NicholasH

😆 I also saw that 47km sign when I drove behind a bunch. I later realized the problem: we recycle sign boards each year and on the OTHER side of that sign was "Slow down - Cyclists" 🤦 The 47km was totally random and by chance ended up there. I'll make sure they place it elsewhere next year to give the roadies a fright....

Glad you had a good day out 😁 We can ask the food guys for next year but I can imagine that they only have a certain length of cable they can use. And we can't move them further away. If that is your biggest gripe, I am happy 😅

Thanks! Always appreciate feedback. My focus is on the Trilogy for the last 3 years since its inception. So, while I do have visibility of the 95k (I have to do the race briefing with CSA, Province Cycling, all the team managers, traffic, etc at 5:15am) I don't know the nitty gritty of various groups etc. I do get feedback from the commissaries after the event so I hear about some of the crashes and rogue riders. I do take recommendations from ALL the distances tho and try and improve where we can.

Your input is appreciated, esp the burgers and boerrie rolls comment. Those are wuite easy to churn out my the dozen. On the other hand, you won't believe it : we actually BATTLED to get vendors to come out to our event. I would have thought people would clamour to have access to 4000 hungry cyclists in a captive environment.... What was really difficult : we tried to cater for our Muslim riders but COULD NOT FIND any Halal vendors willing to come out to us. Apparently there are like only 3 in the Western Cape and they were busy (I do speak under correction!) As I have said in previous posts on different topics : some things are just out of our control.... Glad you enjoyed it tho! See you next year

there are no rules as such. An event organizer has the "right"(?) to make them up. CTCT for example, does not allow eBikes to complete faster than 3h:40 else you get a DQ. We have not instituted any ruling as such yet. However, NO eBike in ANY category is eligible for a prize. The other problem is that you have to enter into an eBike category when registering. Many people don't. And modern eBikes (esp road) are so stealth an untrained volunteer on race day can't tell the difference. However, they do bring revenue and we need to make space for all people where we can so we can't just "ban" them - that would be wrong. Best is to try and work out a starting place for eBikes that is acceptable to "both sides". it will be a priority for next year

I tried to have the eBikes moved to AFTER the 45km start (spoke with RaceTec/etc in November already) but we were suddenly rushed to get our final number estimates in and then they just ignored that eBike request.... unfortunately that is ONE thing we have ZERO control over, even though it is *OUR* race....🤦‍♂️

Absolutely, I hear your sentiment I've just come back from a ride and you won't believe it : the council is grading the last gravel stretch 🤦‍♂️ Only 2 days late.... lol

Lol...Humbly I say that you maybe forgot that I "designed" the Trilogy route? Ridden it more times than anybody else while checking its suitability. 😁 And the single track is my backyard. I know exactly what you referring to. To be fair, that was on my hardtail MTB so I cannot comment on how it was on a gravel bike. All comments said in jest 😃

Yep, being in the position I am in, I get it from both sides : gravel guys asking MTBs to not ride the race. MTBs moaning about gravel guys on the drops. And then of course eBikes in the Trilogy As I said in a previous, "can't keep everyone happy" but I think on the whole the positives were way more than the negatives. I even had a request that the Trilogy be a stand-alone event at another time of the year....

My race: I did my first 99er and I was seeded $, but being a solid B, C on Zwift I “dropped back” to A- batch. A big pileup a few km from the start split the group slightly and meant matches had to be burnt to catch the front up. A solid 49km/h first hour = more (limited Luton matches) The rollers made for an interesting and fun chain-gang experience. <The last time I was pummelled like that was Cyclelab A and B group in the heady days of 3:00 Argus form ~circa 2018/9. > At the time I was questioning my life choices and only managed to hang on till 42 km. Then it was an ITT for 15 after Philadelphia-ish vicinity. Can’t be sure cos I was bleeding a bit, sans a power meter and was caught up by B group and eventually some fast C’s. I hanged on till around 7km to go, when a few of us were shelled out the back for the home stretch. It was an adventure and a learning curve. I will definitely be back next year and hopefully better equipped for B or C group to the end. I loved it. Can’t believe I lived in CT for 6 years and never was told about this race. "Maybe rent a few metal gym lockers for the day and provide these at a few to buitelanders like us from Cowteng and Pumilanga ? Just a thought?" That is a very good idea! I will def present to committee for next year! Thanks, that is the kind of feedback we are looking for 🙂 Yoh, dude you been living under a rock? 🤣This is the 27th running of 99er. Glad you enjoyed!

So, without going into details or specifics at this time : A general question with a simple answer of "Yes, No, or Same" Was this year's experience on average better than last year's (2025) 99er?

