Trans Baviaans 2012 training tips

[TrailWarrior]

Just as some insight, what does the average TB rider carry with him? Obviously spares in that being puncture repair, etc. Whats with the emergency kit? Just basic small stuff? 1st aid kit - is it one per person? I believe they check all this stuff. No show, no go??....

[umhlanga101]

Hi guys, i have gone through most of the feedback above - much appricated!

 

Which are the best lights to buy? Looking at the Magicshine 1000 lumen? Is it nec to have that high lumen?

[TrailWarrior]

My mate & I are using the Magicshine 1000 lumen. Awesome light! I am sure there will be debate on what what and what not. Trans Baviaans they say some fast descents to be done and in the dark, I will swear by my Magic Shine! Its like a car light, yet runs off a battery pack. Tried & tested on our night rides. 3hrs on full beam, roughly 5hrs on dim (which is also bright!) We each bought an extra battery pack. These lights definately show you the nooks & crannies out in the dark. With two on...(my ride partner & I riding together) its like day light!!.... Good luck with the selection....

[Velouria]

Just as some insight, what does the average TB rider carry with him? Obviously spares in that being puncture repair, etc. Whats with the emergency kit? Just basic small stuff? 1st aid kit - is it one per person? I believe they check all this stuff. No show, no go??....

 

They say they check it, but they haven't checked it in years. (I'm always the gimp that has to carry it!)

 

In our 3 man team we carry a slime tube each, 2 bombs each, one pump, one plug kit, one set tyre levers, one multi tool, a chain breaker, quicklinks, cable ties, duct tape, and the first aid kit.

 

And then your personal snacks and supplies.

 

We ride with bottles.

[Azonic]

The Magicshine 1000 lumen light is fine. Its nice to have it on full, but the battery won't last. You can and will get by by using low beam. I raced Trans last year with a 120 Lumen bike light, and another 120 lumens on the helmet. More than enough. You need a bike and helmet light, purely because the bike isn't always pointing where you are looking. It isn't 5 hours between Bergplaas and Komdommo, so leave a fresh battery pack there, or at the top of Never Ender. It'll feel nice to be able to blast the light at Full to the finish.

 

umhlanga101, so as I stated, you can get away with less lumens, as long as its quality lumens, not manufacturer's claimed lumens. But with Magicshines costing less than R600 lately, rather save than sorry. If you ride in a group at night when other guys with stronger lights you'll end up looking where their bikes are pointing, not your own.

 

Regarding the first aid stuff, In 7 years of doing Baviaans I've never seen or heard of them checking that you have a first aid kit on you. Honestly, are they going to be checking over 1000 people at the start? I rate its to protect themselves should something go wrong - so they can say they DID recommend people take one.

 

Spares: Make sure you have tyres no lighter than 500g. Anything lighter isn't made for Baviaans (granted, I raced it last year on sub 400g Rocket Rons...). Make sure they are in good condition and your sealant is topped up. If that's looked after you should be fine in terms of wheels/punctures. And there is no need for you AND your partner to each carry a 250g multitool, seriously. Same goes for a chain breaker. And a pump. Do you plan to both puncture at the same time? Probably not, eh? Take 2 spare tubes each (super light ones if you want to spend that kind of cash), ONE multitool between the two of you, ONE chain breaker, and ONE pump. And listen to me, this is the best advice anyone will give you... Take half a roll of electrical/insulation tape with you. And also take 5 or so cable/zip ties. You can fix anything with those items. One year my brake lever clamp broke off, leaving the brake lever dangling. Couple of KM's later at the checkpoint, whip out the tape, couple of layers, and wham, back in business.

[Azonic]

They say they check it, but they haven't checked it in years. (I'm always the gimp that has to carry it!)

 

In our 3 man team we carry a slime tube each, 2 bombs each, one pump, one plug kit, one set tyre levers, one multi tool, a chain breaker, quicklinks, cable ties, duct tape, and the first aid kit.

 

And then your personal snacks and supplies.

 

We ride with bottles.

 

Punk, now it looks like I copy/pasted what you said!

[Velouria]

Punk, now it looks like I copy/pasted what you said!

 

Feeling quite chuffed right now

[Foxbat]

All I can say is be prepared to dig deep. I absolutely hate that event but for some strange reason I keep going back for more .

[majestic]

Be prepared to feel shattered at the end of the Never Ender. Have a Coke or something similar and get moving as quick as possible. It is very cold and do not let the fires suck you in. Home time.

