sias

Hehehe, not really... There is about 2900m of climbing of which 2100 is in the first 175km of the race. The biggest climb is in stage one - 10km up the Kupferberg Pass. Pacing yourself - survive the first three stages and see how you feel. Not like me, blowing up after stage 2... Riding with others - not so much. We were very spread out in the last few years - just you, the cars, the dust and the dark. Take some quality music because it gets very lonely at 2 o'clock in the morning. This will be my 5th attempt and the second at the 370km. Hopefuly I can make it 3 out of 5...

Got wet, got dry, got wet again and as I put my bike back in the car, the sun came out in all its glory. Started in DL on my 29er and basically did a 110km time-trial on my own to finish in 3:23.

Tim - The two un-manned water points on the ultra and 75km did not have any water! It was just a big green drum on a table! Fortunately some medics and techies had some Coke and water at the second one where the 75km and 105km routes joined. It seems a Continental Race King is not the front tyre to have on this type of route...

I did a 2:46 from B batch.

Be very wary of the EA90 wheels! I have a set and had to replace two sets of bearings and eventualy both hubs had to be replaced. The rear hub is not sealed as Johan said and when the dirt got in there, it made a moer of a noise. The front hub failed totally after the bearing apparently seized ! So far I haven't lost any spokes... Make no mistake, the wheels are light and very, very fast, but I had to wait more than a month for the agents to make up their minds if they were going to replace under warranty or repair. They wanted me to pay!

I know!! It was during the Desert Dash when the bike was loaded on more than one car and things were hectic and I was not always on my best... Lesson learnt...

I lost my thru-axle for my 29" Fox front shock and asked my LSB to order a new one, thinking it shouldn't be more than maybe R200 at worst. Get a chair and sit down and I'll tell you what that piece of pipe with a thread at the one end costs... R1000.00!! I nearly fell on my back! Is this really what it costs? Can someone please advise if this is the real price? Surely it can't be?

I take it none of you guys have seen the pedals that go on this thing?

jcza - yup, I saw that and wondered how she managed to hit the pole from that side!

Weet iemand waar ons die uitslae kan kry?

Duringd - to make it tougher, apparently. Norman - I have one already! I'm not so much affected by the change, but many slower riders will not be able to make it in 24 hours and this was not what they signed up for when they payed the R1750...

So all entries in the Desert Dash were sold within a week of them opening. Now, nearly two months later, they anounce that they are changing the distance from 340km to 370km! The cut-off time is still 24 hours (for now)... I feel it is a bit unfair towards the slower solo riders who were planning everything based on 340km. To find an extra 1½ - 2 hours for the extra 30km will be a big ask. Should we petition them to keep the original distance, or should we HTFU and keep our mouths shut and try and make the extra distance in the allotted time?

Ons kon nie vir 'n beter dag gevra het nie! Perfekte weer en ry toestande! Die water was nie te sleg nie en dit was glad nie koud nie. Klaargemaak in 13:48...

Ek gooi nog! Soveel as moontlik vir so lank as moontlik... Sal die week voor die TB begin minder ry.

Screw that! I need a battle plan for the Trans Baviaans! And sharpish!

Yes, after misjudging a corner and losing some skin on his elbow...

I won 1.2 million GBP yesterday!!! I went and put a steaming one one the boss' desk! Might have been a bit premature

Only because there's no emoticon with a raging hard-on...

Then you haven't been to one of my classes, have you? When I used to give spinning classes, some people would only train in my classes and ride the long distance on the weekends. It all depends on whether the instructor knows something about cycling or not...

Yeah, the crater is in that area, so are the farmers on whose land you would ride! Contact me and maybe I could help?

I appreciate your good sentiments and wish there were more people like you, and there probably are. You cancel out the people like me. Just don't stick your head in a bee's nest and expect not to get stung. Just saying...

38 posts... Karooskapie - Surely you could have seen from the title and the write-up in the original post where this thread was headed? Then you had the choice not to read further, didn't you?

I'm calling shotgun in the gunners' turret!

I have one of the first FS-1 ali Volcans. Did the Epic in 2009 and the Pionneer in 2010 and Desert Dash in 2009 with it. Very nice bike with more of a racing geometry and set-up. Light as well. I don't know how the carbon bikes are, but going on what I've experienced, it should be good.

Hahaha - with a 53x12 I would just stop dead and topple over on Ertjiesberg! That is some serious power to keep that ratio rolling on that hill!