Kom

Very sad to see the route shortened to 102km - excluding Bothmanskop is a travesty

Must say the race became interesting when 2a caught us just past Wellington, not sure why 1d to that point were out on a Sunday stroll. I need to thank google maps for routing me down the R301 after the Xmas tree that had formed off the R44, got to my gate in plenty of time. The dust on my clean bike sucked at the new venue - felt like a MTB event, the cycle trust need a complimentary bike wash before and after the event! The official time still managed to exceed my recorded time of 02:50 which included the so called neutral zone.

If you do get an entry, remember R50 at registration at Val de Vie tomorrow for name change

Anyone here doing the 2019 edition from 3-9 February?

@farrnus - As a matter of interest why are all your carbon frames sized from mid 40cm to low 50cm? Also why is large in the alloy bikes actually 54cm and X-Large 56cm top bar? Id be pretty keen on a carbon frameset at 56cm if you make it in this size? (Teal)

This bundle is quite tempting!

A dedicated series would be super cool - however I think the general concern in this thread is that they are being allowed to run concurrently in normal events

The reality is that they are shipped to the shop with governors on, but almost the first thing the salesman does is tell you how easy it is to lift the governor which takes you to the 45km/h assistance and beyond in some cases. 25km/h cruising up Nik-Naks is enough though to make me wander just what these riders are achieving entering an event rather than using the same trails on another day when the mass that have gathered are pedal powered enthusiasts wanting to race each other. If they are not fit, enter the shorter distance and go pedal powered, if they must use an ebike, ride another day among others of the same inclination. Its this reason that all forms of competition are homologated. Next we will see these same people on segways/ninebots at the cape town marathon ....

First time riding this event and really enjoyed it - i was watching the total ascent on my GPS which peaked at around 30km (900m) which left only around 350m of climbing for the remaining 27km which was nice and fast with plenty of pace opportunities. The climbing single track was quite congested (coming out of C batch), there was really not much you could do with limited overtaking opportunities on some of the switch backs. My only crit about this event (and others following) is that i continue to campaign that E-Bikes do not belong - anyone who does not acknowledge the importance of psychology on an event like this is kidding themselves, but having a motorised bike cruising past ruins my enjoyment for at least 5min before i can fall back into my MTB-Meditation. Vent over. Ill definitely do this one again next year. Eyes are on the 66km Tiletoria event (no Ebikes allowed ) which is by comparison a beast of an event - The climb up the GLB only surpassed by the crazy technical rattling descent that follows.

+1 +1 +1

Queue for the vetkoek was too long - gave it a skip to catch the ferry - regret that now though!

My Diverge took me back to Swellendam - different tires this time for a spin around the 'pot'.

There are a couple of events worth investing in a gravel bike for. I came out of saturday even thinking about doing TB on my gravel bike - i was a little high on gravel-awesomeness though ....

Decided to ride the event on my gravel bike and was not let down - this is a must for anyone wanting to try gravel riding. (The last 10km was a little off with some technical stuff which could’ve been walked, but the other 150km were pure awesome!

Team Cecil Nurse Results : 06:37:39 with 10 over the line, placed 127. Probably most of us having our best DC in terms of weather / mechanicals / rider endurance. Already suffering from FOMO, we might just ride as a team for SCT next weekend

We are still looking for a couple of riders for next weekend if anyone is keen We are aiming for 7hrs - Kit and Entries covered, you just need to get there and have accommodation. Contact Details available on my profile.

You must have just warped in from the 80s dude, ever heard of globalization? Your issue is with your supplier, and their issue is with the manufacturer who create an inefficient value chain that the consumers are gatvol of. We will uber, we will airbnb, we will go to source, rant over.

We still have a couple of Entries open, all fees covered except your accommodation and meals. DM me if you are keen to ride along!

Anyone keen to join a 7hr team, we have a couple of positions available. The entry and kit are covered, you will just need to pay for your logistics (Food, Accommodation, Transport). Preferences: #1 You are entered for One Tonner which we aim to simulate together #2 You are a peninsula rider so you are available for training rides (Live in CPT Atlantic seaboard, southern suburbs, bowl) Notes: # We are on road bikes # We all have team-group riding experience # Targeting a 7hr or better DC this year, with an average of 29-31kmh # We will take the top six across the line Please DM me if you are interested in a chat or joining for a training ride.

Ive had two regrets. both my entries were in before 1300 .. would be interesting to see how they chose ... Corporate Entries only open next Monday.

So much for Garmin claiming to launch at prices comparable to the outgoing 3. Prices on the Fenix 3 HR have dropped somewhat, my recommendation is to skip the 5 and get a 3, these prices are a little hectic.

The cost of that niner as it stands, if it is indeed a conversion would far outweigh just buying a second gravel grinder, albeit lower spec such as the diverge alloy. I've seen a couple on the hub floating for 12-14k.

Thats the point that i normally replace. I find that 0,75 already starts creating mechanical noise on the drivetrain i cant stand hearing while I'm trying to climb a hill.

Careful now, you may have just cottoned on to the biggest conspiracy of the century: how products are in a vicious cycle of re-invention to make money! Your point is valid for almost every niche of bicycle, and to expand any device in existence: The difference between phones of make Apple remain the camera?!? The difference between cars of make BMW, Merc and Audi remains a renewed maintenance plan?!? I can go onComing back to your point, i happen to be one of those gravel grinders looking for that sweet spot, but have loathed to fit a Lauf or a Lefty to solve what is the biggest shortfall of these bikes on dirt. I did Karoo-2-Coast last year and enjoyed smashing most of the climbs and flat stuff, coming down ou-pad was a life threatening experience, i just couldn't hold on and use brakes at the same time. I would have killed for a front end suspension solution for that one shortfall. This year I'm back at K2C, with a different tyre combo, running a softer 40c up front and the same 33c i ran for both last year at the back, tubeless of course.

Sausers race summary from yesterday, didn't know he was blogging during the event, interesting read http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/christoph-sauser/christoph-sauser-lose-some-win-some/