2012 94.7

[Escapee..]

Serious Question:

And I want a sound, scientific answer please.

 

Why do the guys on the road bikes suffer up the hills, and us on the MTB's kill them?

We passed 100's of road bikes up the hills, felt like we were on EPO.

 

What's the explanation for this?

 

You are on EPO

[Guest]

You are on EPO

 

then I would have done much better yesterday.

[ChUkKy]

Serious Question:

And I want a sound, scientific answer please.

 

Why do the guys on the road bikes suffer up the hills, and us on the MTB's kill them?

We passed 100's of road bikes up the hills, felt like we were on EPO.

 

What's the explanation for this?

 

I thought you were joking at the start when you told me it will happen...

[hayleyearth]

Serious Question:

And I want a sound, scientific answer please.

 

Why do the guys on the road bikes suffer up the hills, and us on the MTB's kill them?

We passed 100's of road bikes up the hills, felt like we were on EPO.

 

What's the explanation for this?

 

one simple word: gears

[jcza]

Hey StevieL!

nice of you to say HI!

Sorry i missed you at the start, I was a few rows from the front, i had to go back to get my water bottles from the car,so i was a little later then i was planning....

 

i finished in 3:00:58 damn chain came off on the bumpy downhill on Malibongwe, and struggled a little to get it back on, lost the bunch and the 2 after mine

 

the illusive sub 3! so close, but yet so far!!!!

 

i see you got your sub 3 ! well done!

 

So close!!

[dino]

Serious Question:

And I want a sound, scientific answer please.

 

Why do the guys on the road bikes suffer up the hills, and us on the MTB's kill them?

We passed 100's of road bikes up the hills, felt like we were on EPO.

 

What's the explanation for this?

 

Not sure if i can give you a "scientific" answer, but in my opinion it has to do with strength and power output. Mountainbikers are used to riding hills covered in sand, rocks and mud, so you need a lot more power to get up those hills.

If you are used to riding through peanut butter (mud like we had on the berg and bush) and suddenly you ride on smooth tar it feels super easy.

[Guest]

one simple word: gears

 

Ok - but we both run gears - so what makes the MTB gears "more efficient" up the hills?

[andydude]

Not sure if i can give you a "scientific" answer, but in my opinion it has to do with strength and power output. Mountainbikers are used to riding hills covered in sand, rocks and mud, so you need a lot more power to get up those hills.

If you are used to riding through peanut butter (mud like we had on the berg and bush) and suddenly you ride on smooth tar it feels super easy.

 

Then they would be quicker on flats and downhills too.

 

Maybe it was just a case of wrong seeding?

[Stranger Thinkbike]

http://forum.thinkbi...rshalling/page2

 

Hey thanks for the concern. It was bad day all round yesterday for some. This is my 7th year as a Marshal for this race, and I have never seen so many downs.

 

Think Bike has 2 Marshals down. One hit a pedestrian on the way to the event and another went down when he hit a double bump, got a tank slapper and it got away from him. The pedestrain and our Marshals got away lucky with minor injuries, No 2 however has a badly shattered leg, a broken wrist and a written off bike.

 

There was a reported 100 plus incidents, severity 3 or over. I personally attended several crashes that involved serious injury. we can only speculate why the higher incident rate, but, the wind, the heat and the genral deteriotion of the roads could all be contributing factors. Strangely, we have had years with more incidents, but they were smaller severities.

 

Think Bike, sends our best wishes to all that had an incident.

[Robert Lofthouse]

I can only assume (sorry, no solid scientific analysis here) that the gearing and wheel size plays a part. I too experienced the "flying up hills" syndrome, albeit at relative speeds. All I would do is pick a low gear and spin all the way up. Of course, starting in AA meant that I encountered more people trying to grind up climbs on their big rings than should be allowed in civilised society, not to mention those that tried spinning in granny-1 - no hill on that route warrants such a low gear.

[W@nna-BE]

58 seconds out ....

Oh well, always next year...

yah ...... cant wait for next year hahahaha, my chain coming off is not what aggravates me, but my mind set change when i thought i would not make sub3, i forgot about the downhill past Kyalami!!! if i had just not "given up" for those few km's before the downhill!! i would have made it!

 

oh well, next year i must go for 2:50 if they keep the route the same!

still a PB for me, and a PB in average speed overall so pretty happy

[Wyatt Earp]

The scientific answer is beer.

Roadies drink wine and mountain bikers drink beer.

[kosmonooit]

Serious Question:

And I want a sound, scientific answer please.

 

Why do the guys on the road bikes suffer up the hills, and us on the MTB's kill them?

We passed 100's of road bikes up the hills, felt like we were on EPO.

 

What's the explanation for this?

 

Two reasons (maybe)

 

1) Cassette size: lot of road bikes only have 11-25, and low cadence really slow you down

2) mtb'ers learn to love uphills

[Guest]

I can only assume (sorry, no solid scientific analysis here) that the gearing and wheel size plays a part. I too experienced the "flying up hills" syndrome, albeit at relative speeds. All I would do is pick a low gear and spin all the way up. Of course, starting in AA meant that I encountered more people trying to grind up climbs on their big rings than should be allowed in civilised society, not to mention those that tried spinning in granny-1 - no hill on that route warrants such a low gear.

 

What we notice is that we aren't even in granny gears, and still out pedal on the uphill.

I saw a whole bunch falling behind that stay with us on the flats,and descents, but on any sort of uphill they drop 50-100m behind.

[W@nna-BE]

So close!!

 

but yet so far....... technically 364 days far hahahah

[Bianchi]

.

Edited November 19, 2012 by Bianchi