Karoo to Coast

[Chingy182]

Moer maar daai was 'n tough K2C gewees!!

 

I rode it with the fiancee and super proud of her sticking it through at 7h25 in those conditions.

 

I was shaking to the bone for almost half of the ride. Met a very friendly bunch of ladies from Pretoria at the finish at the beer tent who took it upon themselves to provide me with space blankets to help me warm up.

 

 

Very happy with the medals earned for this ride.

 

I am just dreading the bike service costs now.

[Robbie Stewart]

The ou-wapad descent is rocky, and tricky if the rest of your mountain bike year only consists of district roads, which most of those who enter most likely ride for the most part. I too descend on the fast side, and have been held up by many folks who gingerly attempt the descent. Many ooms en tannies have skrikked their gatte af when I come blasting past on my trail bike. But that just means I am not risk averse, but after two tumbles this year which messed up my shoulder and knee, I too will be taking it a bit slower in future. After all, I am not going to win the race,and that is not a spot to be chasing it anyway.

 

[gogo@]

Maybe some cyclists are just more risk averse than you? If you are not aiming for a sub-whatever then risking a broken collarbone to gain a few seconds on a tricky downhill is not an attractive idea for the average mid-bunch rider.

No. It was reaaaaaally slow. Like almost standing still slow. I ride tourist class myself although I do enjoy a bit of good track. But 10km into a ride and 100s of km from home I ain’t going to take a risk myself. So I park behind if needed until it’s safe to overtake. I ride an old hard tail with v-brakes so don’t have crazy stopping power either.

Edit: it was pretty smooth this year which is why I raised the issue. And I’m including the jeep track that isn’t so steep as the first part of the descent.

Edited September 24, 2019 by gogo@

[JohanDiv]

Moer maar daai was 'n tough K2C gewees!!

 

I rode it with the fiancee and super proud of her sticking it through at 7h25 in those conditions.

 

I was shaking to the bone for almost half of the ride. Met a very friendly bunch of ladies from Pretoria at the finish at the beer tent who took it upon themselves to provide me with space blankets to help me warm up.

 

 

Very happy with the medals earned for this ride.

 

I am just dreading the bike service costs now.

Did we skip you with the tequila bottle?? Just realised we actually spent more time in the beer tent afterwards than on the bike the morning. The tequila definitely helped with regaining a bit of body temps!

[Chingy182]

Did we skip you with the tequila bottle?? Just realised we actually spent more time in the beer tent afterwards than on the bike the morning. The tequila definitely helped with regaining a bit of body temps!

Sadly got left out of the Tequila shots going around.

 

What helped though was the friendly oom at a waterpoint around the 70km mark who offered me a very enjoyable "vuil coke"

[Chingy182]

No. It was reaaaaaally slow. Like almost standing still slow. I ride tourist class myself although I do enjoy a bit of good track. But 10km into a ride and 100s of km from home I ain’t going to take a risk myself. So I park behind if needed until it’s safe to overtake. I ride an old hard tail with v-brakes so don’t have crazy stopping power either.

Edit: it was pretty smooth this year which is why I raised the issue. And I’m including the jeep track that isn’t so steep as the first part of the descent.

I feel like I am partially to blame here... I go flying down the descents on my enduro bike, then I get to the bottom and wait for the missus to arrive 5min later, only to hear that she stops dead in her tracks half way down only to take her sunnies out to help with the dust, etc.

 

I just keep my mouth shut, but cringing inside

[Patchelicious]

One shouldn’t forget that K2C is the Argus of MTBing, lots of people who aren’t regular MTBers ride this.

[MORNE]

on a slightly different note

...the amount of people who are not aware of the fact that the "racing line"/best possible apex for a given corner is not the best way around that corner in the wet...or even the dry - is almost mind boggling to me. The water turns the inside of any corner into a donga/mud fest....but take the 'shortest line' we will NO MATTER WHAT.

When the road snakes and turns uphill the inside is also steeper on the approach, whereas the the more gradual gradient form around mid corner to outside makes the extra 1m you travel around it totally worth it imo. You keep so much more speed/momentum. I made my wife aware of this around halfway through when i was riding behind her for a while and saw she was also trying to cut the corners basically. Her pace got so much better through the uphill twisty bits after that.

 

the pothole bit through he forest wasn't that bad on a hardtail imo since the rain filled all the holes and you could plan your line trough them from about 10m away haha. still sucked though. 

 

looking at the damage on my bike this morning I still think that if I knew what was lying ahead in Uniondale around 7:30 i probably wouldn't have started. 

[Leon O]

So my trip ended before it really began.

1st my Left shoe sole departed from the sheeat to come. I turned around, somebody from Cycleworx helped to repair damage with Duct tape, and off I went. I had barely hit the dirt road, yip you guessed it, Right shoe gave up.

The little voice in my head said, stop it, drop it, go home! I listened. From the comments above I am sort of glad I listened, for once!

Edited September 25, 2019 by Leon O

[MORNE]

I think alot of guys stopped along the way due to the horrible sound of money literally falling off your bike. after my fall and in that excruciating cold with only half my gears, i'll admit that i was also thinking about stopping...I mean it wasnt any fun anymore at that stage.

