HdB

Not a racing license, but membership or day license is required

What is the time gap between batch starts usually? Can't seem to find it on the site. Current seeding has me in A, but December training went poorly and since the goal for my first Attakwas is "survive", I thought I could ride with a friend starting in B. Seems I missed the cut-off for seeding changes. Penalty for not starting in your group is 15 minutes, so if the gaps are say 5 minutes it would probably be better to just cruise to the first water point and wait for him there?

Yesterday evening easy ride, from Sedgefield towards Serpentine road and back

For the last few years, and I assume for next year the same, the 7Passes MTB started in Wildernis and goes up Whites road to the Seven Passes road. Officially the section of the Seven Passes road after the university up to Whites road is closed to all but residents, but per some messages on local cycling groups it was not too bad to use (this was a few weeks ago, mind you) - just single lane traffic in places, that could be difficult to see oncoming traffic.

Less shiny and exciting than a new bike, but my finger slipped and this happened... Now to completely ignore anything else Black Friday.

The 360 footage works quite nicely! I had my new-to-me GoPro 11 on the Floaty grip - I thought the size would make it uncomfortable to carry/use, but it actually worked well to get in and out of my pocket. But especially later on in the strong wind, I didn't dare try and take it out. I've only checked my footage on the GoPro screen, so will see how it actually turns out when cobbled together. Our team managed to finish with all that started, a few minutes over 9h. Half of the riders need little mirrors for Xmas. The heat caught our UK-based rider, before the Bonnievale stop already; he only joined the team on Monday due to a withdrawal, flew over and did his one and only ride with us on Thursday with borrowed shoes, pedals, shorts, and shirt. Not his first DC with us, but in 2023 he had months to prepare. We managed to shepherd him and another who started cramping on the witches, to just before the finish where the other half of the team was waiting. Don't think I'll be joining this particular herd of cats next year.

a clincher-tubbie? Clubbie? I wonder if the same could be done with some Temu-TPU tubes. As long as it is the newer types with metal valve stems and/or replaceable valves.

I think you can always change to a normal cassette from the Cog, if you find you don't use it or prefer a different platform. You can also get one without the Cog, and buy it later (although I see the kit is more expensive than a basic cassette?). If you don't use the Cog then depending on which cassette you have on your MTB, you could just look for a HG-compatible cassette like the SRAM NX and put it on. There are SRAM XD freehub bodies available for some trainers like the Kickrs, but that adds another R1500-ish, plus the cassette. The Zwift Click buttons don't officially work with other platforms, unofficially there are ways to make it work with others like Rouvy or TrainingPeaks Virtual, but can be buggy. Rouvy does have the option of subscriptions for multiple people. The newer options do not work out as cheap as in the past, but still better than two separate payments. All of the platforms have some form of free trial period. And currently TraningPeaks Virtual has a monthly "Free 4 All Tuesday" (which is today). Maybe there are nice specials on the Kickr Core this month, since the Kickr Core 2 has been launched.

Not quite 🤣 Kom Se Pad Although I'm sure a few people have seen their gatte along the section

😁 The problem is when there is loose gravel on said steep cement descent, otherwise it is a fun one. After that sharp right it is fine

Last I heard, Montagu pass is closed to all traffic. Not sure if it is possible to go over or around any gates, but probably not wise. https://www.georgeherald.com/Galleries/Gallery/Local-News/seven-passes-work-to-begin-montagu-pass-still-waiting-202509241106 See the link above - that section of the Seven Passes road is also closed, supposedly work would have started last month. That said, Strava tells me some of the riders I know do ride that route, just this past weekend in fact, I guess you just have to be careful, and hope no official is having a bad day. Sounds like the start of the Karoo to Coast. I think there are gates involved, so might not be possible. Not sure who you would need to contact to find out about access. From Avontuur to Simola is the same route as the Karoo to Coast. The road between Diepwalle and Gouna (Kom Se Pad) has some descents to be taken carefully, especially the cement one.

Have the route designer ride each stage on an entry-ish level gravel bike (TitanRacing Switch or Avalanche Roam) with 45mm tyres, rather than their Hilux, to see how it might actually be for the participants 😉 Ideally it should just be clear to the prospective participants how hard or technical route they can expect, and prepare accordingly. But that would also require people to read the race briefing emails or pay attention to the announcer instead of chatting to their buddies, so... completely unprepared people will keep attempting the Cape Epic etc.

The start seemed a bit disorganised as well, though the pouring rain might have had something to do with it... Both the pro men's and ladies' starts were a bit uncertain, think the sound system was half drowned by that point. And of the open groups, a number of riders were very late - we walked back to our car after the group had left, and were passed by some riders as we got to the car and one rider as we were driving to the shops. I understand some of the media helicopters couldn't come through due to the rain, so hopefully coverage will be better in the coming days.

Hopefully on their Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@Gravel_Burn

The cheetah is part of The Big 5 now? Lovely bike!

Personally, between those options I'd lean towards the Specialized Epic since it was designed to carry two waterbottles, which would be nice for the long and/or hot stages. Hopefully others will have information about reliability etc. I've entered for my first Attakwas next year, and I'll be using two bottles plus hydration pack, unless the weather looks like it will be very very mild. For Transbaviaans and the recent Prince George I used the hydration pack for tools and stuff, with the empty bladder available just in case; but the weather for last year and this year's TB, and the Prince George, was pretty mild.

Latest prediction, looks pretty good

Not much less than the cost of my brand new bike... what filter would one select in the "MTB Rider Salary" Excel sheet, for the average to be able to spend over R50k on the entry fee for one multiday event? Sigh, I need to win the lottery or something 😂 Side note - I see the Dr Evil Experience has also been cancelled for this year, due to low numbers.

Thank you very much!

Been looking at the map for alternate routes back on Saturday... so how are the coffee shops in Prince Albert? 😂 Wifey is going to have to wait around a long time before she can leave for Louvain. Spend about 4 hours, drive to Klaarstroom and hopefully not have to wait too long before the pass is open? (her stress levels will not allow her to drive over Swartbergpas, nor woman alone the gravel road from Klaarstroom to Willowmore - plus, even if she avoids an anxiety attack, it would take forever, it would be faster to wait)

Looks a bit headwind-y... But will check again Thursday or so

Does anyone have a GPX for the route? I'd like to check what Epic Ride Weather shows we might expect.

My new bike was dropped off on Saturday. Gen 2 Titan Racing Cypher Carbon LTD, with Armour-ride on (including a splash of colour on the top tube). Only used it for a short easy ride yesterday, but feels very nice so far. Saddle height maybe needs to be lowered another tiny bit, but I will decide after a harder ride. Some tweaks to be done next week, after the Prince George which I will do with my hard-tail. The SLX 4-piston brakes from the HT will be swapped to this bike, power meter moved over as well, and maybe a Holy Rail storage setup to avoid a saddle bag scratching the dropper. Oh, and getting the many many cables to look a bit more neat.

I had a quick look on my Android tablet, spectating an ongoing event, and for me the menu button does disappear. Mind you, I have not used the tablet recently to actually do a ride, I normally use the PC. So I don't know if there is something different with the training graph showing, or maybe if it is a screen size/orientation issue?

Another Free 4 All Tuesday coming up next week, and the GPX route feature should be available to all by then. Plus we are half-way through the Grand Tour. Alpe d'Huez on Saturday 😨