KAP Sani2C 2017

[ricochet_rabbit]

Yes, that is what I road with everyday.

 

What is not shown is the jacket, in case of rain.

A lot of stuff in there but two things I can't see which I consider important for a stage race.

 

1) spare hanger?

2) Spare jockey pulley wheel?

 

should hopefully never need either but I'd rather carry that than a lot of the other stuff. 

Why so much food etc when the tables are so well stocked?

[Jakkals.]

Was having a quick scoot through Strava and I see Amy MacDougall has joint 6th fastest time down the switchbacks - same as Matthys Beukes, Darren Lill - one second slower than Nico Bell.  Probably set during Joberg2c. 

 

Damn, that is some going.

 

https://www.strava.com/activities/962217061/segments/23550359372

Tx, I also saw Im 1373rd. hahah

[worriesnot]

A lot of stuff in there but two things I can't see which I consider important for a stage race.

 

1) spare hanger?

2) Spare jockey pulley wheel?

 

should hopefully never need either but I'd rather carry that than a lot of the other stuff. 

Why so much food etc when the tables are so well stocked?

 

Spare hanger is a must!

 

My rear derailleur broke off on day2 (Trail) - yes, broke.. into pieces (12km into the ride).

Told my partner to just go and ride solo as I had no idea if I could get a replacement and carry on.

Had to get myself back to the start (eventually got a lift in a Sappi bakkie) and luckily one of the mechanics at Mackenzie had a spare derailleur.

My hanger bent slightly when the derailleur broke so had to replace that as well.

Luckily I had a spare hanger or my Sani was done.

 

Got to start over and descended Umko all by myself - quite a serene experience I must add. 

Had to stop at 8 or 9 gates to open and close as the sweeper motorbike (Dave) closes all the gates behind the last rider, BUT he did not know about me. 

At this point my plan was to comfortably make my way to WP1 and then pack it in as I lost a lot of time, but when I got there everyone had already packed up and left.

Luckily I could get water and decided I might as well continue, do this new Iconic climb and see if I could get a Spur burger at WP2.

Eventually caught up to Dave, his vuvuzela and a few people going up Iconic.

Made it to WP2, got a Spur burger and met some good people waiting for the Subaru guys to take us to Jolivet.

Bummed about a DNF but that solo descent, taking it all in, stopping for photos, oh... and opening / closing cattle gates... good day on the bike.

And as Sani does I was allowed to finish day3, get a medal, swim in the ocean and collect a finishers t-shirt.

[Jakkals.]

Well done!

 

I can only imagine going down solo is the only way to experience the ultimate drop.

[Goodbadugly]

We did the race

Quite an expensive outing.

I started stripping my bike last night.

Water and mud everywhere. The headset bearings are stuck. The fork in sticking. One of the BB bearings are rough. 3 of the four bearings in my rear wheel had to be changed. I also popped the seals on the front wheel bearings and regreased them.

The rear brake pads are shot. Chain is gone and the cabling needs to be redone.

I took the seatpost out and poured water from the frame.

 

We will be back next year.

C

[Spoke101]

Was having a quick scoot through Strava and I see Amy MacDougall has joint 6th fastest time down the switchbacks - same as Matthys Beukes, Darren Lill - one second slower than Nico Bell.  Probably set during Joberg2c. 

 

Damn, that is some going.

 

https://www.strava.com/activities/962217061/segments/23550359372

 

You don't understand how fast those ladies are!!!

 

We spent most of day 1 and 3 riding with them and they have some proper skills. Candice and Vera tried to make a break on day 1 in the Oak lane single track and I found myself having to put in some effort to keep up.

[Firozfx]

I was lucky enough to do the Trail. This was my 3rd 3 day race and was by far the most awesome mountain biking ever. Man. Those climbs were steep.

 

The Umko drop was something else. My partner and I took it relatively easy to enjoy the event. A total time of 14h22

 

It was off the scale. A must do.

 

Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

[milky4130]

Spare hanger is a must!

 

My rear derailleur broke off on day2 (Trail) - yes, broke.. into pieces (12km into the ride).

Told my partner to just go and ride solo as I had no idea if I could get a replacement and carry on.

Had to get myself back to the start (eventually got a lift in a Sappi bakkie) and luckily one of the mechanics at Mackenzie had a spare derailleur.

My hanger bent slightly when the derailleur broke so had to replace that as well.

Luckily I had a spare hanger or my Sani was done.

 

Got to start over and descended Umko all by myself - quite a serene experience I must add.

Had to stop at 8 or 9 gates to open and close as the sweeper motorbike (Dave) closes all the gates behind the last rider, BUT he did not know about me.

At this point my plan was to comfortably make my way to WP1 and then pack it in as I lost a lot of time, but when I got there everyone had already packed up and left.

Luckily I could get water and decided I might as well continue, do this new Iconic climb and see if I could get a Spur burger at WP2.

Eventually caught up to Dave, his vuvuzela and a few people going up Iconic.

Made it to WP2, got a Spur burger and met some good people waiting for the Subaru guys to take us to Jolivet.

