Khoisan Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 So, if we ignore the p1ssing contest. Is there anything positive about this race? Did they improve the trail from last year? Was there less sand? Was the single track more ridden in? Mmm, not sure about the Gauteng MTB'ers but i went up expecting sand, seeing the race was in THE BUSHVELD, so sand will be on the track, in fact, it's only sand. As for the single track, that was hard 90% of the time. I am from Cape Town and down here we are used to mud, rocks, sand lose and hard, and the list goes on. It was a MTB event, not a road event so if you expect a smooth trail then you in the wrong sport. My 2 cents!! I enjoyed it, with the loose sand and all!!
Face Plant Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 Mmm, not sure about the Gauteng MTB'ers but i went up expecting sand, seeing the race was in THE BUSHVELD, so sand will be on the track, in fact, it's only sand. As for the single track, that was hard 90% of the time. I am from Cape Town and down here we are used to mud, rocks, sand lose and hard, and the list goes on. It was a MTB event, not a road event so if you expect a smooth trail then you in the wrong sport. My 2 cents!! I enjoyed it, with the loose sand and all!! there are not a lot of MTBers that would think of 5km's of continuous thick sand as fun, let me just say that the route that you did this year is ALOT different to the one of last year, so i would suggest easing up on the attitude especially when it is focused towards one of the more REAL mtbers out there!
Ben van Zijl Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 The marshal at the loop/finish-split was absent when I and (at least) 5 other riders approached. A khaki clad youngster pointed us to the finish (instead of the loop) and 2 of us turned back from the finish to complete the loop. It seemed that the youngster at the split, simply did not know what he was supposed to do.
Face Plant Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 you right Ben, there where a lot of riders that didn't finish the whole route, i only know of two guys that went out and did the last 10kms to complete the full 60km
River Rat Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 Mmm, not sure about the Gauteng MTB'ers but i went up expecting sand, seeing the race was in THE BUSHVELD, so sand will be on the track, in fact, it's only sand. As for the single track, that was hard 90% of the time. I am from Cape Town and down here we are used to mud, rocks, sand lose and hard, and the list goes on. It was a MTB event, not a road event so if you expect a smooth trail then you in the wrong sport. My 2 cents!! I enjoyed it, with the loose sand and all!! Eish Boet, you've totally misread my post. So let me help a bit, last years 80km race was two laps which included about 5 km per lap of springhaas sand. Springhaas sand is a collapsing sand endemic to that region that is almost powder and it got into your drivetrain. Once in the drivetrain it was almost impossible to get out and it sounded like your chain was made of sand paper. I took quite a lot of pride in the fact that I rode more of the sand than the front runners of the one lapper that passed me on last year's race. Unfortunately I had to replace entire drivetrain afterwards which took all the fun out of it especially when I remember making the stupid decision to do the second lap after many around me were bailing. So I made the decision this year to sit this one out but I am delighted to read that I was wrong and the organisers cut out the 5km sand section. I am glad you enjoyed your race but by the sounds of it we are comparing apples with pears.
Khoisan Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 Face Plant, easy now, and whats wrong with a bit of positive attitude, its what makes us MTBers, i guess. Seeing i am not a REAL MTBer and you are the judge of who is, i will focus my reply towards River Rat. River Rat, thanks for heads up, i now know better and if i go next year then i will keep this in mind. The tracks were hard and only 2 sections a bit sandy where standing up was required. Not nearly as bad as what you guys had last year then. I could also hear towards the end my chain was dry and needed REDBULL urgently, but nothing a bit of soap, water and lube can fix. If you are ever down in the Cape again, send me a PM then i will take you to some of our beaut tracks down here. Happy and safe cycling for all.
