'Entry level' MTB stage races

[Lurch the stalker]

  On 4/27/2015 at 3:49 AM, copperhead said:

Send us a picture of her. If she is single I will step in and take over for you.

You can see my opinion on that here and here

[Guest notmyname]

  On 4/27/2015 at 4:22 AM, Lurch said:

You can see my opinion on that here and here

Hahaha.

[Cranky]

My first stage race was Berg and Bush. Very relaxed, excellent organisation. The 2-day event is a good start.

[CAAD4]

Sani

[arendoog]

Imo you have to do a lot of singleday events before attemting any stage events .There are plenty events in Gauteng that are saterday and sunday events starting from the same venue like Emperors mtb and road event back 2back .94,7 mtb and road event . Satelite classic mtb and road .If anyone has big stage event aspirations they better start riding anything .By that i mean mtb and road ext

[Traverse]

  On 4/27/2015 at 3:45 AM, copperhead said:

Berg and bush? Heard it is brilliant.

Berg & Bush is brilliant but most definitely not a entry level stage race, it's a proper mountain bike stage race! Rather try something like the dusi2c[emoji6]

[TALUS]

  On 4/27/2015 at 10:44 AM, CAAD4 said:

Sani

and then BC?

[Diirty]

Storms river Traverse.

- Easy distance

- lekker vibe

 

- abit far from Gauteng

- can be very muddy at that time of year in the Eastern cape.

 

Did the very first one and it was a really fun three days by Dryland.

[Nats mtb]

Been through this myself and like every mountain biker here, there is no easy start! She needs a decent bike so it's not a mission to even climb the first three hills at northern farms. She needs a great support network of other riders and even coaches. Try cadence being going for 2 years and haven't looked back. She needs to enter every race she can and who cares if they are too technical the only way u learn is by doing them. My first stage race was sabi experience, followed by sani and then wines 2 whales. I am hooked! She needs to find a group of riders who ride her pace and train like she does. I like riding with the girls from gym sometimes as it makes it easier to judge where one stacks up instead of chasing the guys at max to just keep up. And on the technical stuff I used to and still do hit the bike park ! Anyone can do a stage race u just need to train right and wrap ur mind round it !

[scotty]

  On 4/27/2015 at 11:04 AM, Blitzer said:

Imo you have to do a lot of singleday events before attemting any stage events .There are plenty events in Gauteng that are saterday and sunday events starting from the same venue like Emperors mtb and road event back 2back .94,7 mtb and road event . Satelite classic mtb and road .If anyone has big stage event aspirations they better start riding anything .By that i mean mtb and road ext

94.7 MTB and road are a week apart

 

I'm slightly confused with the details on the webpage though, MTB on 7th and 8th of Nov ? 

 

Your muscles are throbbing, your lungs are on fire, your mouth is full of sand and you’re covered in mud. But if you could, you would do it all over again.

Let your drive and dedication fuel your ride in the Momentum 947 Mountain Bike Challenge on the 7th and 8th of November 2015.

Choose the right race for you.

The Momentum 947 Mountain Bike Challenge at Riversands Commercial Park, Fourways, on 7 and 8 November 2015.

[BarHugger]

Just as a side note:

 

Doing a 24h event (4 member team) will contribute to the mental preparation for a stage race.......relatively easier, much cheaper, more support and definately more relaxed. Pitty about the number of scheduld events.

[Squier]

  On 4/27/2015 at 3:45 AM, copperhead said:

Berg and bush? Heard it is brilliant.

 

Berg & Bush is indeed brilliant. The 3 day however, despite not being overly tough, is not easy. There is the 2 day option though which I would think is a good start.

 

Thing is, preparation is part and parcel of the stage race experience. Putting in the hard yards and time in the saddle before the race and attempting some tough one day races is all part of the overall experience. If your preparation is adequate, there will be nothing that is too tough.

[Selous Scout (aka LegTrap)]

If you can get there I would strongly recommend the Storms River Traverse... an awesome ride/race and well cared for

[Skubarra]

Just in general - I don't think one should be in a rush to do your first stage race. Big part of the fun of mtb'ing for me was the journey of starting at the 20km funrides and gradually building up to longer distances and then later the stage races & ultra-distance stuff.

 

Others to consider ( haven't done them myself) is the Houwhoek Tour, Greyton Tour and the Pondo Pedal (Port St Johns)

[LONE TWO]

  On 4/28/2015 at 8:41 PM, scotty said:

94.7 MTB and road are a week apart

 

I'm slightly confused with the details on the webpage though, MTB on 7th and 8th of Nov ? 

 

Your muscles are throbbing, your lungs are on fire, your mouth is full of sand and you’re covered in mud. But if you could, you would do it all over again.

Let your drive and dedication fuel your ride in the Momentum 947 Mountain Bike Challenge on the 7th and 8th of November 2015.

Choose the right race for you.

The Momentum 947 Mountain Bike Challenge at Riversands Commercial Park, Fourways, on 7 and 8 November 2015.

The kids race is on the Saturday and the main race is on the Sunday

[rudi-h]

Maybe 1 in 10 MTB races, whether it be one day marathons or a multi day stage races are even remotely technical, so any race that you can pick should be fine from a technical/skill point of view.  If that is not the case, I'd start with some basic skill practice or 40km marathon type races until more confidence has been gained.  Stage races also seem to be catering a LOT more for riding experience and pleasure, probably due to the huge cost of the races so it is very unlikely that they'll make you slog through e.g. long stretches of sand.

 

People that suffer on races are not those who carry their bikes over the 10m long rock garden because its technical, but those that are not fit enough or not suitably conditioned for long hours in the saddle slogging up gradual climbs or those that are not used to uneven / sandy / rocky terrain.

 

One of my least favourite days in the saddle ever was a 60km ride in the Karoo (on 19 December - super hot) on a road where the corrugation was so bad that we purposefully brought our speed down to 10 km/h, even on the flat sections...