2012 94.7

[Robert Lofthouse]

I think you guys are seeing roadies at the wrong end of the race. I'm a MTB'r and I battle to hang onto the strong roadies even on the flat.

Granted. Then again, the argument still stands - they've trained and fine tuned their bodies to be able to rocket along like that, no way in hell is MTB going to give you that kind of speed. I do believe that those MTBers among us who think that because they ride past roadies when starting in HH group, that MTBers are stronger than roadies on the road are really deluding themselves. I also, however, believe that the premise is still sound ... evidence of that is the proliferation of Ex-MTBers who demolish the fields in mountain stages of road races. Pick a mountain-top stage winner in recent tours, chances are he has done a decent amount of MTB in his past.

[Wez-O]

Really enjoyed the race and was satisfied with my 3:20 despite the fact that I was involved in a massive crash on the double decker highway just 23km in when some idiot dived into our faster moving group and sent a whole bunch of riders crashing to the deck. I finished looking like Robbie Hunter in the 2012 Tour de France with all the blood and torn Lycra I had.

[Wyatt Earp]

Granted. Then again, the argument still stands - they've trained and fine tuned their bodies to be able to rocket along like that, no way in hell is MTB going to give you that kind of speed. I do believe that those MTBers among us who think that because they ride past roadies when starting in HH group, that MTBers are stronger than roadies on the road are really deluding themselves. I also, however, believe that the premise is still sound ... evidence of that is the proliferation of Ex-MTBers who demolish the fields in mountain stages of road races. Pick a mountain-top stage winner in recent tours, chances are he has done a decent amount of MTB in his past.

 

So glad I am not one of them

[andydude]

I also, however, believe that the premise is still sound ... evidence of that is the proliferation of Ex-MTBers who demolish the fields in mountain stages of road races. Pick a mountain-top stage winner in recent tours, chances are he has done a decent amount of MTB in his past.

 

Yeah that's why Burry, Kevin and the likes win all the road races in SA. I wish they would give us "roadies" a chance

[TALUS]

What about Nic White - I reckon he thinks of himself as a roadie. 4th on fully rigid ss in the MTB race. I think the really hard roadies (stage racers) are harder than nails. The hardmen of MTB do SS (I would like to when I grow up but I am not really tough enough).

[dino]

I think you guys are seeing roadies at the wrong end of the race. I'm a MTB'r and I battle to hang onto the strong roadies even on the flat.

 

My second time ever on a road bike, I'm an average mountain biker, yet I finished in the top 13% of the 94.7 starting in L?

[EZRider]

I think you guys are seeing roadies at the wrong end of the race. I'm a MTB'r and I battle to hang onto the strong roadies even on the flat.

 

Exactly. Easy to beat back markers anywhere.

[davetapson]

Yeah that's why Burry, Kevin and the likes win all the road races in SA. I wish they would give us "roadies" a chance

 

As far as I recall Burry and Kevin have come pretty close to winning road races - certainly given the top roadies a skrik?

Edited November 21, 2012 by davetapson

[EZRider]

As far as I recall Burry and Kevin have come pretty close to winning road races - certainly given the top roadies a skrik?

 

Much of their training is done on the road.

Jansen Van Rensburg didn't seem too scared of anybody on Sunday...

Edited November 21, 2012 by TZmtb

[EZRider]

My second time ever on a road bike, I'm an average mountain biker, yet I finished in the top 13% of the 94.7 starting in L?

 

Much of the 94.7 is made up of folk who ride once or twice a year and come out for a day of fun. Guys riding with their friends, in cow suits and on Game store MTBs. Even Froome rode for fun (you might have beaten his 2:54 but doesn't make you stronger).

If you weren't well into a sub 2:50 then you can consider yourself an average roadie too. Not bad, just average. In C,D and E groups the winning roadies hammer and the MTBers that keep up are very strong.

[scotty]

As far as I recall Burry and Kevin have come pretty close to winning road races - certainly given the top roadies a skrik?

In a local KZN road race Burry won a 29'er MTB against the local elites.

[tombeej]

As far as I recall Burry and Kevin have come pretty close to winning road races - certainly given the top roadies a skrik?

 

They are actually top roadies themselves.

[tombeej]

In a local KZN road race Burry won a 29'er MTB against the local elites.

 

With thin road slicks and road gearing.

 

Suzie and Burry are olympic level athletes, so competing against regional KZN riders is not really something too difficult for them.

[tombeej]

It generally amuses me when I see posts from mountain bikers continuing with this strangely held belief that they are tougher than roadies and that riding a road bike is not as tough as a mtb. I generally let this drivel go, but eventually it gets irritating.

 

I am a mountain biker, I am not a roadie. I've been riding mountain bikes since before things like suspension and disc brakes and carbon. We rode steel fully rigid bikes, and that includes the early DH stuff. So let's get that out of the way for a start.

 

But I've been riding my road bike for 2 years now. And I can tell you:

 

- If you think you were faster than other roadies on your mtb at 94.7 it's because you were in the back batches with people who don't know how to ride a road bike. But if you were put into a higher batch with other riders at the same fitness level as you - but who know how to really use a road bike - I can tell you that you'll have your ego handed back to you on a plate. You will be properly schooled, my china, and it won't be pretty.

- I can spend 8 hrs in the mountains alone on my 26inch hardtail and it does not come close to the proper hurt a bunch of good roadies can put me through.

- In mtb you get constant little reprieves to let the legs recover. On the road, there's no letup. There's nowhere to hide. The volume dial on the pain-ometer gets dialled up and then when you don't think you can take it much more, the group dials it up another notch or two.

- You might think you know how to handle your mountain bike. But climb onto a road bike and you become a novice again. Whether you like it or not, that's a fact. 2 years into this gig (riding almost every day) and I am still learning how to handle this machine. It is a totally different style to a mountain bike. It's an instrument - like a guitar - it takes years to know how to make it really sing.

 

- Actually, in many cases I find a lot of modern mountain bikers to be softies with their full suspension, mod-cons, etc. And some of the toughest, most hardcore riders I've come across are roadies. You need to have brass balls to ride with some of them. They don't take **** in the bunch, there's a pecking order, and you have to earn respect.

 

So to my fellow mountain bikers, buy a road bike and come on over to the dark side. You might just learn a thing or two .

Edited November 21, 2012 by tombeej

[Wyatt Earp]

@TombeeJ

 

Well put.

In the end of the day all cyclists are tough.

The toughness level however changes because of the severity of the distance ,terrain and conditions.

This goes for both disciplines.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Dangle

[Joe Low]

Nice post Tombeej.

 

I've seen Burry ride against SA-pro roadies and he fits in fine against the best.

 

You're right people riding drop-handlebar bikes in the 94.7, from the later letters of the alphabet groups onwards, are not "roadies". They're people on bikes.

 

I've been a roadie for 8yrs but this year did mostly mtb as i was entering Transbaviaans.

 

I was shocked at how much strength and endurance i didnt have when riding what i called "my clunky piece of ****". It took months to feel anyway confident to sit on that thing and work for 4hrs or more.

 

So, having done that in August I did a 550km/ 4-day road tour in September & was shocked at how much slower up hills i was than before & how the top-end HR had gone. The easier gearing and the long endurance work killed these other aspects of my riding.

 

There's no winning; but its still fun.

 

& mtbers are in no way any more or less friendly than roadies.

Edited November 21, 2012 by Joe Low