Mamil

I simply don't believe there is any meaningful initiative in Cape Town to cater to cyclists of any description - the design of the roads around the monstrosity that is the new riverclub development is the most immediate evidence for this assertion. The general lack of any meaningful infrastructure maintenance and security noted above really hammers home the point. I also believe that this creates a climate of disregard for cyclists and pedestrians in the minds of motorists who, because almost all public space is designed around the motor car, automatically and correctly assume that their needs come first

Having complained bitterly about the snoring of my fellow riders the only Muppet whose snork makes it into this excellent munga movie is mine. Sometimes life is cruel

I would join a protest ride. If that is going to happen please post details

I fear there is going to be a tragedy on that stretch if there isn't some sort of intervention soon. I raced the rain home. Toyed with the idea of running the gauntlet with the north easter at my back and thought better of it. Took slightly less risky route over railway bridge past good hope center and set pr on the M4 instead.

It's a tough one but I definitely feel that it is important to keep using public spaces for walking running and riding otherwise we yield even more space to the cars and criminals and that's not good. This doesn't mean I'm going to ride through Woodstock n1 until the current spasm of nonsense has passed but it does mean that I'm going to be on my bike, owning a lane somewhere. That's why milkys routes are important and why giving feedback on these pie in the sky city initiatives and promises and egging the authorities and PPA on is essential.

Id love to take that for a spin ... Seriously conflicted personality on that bike

I like option 2 better than the M5 interchange which I have been using in both directions for some time now. Thanks. I'll use that when headed out to melkbos and the gravel out north

Paarden eiland - carefully through the koeberg interchange using the pavement - bear left and cross over voortrekker road - past the eyesore that is the new Amazon Riverclub temple of Mammon, Woodstock, then either up to Walmer estate into top end of town via Roeland street OR , past the castle, adderly, to waterfront. Tons of risk of all sorts and not a pleasant ride by any stretch of the imagination .....

Die muishond?

Went for a little road ride on Sunday to get my legs moving again after Munga and was shocked at how cr@p it was. Aggressive drivers, drunk rugby bros around Greenpoint, pampered kids revving engines that no one can afford to see if it really is 0-60 in a fartbeat .... Jesus wept. I got hooted at on the little climb out of Camps bay for not riding close enough to the cars lining the left hand side by some some corpulent, high blood pressure, boozy lunch, tight belt digging into his swollen belly above his E.D. afflicted undercarriage who wanted to squeeze his 3 million rand narcissus mobile past me .... so that he could wait in the traffic jam ahead. He got the more caustic edge of the mamilian tongue as he got left behind. Plotting a route back avoiding what we euphemistically call "hotspots" but which are really zones of lawlessness is a fear inducing nightmare. Had the highfalutin language of the NMT document distributed by the CoCT in mind as a MyCiti thundered past me at 70kmph to my 40 - thought about sending the Garmin tail light footage to them but watched my "What's the point?" reaction that is the inevitable defence against the irresitible force of "the economy" or whatever justification we give for this utterly unsustainable and dehumanising k@kshow that is modern urban living. I love road riding as much as I love gravel and the trails but I don't think I'm going to be spending much time on the road bike this December - I think it's Tyberberg for me over December - and zwift for intervals --- how sad is that. IT's Monday morning and I miss the desert winds and the roads that stretch empty and forever.

Sean Pincus https://podiatristcapetown.co.za/Team

I wouldnt invest more money in that bike to be frank. If it's one size for all and you are 1.9m you won't get a good position. Far better to visit a small bike shop and get them to size a proper bike for you.

We all ask "Why is this stem / tyre / sprocket / chain / so expensive" all the time!!!! IT's an expensive sport. I justify it to myself by saying when I'm smashing down some rocky path at 35kmph Im entrusting my life to a piece of equipment that it built to be as light as it can be without sacrificing too much strength and durability and that takes design, quality material and manufacture. Ride your MXR until it lets you down and then, if the bug has bitten, take the second hand and small local bike shop advice given above. Also, that MXR will allow you to ride on a smooth surface - as soon as you subject it to the strain of a rough dirt road or a mountain bike trail, I think it will break.