River Rat Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 Face Plant, easy now, and whats wrong with a bit of positive attitude, its what makes us MTBers, i guess. Seeing i am not a REAL MTBer and you are the judge of who is, i will focus my reply towards River Rat. River Rat, thanks for heads up, i now know better and if i go next year then i will keep this in mind. The tracks were hard and only 2 sections a bit sandy where standing up was required. Not nearly as bad as what you guys had last year then. I could also hear towards the end my chain was dry and needed REDBULL urgently, but nothing a bit of soap, water and lube can fix. If you are ever down in the Cape again, send me a PM then i will take you to some of our beaut tracks down here. Happy and safe cycling for all. Now that's an offer that I can't refuse and as a counter offer if you like technical routes try this www.mankele.co.za when you venture north of the Hex River next.
Face Plant Posted July 2, 2013 Posted July 2, 2013 Face Plant, easy now, and whats wrong with a bit of positive attitude, its what makes us MTBers, i guess. Seeing i am not a REAL MTBer and you are the judge of who is, i will focus my reply towards River Rat. River Rat, thanks for heads up, i now know better and if i go next year then i will keep this in mind. The tracks were hard and only 2 sections a bit sandy where standing up was required. Not nearly as bad as what you guys had last year then. I could also hear towards the end my chain was dry and needed REDBULL urgently, but nothing a bit of soap, water and lube can fix. If you are ever down in the Cape again, send me a PM then i will take you to some of our beaut tracks down here. Happy and safe cycling for all. i may have misread you "positive attitude" sorry if that's the case, now can i also have an invite to the cape please?
MONS Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 We camped from Friday till Sunday, rode both the 40 and 60, left our camp unattended for those periods of time we were out on the track and at the tent, and all our stuff was left alone. The routes were great and fast flowing, HUGE improvements on last years race and for the little bit of sand we had to work our way through was made up for by having awesome singletrack riding for the balance of the ride. There was a lovely vibe at the finish and the guys out on the track were friendly and helpful and even the guys overtaking had manners. A pleasant change to other races where the race snakes sneak up on you thgen try run you off the track without warning! We will be back next year.... its one of the most fun b iking weekends away! The free bike wash service was a bonus, just mayb e next time they can offer a free rider spray down with the bike!
HOEKVLAG Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 This was my first race/ride at Sondela, but I will definately be back next year. We also made a weekend of it with the whole family getting a chance to go ride. Hence, my wife and eldest did the 20km race on the Saturday as relative newcommers to the sport - and LOVED it. The little one did the 500m ride as a 3 year old on his "skopfiets", and LOVED every moment of it - especially all the people cheering along the way as they went through the campsite. I got my chance to ride on the Sunday morning when I did the 60km race - and (you guessed it) I LOVED it. For the most part, the track was properly ridden in and had very nice flow. It's definately not as technical as most, but at the same time it manages to be real MTB'ing. There was sand, but I (and I know of a couple other guys) had to get off the bike only once, and for only 10 to 15 metres. It really was very rideable, made technical/difficult by the speed at which you decided to go! For me the only negative was the split at the additional loop as mentioned by other hubbers as there was very little control over who went which way. Also, there was no warning as to the split happening so you had people speeding towards the poor marshall (we were a bunch of about 15 when I came around the second time) that had to be split with basically no signage to help him. I am, however, convinced that this will be improved apon for next year - especially considering the improvements made since last year (from what I read!). Overall these guys did a really great job offering something for everybody. I'm really sorry to hear about people having problems with theft. We were there from the Friday, left everything open, and fortunately did not have any issues. Other than the stuff already mentioned I have to add that the vibe around the campsite was excellent. The kids were playing all over the place and everybody was having a really good time.
Khoisan Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 Now that's an offer that I can't refuse and as a counter offer if you like technical routes try this www.mankele.co.za when you venture north of the Hex River next. I heave heard of Mankele, definitely on my bucket list before i kick it. Don't refuse the offer, when down here let me know, Jonkershoek, Meerendal, Delvera and Tokai Forest, is waiting!!
Khoisan Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 i may have misread you "positive attitude" sorry if that's the case, now can i also have an invite to the cape please? No danger Face Plant, when in the Cape, come and ride with us!!
slickjay007 Posted June 26, 2017 Posted June 26, 2017 Anybody know where I can find the 60km results from this years race?
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