Eroica is back!

[DJR]

Just got Daniels Eroica ride back from Woodstock Cycle Works. He is super stoked with the Orange Explosion! Now really getting excited and looking forward to the coming weekend!  

[DJR]

So, how was team DJRs' Eroica SA 2018 outing? FANTASTIC! That's how!

 

But first, the "team" bikes:

 

Daniel decided to restore his old Alpina specially for this years Eroica, added a little modern twist, and with the help of Bogus and Woodstock Cycle Works, he now has what is without a doubt the brightest bipolar bike on the planet. I think it will be visible from space and was christened The Orange Explosion! Guess what is Ds favourite colour!

 

(I'll post more on the project in the Retro Bike thread later.) 

[DJR]

David rode his Lejeune, fresh from daily commute duties. He enjoyed it so much lately that he is thinking of getting rid of his modern Giant road bike altogether and to ride everything on the Lejeune. 

 

I rode my old faithful, the Colnago Bititan. I only swapped the Shamals for the more sturdy Ambrosio wheels and 25mm tyres. That's also where I made the one serious mistake: I forgot to switch the cassettes as well.......and ended up riding a 21 tooth big cog at the back......on the climbs it is murder on the lungs and death to old knees!  

[Skubarra]

Went camping near Montagu this weekend. On our way there on Friday an old omie on an old bike almost got himself ridden over by me as he was struggling to stay on his bike swerving all over the road....

 

Was wondering if there was something cycling related going on at Montagu.... 

Edited March 19, 2018 by Skubarra

[DJR]

The start of the 90 km ride. (The other distances were 135 km Eroica Classic, 155 km Eroica Nuovo, 45 km) 

I particularly love the Escapados jersey. This year definitely showed a growth in numbers, but the friendly atmosphere was as great as ever! (Please, everyone who rode the other distances, add pictures and stories.)

[Shebeen]

..............damn i really need to get my act together next year

[DJR]

Soon enough we were on our way out of town on a short tar stretch. I noticed that the young Ds were quite happy to sit in my slipstream. I let them, because I knew what was waiting in the second half of the ride, and they didn't! 

[DJR]

Breakfast stop at the Kingna Distillery. The bacon & egg burger saved Davids' life, I think. I tasted a little snippit of their brandy! (Before 10am, I know, I know!) 

[DJR]

A fast tar section took us back to Montagu for an early lunch vetkoek with cheese & jam! By this time the youngsters were thinking that it was an easy ride. What with half of the distance behind us, and nobody even feeling a little tired........I made them work upfront to get them back to reality!

[DJR]

Then we were back on the dirt again, it got progressively rougher. David had 2 punctures in quick succession. But no problem, because we had 3 spare tubes between us! Teamwork had us going in no time at all. I hope we looked professional because the film crew descended on us at our worst hour (up to then.......)! It is amazing how a camera lens can cause your fingers to go stupid and make you fumble like a newby!

[DJR]

This is what Eroica SA is all about, for me anyhow! Long stretches of road, beautiful surroundings. Tough enough to make you regret the couple of extra kilos you are lugging around. Helping each other, making friends when all is going well, and more friends when it is not.  

[DJR]

This time Daniel helped a gentleman from Holland. Yes, the orange outfit made them best buddies for the day, despite their age difference.  Karma is always present and watching. You never know when you are going to need help yourself, although Daniels 28 mm tyres, I think, gave him a distinct advantage over the 2 of us.

[DJR]

Yes, you guessed right, just over the next hill, we were feeling so great, we let the speed get away from us, just a little bit.........and hit a nasty rocky bit because we were going too fast to pick a smoother line. David got snakebites both front and rear and cut the front sidewall. I got a snakebite at the back. There we were, out of spares, no patch kit (dumb stupid, what were we thinking?) but we had two more aces up our collective sleeve! Duck tape and Geax Pitstop! Oh, and a fresh tube donated by a good samaritan! We chose the best one of the bad tubes, bombed it with Pitstop (amazing stuff), duck taped the side wall......and rode for home! With a few more stops to pump Davids' scrapped front wheel, of course! 

[DJR]

The ice cold beer at the finish made it all worth while! 

[DJR]

After a very welcome shower and a little nap, we joined the Eroica dinner! The Mimosa Lodge catered for the event and I must say that the food was absolutely fantastic. The vibe was something else, with people from all over the world eating, drinking, talking bike and making friends. At our table alone, we were 5 South Africans, 2 Duch, 1 German, 1 Australian and 1 Italian. I also chatted to a Swede, who suffered horribly in the heat. No, it wasn't particularly hot, but when he left home, a couple of days ago, it was -20 Celcius! A Frenchman took our team picture and a Canadian explained how great it is to escape winter for a few days! Yes, there were a  few mad dogs and Englishmen too, as well as a horde of Italians, including the Founder of Eroica! (Oh, and a couple of of hipsters!)   

Edited March 19, 2018 by DJR

[Underachiever]

Love it DJR!!