[Event] Eroica South Africa & NOVA Eroica

[Mamil]

Hey Lynnae - we rode together a bit after the refreshment station at the end of the ouberg segment - until you dropped me - stole a march on you from the braai spot and was leaving the roosterkoek as you arrived!

 

 

What a incredible day out riding in Montagu.

 

The Nova was tough (and I almost became one with the scorching earth) but the amazing lunch stops (and descent at Keisie was so worth it)

 

You could really feel the love for cycling (and bicycles!) on Saturday.

 

Was great meeting you all, hopefully see some of the Nova riders in Prins Albert next month 

[Lynnae]

Hey Lynnae - we rode together a bit after the refreshment station at the end of the ouberg segment - until you dropped me - stole a march on you from the braai spot and was leaving the roosterkoek as you arrived!

[Lynnae]

I rode with the famous Mamil? Great meeting you

 

It was hard leaving the utopian braai stop (I still have visions of Granny's mustard and venison)

[Velouria]

Such a cool event. A little crazy, a little eccentric, but a fun day out riding old bikes in challenging conditions. Well done Stan! (One of the other things I do after Eroica is go through my copies of Bicycle Portraits again)

 

The thing that strikes me at each Eroica (it's the only time I ride my old bike) is how difficult it was to ride these bikes. And my vintage bike is a bike I used to ride and race all the time when I was younger. Just getting my head around downtube shifters took about 3 hours!

 

[DJR]

Riding Eroica it on a vintage tandem is TRULY BRAVE

[Velouria]

Riding Eroica it on a vintage tandem is TRULY BRAVE

Yeah - particularly when the guy who designed it and made it says it is a bad idea and just shakes his head!

 

Things went well for the tandem this year. Only 2 punctures and one missing jockey wheel.

(We had about 8 punctures in 45kms last year and didn't even attempt the second loop of the 90km)

[Shebeen]

Nova Eroica race report!

 

 

 

I think the bicycle portraits project was the first time i ever crowdfunded something. It was such a rad project and I totally reasonated with it.

 

So by extension I have always wanted to do this event, but just never got my sh}t together to get there. 

 

Entering was the obvious thing to do, the bike would just need to come later! After some serious N+1 gymnastics, I luckily got to borrow a steel gravel machine that had done a circuit of the peninsula with 25000 people the weekend before. All that needed to be done was find 80's cycling kit, and load the car with camping equipment for a family of four. Friday was HOT, so hot that one of the tyres blew off the rim. After far too much swearing and unseating, a suitable replacement was found at a local lbs late on a friday - different hours during epic weekend!

 

This delay put the next part of the adventure into play. I have normally camped at de Bos in montagu, it's where the rock climbers go. While they are not my exact tribe, we speak a similiar dialect. This time I went with the caravan park, mainly because i'd be riding my bike all day and the kids would probably love the mini supertube they have there. We informed them we'd be late, and eventually got there at 10:15pm. This is late, sure but for a friday night it must happen on occasion. They agreed to let us in, but as it was now lights out and quiet time, we couldn't pitch our tents:eek: . Next time we camp at de bos.

 

 

 

Saturday rolled in, and the dorpie was full of vintage bikeporn. The race village was buzzing with excitement, with most people seemingly oblivious to the exploits they were about to subject them and their machines to. The Nova jumped off between the 135 and 90 vintage editions. Our 155km course had 4 timed strava sections, starting with the ouberg pass. The ouberg pass is one of the top3 passes to ride down in the province*, so it's a decent nudge on the way up.We had a 26rider strong peleton, and at the first little river dip 3km in I upshifted a handful of gears and put the derailleur into the cassette and consequently pieces. LUCKILY i was still close to town, but with the closest real bikeshop in robertson, a 10spd derrailleur was about as rare as stage 0 loadshedding.

 

 

 

I got a lift from the sweep, first to the bike container guy in the township - he hadn't been seen since december. Then to the toy store that sells parts for kids bikes - my last hope. Behind the counter I found a 6/7 spd shimano tourney. R199 and it looked like it might work, a bit. now bike parts like this don't use allan keys but spanners. I tightened it all up and hoped that my day would look up from there as I started the race for a second time, 90 minutes after the first attempt.

 

 

 

I had a workable range of gears, and got going eating away at the pass. Adrenalin flowing i was tapping out a decent pace, although I was feeling a little bit flushed by the time I got to the first waterpoint, which had by now packed up. I did manage to procure water, but was a bit worried that WP2 might not be there by the time I arrived.

