leona

I'm just going to enter on the day and suck up the extra 30 rand. tried entering so many times and it just doesn't work. i rang entry time and they said to get someone else to enter for me which isn't possible so il just have to lump it.

wow, id be going to see someone who knows what they are doing.. not saying anyones suggestions are wrong, i don't know anything about this stuff but me in your shoes id be going to see a biokineticist...

does anyone want to buy my bottle? 1000 rand. bargain im not taking it back to england.

i wish it could have just been grape juice..

il do it today thanks

no problem to be on time just wanted to not have to pay the late entry fee!

whoohoo! got out and did all my ride in the dry! didnt get rained on at all!

I've been searching online and I'm really surprised not to have come up with anything but has anyone got any really good shots from jonkershoek? i really want something to take home with me but all the ones online are stellenbosch and vineyards..

is the entry on the day going to cost more? i cant get on the website at all!

i don't know what any of that says. i tried the link but same thing. copied and posted the one that doesn't show up as a link and it starts loading then the address changes to http://www.napierpatatmtb.co.za/ and doesn't work

i don't think its etiquette, it should be bloody common sense!

anyone else having problems with the website? it doesn't open at all, just get a white screen.

really puts things into perspective doesn't it! people you see locally who are so strong are like total beginner crap riders compared to those guys.

thanks. got so wet and cold riding this am i plonked myself down on the sofa to watch the world cup when i got home.

What them is the dh tomorrow? Can only see restoration and practice times. I'd like to go and watch f it's not pouring

heiko redecker? not sure ive spelt his surname right. he is cheries boyfriend, raced nove mesto in namibian colours i believe

i have radars and radarlocks. i have managed to scratch all of my lenses as some point but this isn't the fault of the glasses or oakley just my clumsiness. they are pretty bomb proof though id say. i went through staff training on them when i was working in bike retail and its pretty impressive stuff. a good example actually is last july when i crashed really hard. i went face down, cut all my face up, split my lip, broke 2 vertebrae and my helmet of course. glasses got pushed hard into my face. i had a black eye from the force but the lenses took all the damage that would have happened to my eye. the glasses stayed on through the whole thing and though scratched, i can actually still use the lenses. i cant really comment on the adidas ones except they are really ugly. i had a look at them the other day coz they sound really good. pros for radars - huge range of lenses and ease of swapping and really robust con - even with the vented lenses i find the radar locks steam up when I'm climbing which i find really irritating. the old ones don't do it with normal unvented lenses.

We rode over grapes in the prologue and after you got your finishers medal u got a bottle of wine 'pressed by bikes'

has anyone tried it? i don't drink at all but having asked around I'm getting the impression that a wine that is a week old when it goes in the bottle isn't going to be terribly nice. i was really hoping that it would be grape juice so i could drink it. before i decide who to pass it on to, i was wondering if anyone has opened theirs? either i give it to someone i like or someone i don't see...

its funny anyone can think that of people who ride in jonkershoek. i go there at least twice a week and with the exception of weekends i hardly ever see a single person. even on weekends i hardly see anyone. theres so much space there you never get caught up with people really. not sure what your expecting.. your there to ride either on your own or with friends, its not like your going speed dating and expecting people to fall over themselves to interact with you. this is totally off the point anyway..

a small one. smallest you can get! i have 2. one is a 2ltr that only carries the bladder. theres a small pocket on the front i can get a couple of things like bomb, multitool, keys and i can squeeze my very light rain coat into the main bit with the bladder but thats it. your always going to get hotter riding with a bag so the smaller it is the less of your back is covered. i have a bigger one that also takes a 2ltr bladder but with more bag space. it goes the length of my back and when the bladder starts getting empty and the bag is light, it moves around loads and is really irritating. id only use it in the winter doing a really long ride as i get too hot otherwise. edit - for me the mule is way way too big! i used to use one of those for commuting to work!

some people keep them all! I've seen people with them all down the top tube! i took both of mine off pretty much straight away. sure i kept them but not on my bike... its as people say though isn't it 'how do you know if someone has ridden cape epic?' 'because they'll tell you'

yeah that was a bit hairy when the 2 groups met... my only issue with passing was actually before that when someone came tearing past me without letting me know he was there. rocky descent, wind in my face, no way was i going to know anyone was there and your hardly in a position to turn round a look! pissed me off a bit coz he shocked me.. doesn't hurt at all to shout left or right if your passing. i generally found the shorter route guys quite quick and happy to get out of the way

i cant believe anyone would ever do that for any race anywhere! I only had a co2 with me on sat as i couldn't find my pump in the car. i normally have both. i would never ever ride with nothing unless it was an xco race maybe but even then..depends how far from the start the course goes.

I rode there today and I was thinking about this thread the whole time. I think I have read it all so forgive me if this is a repeat idea but rather than make it a 'no branding' area, why not sell the branding in a way by asking companies/individuals to sponsor certain trails? I went to Eagle Encouters at Spier a few weeks ago and individuals and families sponsor birds. Theres a little plaque up by each one saying who its sponsored by and they can name the bird too. What I would propose is that the trails can be sponsored for 6-12 months at a time for a set contribution. At the head of the trail it could say the name of the trail (or not) and who it was sponsored by. Maybe there could also be a website for the group (if it gets named and made official) and there could be free advertising space for those who have contributed. It would add an incentive to people/companies to donate as like it or not, we all like to be appreciated for things that we do! If I were approaching a company I might write something along these lines... "Dear so and so, I am writing to you on behalf of (say) TTF. As you are no doubt aware, Stellenbosch is a cyclists mecca and in particular Jonkershoek. This brings a lot of people to the area which is excellent but this in turn leads to wear on the trails. We would like to get local businesses involved in the upkeep of the trails to ensure that people continue to come and contribute to the local economy. To this end we have come up with some ideas and hope that you will be keen to get involved. For the donation of .... rand we will post a sign at the top of ... trail stating that is has been sponsored by you and your companies name (and possibly website?). This sign will remain in place for 6 months but this could be extend to 12 for the donation of ... rand. We have a website set up and invite you to advertise on here as well as post any special offers you wish to get across to the users of Jonkershoek." anyway, something along those lines. I also wondered whether it would be worth approaching the teams who's riders come every year to train here. If they didnt want to contribute money then maybe they could contribute things to be raffled/auctioned off to raise money? Just a thought. I also thought about how we can all help in some little way by keeping an eye on the trails. the storm of a couple of weeks ago brought a lot of cr*p down onto the canaries trails. There are lots of rocks that weren't previously there as well as a tree and lots of branches. For some these rocks offer a new challenge but for most of us they are just in the way. This leads to people going round things and sometimes off the trail which means it gets wider and also potentially loosens surrounding rocks. These then in turn roll in causing more cr*p to be in the way. I moved quite a few today that were new additions. didnt really add much time to my ride.. theres loads of small branches too just waiting to be dragged up into your back wheel so if everyone moved a couple for the next person it would make a difference. I'm leaving for england in july, its a shame really as i would love to get involved with this whole thing as it really needs support. the trails have really deteriorated since i first came here in December, there are some bits i just don't ride now as its not pleasant. Its such an amazing facility to have and it would be a real travesty if it was lost. p.s i think the specialized branding should absolutely stay. If they've contributed so much then people should know that.