Musashi

To give you an idea, last year I did the TB in 10:48 and the DD in 16:51, training averaged 10 hours a week. I'm out in the northern suburbs if you're interested in some evening night ride/ weekend training.

Maybe we can make use of that guy with the rifle...

Die neverender is die ergste. Mens dink jy's klaar en dan kom daai lang bult wat nooit ophou nie.

Two years ago I went in four months from 15kg overweight and zero exercise to completing the TB (17.5 hours). If you ride 8 to 10 hours a week with a few long rides inbetween you should be fine (and even enjoy it!).

Excellent race. IIRC last year the mountains were snow-capped, but it was a cool sunny day and no wind. Absolute brilliant!

Yip. Finished 21:00, in bed by 23:00. In 2009 we finished at 3:30 - longest day of my life.

I can't remember the wind either. In fact, I remember pretty much perfect conditions. But it was hot!

Got the permit and hit the trails on Friday. The routes are very cool and well marked, but the signs are a bit small and easy to miss if you're not looking out for them. Then again, if you don't see any signs, backtrack a bit and you'll soon see where you went wrong. One thing though: did you guys know there is a target shooting range ON the trail. It was quite disconcerting coming around a corner and there's a guy pointing a rifle in my direction!

According to the website, entries close tomorrow, but on the entry website "ONLINE ENTRIES CLOSED". What's going on?

How hectic are the tests? Will I be able to go back to the office without a shower?

Post your target time for the TB to make sure you get people more or less as strong as you are.

I hope the weather is as good as last year.

Finally I have a safe option for riding between B'ville and STB! I'll pay for an annual permit with a smile. Thanks for the good work, guys!

Having completed one DD, I would not call myself a veteran, but maybe I have a few tips that can help. 1. If you've completed the TB, you shouldn't have too much problems with the DD. The DD is basically the TB plus another 100km flat at the end. I train on average 10 hours a week and didn't have any problems completing the DD. 2. Nutrition is very personal. I would recommend that whatever you use on the TB you should use on the DD (unless you know that it isn't working for you). Very important though (and one mistake I made last year): the first 2 to 3 hours can be very hot and you get very thirsty. Dilute your drinks or carry a bit of extra water. I used my normal mix and had serious problems drinking too much sweet stuff too quickly. I rode with two water bottles and if the drinks were more diluted, shouldn't have had any problems. There are water points halfway through each stage as well so a camelbak isn't really critical. 3. Your normal spares are fine. The race is really a "roadie" race - there are no technical sections and everything is dirt road (except a few patches of tar). Punctures shouldn't be a problem, but carry plugs and a tube in case. I would also recommend spare chain links/ master links and a chain breaker. 4. Your regular tyre choice should be fine. I ran my tyres a little soft (no risk of pinch flats) as there were a bit of sand, but apparently Mannie used very hard tyres. I think it is personal preference. Now for some questions you didn't ask but I think may be useful: 5. Dust is a major problem on the route. In the TB, vehicles follow a different route to the riders. On the DD, they follow the same route. As a result you regularly get vehicles coming past you and the dust hangs in the air. At times visibility is down to a few meters. Last year I used a spare buff to pull over my nose and mouth. This year I'm considering a dust mask (those white ones you get at builders warehouse). 6. The challenge of the DD is the time in the saddle. I think 17 hours is a good time (20 km/h average), but even that is very long. Make sure you are very comfy with your saddle. 7. If you have any knee problems, chances are the DD will bring it out. I'm still sitting with a right knee that is giving me problems. I want to see if somehow I can strengthen my knees before this year's DD. 8. Get good lights. If you've done the TB, you probably have a good light already, but with all the traffic, the red light at the back is crucial. I'll be using two or three. If you're doing the 100 Miler, you're probably based in the Cape somewhere. I've got my training split in two sections: for the TB, one week off and then the DD. Let me know if you want to join me.