 

Eager to hit the first strava section just after this I got up to speed. Round the first bend and I quickly realised that my highest available gear of about 44/30 was not going to work with the state of the engine. Time for another hack, I picked amongst the stones and found one that could slipin between the derailleur cage to extend it up two more cogs. This made the going a bit better, but I also quickly realised that I needed to chill out a bit and stop trying to race back to the field. Just to add to the drama, I didn't seem to have my phone on me anymore. It either had to be in the sweep vehicle, or somewhere in the toy store. I really hoped it was the former!

 

That out the way I did some walking, and when I eventually crested the pass it was one helluva view.This was sort of a decision point, ride on for 110 odd km or turn around, have a 30minutes downhill and pack it in. I went with plan A, and started actually finally ticking off some miles.

Last time I was riding here was 2008 during the freedom challenge, but going the other way. day 17 or something (was considered quick back then!) and I was suffering with a dicky stomach. It was a few days after I had met Prince Albert's bikeguru Johann Rissik for the first time. He passed away earlier this year and was very much in my mind today, riding a steel bike up a karoo pass with a mechanical bodge to keep it going I think he would have approved.

 

I now set my sights for WP2, it was hot and lonely, but the going was good. I was going to have to conserve water but eventually ran out with about 10km to go. I was now seriously suffering, and hadn't seen a bike or a car since halfway up the pass, a good 2 hours now! If the waterpoint wasn't there, I'd probably just sit at the poort and try hitch a ride either way as it would take me closer to the escarpment which then drops down to montagu.

 

There was at least very overdue and welcome rain in these parts last week, and some of it was still around. I came across a roadside ditch with quite a bit of muddy water. I filled up a bottle filtering it through my buff, and took some sips of this warm water that had been sitting there for a bout a week. You know at that point that this water might make you sick, but it's a risk to take! Then I drenched myself top to toe and got going, windchill is amazing to cool you down and the next 10minutes were awesome.

 

Finally there was a vehicle coming the other way. I flagged it down, and it was actually photographers from Eroica. YES, the waterpoint had got word that there was a final rider on the road and were waiting! Even better was that Mishaq's Braai Spot was about 2km closer than where I thought it would be on the map(the actual Poort). I rolled in there and was very very broken. I couldn't even get the wors down, but bananas, grilled aubergines and chilled lemon cordial got me human again.

 

It transpired that the heat was taking it's toll, and the sweep vehicles were picking up quite a few stragglers. I had no issues adding myself to that list and we squeezed my bike into the van along with quite a lot of other essential braai stop paraphenalia! Catching up to other riders from the rear of the field I could see that this was no simple day out on a bike! The other sweep did have my phone, and we passed many riders in the classic 135 and Nova as they got ready to descend the Rooihoogte pass. I felt a little bit cheated here, having earned this downhill only to be driving down it, but was quite happy to be recovering with the aircon on!

 

We made it all the way to WP4, Nic and Poppie's roosterkoek extravaganza. This was on a detour loop about 100km into the ride. many riders were choosing to head straight to town. It was a lekker WP, with a full bar, roosterkoek with buttanut spread(awesome) and a dam to swim in, the 90km Classic riders were there with many war stories!. I rode the closing 20km section and that beer at the festival finish was well earned!

 

Thanks Stan and team, a gem of an event. Totally coming back for this, be it nova or classic. Just might train a bit more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*according to me

[DJR]

 

Nova Eroica race report!...................

 

Thanks for the great report. You should put pen to paper more often. 

A the Saturday evening dinner Stan said that only 4 riders finished the whole Nova. That is an indication of how truly tough a day it was. The heat was brutal, even from the tent at the start with cold beers just a few yards away where I hanged out.

[Shebeen]

Thanks for the great report. You should put pen to paper more often. 

A the Saturday evening dinner Stan said that only 4 riders finished the whole Nova. That is an indication of how truly tough a day it was. The heat was brutal, even from the tent at the start with cold beers just a few yards away where I hanged out.

will indeed. just need to ride more adventures to make the content possible!

[Stan Engelbrecht]

Hello dear Eroica riders! What a wonderful weekend it was. I would like to thank each and every one of you - you have made our fourth Eroica South Africa an even bigger and better experience than imagined. The atmosphere was great, the food fantastic, and while the riding was very tough in temperatures soaring over 40 degrees Celsius, I’m sure you’ll agree that it made the adventure all the more memorable. After four years I think it is safe to say that Eroica South Africa has found its own identity as an Italian-South African event, and I’m confident that together we can grow it into a true celebration of vintage Italian cycling culture as seen through our own storied local cycling past. Together we need to work to get South Africa’s greats to come out of retirement again, dust of those historic bicycles, and come ride with us! But at the same time we need to foster and instil an appreciation of vintage bicycles in the younger generations. We need to get riders of all ages out to Montagu to celebrate our great history and the love of our sport. I can proudly say that my vision for Eroica is taking shape - each year we’ve had a more multicultural field, more women riders, and a range of ages participating.

