2013 Trans Baviaans 24 hour - Questions

[zafischerman]

Hi

 

During this 24 hour 230 km event our team has a number of boxes that we can access at different points along the route. Any suggestions from the seasoned TB riders on essential contents for the different boxes ? A few other questions:

1. Can you rely on the food and drinks provided at the various stations or do you need to go fully self sufficient?
   
2. To complete in 15 hours assuming good weather, what should the first 50 km and next 50 km be ridden at speed wise.. Worried about going out too fast !
   

 

Mark

 

http://www.transbaviaans.co.za/

[Vetseun]

Hi

 

During this 24 hour 230 km event our team has a number of boxes that we can access at different points along the route. Any suggestions from the seasoned TB riders on essential contents for the different boxes ? A few other questions:

1. Can you rely on the food and drinks provided at the various stations or do you need to go fully self sufficient?
    
   
2. To complete in 15 hours assuming good weather, what should the first 50 km and next 50 km be ridden at speed wise.. Worried about going out too fast !
   

Mark

 

http://www.transbaviaans.co.za/

Hi Mark. Food wise you are fine. There is more than enough. If you are in the 15 hour range. Just familiarise yourself with what is on offer and if it wont agree with you self cater at those checkpoints. You need to pack your mix for your energy drinks. We pack ours in single servings. You can prepare bottles accordingly. Dry socks. Shoes is you have. Warm clothing and your lights. Whatever you are going to chow on the bike. You can change clothing at the checkpoint that you have your support crew at. The best is to go onto the TB site. Enter your estimated time. The split time calculator will well you where you should be at what yime. You can plan accordingly. Just dont wait too long with the lights. One technical problem can cost you lots of time. Most important is to go out there and enjoy it. It truely is a great ride.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Turtle Man

[Vetseun]

Hi Mark. Food wise you are fine. There is more than enough. If you are in the 15 hour range. Just familiarise yourself with what is on offer and if it wont agree with you self cater at those checkpoints. You need to pack your mix for your energy drinks. We pack ours in single servings. You can prapare bottles accordingly. Dry socks. Shoes is you have. Warm clothing and your lights. Whatever you are going to xhow on the bike. You can change clothing atthe checkpoint that you have your support crew at. The best is to go onto the TB site. Enter your estimated time. The split time calculator will well you where you should be at what yime. You can plan accordingly. Just dont wait too long with the lights. One technical problem can cost you lots of time. Most important is to go out there and enjoy it. It truely is a great ride.

[Vetseun]

Oops double post.

[HubArch]

It's very nice to put on some clean dry clothes at the checkpoint just before nightfall. More than enough food, just pack energy bars etc for the road.

[hboli4]

Hi

 

During this 24 hour 230 km event our team has a number of boxes that we can access at different points along the route. Any suggestions from the seasoned TB riders on essential contents for the different boxes ? A few other questions:

1. Can you rely on the food and drinks provided at the various stations or do you need to go fully self sufficient?
    
   
2. To complete in 15 hours assuming good weather, what should the first 50 km and next 50 km be ridden at speed wise.. Worried about going out too fast !
   

 

Mark

 

http://www.transbaviaans.co.za/

 

We usually plan for a 16 hour ride give or take an hour. For the 1st box (2nd checkpoint) we usually pack some biltong/droewors/sweets depending on rider needs as wells as a refill mix for our bottles. If you plan on 15 hours you should pack your lights in the 2nd box (3rd Checkpoint). We usually pack some warm clothing / change of clothes into the 3rd container (4th checkpoint) as the descend from Bergplaas can be chilly even in good/warm weather.

 

You don't really need to pack extra food as the checkpoints are well stocked with a good variety of stuff. Water is available throughout the Kloof and at all checkpoints.

 

The 1st 100km is quite quick and you can comfortably go at 20+ km/h over the 1st 109km. This is when the race actually start and speeds drop quite considerably from here.

[panther]

Only use the Bergplaas container and a set of stuff clothing. Including socks.

 

Eight shoes (team of four) won't fit in the container.

 

Return the other containers when they offer it to you at registration. No need to use them (my opinion)

 

Good luck

[Azonic]

Return the other containers when they offer it to you at registration. No need to use them (my opinion)

 

Dangerous tip to give to a 1st time rookie.

[Vetseun]

Dangerous tip to give to a 1st time rookie.

Was thinking exactly the same.

[deanbean]

Only use the Bergplaas container and a set of stuff clothing. Including socks.

 

Eight shoes (team of four) won't fit in the container.

 

Return the other containers when they offer it to you at registration. No need to use them (my opinion)

 

Good luck

 

As s rookie, excuse me for not taking your advice

[GLuvsMtb]

We did the event in 2010 and since I have not been able to get back to it. In 2011 I fell ill just before the event and in 2012 I opted for the Stormsriver Traverse. We ended up doing it in just over 14 hours in 2010 with good weather and lowish water crossings.

Take it easy in the first half of the event. Don't chase down any bunches and if you are in one, see if the pace works out or not. Often guys end up burning too many matches in the first 80km or so thinking that the bunch will pull them along.