Aaah, great. thanks for the explanation. I chatted with the medic and told him sort of where to go, given that he cannot go over A frames. At least now I have an answer to give to the farmer when his corn crop is reduced this year!🤣 I stood and watched for an hour or so on the knoll near the airfield just before that rutted bit. many guys went right onto the smooth bit soon as they could. Last year it was way worse and one or 2 ended up clipping barbed wire on the left. Then that muddy section near Spes also caught many out. I watched with a smile seeing how different approached that. From full brakes and getting off to going left through the field and others going full gas while their bike bounced like a ball. Like I said to a passing rider (who chirped me..) "it is NOT a gravel race, its the Trilogy CHALLENGE" 🙂

Morning 🙂 Yes, that bull was on my ride when I did the trail marking on the Tuesday. My bike marshals (that you saw dotted along the route) actually took pictures of that beast! (Just don't wear RED on race day) We used that gravel route the very first year when it was 60km total. The problem is you cannot get from there to the other side without crossing the main road to get an 80km route, hence we all using the 4 way intersection now. Also, I spoke with the (then) landowner and he has just sold his farm to the Airport Co, and they want me to sign a waiver document as long as my arm in case someone gets injured on their land, etc, etc. It just got too complicated for many reasons. What I loved about this year's Trilogy was that mielie field bit. I think it caught many people out (locals were familiar with it) esp those on gravel bikes....

The challenge is going to be even bigger in the next 2 years. Once that Winelands International Airport is completed, I can only imagine what traffic will look like on a Saturday (or ANY day for that matter) out on that stretch to the 4 way stop. Imagine trying to marshal that.... 😮‍💨 Anyway, luckily for me, my tenure at the 99er will have come to an end by then and it is then someone else's problem 🤣

So the issue here is not about religious freedom at all. It is about volunteers willing to give their FREE time and they are not willing to do it on a Sunday (I would neither) and thus without volunteers there is no event. We have Thinkbike marshals to control bunches and traffic to a point BUT you always get those cyclist who WILL disobey them. Also, we (as far as I am aware) are the ONLY race in the WC (outside of Cycle Tour) that gets full road closure for the last 15km! (Albeit from 7am till 10am). That took a lot of hard work from our committee to get to that point. Safety is paramount to us and the road closure of the last 2 years is our latest attempt to improve on it further. Also , we will never grow the event past 5000 cyclists as that takes our event permit to a level beyond what we are willing to handle. (we have to fill in 18 applications to get this event approved!). So, yes, thanks for your input, we value feedback from all participants. Unfortunately, there are some things which are just out of our control.... hope to see you back next year!

Re Saturday vs Sunday. Yes, we are a Christian School and thus 99% attend church on a Sunday. I, too am a professing Christian. However, this doesn't mean I can't or won't ride on a Sunday. The issue here, and this is what so many people who don't know the 99er "insider information" miss, is that EVERY person you saw out there that was not from the traffic department is a parent of child at the school. VOLUNTEERS who give up their Saturday to do this. Us on the committee put in literally 1000s of hours collectively to stage this event all the while still having day jobs and a family life. Been this way for 30 years. So, yes, we observe Sunday and don't expect parents to give up their desire/right to go to church so a cycle race can happen. The traffic situation was getting out of hand as you rightly pointed out, hence the move to the rugby club. Thanks for supporting our event, we hope to see you next time 😃

That was always my intention when I created the Trilogy. Ultimately a gravel bike won and when I was trailing you guys in my car, gravel bikes were by a large majority the front runners. I think unless you are a seasoned gravel rider, a MTB would be better choice for the average rider. But, that's my view... Hope to see you back next year then😃

Thx very much. Your comments are well founded and appreciated. We have a awesome support team. Before I became involved at the 99er I rode my 1st one in the early 2000s starting from the school... come full circle 😁

The lucky draw is another department 😆, I do operations.... Seriously tho, I will raise with committee.

On Finish Time

Awesome!! Thx for supporting us. We work hard each year to improve and feedback is always welcomed

Thx for feedback. This is the Northern Suburbs, my backyard. Much tougher here than the the south 😆 Those cows and bulls are regular. Just don't ever wear red cycling kit...😳 I hand picked and placed those marshals because of the danger level. As for the mud, previous post explained. Farmer has to water his crops.... Unfortunately the only way to stretch the race to a decent 80km is to use tar to get there. I would love more gravel too but it is impossible. What is nice about the race is that it is consistent in terms of route. Exact same distance and path each time so you can compare to a previous race. Glad you enjoyed. I enjoyed interacting with many of you on the route and at the finish

Hehe.... the cornfield section was a bit of a curved ball, won't argue 😆 Because we ride on farm land we take what we can get. Last year that section was fallow.... next year we have coconuts growing there It is called "challenge" for a reason. Look forward to seeing you all next year

Lol😅 Yep, perfect race day. Looks everyone had a blast. We had a few crashes on Klipheuwel on the A Frames. Gravel bikes don't work so lekker on them Good on your time 💪🏻

Not that I am aware. However, i don't see an issue if you leave bags in the Racetec area. BUT we cannot guarantee security etc... So that would be at own risk...sorry