Rapunzel

Hillcrest night ride this evening

wow!! last time we were up there was at the mast challenge and the weather was NOT good

these included riders that didn't start. It was quite an impressive turnout considering the entry fees and the problems from last year. Have to say that it was wonderfully organised this year - well done organisers!

There were fast downhill sections, but relative to the amount of time spent climbing, they were insignificant!What awesomely beautiful scenery and the singletrack was 10/10 (lucky enough to not get stuck behind others too often).

we bought the half-wheeler 2nd hand and latch it on the back of my hardtail. Agreed that I wouldn't do too much off-road riding - both because of the load on the attachment and seatpost but also that my 5 year old daughter bounces a bit at the back. We often ride to school and back through kenridge which is very hilly and my passanger is not good at sharing the workload so it's a mean workout. One worry is that if she leans over to the side it does make it difficult to control the steering.

probably the red route climb on hillcrest which wasn't a spectator hot spot. Thankfully they rode down the green corridor hill (between hillcrest and contermans) which is about 25% gradient too.

We've been having considerable difficulty maintaining the trails without rain - the clay forms a hard crust and when the crust breaks (as happened above stairway to heaven) it turns into poof dust. Good news is that considerable rain has been forecast for Thursday.

Contermanskloof will be open but there will probably be lots of riders on the Kliprug trail which is ridden in reverse in the prologue.

going to be riding on a bit of luck/faith 1 x tube 1 x bomb 1 x tire leavers 1 x gu 750ml cytomax

I love future life but find it needs at least 2 hours to digest before a hard ride. Oats / oatso easy works for me or pronutro mixed with water. I aim to ensure that the glycogen tank is full before a big race and ensure I'm getting some calories on the bike within the first 90min (that's generally when the glycogen stores are empty).

this is cape town - it's probably something like this start at city centre - 20 degrees, clear, no wind blue route - 18 degrees, partly cloudy, wind 30km/h SE simonstown - 22 degrees, sunny, no wind cape point - 18 degrees, overcast, wind 50km/h SE misty cliffs - 16 degrees, raining, no wind ... get my drift

I hope they get their ducks in a row for those entering this year - last year there was effectively no finish line and no results.

All ppa events at this time of the year are cash cows and it is for this reason that I decided to not ride the mtb event this year. Being in the prize money last year barely covered the entry fee, which for an event of this size is dismal. There are smaller events on the calendar which give excellent value for money, awesome routes, great organisation and vibe.

this is probably a bit embarrassing but I have a 1990 Shimano jacket which is dated but functional as well as a Collstrop jersey from when the team rode the Boland tour in about 1991 (still with Rik Coppens' name inside). As for 8 speed, that's all the gears my road bike has (along with a wheelset dating back to the late 80's).

are there late entries for the marathon?

the rock gardens are a bit intimidating - thinking of spectating instead of riding

I'm not a downhill junkie, but you can take a look at the video of the main black route (not sure if this weekend's route will be identical). Conditions are very dry and dusty

Start Date: 11/02/2012 End Date: 12/02/2012 Affiliate: CSA/International Location: DURBANVILLE Detail: XCO will be held at Willowbridge Mall Durbanville, Cape town - coordinates -33.868598,18.630531 DHI will be held at Contermanskloof Back of Durbanville same as last years SA Champs Coordinates -33.810122,18.595709 Seeding: According to XCO/DHI logs Registration and Late Entry: Friday 10 Feb – 09:00 to 16:00 XCO & DHI Saturday 11 Feb – 09:00 to 14:00 DHI only Cross Country R250-00 Downhill R 350-00 [includes transport] AND, for both: Late Entry fee R 50-00. Contact: Chris Nixon - 084 777 7802 chris@chrisnixon.co.za Line Griffiths - 0828799444 lhgriffiths.bio@gmail.com

last time everybody was up in arms, I contacted the ward councillor for security in Stellenbosch and neither he, nor the local police station were aware of the attacks. While it is exciting to put together a lynch mob and publicise these incidents, please also give the local authorities a chance to take action.

hahahahaaaa -it beats Martin missing his silver by 26 seconds :-)

interesting - had exactly the same happen with a specialized 2bliss on ztr crest 29er rim. The only thing that could have explained it was that I'd messed some stans on the beading before inflating the tire. I cleaned the tire and rim before inflating again and it was fine and never had the problem since.

ps - lots of people taking pics on the way - any idea where to view them? (somebody posted some stunning ones on fb last year)

again an awesome and faultlessly organised event. Managed to better my time 3rd year running and don't know if it will be possible to keep up the trend! Dryland, any chances of the event taking place in school holidays next year?

if anybody's short of a lift I'll be leaving Durbanville Friday morning and leaving Groot brak again Sunday morning. Got space for 1 person and 1 bike.

I'm using bontrager jones xr and very happy - they're light, fast rolling and relatively grippy in dry conditions. http://www.cyclelab.com/products/BONTRAGER%20JONES%20XR%2029x2.2%20RR%20BW.aspx