2017 Wines2Whales

[Meezo]

Hi Moridin.

 

Can't believe that nobody has replied to this. Sorry to hear dude. Could you start the second day or are you out? What happend to your better half, is she still riding?

 

if you don't make cut off you can/may start the next day

[solty]

Hi Moridin.

 

Can't believe that nobody has replied to this. Sorry to hear dude. Could you start the second day or are you out? What happend to your better half, is she still riding?

I'd also wondered about you Moridin. Been following this thread and you seemed pretty amped for the event. Hope you're still riding.

[PhilipV]

You mention all these facts as if I do not know about the heritage and what it is about?

 

I mention it so that you realise why they can't just build another trail that's ride able. The other alternatives have been explored and the status quo remains.

 

 

 

Next time train better for it?

Bahahahhahahaha.

If I find a mountain in Gauteng that steep with a horrible rocky path like that I'll try and remember your advice.

In the mean time I'll ride trails with my bike. You know...the thing with wheels that roll.......

 

 

 

If you enter a race knowing there will be a portage section, maybe you should be doing some preparation for said Portage section. Hakahana comes to mind.

It's like entering a race with a night section and moaning that riding in the dark sucks.

 

 

 

 

 

!!

[PhilipV]

What a tos day out. It was nuts with the heat. I bailed at WP3. My body completely shut down. Many people was extracted other side of mountain because of dehydration. At some points we measured 45 degrees

 

 

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Hoop dag 2 was beter.

[Ferro]

Hi Moridin.

 

Can't believe that nobody has replied to this. Sorry to hear dude. Could you start the second day or are you out? What happend to your better half, is she still riding?

 

I have been waiting for a follow up post. Surely today will go much better...

[Delarey]

.....

 

My least favourite section: A-Z - bottle necks and nothing spectacular. 

 

 

A-Z used to have a very different feel before the pine forrest burned down. Now it is barren and sandy. It is very sad to see. Yesterday in the heat it must have felt like riding through a very hot desert.

[dev null]

People, I am a broken man. Started today after severe hydration yesterday and only one hour's sleep. Everything went good and enjoyed the St. Then just before the Witklippies climb the cloud dissappeared, and the sun smashed me like a bug. My wife went on to finish day 2, but she is now also broken. She is damn strong and I will avoid my mtb for a month.

 

 

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[dev null]

People were stopping at any stream they could and swimming in the dams to cool down. Next time I will do more training in severe heat. I trained mostly to improve my technical skills and that helped a lot. But the heat is another bugger.

 

 

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[dev null]

A-Z used to have a very different feel before the pine forrest burned down. Now it is barren and sandy. It is very sad to see. Yesterday in the heat it must have felt like riding through a very hot desert.

At some spots yesterday on a to z we measured 43 degrees. It would have helped a lot if the forest was still there to provide shelter from the heat.

 

 

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[Ferro]

People, I am a broken man. Started today after severe hydration yesterday and only one hour's sleep. Everything went good and enjoyed the St. Then just before the Witklippies climb the cloud dissappeared, and the sun smashed me like a bug. My wife went on to finish day 2, but she is now also broken. She is damn strong and I will avoid my mtb for a month.

 

 

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Ah man. Sorry to hear. After the buildup this is not the experience for you that i was hoping for. Why so little sleep? That would also have had a big impact on your ride today.

[splat]

Did you not see the wagon tracks gouged into the rock face?  I find it fascinating to look at that and think of how hard it used to be to get over that mountain.  And you think it's hard on a mountain bike?!  Imagine a fully loaded ox wagon.  

I don't love that portage section, but when I see those wagon wheel grooves, I quite whining and spend the rest of my walk thinking how the hell they got the oxen, let alone the wagons up and over.

 

The view from the top is epic awesome, and makes some of the struggle worthwhile.

 

Knowing that there is no other viable route also makes it more palatable.

[Delarey]

People, I am a broken man. Started today after severe hydration yesterday and only one hour's sleep. Everything went good and enjoyed the St. Then just before the Witklippies climb the cloud dissappeared, and the sun smashed me like a bug. My wife went on to finish day 2, but she is now also broken. She is damn strong and I will avoid my mtb for a month.

 

 

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Really sorry to hear that. I was also really enjoying your build-up to the event and the anticipation on registration day. 

[Fireface]

I did my first W2W over the weekend. The only stage race I have to compare it to is the Berg & Bush which I've done 3 times. My 2 cents:

 

The food was really, really ****. I mean, Spur chips after riding for 5 hours, then not enough fresh food in the evening either? Plus there wasn't enough, and I got raw meat one evening.

 

The scenery is amazing. What a privilege to ride in those surroundings. That basically makes up for quite a lot.

 

I was shocked at the average skills level, even starting in C batch one day. The cobble stones in European Road races are greater obstacles than some of the things I saw people get off their dual-suspension bikes for. The trails are very nice and not technical at all bar one or two tight(ish) switchbacks.

 

I loved the finish in Hermanus.

 

The portage section isn't fun, but I don't get why y'all are fussing about it. You get to ride your bikes for 10-20 hours depending on how fast you are, 20 minutes of walking is no big deal in my mind.

 

Bottom line: I'll come back and ride the trails all day long since they are open to the public, but I'd rather try some other races than put this kind of money down for the event.

[ChrisF]

People, I am a broken man. Started today after severe hydration yesterday and only one hour's sleep. Everything went good and enjoyed the St. Then just before the Witklippies climb the cloud dissappeared, and the sun smashed me like a bug. My wife went on to finish day 2, but she is now also broken. She is damn strong and I will avoid my mtb for a month.

 

 

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I was in the area today, for work.

 

Did the blue route of the Hermanus trails between 7:00 and 8 this morning.  Was nudging up to 23 degrees by 8:00 !!

 

The humidity was HIGH !!!!!!  We had a site meeting in Kleinmond, out in the open, in clear site of the sea, and yet we were SWEATING !!

 

 

By 12:00 I saw the riders at the apple farm .... 32 degrees !!

 

 

RESPECT to each and every one hanging in there and completing this race. 

 

 

CERTAINLY a different animal to the one of the weekend.

[DjCyclist]

Wow can't believe W2W has gotten such bad reviews, I've done 3 W2W rides unfortunately this year I couldn't make it due to financial reason, food was awesome last year and for the the 3 years I done it, it was improving every year, WP improved ST were awesome overall things were getting better, by the sound of things it went to the dogs. Hope next year if I do it they would've sorted out this year's faults.

[dev null]

The report in from out on the trails was temps of between 32 and 35 degrees, with high humidity. As

I said before, my legs were fine, but my body could not handle the heat. I probably would have broken some record pedalling up to the stream under the trees on the klippies climb, just to get to some cool water and shade. My waterbottle water was already hot by then.

 

 

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