The Cradle Mountain Trophy 2014

[Twombles]

but if your fitness is good

 

I suppose its all a bit relative!

[Sephton]

So do we just rock up at registration? I haven't received an SMS or email with my number.

 

I got a confirmation email right after entering. The reference number is on there. And take a copy of your CSA licence if you don't want to pay an extra 35 bucks.

[RoboLuke]

Id say its going to be close to 1,500 of climbing on day 1.

Think Sani day 2...but with rocks

Trek jou grootseunbroekie aan

[MK Killer]

It wasn't in last years route map either so who knows

 

I posted the old profile above - and it was shown at 66km

[canfan]

Id say its going to be close to 1,500 of climbing on day 1.

Think Sani day 2...but with rocks

Trek jou grootseunbroekie aan

For sure. You need a serious sense of humor for the last 10 km. That grass is bound to be a serious pain with the amount of rain we have had. I really hope they don't take us home the same way as last year.

[Twombles]

For sure. You need a serious sense of humor for the last 10 km. That grass is bound to be a serious pain with the amount of rain we have had. I really hope they don't take us home the same way as last year.

 

The route has been much the same every time I have done this, and every time I have a sense of humour failure on the grassy section at the end.

 

The climbing is not excessive, but there are no free kilometers on this race, you work for every single km (especially in the second half).

[MK Killer]

The route has been much the same every time I have done this, and every time I have a sense of humour failure on the grassy section at the end.

 

The climbing is not excessive, but there are no free kilometers on this race, you work for every single km (especially in the second half).

 

Agreed... every year its that damn grass... i remember last year cycling on the grass on a decline but working as hard as the climb up mount grace

[nonky]

45 000 years ago, west of modern day Tarifa, Spain. Ug, Una and their first born son Og sat under a rock overhang to shelter from the strengthening autumn winds. They were forced to flee south after Ug unsuccessfully challenged Ag for the leadership of the southron Neanderthal tribe. Although Ug was bigger and stronger than Ag with vastly superior spear skills, Ug had not expected Ahn to side with Ag, he was lucky to get away with only a gash to his forearm. He fled into the darkness with Una following him carrying Og as they were chased by their blood thirsty pursuers up until the river. Here Ug guided them on a secret trail to a river crossing formed by a fallen moss covered pine tree, a trail their pursuers did not know. Ug remembered the shelter from last winter’s mammoth hunt, but Ug was worried, winter was coming and the mammoths were not migrating south and although bitterly cold, there was no snow. Ug wanted to tell Una that the world they knew was changing he knew this by instinct not by reason. He wanted to tell her but his species had not yet learnt to speak he could only communicate by a series of grunts and crude gestures, he took out his frustrations on Una by hitting her on her sloping forehead. Una was used to his outbursts knowing that he was the kindest of all the Neanderthal males in their tribe, she knew it would end soon and it did and Ug stormed away from the shelter with his loping gait disappearing into the darkness of the night.

 

 

 

Ug climbed up the cliff face his thoughts were preoccupied with their future, they needed to join another tribe, and their survival depended on it. They could not hunt a mammoth on their own, this was a task that needed at least 10 adult males and no mammoth kill meant a very bleak winter, no meat for food and no furs to shield them from the cold. At the top of the cliff Ug stared out across the ocean contemplating his own, his mates and sons future when he spotted a glow on the opposite African shores some 15 km away. Ug wondered what this glow was, what he didn’t know was that he was looking upon the fires of a new species, Homo Sapiens, a superior species that knew how to control and use fire. A species that could communicate, that could coordinate their actions and plan their future, a species that in the next 5000 years would occupy and dominate the entirety of Europe and the planet. They would not only dominate their Neanderthal cousins but replace them. Ug was right to be concerned, in 20 000 years his species would be extinct and these smaller but more intelligent Homo Sapiens from Africa would be the most resourceful and resilient species that ever lived on planet Earth

 

 

So when you ride your bike through the Cradle of Humankind look at the landscape through your modern eyes and imagine what it was like some 3,5 million years ago when three different hominid species roamed the plains between the Witwatersberg and Magiliesberg mountains. Think upon the fact that it was only 10 km south of the start that we have found evidence of the earliest controlled use of fire at Swartkrans. A technology discovered and mastered first by Homo Hablis some 1,3 million years ago, a technology that helped us to explore the mysterious moon that was Ug’s only source of light in the dark nights of Europe. But even closer, in fact 200m from the start line is evidence of an ancient hunting ground of Homo Hablis, the toolmaker, a veritable gathering place for the annual hunt dating back some 500 000 years ago. Better still why don’t you take some time out after your race to visit and view the displays in the underground attraction and see where we come from, discover your origins after all Maropeng means the place where I come from, a place of origin. See you at the start!

 

Ug, Ug and the mtb-ing cousin, Afkak.

[StrongDog]

I did this ride in 2012 and I pooed myself. Hoping not to this year.

[Twombles]

I did this ride in 2012 and I pooed myself. Hoping not to this year.

 

Not literally, I hope...

[_David_]

This is one of the better events in Gauteng, if you have a reasonable level of fitness you will be fine. This is a very lekker race :-)

[StrongDog]

Not literally, I hope...

 

Nah...

[rattlesnake]

Ok registration report.

Goodie bag.... good.

Seeding.... royally c0cked up.... to the extent that they can't (won't) even fix it there. Looks like the ol honesty system at the start line for batching.

Hope this isn't a sign of whats to come.

[jcza]

Ok registration report.

Goodie bag.... good.

Seeding.... royally c0cked up.... to the extent that they can't (won't) even fix it there. Looks like the ol honesty system at the start line for batching.

Hope this isn't a sign of whats to come.

 

Don't worry too much about it, theres tar straight from the start then a section of dirt road which where you can sort things out. .

[rattlesnake]

Don't worry too much about it, theres tar straight from the start then a section of dirt road which where you can sort things out. .

 

Hehe - but that's just the thing.... I don't want to work unnecessarily...... I'll just start at the front and they can prove me wrong to do so later

Edited April 9, 2014 by rattlesnake

[Dorpie]

I know they had a seeding problem last year and they had guys in the batches checking if you were in your correct batch, if not they were moving you out.

Rumour has it that they will be sending out another email tomorrow with new batch seedings so lets just wait and see.