Eroica is back!

[porqui]

What's with the caps - majority ???

[DJR]

What's with the caps - majority ???

It is the only race that I ride without a helmet, in the spirit of years gone by. Eroica does not require you to wear one, but they do encourage it. They even welcome modern helmets and a few people wore theirs. Quite a few wore old leather strip helmets but many rode with cycling caps only. A large number of the riders themselves date to a time before helmets. I suppose that has something to do with it also. Yes, I know a helmet is a good thing, and my family and I wear them everywhere else, all the time, except for Eroica. Let's say it is our occasional straying from the straight and narrow. I hope you noticed how we tried to make up on the visibility front by wearing scorch your eyeballs orange kit. The ride is relaxed, on mostly deserted dirt roads with very little traffic, small numbers, no bunches, no racing, so I admit that it is a calculated risk. When I manage to find a nice old leather strip helmet, I'll use that.    

[Fat Boab]

It is the only race that I ride without a helmet, in the spirit of years gone by. Eroica does not require you to wear one, but they do encourage it. They even welcome modern helmets and a few people wore theirs. Quite a few wore old leather strip helmets but many rode with cycling caps only. A large number of the riders themselves date to a time before helmets. I suppose that has something to do with it also. Yes, I know a helmet is a good thing, and my family and I wear them everywhere else, all the time, except for Eroica. Let's say it is our occasional straying from the straight and narrow. I hope you noticed how we tried to make up on the visibility front by wearing scorch your eyeballs orange kit. The ride is relaxed, on mostly deserted dirt roads with very little traffic, small numbers, no bunches, no racing, so I admit that it is a calculated risk. When I manage to find a nice old leather strip helmet, I'll use that.    

 

Good job I've kept my 1990-era Bell V1-Pro in storage for just such an event. Probably the same level of crash protection as a casquette......

[Farouvic]

Cool photos DJR. 

 

And what a cool event. I'll do a blog post a little later, but this has to be one of the hidden gems on our cycling calendar. Cycling the way it was supposed to be.

 

Unlike other races where you worry about your legs lasting the distance, at Eroica, you worry about your bike making the distance!

 

Thanks for the memories regarding the forgotten Sancini brand. You must have been the only one there on the day. Mine was still without decals. Very few Alpinas around.

[AJG]

The most beautifully restored bike on the day, the one I drooled over most (but keep in mind that it is a very personal thing) was a this Cinelli! 

 

How many riders did they get for the Nova event?

[DJR]

How many riders did they get for the Nova event?

I would estimate about 30 or so? Maybe 35? 

[DJR]

So, with the multiple snakebite disaster D had on the Lejeune and the resultant blow out of his front tyre, I managed to find him two new Continental Gatorskins. Got a 28mm to fit on the back and a 32mm to fit on the front. Damn, it gives a real magic carpet ride! Such a pity the Colnago frame cannot handle anything bigger than a 25mm. Hope that will make his commute and his next Eroica (yes, we think that far ahead!) more fun and less eventful!

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Suffered major FOMO for this event but I was lucky enough to win a Tripper package to the Epic so had to sit it out. Even had my old Hanson prepped and ready. 

It looked amazing, just wish the date of the event wasn't in the middle of the month that all things cycling related happen in the Cape.

[DJR]

Suffered major FOMO for this event but I was lucky enough to win a Tripper package to the Epic so had to sit it out. Even had my old Hanson prepped and ready. 

It looked amazing, just wish the date of the event wasn't in the middle of the month that all things cycling related happen in the Cape.

Yes, March seems to be stacked to the brim with things cycling. UCI MTB World Cup, Argus, Epic, Eroica......

 

The reason they do it is to target the internationals coming out for 1 event, staying a bit longer and doing another event also. The international component of this years Eroica SA seemed larger than in the past and quite a few of those riders also did the Argus the weekend before. Some brought bikes for both events, some brought only an old classic. Several rented bikes from local bike shops. I think it is a model that works well, even if it feels like too much pudding in one go!    

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Yeah, I can understand the rational behind it, it kind of just sucks when you want to do them all

[lechatnoir]

Yes, March seems to be stacked to the brim with things cycling. UCI MTB World Cup, Argus, Epic, Eroica......

 

The reason they do it is to target the internationals coming out for 1 event, staying a bit longer and doing another event also. The international component of this years Eroica SA seemed larger than in the past and quite a few of those riders also did the Argus the weekend before. Some brought bikes for both events, some brought only an old classic. Several rented bikes from local bike shops. I think it is a model that works well, even if it feels like too much pudding in one go!    

 

Felt like a foreigner in truth... so many people from other countries. was really great. Hope they had as good-a-time as I.

[Stan Engelbrecht]

Hello friends. I’ve been getting so many messages from you asking about the possibility of an Eroica South Africa 2021. Yes, we have been planning an Eroica for this year, but of course with the current situation it has been very difficult to finalise anything. Thank you for your patience and understanding until now.

The good news is we have settled on 24 April 2021 for our next adventure. We are committed to this date, however we have to be realistic and prepared to be flexible considering government regulations and health considerations. We hope that it won’t, but if our date moves of course you will be the first to know. 

Entries will open mid-February. We’ll be in touch to confirm the date.

Considering the pandemic we also have to be mindful of how we run Eroica South Africa 2021. We have some ideas to change the event in such a way that we all have the opportunity to practice as much social distancing as makes us all feel comfortable. The safety of our Eroica community is of utmost importance to us, and so is the safety of the people of Montagu who we have to work closely with. 

With all these considerations we still want to make Eroica South Africa 2021 an unforgettable one. We will be avoiding big group gatherings and the normal mass start. But for this year we want to focus on giving participants the opportunity to spend the day out on their bikes with close friends and family, and structuring the riding in such a way that you can choose on the day how far and wide you’d like to explore. We’re looking at it as a choose-your-own-adventure type of day, with pick-up spots for picnic-style food packs. This way each rider or group can choose where they spend some time enjoying their food and drinks along their route. Each rider will have a map with routes and distances clearly laid out, food pick-up points clearly marked, and lots of potential picnic spots indicated. As always there will be great emphasis on good, fresh local food and refreshments, and of course our planned routes will be filled with beautiful views and adventurous detours. We will make up for everything we’re giving up because of COVID-19 by making every other aspect of the event even better. 

The NOVA component will still have a race aspect this year, with timed Strava race-sections, but the distance will be a bit shorter, with more technical sections. Please stay tuned.

Let’s work together to make Eroica South Africa 2021 the best one yet, even in the face of the global challenge we’re enduring. We’ll be in touch soon with more details on our Eroica South Africa 2021 adventure!