[leeannc]

Thank you everyone...are there any tips for the support crew?

 

I will be there to support my husband and his buddy this year, first Baviaans for all of us

[GLuvsMtb]

Support crew advice: - Don't escort the team (think its not allowed anyway this year). It becomes a very long day in negotiating the Baviaanskloof, with failing light and irritated cyclists around you that just want you to get the hell out of there. Rather take a leisurly drive to Jeffreys' set up your accommodation (camping / self catering etc) and head out to Kondomo approximately 2 to 3 hours before your riders are scheduled to arrive. - At Kondomo try to park as close to the shed as possible. Don't unpack everything and rather wait for team support vehicles that are leaving to vacate a nice spot for you. - Sign in immediately when you get to Kondomo - There is usually signal up at Bergplaas. Get your riders to give you a quick call from Bergplaas to say that they are on their way. It will roughly take them 45 minutes to an hour to get to Kondomo, unless they are seriously racing. Give them a heads-up on how far you are from the shed and whether they should look to the left / right. When its dark and you are tired, all cars look the same and you dont want to ride up and down to find your support crew. They won't spot you either, as you'll be flashing your 1000 lumen light into their faces. - Start prepping the riders supper about 15 minutes before you are expecting them and set out their fresh kit, a thermos with hot water and small basin with towels to have a quick wipe-down. - Take comfy camping chairs along for the riders to use when they get there. All you want is something comfortable with back support. - Do the riders bottle changes and battery changes for them and have a mobile charing unit on hand to charge the used batteries on the way to Suurbron, or simply have another set of batteries for Suurbron - Always tell your riders that they are looking strong. Last thing you want to hear is that you look like crap. - Take warm clothes along for the waiting. It can get chilly. - Take company along. It can get lonely and 2 sets of hands are better than 1 - Having some mechanical knowledge does help, but riders usually fix problems themselves. Be on hand with a good light to assist where possible with technicals - Remember to check out with your riders - You'll need to hurry to get to Suurbron. Let one support member check in while the other find parking. - Its a mess at Suurbron as you have to exit and enter at the same gate, so bottlenecks are terrible. - Make Suurbron a quick stop and start to queue to exit Suurbron as soon as your team arrives. They can change bottles and nutrition on the fly as you queue to exit. - Go straight to Kabbeljous and check in asap. Some teams have in the past arrived before their support crew and received heavy time penalties as a result. - Have warm clothes on hand at the finish

- pre-program the GPS points for Kondomo. Suurbron and Kabbeljous into your GPS, but make sure that while the race is on, you are not on the parts of the route that support vehicles are banned from, so keep the race manual handy and let your co-pilot navigate to keep you off the race route.

Edited June 6, 2012 by MorewoodMad

[TrailWarrior]

29er or 26er for the Trans Baviaans??

[Vetseun]

Be prepared to feel shattered at the end of the Never Ender. Have a Coke or something similar and get moving as quick as possible. It is very cold and do not let the fires suck you in. Home time.

Agreed!... keep away from the fires, you are cold and miserable. If you go and sit at a fire it is over. You wont want to continue. Do your thing at a check point and get the hell out. Too long and your mind starts doing funny things, like considering adandoning the ride.

[Vetseun]

29er or 26er for the Trans Baviaans??

29er or 26er for the Trans Baviaans??

Dont matter, 26er or 29 er , hard tail or dual, your ass will be sore no matter what.

[sias]

Has anyone done the Desert Dash as well as the TB? How do they compare as far as route difficulty is concerned? The Dash is 110km longer than TB and I completed that very comfortably in 19hours23min.

[GLuvsMtb]

Agreed!... keep away from the fires, you are cold and miserable. If you go and sit at a fire it is over. You wont want to continue. Do your thing at a check point and get the hell out. Too long and your mind starts doing funny things, like considering adandoning the ride.

My experience was the opposide. In 2010 we stopped for an hour at Kondomo, had a good meal (Hot pasta and bread rolls), took a sponge bath, changed kit, got a 20 minute leg massage each, a good mug of coffee and set off catching and passing teams that stopped for 20 minutes and were off again. We didn't fuss at the other points, but aimed to have a good rest at Kondomo, as you're in the clear after NeverEnder. I know some who also stop for a long one on Bergplaas, but we opted to try and make use of the last daylight and get to Kondomo for our rest.

Not sure if we would have made it to Kabbeljous any quicker if we had a 15 minute stop there instead of 1 hour.