Slow and steady does it. We spent less than 5 minutes at the first 2 stops. Just enough time to grab a small packet of biltong, a fruit and perhaps a fresh energy bar or some nuts to munch on during the next leg.

We packed a spare chain, CO2 canister and tube in each box as well as something warm to wear (base layer or riding jacket). None of this was needed, but we were rather cautious and we had the spares available in any event.

We had our proper lights at Bergplaas. There was also signal at Bergplaas so we could inform our support crew that we were at Bergplaas. Make sure you have sufficient warm clothing. I had a base layer, short sleeve cycling shirt, soft shell wind jacket, sealsinz socks, buff and full winter gloves. Any less and it would have been very cold to Kondomo. It took us about 45 minutes from Bergplaas to Kondomo. The key is to keep the legs turning on the big down-hill as cold legs at the bottom would surely have been prone to cramps. The sun was setting as we got there and this was the place to get into dry clothes. Any change at stops 1,2 or 3 would have been a waste of time due to the water crossings.

We spent about an hour at Kondomo and had a proper meal (cooked pasta, coffee, rusks and bread & butter pudding). We were grateful for the sustenance, but could possibly have cut the stop down to 20 minutes or so. I struggled up Never Ender and only got my legs again at Suurbron. While I felt that my legs were moeg, we still managed to pass many teams that were surging in bunches in the first half of the race. Many went out too hard and that was one of the things that gave me some mental resolve when I was at my lowest. The ride into Jeffreys can be a bit hairy, with vehicles, depending on the time that you end up getting in. We had a close call with what seemed to be a drunk driver in the last 5 kms of the race.

Hope any of this helps. It feels like a lifetime ago that we did this epic ride.

[mrbaker]

We did the 'langs Baviaans' a couple years back when there was flooding that caused the route change.

 

I don't know why people always suggest a change of clothes at Bergplaas- I don't think it's necessary as all we had in mind was wasting as little time as possible at the water points and getting to the finish as quickly as possible...

 

I would only have a spare jacket in the box in case of real inclement weather...

[taito]

If you want good advise search last years topic and look at Azonics posts.

 

All the info you require.

 

My 2c....Put your light on before bergplaas-too many teams are scratching in boxes at that stop.Do not spend time at Pakhuis once you sit and enjoy the warm fires you will battle to get going.

 

 

 

[Azonic]

If you want good advise search last years topic and look at Azonics posts.

 

[Bigmozzarella]

If you can comfortably ride 100km of gravel, with about 500-600m ascent - at an average of 20 - 21km/h you'll be fine.

I did 15.5 hrs last year.

Here's what I can say:

 

A: Food:

Yes you can. But don't forget you can drop off stuff in boxes on ckpt 2,3,4. I put a protein shake in each, and only ate much later. Def grab some soup and stuff at to top of MAC (chkpt 4), and whatever your face wants at chkpt 5 (last year chips on a roll... YUM!)

 

B: Speed

Take the 1st 30 in your stride - don't get caught up in the excitement of the start / or that little piece of single track that gets congested (out of Willowmore to the kloof)

You'll get a good leg break coming down the Nuwekloof pass.

 

I'm ridiculously analytical.

If you wanna PM me - I'll give you a blow by blow what to expect.

 

 

First 50: (according to my GPX)

0-10: 16.3 starting out warm up, some congestion getting into kloof.... don't let it get to you.

10-20: 19.6 (easy - some hills. Rather get dropped by a group... than hang in for no reason) Heart Rate!

20-30: 23.7

30-40: 32.4 - you're flying downhill. Prob get feet wet over water level crossings. NO NEED to fly through and splash. Those small gains don't seem to add up. Only consistency does.

40-50 - 26.5 (but that ave spd drops because some time is spent standing at the first water point.... Move along - not much to see / do. stick to yr strat. (have a strat!)

After CP1 - there's a little hill.. take it easy.

 

Beyond the 1st 50!

Just look after your legs on the little hills.

Every time your legs burn - it's like a cable tie... one click.. and you can't un-click it. Too many of those - and it's an accumulation that has you bonked with 80km to go.

At the bottom of the MAC - get good nutrition. It's a long burn to the top - and it's a psychologically long stretch at the top to CP4. Save for that.

 

I got impatient climbing the MAC and I blew it. I recovered - but we spent 1.5 hrs at CP4 - didn't even notice it until we looked at the gpx.

If I was just more steady - ALL race, we would have done a sub 15.

 

At that CP - change to warm clothes. eat... stretch - and brace for a long downhill with some recovery before you climb slightly out to CP5.

 

After CP5 - you have the never-ender. You WANT TO BE IN GOOD SPIRITS for this. If you are - you'll hardly pay attention to CP6 and 7 - you'll just check in and out and move along.

 

Anyway - time gets chewed up at the chekcpoints... but that little recovery is really good.

 

 

I could go on....

The more I do - the more I feel I'm getting amped.

PM me if you want more info.

Edited July 1, 2013 by Bigmozzarella

[Greg29]

Thanks B-mozz, those are some great tips. We're also first timers so all info is welcome!

 

How big are the boxes they give you? And is it one per team or one per rider?

Where is the last water crossing? So we don't have to pack a change of socks?

 

Cheers