bradjackson

So all you dot watchers trying to decide which dots to support next week, check out these guys (and lady) who will all be riding the Munga in aid of the Smile Foundation. https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/groups/the-munga-smile-team Give them your support

I think this closely relates to vrooomm's comment about making peace with the wind. Those who tried to stick to their intended pace after the first hour last year would have been over-extending themselves. My original plan was to reach the first race village around midnight... well within 1 hour after the start it became clear that was a pipe dream. I had to force myself to slow down to a crawl just to make it to the first water point, and then only rolled in to RV1 around 4AM. That's one of the things that keeps you occupied while riding the Munga... continually calculating and recalculating your time to the next WP or the next RV, and then working out how much sleep you can afford.

Sounds like an opportunity for some excellent Munga conditioning...keep your kit ready next to your bed. Then when you wake up in the middle of the night just put it on and go out for a 6 hour ride. On bibs... You want a chamois that dries quickly rather than thick padding that's gonna trap moisture. You will find yourself jumping into every windpomp dam to cool off and you want your shorts to dry as quickly as possible to minimise chafing. I used 2xu tri shorts which worked great for me. Really had no issues with chaffing at all.

My Munga last year went something like that. I felt like a guinea pig in my own experiment. Entered 6 weeks before and got away with so little training its not even funny. All my training amounted to just a little more than the actual distance of the race. The whole year (Jan to Dec) I covered just over 4000km on the bike (including the Munga). I rode it on my Giant Anthem SX 27.5 without any special mods or fancy packing systems. It really is mostly in your head. The race is brutal but 5 days is a long time and if you can just motivate yourself to keep moving forward steadily anyone CAN do it. I made it to the finish with only a few hours to spare.

The Gemini Xera is R1950 for the 2-cell version, and R2150 for the 4-cell variant The Gemini Olympia is R2900 for the 4-cell and R3050 for the 6 cell Check out the list of stockists on our website: http://www.magiclight.co.za/

Magiclight was first to introduce the previous generation of high powered LED bike lights to SA three years ago. The market has certainly grown and there are now many lights available with varying degrees of quality and some seriously dodgy marketing claims about lumens and what-not. We have been doing our homework and are now proud to introduce the next generation of lights to the SA market. Gemini is a Canadian-based company producing high quality bike lights which are far more than just clone copies of what the other guys are making. They have upped the game by paying attention to the important aspects of a bike light - like energy efficiency, size & weight, beam pattern, programmability, and the list goes on. What makes Gemini lights better than the rest? Here are a few points to ponder: Well focussed beam, optimised for cycling, produced by high quality optical lenses as opposed to cheaper reflector lenses Extremely efficient drivers which convert more of the energy from your battery into usable light Highest quality Samsung batteries providing more capacity in the same size & weight package Sleek, small & lightweight design User-programmable modes (in increments of 10%) But don't just take our word for it, Gemini lights have been reviewed by some leading bicycle websites with excellent reports: http://road.cc/conte...ed-light-systemhttp://road.cc/conte...ed-light-system http://www.bikeradar...rst-look-33200/ Gemini lights are distributed and backed by Magiclight in SA and are available from all Magiclight retail stockists. http://www.magiclight.co.za/products/bike-lights/Gemini%20Xera.pnghttp://www.magiclight.co.za/_/rsrc/1334569514771/products/bike-lights/Gemini%20Olympia.png

Anyone still contemplating on whether to come to the PE leg of the National Series, I assure you its going to be worth your while... this course is something else!! I've uploaded some photos from our recent EC Provincial to the Mountain Events Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.461220100570143.124917.202390673119755&type=1

Check out this helicopter flyover of the new XCO course at Hayterdale, near Addo. http://youtu.be/SsIViaxyZzQ The course is insane. Technically and physically challenging, and most of all its really FUN to ride. Join us here for the 3rd leg of the CSA National Series on 26 & 27 May. More info: http://www.mountaine...eries-3---xc-dh

Check out this awesome helicopter flyover of the entire XCO course. Filmed on Friday 11 May. We held our EC provincial race there this weekend and the riders are loving the course. Its physically and technically challenging, and most of all its great fun. For anyone still trying to decide whether or not to come to PE for the Nationals at the end of May, let me assure you it WILL be worth your while. This is an amazing course.

Event Name: CSA National Cup #3 - XCO & DHI When: 26 May 2012 - 27 May 2012 Where: Hayterdale, Zuurberg, near Addo, Eastern Cape Category: MTB A brand new XCO & DHI course has been constructed for the 3rd leg of the Nationals Series. For more info including course descriptions & photos/videos visit: Mountain Events Website Go to Event Page

Check out the Wide Angle Lens which we supply. It makes a significant improvement over the standard circular beam. On the road it takes the edge off the beam for oncoming motorists. Off road it improves the distribution of your beam without scattering unnecessary light upwards where its not needed. http://www.magiclight.co.za/products/extra-accessories

Hi Waadie Can you give me some info (real name, race no, estimated finishing time, etc) Did you pre-enter (online or in a cycle shop), or fill in a late entry form (On Friday in PE, or Saturday in Addo)? Did you upgrade or downgrade your race distance at registration? Did you collect your race number together with someone else (and possibly got them mixed up)? We're confident that all riders crossing the finish line were captured, so I would like to investigate this for you.

We drove the route - more or less keeping up with the leaders and I can tell you, even the teams that came 2nd and 3rd walked the section just after checkpoint #3 (didn't see the 1st team at this point but I reckon they would have walked it too). So don't feel bad for having to walk some of it - it was an extremely tough route.

Hats off to Wikus and the team for pulling off such a big change at the last minute in order to ensure that the event can still go ahead. Personally I think the route change is gonna add a whole new challenge to the race and level the playing fields - the course is brand new for everyone... Fortunately for me I'll be enjoying the route in the comfort of my Hilux, but for those who will be suffering through it and have no idea what to expect from the new route, maybe this video clip will help - its a Google Earth fly through of the new Groot Rivier course

The piece of plastic is not what you're paying for. Plastic is dirt cheap. Any idea how much time, money, thought and hard work goes into developing a simple thing like a bike mount bracket? Our upgraded mounts have been in short supply while we've been getting production ramped up. And not all the shops will have them in stock just yet. If you need one urgently PM / email me and I can arrange to get it sent down to your LBS for you.