Tim Brink

19h16, day 6/365. Heading to the garage and the IDT with a full belly and the joy of a day keeping two toddlers alive and happy (and a few beers with dinner) coursing through the veins. The missus is giving me that look. Can't cock it up this early in the game, right?

https://www.strava.com/clubs/365for365

That could add a whole heap of pressure to riding on 1 January 2019.

So IDT counts, if you have your strap on. Excellent.

Now you do. Any idea how many folk made it in 2017, globally? Where do we find that out?

SO. 365/2018... Who is in?

Like we haven't watched your dot enough...

It will be in are 21st-anniversary bumper relaunch issue, mid Feb. Worth the wait - A good read. Am about to pressure the man into all sorts of technical things like kit lists, good-choices/bad-choices, things he would do different to add to it all.

Ummm. No.

We, too, are waiting ever so patiently to read the gory details.

A cynic might suggest Entilini doesn't actually want cyclists on Chappies...

Not all of 'us' missed it. Four did, in one group. I think they were looking for hot farmers and/or their daughters. It was on the GPX file... clear as day.

We had time constraints, hence the silly long day. Personally, I think this is a twelve, or more, day tour if you really want to experience it properly - stop and enjoy local food and hospitality, etc. Here is how I would tackle it as the shortest number of days, unless you want to ride monsters: Plett-Knysna 80km ish, including Kom se Pad Knysna-George 80km ish on the 7 passes road with coffee at the Bike Park George-Oudtshoorn 80km ish, including Montagu pass and many ostriches Oudtshoorn-Calitzdorp 90km ish - the last buggery bit of the 36One, in reverse. beautiful Calitzdorp-Rooiberg lodge (wonderful spot, the 'cycling' group with a braiing habit that passed through the week before drank all their gin, so call ahead) 45km ish but with a monster climb over Rooiberg. In summer, this will be a longer day than it looks on paper Rooiberg Lodge to Riversdale 80km ish, lots of flat Karooness, a fast tar climb, and a cracking tar descent Riversdale to Swellendam 90km ish, through Grootvadersbosch and Suurbraak (last bit on tar, including a special 'road' built for cyclists parallel to the N2) Swellendam to Greyton 115km ish, make sure you get there on a Wednesday for the craft beer happy hour - the N2 stretch into Riviersonderend also has a dedicated cycling portion, specially rehabilitated from the old road, next to it thanks to the Cross Cape Greyton to Stellenbosch 110km - lots of tar, including Franschhoek and Helshoogte, but a lekker ride anyway.A gravel bike or a monster cross bike is ideal, but an MTB also works With a light load, each of these days is manageable, between six and seven hours riding at a moderate pace. One set of casual kit, one set of riding kit (wash it each night, it will be dry in the morning and a lot of the accommodation along the way is really geared up for cyclists now and will be happy to help), some warm kit for the early mornings and you are sorted. I am still awestruck at the variety of terrain we traversed, and we rode much of it in the first Epic. To tackle it without bleeding through the eyeballs was surreal. We are so spoilt. Would I even consider trying it in four days? Not even worth contemplating. <OK, the missus isn't reading over my shoulder, so count me in... shhhhhh>

Working on it... Longer haul than the Munga itself. Allegedly.

It is taking a lot longer to go through the submissions and whittle them down to a winner than we anticipated - sorry guys and girls. If you weren't all so keen, we wouldn't have this problem, of course.Thank you, all! Working towards the end of next week... Thanks for the patience.

Rode the pass in early January with a 42 up front and a 36 on the back (and 41-degree heat). Took an hour and a half from the Cango Caves turnoff. The last three kays are relentless, and I will probably run something lighter to manage that section after 130+km. I don't remember anything much steeper than the 12-odd percent - it is all very gradual, no kicks. The surface was all easily rideable then, I hope it hasn't deteriorated much or it might be fun on skinny tyres. The worst section (mentally) is the well-sign-posted lookout point that looks like it must be the top, but isn't. The *** just starts there... the top is such an anticlimax.

Might as well get my first BikeHub ban over and done with. Peter, why are you being such an almighty idiot about all of this? You start with rumourmongering on FaceBook - your statement that the cancellation of the Tour had nothing to do with the weather is an outright lie - and then you carry on with your Cycle Tour and PPA bashing long after you are taken to task on it. You are, quite simply, wrong. What worries me is that you appear to be wrong on purpose. I don't care what your agenda is, you should really stop now. You are making more of these "riots" than there actually is. Because you keep whining and whining, people listen and take the easy route of going with your opinion. You appear to be knowledgeable about what goes on behind the scenes, but the truth is you have not been involved with the PPA for a very long time - by your own admission, many times, on this very forum. So, actually, you only think you know what is going on, and what went on. You have a million solutions. But I am sure it must have crossed your mind that the people employed to make this event the success it remains have explored them, too. I can guarantee you, and those who still wade through your waffle, they have. If I hear one more time that there was no wind where they stopped you and the pros, I think I will scream. By your own admission (once again) you were not at the start venue when the event was cancelled (you were in a balmy spot on the Blue Route). Nor were you Chapmans Peak, on Victoria Drive, in Glencairn or any of the other spots where the wind was downright dangerous. I drove over Suikerbossie at 11am on Sunday, and the wind was as strong as I have seen. I lived in Hout Bay for ten years. You know the peninsula exceptionally well, and know where it is scary on days like Sunday. Just because you think you have the bike skills to cope, doesn't mean a responsible event organiser should take risks on behalf of the other 35 000 riders, who would have been in grave danger in the conditions on the day. Please stop being such a d**s.

Those shorts imply it had already got messy.

There - fixed it for ya! This mountain is a gem. If you have ridden there, you will pay the $$$ in a flash. As with any event/product/service: if it feels too expensive for you, then don't do it. Easy. Just don't let the FOMO get to you when you see the pics later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baOsltOKtEU Longer version confirms the bizarre lack of not only death, but injury.

From memory, a broken hand and, fairly obviously, some bumps and scrapes. And soiled shorts, possibly. There was more info on it when this video first did the rounds some years back

Hennie Wentzel winning the 1987 Argus from Pierre Smit and Hans Degenaar. It rained a little that year.

Lance.

Maybe.

Nonsense!