 

The ONLY thing that kept me going was the thought that my bike will be thrown onto that truck with all the others haha.

i'm glad i did because when i saw the truck stopping at the field afterwards with all those nice carbon bikes piled on top of each other i was honestly horrified for the owners. The guy whose bike was right at the back against the latch was trying to save it like it was dying a slow death in a burning car wreckage. He was SOOOO p%ssed by the obvious damage to his carbon frame that he literally had a look and tossed the bike aside in disgust....but then he was fighting to get the thing out so hard...he probably damaged all the bikes that were lying on top of his too

Edited September 25, 2019 by morneS555

[Dicky DQ]

The ou-wapad descent is rocky, and tricky if the rest of your mountain bike year only consists of district roads, which most of those who enter most likely ride for the most part. I too descend on the fast side, and have been held up by many folks who gingerly attempt the descent. Many ooms en tannies have skrikked their gatte af when I come blasting past on my trail bike. But that just means I am not risk averse, but after two tumbles this year which messed up my shoulder and knee, I too will be taking it a bit slower in future. After all, I am not going to win the race,and that is not a spot to be chasing it anyway.

 

 

But there are now so few places to let the brakes go and have fun it is sad. The Wapad down was still to manicured for my liking, no more challenges anymore. Ho well.

[RocknRolla]

A gravel bike with flat bars? So... a mountain bike then?

[Rouxenator]

I rinsed off the bike and gears on Sunday, lubed it a couple of times since then. Rode it to work this morning and all is well. 

 

I think the petrol cost of this whole trip is more than what a new drive train would cost me 

[bj horn]

First bit of new equipment to be purchased is a Spaceblanket!!

Mother it was cold.Waiting at the waterpoints,in pouring rain and strong wind, on top of the hills for your pals was seriously challenging.

At the waterpoint before Buffelsnek there were about 5 riders on the big truck ,at Buffelsnek it was FULL

[Chingy182]

What a tough day. Probably the toughest day in the saddle for me itv weather. Myself and the wife managed to finish though even after all the setbacks. I had a coming together with a guy just after the bridge underpass on the tar. Fell and bent my hanger poer in its moer...together with the derailer. Ps, thanks for not stopping whoever you were....

A spectator helped me hold the bike while I hulked the hanger sortoff straight. Rode up the next hill...with 15-32 lol. At the waterpoint I took the derailure off and got me a nice big rock and hammered the hanger as straight as i could. The derailure was still screwed though but i just set it up so i could atleast have 36 in the back....but this meant i was missing all the highergears up to mid casette.

 

Then the rain started....

I have never been that cold on a bike. It was getting difficult to even shift. The wife was struggling hard with the cold so we waited for the weather about 30min at one of the stops. It didnt get better.

 

Ps the waterpoints - especially on uniondales half were absolutely crap. I dont really blame them ( due to the weather) but still. We didnt stop at about half of them though since the cold was just that intense and if you stopped for 5min you were starting from 0 again.

 

It was raining/hailing so hard at one stage you could not see anything.

I lost count how many times i swore at amulances (in my head) and bakkies full of people with spaceblankets on the back....especially if you are grinding up a hill and have to stop.

 

Thanks to people at the Simola waterpoint...by far the best one ito friendlyness and things available.

Ps - to every chop that just chucked his/her plastic cup next to the road in that wind....i hope you break your pinky toe on a corner today.

 

Anyway. All in all a huge challenge that was very tough in that weather. We rode up ou wapad and the Simola climb. They are totally overhyped by everyone lol.

 

Mr Rouxie - i stoped to help a older guy from stellenbosch in the forest with a broken chain/chain breaker but i don't think it was you? He was on a ‘older’ bike but he was more ‘English than afrikaans?’. What a struggle trying to keep your hands still in that cold while trying to put a chain together haha.

 

Also

R.I.P all the drivetrains

I was there when it happened. I was waiting with another lady for our partners to get through the underpass and next thing you came down right in front of us. I saw your derailleur giving issues after the fall.

 

I saw another seriously close call on that loooong descent, a guy was changing lanes and knocked elbows with a girl who then managed to not fly over the handlebars when her bike squared up by some miracle.

 

Guy just stuck his hand up to kinda apologise, but just kept on riding.

For all he knows is that he could have hospitalized that girl, but made no further effort to stop or help.

[MORNE]

I was there when it happened. I was waiting with another lady for our partners to get through the underpass and next thing you came down right in front of us. I saw your derailleur giving issues after the fall.

 

I saw another seriously close call on that loooong descent, a guy was changing lanes and knocked elbows with a girl who then managed to not fly over the handlebars when her bike squared up by some miracle.

 

Guy just stuck his hand up to kinda apologise, but just kept on riding.

For all he knows is that he could have hospitalized that girl, but made no further effort to stop or help.

yea. funny story that actually.

like everyone - we went through there single file and someone 3 riders ahead unclippedin front of my wife up the little grass embankment just before the road....so obviously - chain reaction.

 

Then some old guy totally lost his **** about the people stopping. i was like: "guy...relax...it is a funrace and you started a bit late to be on the podium" F$%^ he was unhappy lol.

Anyway...we just laughed him off and he went on. The guy that I tangled with rode up to my right side and asked me what the commotion was about...and thats when our bars connected and i went down. my rear wheel was seized solid from the derailleur now 'being one' with the cassette.

 

funny enough...my wife just went and didn't even see me fall. i thought my race was done. Luckily I could bend it back into place by hand - sort-of.

Haha the crowd (who obviously saw and gasped when they saw me fall - I heard it too) were so cool about it on the way up, cheering me along chasing after my wife with a skipping and grinding chain. I think the guy who was helping me next to the road was more miffed about my smashed bike than i was at that stage. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by morneS555