swartpiet Posted July 7, 2011 Posted July 7, 2011 http://www.alloutmtb.co.za/content/swadini-top-mariepskop
Eldron Posted July 8, 2011 Posted July 8, 2011 Dude! You kakked off that much to get to the top and didn't ride DOWN? Are you mental? Uphille are the investments required to claim the downhill rewards :-)
swartpiet Posted July 8, 2011 Author Posted July 8, 2011 Dude! You kakked off that much to get to the top and didn't ride DOWN? Are you mental? Uphille are the investments required to claim the downhill rewards :-) I would have killed myself, I could bare stand upright when I got to the top, I was totally dehydrated and dizzy. I only had one serving of 32GI for the 60.5km and 1725m ascent. My wife forgot the rest of my hydration and nutrition at the camp. If I attempted that down hill I would not be here today, probably gone down one of those cliffs. Im going back there soon for the Bigtree challenge and will the definitely not miss out on the downhill.
BigGuy Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 Dude! You kakked off that much to get to the top and didn't ride DOWN? Are you mental? Uphille are the investments required to claim the downhill rewards :-) Hey Eldron, I went up there on Thursday... what an experience, and I also did not ride down, although my good buddy JB (BaldBatman) did. And he is a bit crazy. I could not see the logic in stuffing up a perfectly good pair of Mountain King USTs and set of brake pads. 7km of very twisty roughly tarred road going down at between 15 and 25 percent gradient needs slicks and a set of balls much bigger than mine, not really my cup of tea. Swartpiet, thanks again for the lekker kuier on Sunday evening, sure we will meet up somewhere again!
RudoJ Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 Well done Swartpiet and BigGuy, One day I'll make the Pilgrimage as well.
swartpiet Posted July 13, 2011 Author Posted July 13, 2011 That was a lekker kuier BigGuy, had a lekker laugh, JB is one funny dude. To the other hubbers, it is really a spectacular ride with the most amazing views. It is tuff, but worth it and Swadini is an awesome resort.
Eldron Posted July 13, 2011 Posted July 13, 2011 That was a lekker kuier BigGuy, had a lekker laugh, JB is one funny dude. To the other hubbers, it is really a spectacular ride with the most amazing views. It is tuff, but worth it and Swadini is an awesome resort. I love threads like these - harking back to the days when we rode bicycles because it was fun. No race training, weight loss, stress relief, blah blah blah - just boys/girls on their bikes because it's awesome. Thanks guys - had me a good little trip up Mariepskop in my head
JGdp Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Hi guys,I know its a late reply, but me and my dad just did mariepskop this morning( he is 48), what a monster, we planned the trip after reading this post on the hub!! Just wanna know, is there any climbs you know of which is worse than that??
BigGuy Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 @JGdp, congrats to you and your dad for climbing those stairs. It is the steepest and longest continuous climb I have ever done, I battled to keep the front wheel on the ground most of the way. Next time (next year) I will fit the 80mm fork, turn the stem around and use the straight bar. Planning a trip to Sani pass next year as well, the altitude should make things interesting.
BigGuy Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Still full of smiles here Road starts to tilt upwards Probably the worst part. Gravel at 15-20% Tarred bit starts To give some idea of the gradient
BigGuy Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 All fun and games Another pic that gives you an idea of the crazy gradient Woohoo! Almost there Well if you have one of these it is too late now Spectacular vista on the Hoedspruit side Our base camp. Swadini more or less in the middle of the pic. Lots of good memories.
LazyTrailRider Posted August 6, 2011 Posted August 6, 2011 Well done on getting to the top of a tough climb, but I have to be honest in saying that I found the mentions of "being in trouble" and "servings of 32GI" quite amusing... C'mon, you had a *bakkie* driving behind you, with the option of bailing out at any moment! The words "insane", "hardcore" and "in trouble" should be reserved for stories like below, where there's actually serious doubt around whether you'll make it home without being rescued... https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/100641-dumbest-thing-you-have-ever-done-as-a-cyclist/page__st__20__p__1356470__hl__ceris__fromsearch__1#entry1356470 https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/94629-ever-bonked/page__view__findpost__p__1282605 Looks like a nice climb though!
Grondpad Posted August 14, 2012 Posted August 14, 2012 (edited) I will be doing this climb this coming weekend. Whoop whoop! Just one quick question:Where is the end of the climb? I heard that you get to a gate with an army guard. Do you go through it of is that the end? Edited August 14, 2012 by Grondpad
katotter Posted December 31, 2012 Posted December 31, 2012 I live about 5km from the entrance of that route, will never try it in my current condition. Some of my friends have done it before. The road is getting used less and less by vehicles so the maintenance is not getting done as it is supposed to. Its a hectic climb nonetheless. Big ups to the guys that made it.
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