Mountain Bru

To help quell the temptation.... I replaced my Fenix 3 with a Fenix 5 in April, and I've had to return it to Garmin twice since then. Once because the screen stopped working properly, and once due to loosing connection constantly with sensors and my phone, and the altimeter going crazy during rides. Garmin gave me a new one both times, but I reckon the 3 is the more reliable option.

Anyone found anything decent to replace your MTN 50GB deal? The new MTN "deals" seem pretty underwhelming as far as I can tell.

Thanks man. And the sizing (compared to Assos)?

Anyone know if these bibs are any good?

It'll have to be a cycling specific towel though, like this one : http://www.olympiccycles.co.za/shop/assos-fan-pack-towel-mug/ Normal towels aren't able to withstand the rigors of professional indoor training R264 looks like a bargain all of a sudden

I'd need an e-bike and some special juice from Lance to do that

Yip it wasn't too bad. A few times I asked the people in front of me to please give me a gap, and that was sufficient, but I think there's definitely potential for a problems and frustrations, and it does break your rhythm a bit to have to weave your way through people. Maybe that's an advantage though cos you can focus on choosing a line through the crowd rather than your legs.

I'll take any suspicion of riding an e-bike as a compliment

I've ridden it on a Sunday afternoon without feeling too unsafe, but I wouldn't want to have to contend with traffic and the climb. I knew a guy when I was studying that rode it everyday at peak hour as part of his commute though. If I remember correctly, he said the descent was more sketchy than the climb cos there's literally no shoulder, so I'd definitely avoid that.

I put my gopro footage of the climb on youtube here: Something to watch on the indoor trainer to motivate you not to be a walker next year (and maybe to motivate other walkers not to take up the whole road)

Shucks I see I didn't pay enough attention to the emails they sent and didn't check the website after I entered (riders brief only went up on the 30th of October) I guess it's always easier to blame someone else for your own incompetence. My bad.

All in all I had a lekker day, but I think the organizers could definitely do with some constructive criticism from the riders to improve the event. There were way too many seemingly simple things that I think were overlooked. It seems the organizers checked this thread at some point, so maybe things can change for next year if we make some suggestions of what we think could be better. Really enjoyed the race though, so I'll be back next year even if nothing changes My 2c on what could be done better in future: Instructions as to which roads would be closed and which to use to access the venue would have been great. It seemed like loads of people (including me) went to fountains, and then didn't know where to go from there due to the road being blocked. Literally an A5 piece of paper in the "race pack" would suffice.An indication as to where the water points are going to be. Maybe I missed it, but I had no clue how many water points there were, or where they were situated. Again, A5 sheet in the race pack with a route map and water point locations would be perfect. Signage at the venue. I had no clue where the start was from where I eventually parked. A demarcated walkers lane on Tom Jenkins. I almost couldn't ride up due to the amount of people walking all over the road. People are moeg. They need help with common sense like keeping to one side of the road if they're walking. Dustbins at the venue. I didn't see any, and when I left I saw that people had randomly made piles of empty bottles on the side of the road so I'm guessing I'm not the only person that couldn't find a place to chuck stuff away. An indication of which roads aren't fully closed. I wasn't expecting to see any cars on the route, but quite a few came past me on the section on the R511. I think it's pretty dangerous to tell people there's full road closure when there's not. Maybe a route change to avoid some of the chaos of the CBD? The traffic cops did their best, but I reckon they had their work cut out for them trying to control all of the taxis and cars and pedestrians on the road. Even with all of their efforts, I still saw a few cars that managed to get onto the closed off roads and had to be chased down by motor bikes and escorted off the road.

I agree. I'd so much rather have cheaper races than better goodie bags

IL here. I guess that means I get to "sleep in"

Thanks for the info. Really looking forward to it. What are the sections through town like in terms of potholes, glass, pedestrians etc? I also can't see any info on water points on the route. Any ideas?

I definitely live somewhat under a rock, but I don't think the event is marketed very well. I only heard about it from a friend in Polokwane who happened to overhear some guys in his riding group discussing it. I think if they wan't more numbers, they should do some better advertising. Having said that though, I entered today for the 98km. Can anyone comment on the route and what to look out for? How does it compare the 947? Any chance someone has a gpx file for the garmin?

Can you maybe PM me the details of your guy? How much would powder coating a frame generally cost?

As per usual, my mind is blown. Gonna go home and bunny hop over bricks to feel good about myself

I don't remember those

It was my first monster too. and all things considered I have to agree with the guy that said the route was not super technical. For me the absolute brutality of the climbs is what makes the race tough. It was one of my friends first races too, and even though he finished last, he still reckons it wasn't too technical and was able to ride the whole thing, even if it was super slowly. Not having a back brake does change things though. If I had to give advice to someone that wanted to do the race, I'd recommend that they don't stress too much about the technical bits and rather just make sure their fitness levels are good. The technical bits are also a lot more manageable if you're not completely buggered when you hit them.

Pieter bro you're a machine. Did your sprint finish for the last 18k's get you a podium spot?

+3

I hear you man. I'd rather burn matches in the last 20km than the first 20. I'm not really worried about my race time though. It's more a question of trying to guess mid-race what time I'll get back to Pretoria on Saturday.

To do a sub 5, at what kinda time should you summit the monster assuming you still have enough gas in the tank to keep a similar pace?

Tried to follow your 65km route , but we made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on what I'm guessing is a hiking trail. Was pretty much unrideable. http://www.strava.com/activities/142170583 I wouldn't recommend this route unless you're a fan of pushing your bike. Pretty stoked I had my big boy pant on.