B20

A very nice ride is past Reebokskloof. Take a right just past Rbokskloof Malmesbury direction. Over the R44 and take Koei se Pad (gravel) right toward the Malmesbury road, right and immediately left to Wellington, then few (2to3) kms later, left on Porseleinberg to Hermon. Hermon right onto Gouda/Wellington road crossing, left at crossing for about 1km, turn right onto Old Hermon road to Wellington and then back to Paarl. That should keep you busy for a while. (about 90-100km from Paarl) That Old Hermon road is generaly smooth like a Private School Driveway. Porseleinberg can be a bit rutted, but is very rideable with 40mm gravel tyres. You can refill water and eats halfway at Duvlei (Padstal in Hermon). Enjoy buddy.

I have the exact same vehicle and wanted to go that route with Thule bars. The Thule bars overlapped the back end of the tailgate and the bike's front wheel was against the spoiler, then the bakkie would not fit in my garage, so I opted for a towbar holder. I like your set up.👌 How far does the bars overlap the rear-bumper/towbar (I cannot gauge from your pic)?

Maybe Eben from Bolkwes Security can assist. He knows the locals well.

I enjoyed the race as well except the corrigations on the farm, but the rest of the road was really in pristine condition for rural farm roads. Being a local I was a shocked to see all the traffic on Bains, but it was as a result of the Tunnel issues on Du Toits kloof. The organisation was also good (apart from my race time not been recorded) which I will take up with the organisers. At least I have my Strava time 3H13.

The roads are mostly smooth ...... like a private school roads. Bring the fast one, there is going to some wind....

Does anybody have the 82km GPX files to share please?

I never ride without my 9mm. (Flamesuit on and gumguard in) The Mrs & I went on a night ride on a Boland farm (gravel) road. A car came racing past us covering us in dust and stones. I natuarally show my discontent as he raced past us. He braked hard, turn around coming back toward us. We stopped & I produced my 9mm. When his lights lit us up, he braked and turned around and sped off. I had 2 previous close shaves and decided that I will never ride without it again.

Correct, this is my "backyard". The district roads took a beating during the rain but most has been fixed. The 85km race will be 80% on district roads then some tar up Bainskloof. There are no major climbs other than Bainskloof. I know of one water/mud puddle which is about 20cm deap and 8m long just past the small bridge before Denel. Some road surfaces are still bad with potholes but the Prvl/Admin is sorting most of it out. About 3/4 up Bainskloof, there is a gate linking up to Doolhof. The Bainskloof tar/road section surface is super smooth (not slippery) after the resurfacing. The Bains/Doolhof decent will be a dodgy +-1km off camber jeeptrack/farmroad +- 12% decent section, but doable on a gravel bike, just go slow. The Doolhof road back to tar is not great and they working on a section to tar it, but its a short section. This will be a fast race for the r/snakes. The attacks will come at the bottom of Bains. That 8% x 2km section gets tough especially with distance in the legs for the heavier riders. The 45km would be great for non-technical riders and even e-bikes. The 85km would be fabulous ride for gravel bikes. (I would have done the 85km on my gravel bike had I not break my back in a fall) This is a nice route. Afterwards there are an abundance of good restaurants and coffee shops in town. (Disclaimer: This area had a lot of rain, so if we don't have to much before the event, I believe the conditions and roads will improve even more.)

Correct it was an e-bike, but a Levo SL with the smaller 36 Watt motor and battery which does not last indefinite on turbo. It was not the 90 Watt more powefull full Levy version of which there were in the race as well. It still was impressive for a 64 year old aunti in her first race.

I agree. The delay was a bit of a damper, especially for folks with the afternoon wedding plans. But, don't forget the announcers' words. "Apologies for the delay folks, but you will get a free entry for 2024") I agree the route and weather was perfect. I used my gravel bike and I had the advantage over the mtb's toward the end of the race on the smoother surfaces. On another note for the race organisers. The food stands were terrible. With such a lot of fine restaurants in Riebeek Kasteel, they should have the pick of the bunch. eS Just a last rant. Ackowledge the different categories of riders (vets, masters and g/masters, etc.). No need for prizes. The 2nd lady on the 40km came in 17/122 and was 64 years old (young). It was her first race ever.

EuroSport1

Shocking wheel change by Trek mechanics for Evie. Thats rediculous for this level.

I bought a Trek Checkpoint SL5 in Jan 23 but fitted 1 x AXS and Zipp 303's. I am not a great cyclist by a longway, but this bike is so comfortable especially with extra thick bar tape. I enjoy it more than my S-Works Epic. I live in the Boland and often ride the gravel roads around Riebeeck Wes, Paarl and W/ton. (Will see you at the Ronde) She handles the gravel roads with ease and no discomfort. Yes there are corrigations, but they don't last to long (road dependent). Be as it may, a hardtail, narrow tyres and large chainring will also work.

My experience of this event was some what different. To start the renta-toilets were not flushing when I got there. In my opinion there were to little toilets as queues got long before the race. The first part (15km) of the race was great, but got confusing later on. The colour boards for the long race changed mid race and some people missed some of the route markers even before then. 10km into the race at a dam, I saw a racing snake coming from the opposite direction indicating that he missed the route markers, which our group would have missed to. Post race I heard of 2 other youngsters also missed boards and took off in the wrong direction a long way off. I also missed a sign but a few hundred meters I linked up with the trail again. Half way in the race, the long and short route shared the same jeep track. Generally thats okay, but not when the short route ascends up a jeep track and the long route descends that same track at pace. That was a bit dodgy. It was very rocky and technical. Respect to the guys on hard tails though. I saw at least 4 mechanical retirements. I also have to replace peddles as a rock smack my left peddle. Will I race it again, ... not likely.