Just a bit of information on the ErgoFit system. Dr Jeroen Swart is a physio at the Sport Science Institute and a former XC SA mountain bike champion. He designed the ErgoFit system which is based on your measurements AND your flexibility. I had an ErgoFit done and it really is an excellent set-up. Now, the only person at Webike trained to do the ErgoFit set-up was Willie Coetzee, no one else. He left Webike about a month ago and no one else was trained by Jeroen to perform the set-up. I know because I asked him 2 weeks ago when I saw him. So bottom line is that Webike is not qualified to do the ErgoFit anymore. Rather phone the Sport Science Institute and ask Dr Swart to do your ErgoFit. Chances are he'll pick up other things which may also become a problem down the line (knee stability problems for example).

I wanted to do two laps for charity. I emailed the organisers and asked permission and they said no, it's not allowed, not even for charity, not even if I take my chip off. Sad really.

Getting personal with guys like Slowbee and Dangle? I suggest you sod off and go fight your own fight, somewhere else. You are making enemies very quickly.

Personally I don't think taking up weapons is the answer. We carry battons, they'll carry knives. We carry tazer guns/ pepper guns, they carry real guns. (Granted, they already carry real guns). As vanniri said, most people are victims, not perpetrators. Isn't there a way we can work WITH the Kayamandi community and flush out the perpetrators? The locals have to know who the problem individuals are. Let's work with the police and search their places. Then again, they might be too scared to say anything. I just don't see confrontation being the answer. But I am gatvol.

I live in the Tygerberg area and have been working in Cape Town for 8 years. With the traffic there is no way I can ride to work. Now I've been transferred to our Stellenbosch office and we have a shower. Great, I can finally cycle to work! Last week Thursday they tried to bike-jack a guy on the tar road (R304) in front of Kayamandi. He was lucky - he ended up with a bullet in the leg but lived to tell the tale. Now this alternative road is also too dangerous. A friend of mine "lost" his R37,000 downhill bike to three guys in Jonkershoek after they hit him full force in the face with the steel rod (luckily he wore a full face helmet). Seriously, what is happening in Stellenbosch and why isn't the police doing anything about it? And what can I do? Apparently in Gauteng every second cyclist carries a 9mm. I'm not willing to go that route as more likely the gun will be used on me. A tazer gun is good for one individual but not 3 or 4. And now they're carrying guns. Looks like I'll stick to the motorbike for my commute... Lounge Lizard, I'm glad you're ok and didn't give up your bike, but I share your sentiments and frustration! Luckily I still have Tygerberg MTB Club.

I'm also interested, but with the Epic and then 3 weeks holiday in April, I'll only join you guys come May. My suggestion: give the ride a name ("Popeye's night ride"?) and every week start a thread to check whether the ride is on and who's joining. And Popeye doesn't have to start the thread each time, anyone can.

@ThaStig: My normal MTB gears (11-34 at the back). @FBSP: That is crazy fast on knoblies. Well done! Maybe someday I can join you...

Thanks ThaStig. It was a bit strange being the only MTB'er amongst a bunch of roadies. Next year I'll keep up all the way!

My sentiments as well! But I'm too conservative to assume that they care if it's for charity. They didn't care when I requested permission to do it twice. Just one question: how did you get into a start chute for the second lap? Did you have a second entry and "start card"? I'm just curious because I really wanted to do the same.

Well done to all the sub-3'ers! I don't think many (normal) people realise how strong you have to be to do a sub-3. Congrats! I managed to stick with my D group up to the 65km mark, but then you roadies dropped me like a bag of potatoes. But still I'm happy with 3:13:51 on a MTB and I'll be back next year. So, when do you think we'll have such excellent Argus weather again? 10 years? 20 years?

How did you manage to do two laps? I checked with the organisers (probably my mistake) and they said it is not allowed and threatened with anything from removal from the course to a lifetime ban. So I decided against it.