Mamil

Case in point

Roadie weekend warrior but I don't identify as a weekend warrior. I prefer to think of myself as a commited amateur, an enthusiastic hobbyist, a seriously competitive mamil .... the curve in the bell curve.... jlHowever, judging from the photos from the trailseeker a few weekends ago there is a serious discrepancy between my mental picture of what I look like on the bike and what I actually look like ... so what I identify as and what I actually am may not correspond.

I'm demoted to E - from the lofty heights of C I think at the peak of the curve - so obviously I've p1ssed someone off. Not that I mind - maybe I'll only get dropped on Adderly

That's a lot of bicycle riders - looks like no shortage of wheels to suck.

Could you post a link to where you bought your permit online - can't seem to find it

The woman was quite hardcore too - maybe I betray my gendered assumptions about the world but I'm always surprised when a woman steps into a fight like that and physically challenges a man - the guy she was yelling at did well not to retaliate against her.

Ja last time I was there was before the big rains and some of the jeep track was properly sketchy - be interested to hear what it is like now

Sounds like there's a history here I've missed. I remember Mr Dlamini had a run in with the SANParks people and had his arm broken

Something about the tone of the comments here on this olympic cycles announcement that makes me uncomfortable

MMMMMM ---- PIIIZZZAAAAAA

Was also going to be my first time - entry fee refunded and this email received Dear Road to Desolation Participants, It is with deep regret that we must announce the cancellation of Road to Desolation 2025. We understand this news is disappointing, and we want to assure you that we did everything possible to avoid this outcome. Full refunds will be issued to all registered participants. Organizing an event in such a remote and unique location as Graaff-Reinet presents significant financial challenges. For several months, we have worked tirelessly to secure the necessary sponsorships and partnerships (international, regional, and local) to make Road to Desolation a reality. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we were unable to secure the required financial support. Making this difficult decision now allows us to provide full refunds to riders and minimize the financial impact on Community Connect. We are incredibly disappointed, as we are passionate about showcasing the beauty of the Karoo region and creating a memorable experience for the gravel cycling community. It is disheartening that we lack the resources to produce the event at the high standard it deserves, whether as part of the Gravel Earth Series or as a successful grassroots event. We remain committed to the vision of Road to Desolation and are exploring options for a third edition in 2026. We hope to have your support in the future. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, Julian and the Road to Desolation Team

Very disappointed that this event has had to be cancelled because of a lack of a sponsor.

Also just done this on the strength of this info.

Inside

The favero look very nice and I've seen lots of positive reviews. Just had my 4iiii crank based warrantied (brilliant service) and the new version is installed and working nicely. Also supports apple find my which is a great bonus feature one hopes not to have to need.

I use a 1.5k Redmi smartphone. Allows Garmin connect to send live track, gives access to Uber if a mechanical means I need one, can whatsapp and I have my discovery Banking on it which is a card I have simply for the vitality stuff so that if I'm in a situation where stuff is being demanded of me, I can give them a few zars without giving them access to my bond, business and savings accounts. It's a decent enough phone too... Very slow to boot but bluetooths my Spotify to the open run pros too. Loves me a gadget I do

Did a lot of last years munga traning piecing bits of these two loops together into big all day expeditions. Depending on where you start can make it 100 miler or longer - even make a weekend 2 day trippie out of them. Nice generally safe riding I found. Did a few other ones as well headed out brackenfell way to Paarl and over paarl mountain to Wellington side which was also fun. I also did a 3 day solo epic to Montagu and from there to Hermanus and From Hermanus to Franschoek where I met SO and MIL for lunch - routes for which I'm also happy to share although the road outside Robertson was not lekker at all - very dangerous. malmesbury bits and bobs.gpxprimary loop.gpx

Ja - and continuing over the Malmesbury road right through to Darling - quick Sarmie and a cappuccino at Evita's and then on to Moreesburg, round the back towards the two Riebeeks, then either Hermon on to Wellington then Eenzaamheid back home or the other way to Malmesbury ... km after km of semi rural gravelly goodness.

This is how cyclists should be able to ride on the roads were it not for the climate controlled lounge suites encased in metal armour and equipped with 200 kilowatts at the flick of an ankle that make it dangerous to be an unarmoured human in public spaces..... #mamilisonhissecondwhiskey

Reflecting on this race and also a message to the organiser (if they are monitoring the thread) - if no access to the trails in the area is possible, convert the event into a gravel ride and make it longer - there are epic gravel roads around Darling, out to Moreesburg, and even further. Do a lot of my ultra distance training our that way - 100km to Darling from the southern suburbs along the railway line and from there North and North east - plenty to see. I'd definitely make the trip to do a gravel ride that pushes the riders further out than say Ronde van Riebeek does -

Ja - that's why I want to see the route before committing an entry. I like gravel riding but not travelling to Darling for 80km of it.

Cycling to work is recreation for me

I wonder what this is relative to weight Hmmm - makes me wonder if it might not be a better idea for me to take my chances in Cat 2 for the crit in Atlantis or go down to Cat 3 where I think I belong more - or maybe even Cat 4.

What if a team could get 2 or 3 with @Kelson Elena Da Cruzinto a break with perhaps one or 2 others and then leave him on the front of that break (we know he just wants a solid 2 hours at his threshold) and then have one or 2 blockers on the peloton. Is there a team in Cat 3 who has 5 or 6 riders?

I'm not sure he's being bashed - but the presence of a super strong rider in a lower cat changes the race dynamics, that's undeniable. I think that in the next Cat 3 race we need to gang up on @Kelson Elena Da Cruzand see if we can push him into some discomfort -- it might take 5 or 8 people taking turns and maybe it ends with him exhausting us and riding away once we're all spent but maybe it's worth a shot -