Riding at Suikerbosrand?

[Joe Low]

Hello all

 

What time does suikerbos open on a Saturday?

 

7am but you can queue for a while if you get there then.

[Frosty]

Riding there tomorrow, a full lap, and then riding back home. First time in many years that this is an open weekend - looking forward to being on my bike and not on my feet.

[GemmerKat]

First time at SBR for 2017, only did one lap and surely it was the hardest one ever.

Legs were screaming and mentally it was really tough.

 

Funny how a just a small gesture from a fellow cyclist who gave me a bit of a push on the final climb gave me the willpower to keep pedal and finish my lap.

 

Glad to see there is still some good people on the road.

[Honkdonk]

Thread revive..

 

Thinking of taking our group there on Tuesday but parking at Cafe Du Cirque and heading out to the South gate.

I know its roughly a 12k ride to the gate then a left turn and we'll do the full thing and then back.

We should be on the bikes at half 6 to make the 7am gate in time before things get too busy

 

What is the road like from Cafe Du Cirque to the reserve gate like? Safe enough?

[Frosty]

Thread revive..

 

Thinking of taking our group there on Tuesday but parking at Cafe Du Cirque and heading out to the South gate.

I know its roughly a 12k ride to the gate then a left turn and we'll do the full thing and then back.

We should be on the bikes at half 6 to make the 7am gate in time before things get too busy

 

What is the road like from Cafe Du Cirque to the reserve gate like? Safe enough?

Safe? It's a relative term to be used in SA. 

• Safe, i.t.o. traffic - yes, fairly quiet roads;
• Safe, i.t.o. hijackers - haven't heard of any problems, but one has to be vigilant at the best of times;
• Safe, i.t.o. road conditions - there are a few potholes along the route, but nothing that a small group can't negotiate.

 

My club is riding there and back on Sunday, so I can give you better feedback on the pothole conditions.

[Honkdonk]

Appreciated Gerald

Mainly traffic volumes I guess, especially if there is no shoulder. 

 

And tissues.... tissues in the Cafe upon the return, as we have a bunch of SBR virgins coming along.

[Spirog]

My D90 group is doing the loop to SBR from Meyersdal on Sunday.

 

After a 75km club ride on Saturday...

And before a 150km ride on Tuesday...

 

If that doesn't get me ready for D90, nothing will!

 

I LOVE (hate) SBR.

[Dexter-morgan]

Appreciated Gerald

Mainly traffic volumes I guess, especially if there is no shoulder. 

 

And tissues.... tissues in the Cafe upon the return, as we have a bunch of SBR virgins coming along.

The first time I took SBR "virgins" to SBR we spent 5 hours there.

[Frosty]

There's been some talk on our club Whatsapp group of a sub-2 lap... 

 

According to Strava:

• 36 have achieved it from the main car park, while;
• 22 have achieved it from the back gate.

And we're going in/out the back gate.

Let's see what mother nature has install for us on Sunday.

[Frosty]

My D90 group is doing the loop to SBR from Meyersdal on Sunday.

 

After a 75km club ride on Saturday...

And before a 150km ride on Tuesday...

 

If that doesn't get me ready for D90, nothing will!

 

I LOVE (hate) SBR.

Front or back gate?

Might see you there if you go in the back gate.

[Imploder]

How much sub of a lap is the 2nd Lap?

[ScottCM]

Safe? It's a relative term to be used in SA. 

• Safe, i.t.o. traffic - yes, fairly quiet roads;
• Safe, i.t.o. hijackers - haven't heard of any problems, but one has to be vigilant at the best of times;
• Safe, i.t.o. road conditions - there are a few potholes along the route, but nothing that a small group can't negotiate.

 

My club is riding there and back on Sunday, so I can give you better feedback on the pothole conditions.

 

Midvaal municipality has started a R50mil upgrade on that road starting in Meyerton and will continue all the way to Ekhurleni. Whether that upgrade will include a larger shoulder to make it safer for cyclists is yet to be seen. 

[Grey Hubs]

There's been some talk on our club Whatsapp group of a sub-2 lap... 

 

According to Strava:

• 36 have achieved it from the main car park, while;
• 22 have achieved it from the back gate.

And we're going in/out the back gate.

Let's see what mother nature has install for us on Sunday.

As you say, it depends where you measure from and to...I have created a 56km loop segment on Garmin measured from the entrance (guard house) to the t-junction of the entrance road. I try use the last stretch to the car park as a cool-down.

Last week I managed a 2:1:19, so just missed the sub 2hr. I'm definitely not the strongest rider around... But I gave it my all from the start, so I recon that will be my best for a long time. Thought I was doing really well until a chap passed me and made me look like I was standing still Sure he was sub 2hr material. All relative at the end.

 

But the gem about riding SBR is riding at a moderate pace, enjoying the scenery and chatting with your friends...you always suffer, but 20 min slower makes the ride so much more palatable!!!

What ever your goals are at SBR just be careful of the fast sections and animals/people crossing the road. I encountered three Eland, one jackal and a baboon in the road last weekend. Made it very interesting.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Grey Hubs

[Pall Catt]

Midvaal municipality has started a R50mil upgrade on that road starting in Meyerton and will continue all the way to Ekhurleni. Whether that upgrade will include a larger shoulder to make it safer for cyclists is yet to be seen. 

 

So R48m into someone's pocket and then R2m to fill in a few potholes?

[Pall Catt]

The first time I took SBR "virgins" to SBR we spent 5 hours there.

 

Haha, same here. And that was after the slowest one eventually got picked up by a car. It was brutal.

[Frosty]

As you say, it depends where you measure from and to...I have created a 56km loop segment on Garmin measured from the entrance (guard house) to the t-junction of the entrance road. I try use the last stretch to the car park as a cool-down.

Last week I managed a 2:1:19, so just missed the sub 2hr. I'm definitely not the strongest rider around... But I gave it my all from the start, so I recon that will be my best for a long time. Thought I was doing really well until a chap passed me and made me look like I was standing still Sure he was sub 2hr material. All relative at the end.

 

But the gem about riding SBR is riding at a moderate pace, enjoying the scenery and chatting with your friends...you always suffer, but 20 min slower makes the ride so much more palatable!!!

What ever your goals are at SBR just be careful of the fast sections and animals/people crossing the road. I encountered three Eland, one jackal and a baboon in the road last weekend. Made it very interesting.

The sectors I'm referring have 99% mentioned in the segment description.

 

Front gate:

A lap starts as soon as the gradient heads up (after main car park. It ends just before the T-junction at the end of the shorter loop.

 

Back gate:

A lap starts just after the boom (after turning left from the main entrance thatch), and ends at the top of the last bump before the entrance thatch.

 

So technically, it's 99% of the lap which makes the sub-2 listed on Strava a little more elitist.

 

 

I'm okay on the climbs, and will ride away from my club mates (most of them, anyway). I just don't enjoy riding on my ace, especially when the reserve is the perfect place to enjoy the time on the bike - minimal cars, occasional game, awesome sights and the downhills.