in 45km there were lots of support vehicles coming and going to ease the nervousness of "am I still on the right route?" I have to comment as well solo at night in the middle of nowhere is an amazing experience they should keep the late start and finish it adds to the epicness of this event Heading into the next checkpoint a long tar decent lead to a farm track next to a water channel it was very muddy but not mess up you drive train muddy. Just enough to make sure you got your wits about you and not crash into the channel. This checkpoint had some burgers and mechanics ready to help. not having to feed or do repairs I sped through heading out on another tar section. just As I cot back on the dirt another team that had stopped for burgers caught me and we had a good ride up the climbs. We were picking up solo and team riders all the way.....this was 80km from the finish with 1800m of climbing left end some were already pushing. This section had a few puddles but nothing you couldn't avoid. I had to lube and tack another major food parcel at the next stop that went quick the team and solo riders I was racing with decided to stop for another rest so I headed on solo. This section had some rocky climbs not to bad but I did lose my hot cross bun I was looking forward to for 195km because of one bump. This section consisted of long rocky tree lined drags and you could already feel the increase in altitude. I managed to catch the leading bunch With about 57 km to go I manged to break away the decent into the last water point was very rutted and just running my lights on dimm to save power I snakebited my rear wheel and just manged to keep it together into the checkpoint to fix it. Another long tar section took us to what we where all expecting the race to be........a mudfest. my wheels just disappeared into the mud and i crashed about 4 times. I hear it cleared up later and it was easier to get through that section. There where about 8 big bogs but the rest was fine just energy sapping. The final nail in the coffin is a 1,4km pass up to Tonteldoos. this was supper muddy and drained what ever you had left. luckily after that it was 6km downhill to the finish at this point my lights had drained completely and i had to rely on a small usb light to nurse it home. So in conclusion......buy the best lights you can afford and an backup battery to keep with you. This event is tougher than Baviaans according to me the solo aspect and all the climbing at the end really plays a role. Its not technical but the night light factor makes even a small rut a problem. This is a bucket list race and so awesome close to JHB. Pics by Eric Vermeulen A short vid....it was very dark out there. https://www.instagram.com/p/BS9UJ6iB1sI/
  11. Was an awesome event. The rain kept away and only really affected the last 30km of the race with some deep mud. This is right up there with transbaviaaans.
  12. @underachiever can you maybe upload some pics. Also set on riding with my CX bike with 40mm tires just don't want to bite off more than I can chew.
  13. Have a look at the Swartberg 100 if you want a proper gravel race http://www.mtbafrica.com/2017-swartberg100-entries.html As for why CSA has banned it from mtb races i don't know. Stupid rule if you ask me Tomac was racing world cup XCO in the 90s on drop bars.
  14. Finally Got my CX bike to a post worthy level. I have to say the 40mm ramblers make a huge difference compared to stock 32mm tires
  15. I train on klapperkop daily and this will have a huge effect on me. I think signing in and out would be a bit pointless as criminals don't really abide by the rules. But a big number board like used at the trial parks could be a good option as it will avoid stopping and signing in and out. I know if the bike gets stolen it can easily be ridden out of the park but the thief will clearly not look like a cyclist and should easily be spotted and stopped. I'm glad something is being done to increase security but it doesn't help the security is keeping the people away it is trying to protect. Apart from the above mentioned I'm thankful for the initiatives and I'm sure a good median between security and accessibility can be achieved
  16. Thank you so much for the assistance. Ill see you on Friday.
  17. Hi if anyone has a extra person that can drive a car down from Willowmore please let me know. We got a entry over the weekend for the race on the 13th got everything sorted except for getting the car down to Jeffreys. The shuttle service has been fully booked. Please send me a PM.
  18. If seen Tupperware parties with better organization. I won't be riding due to the bad organization. Its just gona be frustration and confusion on race day. Id rather just go for a trainig ride and save myself the trouble.
  19. Flat taps from the start from C1. Any other C1s with the same plans?
  20. DPLot

    Ride for Sight 2015

    http://www.cyclenation.co.za/index.php/road/19-sa-road/593-dischem-ride-for-sightsome pics of the start and finish
  21. I also saw several photographers but cant find any pictures online?
  22. I Just want to add to this thread. I placed an order for my SS build last night and it was delivered at 14:00 this afternoon thank you so much for the awesome service and pricing cant wait to build-up my bike over the weekend. Kiwi you rock!
  23. Well done on the marathon route layout it was a killer!
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