[Event] Eselfontein MTB (3Day Stage Race) Festival

[hansolo]

Thanks for a great event, really well organised and a bargain against other similar events!.The trails was amazing and I'll be back next year, hopefully a bit fitter and lighter. Keep up the good work!

[Buchu]

Baie dankie vir great event. Alles was great. Al ding wat nice so wees is as dag3 dalk batch start. Dit gee net bietjie meer orde aan begin. Laaste het ons die t-shirts gekry wat regtig baie lekker t-shirt is. Sal even touch meer vir entry betaal vir nog van daai shirts. 

Ek het die argument hierdie jaar verloor oor die batch start vir dag 3. Ek sal seker maak dit is volgende jaar in groepe vir dag 3. 

[Rock Guy]

Baie dankie vir great event. Alles was great. Al ding wat nice so wees is as dag3 dalk batch start. Dit gee net bietjie meer orde aan begin. Laaste het ons die t-shirts gekry wat regtig baie lekker t-shirt is. Sal even touch meer vir entry betaal vir nog van daai shirts. 

Sekondeer. Daai T shirt is seker die beste t-shirt wat ek besit. Hoop ons kry weer van daai oukies volgende jaar.

[samson99]

Did we have to purchase the t-shirt? Otherwise i missed out. 

 

The routes were amazing. Definitely true mountain biking, no free miles.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself. Will definitely be back next year.

 

The Friday night ride was amazing and the weather was perfect.

 

Second the batch start for the Sunday. 

[porqui]

WOW !!

 

1st stage race

1st night race

1st Esel outing

 

Really enjoyed it but the fitness level was not there (pity)

[Bergbok]

I was under the impression I forgot my heart rate strap in the showers at the bottom camp...

Went back and found it the next day.

 

And then my team mate found mine in his bag last night, so I seemed to have nicked somebody elses...

 

PM me if it belongs to you

[Tjommie]

My experience

 

First time out @Eselfontein farm

 

Awesome and well organized race.

Camping and ablution facilities always kept clean.

 

Trails are amazing, from the night ride till day 3

 

This is ST heaven 75-80% per day.

It has a bit of everything, steep climbs/ descents, rugged and rocky ST, stunning views and excellent waterpoints

 

A challenging ride but well worth it.

 

 

Thank u Esel

 

Can definitely recommend this

[KevinG]

Awesome event. Second year I've done it and great trails. Well organized, from camping to after race entertainment. Amazing trails/routes.

Suggest the Friday night ride made a bit shorter. Not because it's too tough, just a stretch for a lot of riders to get there in time for the start and then only able to set up camp afterwards. Average rider took about 2h30min which means after showering, eating and setting up camp it is quite late. Maybe 25k's. 

Well done again to the entire team. Will be back next year.

[Headshot]

Was there as team mechanic and parent in charge. My wife and her partner had a lekker ride and got third ladies team which covered their race entry plus some change plus a nice Jordan Red.  Probably the only podium shared by a 26er (Zula) and a 29er (Spark)! This is a stage race for trail riders - distances are not that far but its hard riding with barely any respite from technical riding. 

 

The enduro looks to have been a  great success as well. More entries than ever and no disasters as far as I know. 

 

T shirts were on sale  at R150 I think. They are good. Ladies is long sleeve with a proper cut.

[Kranswurm]

I am planning to do Karoobaix next year and will try and do this as well.Looks amazing..but tough so I better make sure I am fit

[ichnusa]

Please send us uptownies pics of these fabled t-shirts...

[Adriandup]

This was by far the most amazing MTB event Ive done. The trails are amazing & technically challenging. The support crew, water points & co riders were all incredible. The absolute cherry on the cake was enjoying the race village with my wife and kids. Something that they wouldn't have full access to in other stage races. Thanks to all who helped me out with extra tubes & bombs on day 2. I punctured for the last time at about 32km which was hint enough to call it a day & take a short cut 5k jog home....and not even mad.

[milky4130]

Brilliant event, great value for money, great routes though we traverse some sections more than once over the 3 days, the best part is you get to ride it in different conditions i.e. night or day light & in reverse. Well done to the entire Esel's Team.

 

So my suggetions to make it even more awesoem for everyone.

Friday

@4pm there was still no food vendors ready to sell. So we either had to go back in to town or you had to bring your own. I just came with a tent so was expecting to buy all food there. I'll be better prepared next time.

 

Showers was nice & clean & never had to queue for too long, warm water which was a bonus however the one shower unit only had warm water, yikes.

 

Start Batches I would say is a must for all 3 days. due to the nature of the route i.e. majority single track getting stuck behind slower riders can be dangerous for all.

[GLuvsMtb]

We had a real blast. I love going to Eselfontein, and this weekend just reminded me why the next manne-naweek should be done post-haste.

 

Thank you for not watering down the night ride. Proper single track and long enough to test you. Rewarding for those with good lights and that do night rides often.

 

The timing guys had their hands full to record the numbers with lights shining in their eyes. I got "penalised" with a few minutes due to this (it doesn't really matter, just giving some feedback)

 

Day 2 batch start was a must. I suggest a bigger gap than the 2 minutes given between batches. 10 minutes would be ideal

 

Get a timing company involved (I know it costs $$$). It will allow for bigger gaps on the start batches.

 

Many riders abused the figure 8 setups at the water points (i.e. crossing the same point on after a return loop) and took shortcuts. While I know and they know that they cheated and that it ultimately doesn't really matter, it would be cool if the results reflect the true standings more accurately. Again a timing company can assist in sorting this out by having chip readers on these outbound loops from the water points.  

 

I loved riding many of the loops in reverse. It puts a very different spin on the trail when you are used to riding it in a certain direction.

 

There was some confusion at the top end on day 2 (just before the Eco huts) where the Enduro trail split with SRAM tape and pink tags opposed to orange tags. The route marker boards were pointing towards the Enduro route and almost created havoc. We opted to not take the left fork and go straight and fortunately made the right call. Did I miss the mention of the Enduro markings at the start? I don't recall a briefing for B batch mentioning this?

 

Well done to all involved we thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.

[Heel Drop]

any results published yet?

[Meezo]

Entryninja has it yes