Bummed about a DNF but that solo descent, taking it all in, stopping for photos, oh... and opening / closing cattle gates... good day on the bike.

And as Sani does I was allowed to finish day3, get a medal, swim in the ocean and collect a finishers t-shirt.

kudos for sticking it out & finishing. If before the event started I was to be offered the choice of your experience or what we got in the Race on Day 2, I would choose yours 100 times over.

[milky4130]

if you are a mid pack rider, doing an event like this without a GPS, should be fine, but not recommended. As a mid pack, you will always be with other riders - and the chance of not seeing another rider is slim, there will always be others.

 

At the back, where we were, we had hours without seeing another cyclist. Maybe when we crested a rise or across a valley - the chances of getting lost were pretty high. The risks are just to high. It should just be about your safety. Thats all.

 

Anybody thinking of doing an event that requires a GPS should just get one. Borrow one if you have to if its a one time event.

we were A bunch riders, & somewhere in the Sugar cane fields we were about a gruppetto of easily 10 teams, which went the wrong way, luckily I was about 10meters behind, quickly glanced down & turned around onto the right path. If you are racing it against the clock gps is also a must. You just can't afford any mistakes as it will cost you not only time but whole lot more like moral & motivation for the remainder.

[Flemish Lion]

we were A bunch riders, & somewhere in the Sugar cane fields we were about a gruppetto of easily 10 teams, which went the wrong way, luckily I was about 10meters behind, quickly glanced down & turned around onto the right path. If you are racing it against the clock gps is also a must. You just can't afford any mistakes as it will cost you not only time but whole lot more like moral & motivation for the remainder.

 

Agree. We also took a wrong turn (lost about a minute) and waited 2-3 times for other teams to catch up to make sure we were on the right route... we ended up 4 mins behind the 2nd mixed team but would have been VERY close to them had we not wasted so much time... could have been a lot worse though... so a GPS isn't just a nice to have!

[milky4130]

Agree. We also took a wrong turn (lost about a minute) and waited 2-3 times for other teams to catch up to make sure we were on the right route... we ended up 4 mins behind the 2nd mixed team but would have been VERY close to them had we not wasted so much time... could have been a lot worse though... so a GPS isn't just a nice to have!

Yeah we saw you as you back tracked, Cycle Nation kit? We rode with you for a while in those single tracks until I evenuatlly had to let you pass, while I waited for my partner.

[Flemish Lion]

Yeah we saw you as you back tracked, Cycle Nation kit? We rode with you for a while in those single tracks until I evenuatlly had to let you pass, while I waited for my partner.

 

Correct, Cycle Nation kit - that was actually the 2nd time we were off track!

 

You made me realize my mtbike skills are very basic You flew down that single track!

 

Must have been a bit frustrating for you but you're part of a team...

[davetapson]

Tx, I also saw Im 1373rd. hahah

I see your 1373rd and raise you 2699th...

[milky4130]

Correct, Cycle Nation kit - that was actually the 2nd time we were off track!

 

You made me realize my mtbike skills are very basic You flew down that single track!

 

Must have been a bit frustrating for you but you're part of a team...

heehee thanks man you were not too bad yourself. I live (ride) for downhills & single tracks. Now you can really imagine how gutted i was for missing the Umko Drop, all the hype really got me going even the day before Farmer Glen still assured me I'm going to enjoy that bit little did we know the rain had other plans over night.

[Slowbee]

A lot of stuff in there but two things I can't see which I consider important for a stage race.

 

1) spare hanger?

2) Spare jockey pulley wheel?

 

should hopefully never need either but I'd rather carry that than a lot of the other stuff. 

Why so much food etc when the tables are so well stocked?

I was carrying alot of spare stuff for Mrs Slowbee, this was her first one and she was terrified about being hungry between spots and or not liking the food at the water points. (also good Munga training).

 

I wanted her pack to only have water in and keep it as light as possible. I also carried alot of extra "energy stuff" for her and also emergencies. There is berocca superboost and also vit-a-go. There is also an extra packet of "PVM octane" 750ml gets finished very fast in a 7 hr day so having spare is a good idea. While you may get physically tired, if you stay hydrated with food in the system you will always be mentally alert and this makes a difference. I would rather be overstocked in the knowledge that we will be safe rather than rely soley on WP's. I mean that lady selling water at the base of iconic made a killing ! And the weather was not even hot! So many riders just do not carry enough water!

 

In terms of hangers and jockey wheels, our ride plan was to always cut it close to the cut off time. If we lost a hanger or jockey out on the road the ride would be over anyway, so no point in carrying that sort of stuff. And if the hanger breaks, just pop a HTFU pill and go single speed.

 

Also, one needs to decide where to draw the line on spare stuff to carry. One guy even had spare spokes in his bag. Like as in really ? You going to fix a spoke? But maybe the guy had skills and knew how to do it. For me, there are some things, I cant (wont) fix if they break roadside and consider my ride over if they break.

[Slowbee]

Flemish and Milky, great posts!!