I've done the first 2 editions of this race and sorry to be missing this one - it's a very lekker ride and as noted, a toughie too.

My very long winded race report on the Munga is on my patchwork mamil blog The Munga is more than a bike race. To me it seems a container for a spiritual journey. The route is explicitly designed to take a rider on an inner sojourn as well as an outer pilgrimage across the most beautiful, harsh and ancient places of our land. The race is unbelievably hard. There is nowhere to hide. The prevailing wind is a head or or cross-headwind. The first 400 kilometers to Britstown were into the teeth of this headwind.… https://mamil.co.za/the-munga-2024-ride-report/ for the rest. Please feel free to slag me off here or in the comments on the blog.

I see early bird entries for 2025 are open at a discount. I shall not be entering. I would thoroughly recommend those early birds to anyone wanting to stretch themselves. The route is a masterpiece of beauty, and its more or less explicit aim is to take you on a journey, both internal and external. It's profound, intensely emotional, and deeply rewarding. I may well do it again but not next year for sure. Thanks @gemmerbalfor the support, maybe we'll navigate a razzle dazzle together on some future Munga. And @lechatnoir, so great you made the trip to Doolhof to meet me. That you were dotwatching made a difference to what it was like. My ass is so sore - there have been some interesting self examinations going on here behind closed doors at mamil center - hand mirrors seem to be a thing of the past - my mother and grandmother both had them - we don't. I'm too stiff to see my derriere in a normal mirror so it seems the selfie camera is the new hand mirror ....

I think there are 250 entries... A record number.

2024 munga starts Wednesday..... How about a little donation for TEARS https://mamil.co.za/mamils-munga-for-tears/

It's the principle I don't like. I pay them for the platform and must give them my data to enjoy the benefits of the platform. My view is that I should maintain control over who is and isn't allowed to see and use that data. I may not be directly affected but I want Mr Tinker and some others to be able to use my data because I like the way intervals.icu works. And the reality is I don't need Strava. And unless they plan to start providing devices themselves, it would be politic for them to keep other players in the industry onside considering that a very significant portion of their data is imported into the site from other apps (wahoo, Garmin etc). Imagine if all the other APIs forbade Strava from displaying data pulled from their sites!

I've decided to delete my Strava profile on 1 January. My sub expires in June 2025. I pay them, I provide them with every heartbeat, every watt and every route. The data is mine not theirs to control. I'm also looking at my other digital footprint stuff, Google, meta and minimising how much data I'm giving them. I don't like how these big tech businesses are behaving globally and I don't want to be part of it. I love the data and the convenience of the apps so I'm not willing to go fully analogue but intervals.icu and Garmin are where I'll be in terms of sport.

It had better be on. Paid my money and already planning my podium spot in the unseeded open category #mamilambition

Exactly the same as when a faster rider catches a slower one regardless of what kind of bike they on. Except the analogue rider looks down his nose a little at the ebiker even while publically professing that all bikes are welcome. Also deep down inside he wishes he had one.

It does have a chatgpt tone to it you're right. I'd love the committee that wrote this document to come on a ride. It would be so instructive for them

Riding through the night is an amazing experience. Deeply meditative. I love it, especially alone. The first time I did it was on the 36one. Dawn over the rooiberg showed me how they were named and is imprinted on my mind as a lifetime memory.

Exactly what I wrote in my feedback to them. I also invited the head honcho to come on 2 rides with me ... Durbanville to observatory. And Claremont to camps bay. Honestly it looks like someone with a master's degree in post modern town planning wrote that. Very important that as many of us as possible tell these officials exactly what it's like on a bike or on foot in this town.