 

Here are a few images, more to follow soon - https://eroicasouthafrica.com/gallery 

 

A special thanks to the town of Montagu, Mimosa Lodge for our great dinner, our sponsors, all the marshals and volunteers, and all the friends Eroica South Africa has made. Our great weekend would not have been possible without you. I hope that we can continue to work together in future. And thank you riders! Without you there would be no event. Your enthusiasm for Eroica South Africa and taking on the challenging dirt roads around Montagu is well appreciated.

 

Congratulations again to Imraan Ho-Yee, who won the NOVA under some trying circumstances. In the heat only about 6 of the almost 30 racers completed the course. And even though the gruelling Eroica Classic 135km was not a race, Sipho Mejini from the fantastic Tsiba Business School (https://www.tsiba.ac.za) made it his goal to finish first again this year, and he did! Another Tsiba rider, Simiso Manatha, refused to let the mean 135km route and the extreme heat stand in the way of him finishing, and after many hours in the saddle and refusing to get picked up by the sweepers he rolled over the finish line as the very last rider. Simz, that is the true Eroica spirit! Well done. 

 

It was a very tough day out there. In light of extreme conditions like this, we are looking at adding a couple of water stops out on the long 135km and NOVA routes. However, we would like to hear from all of you what you think will improve the event. Whether it’s about the routes, venue, dinner, or any other aspect, we would like you to share your opinion on how we can make Eroica 2020 event better. Get in touch at info@eroicasouthafrica.com

 

See you then friends.

 

Stan.

[Stan Engelbrecht]

Yeah, I'm not sure what's crawled up your butt today, but I hope you feel better soon. 

 

My question isn't unreasonable. The rules seem somewhat vague and I asked for some clarity.

 

From the images on the local Eroica site, there wasn't an issue allowing suspension last year as far as I can see. What happened that this changed?

 

Like I said, it's strange to invite modern bikes to join an event, but then disallow modern components/technology. I'm hoping Stan will clarify.

 

I'm really looking forward to the event. It looks utterly wonderful.

Hi Simon. Apologies for the late reply about the NOVA rules. For Eroica I don't actually make the rules, although some rules for the Classic event have been modified for us. Last year saw the first ever NOVA events and the governing body were still figuring out the rules I guess, that is how that Ridley got in last year. Their reasoning for not allowing Lauff forks simply that it opens the door for other suspension platforms to be considered as well. Things can get complicated. 

 

I hope you understand. 

 

Stan.

[Stan Engelbrecht]

There's no doubt that the Eroica is a remarkable and very special event. And there's no doubt me and Checkpoint Charlie will make the Trek out to lovely Montagu next year.

 

The comparison of the CTCT expo before that 23000 rider grand parade with the vintage bike competition held the evening before the eroica is obvious and speaks to many other differences between this and last weekend's races and I won't go into all of these contrasts other than to say that as a 5 year journeyman in this wonderful sport I consider myself schooled by these magnificent men and women on their antique cycling machines.

 

To ride the longer routes (90 / 135) on these pre 1987 bikes is an achievement worthy of the name and I would say that, looking at the leather patina on some of those vintage saddles there are probably some very interesting and aesthetically pleasing bruises embossed on quite a few backsides this morning.

 

The ride itself was hard. Garmin (I was allowed one because I was on the 155km Nova route) reported that the temperature started at 20 degrees for the 8am start, peaked at 40 degrees at the highest point of the race and averaged 31 degrees. 

 

Gravel riding remains a bit of a niche. At a few points I was strongly in agreement with those who say that it is the bastard love child of road and mountain biking and has inherited the nastiest aspects of its parents. This sentiment was at its strongest halfway along the 8 kilometers of  false flat culminating in a 7 percent hill with the temperature hovering at 36 degrees without a breath of wind that comprised the second racing segment.

 

Racing of course is an interesting term in this context - Ouberg pass is the first racing segment and is really just an exercise in survival and a test of determination not to get off and walk. The only thing that kept me on the bike is the knowledge that getting off would not make anything easier. "It's like Chappies", they said "it has a false summit". IT's nothing like Chappies. Chappies is a pimple by comparison and there are actually two false summits on Ouberg. 

 

The lunch stop at 100km is the best refreshment stop I've ever been at on any bike race ever. Shady trees, with benches beneath them, a massive ice bath filed with beers and cokes and water, a friendly tannie preparing pulled beef roosterkoek with your choice of mayo or sweet chilli. 

 

And it was while I sat on the bench with my legs stretched in front of me to stop cramping, chewing my roosterkoek that I decided that there was no way I was going to do the 20km little add on segment that turns the 135km Eroica into the 155lm Nova. 

 

I'll spare you the justifications for this and the accompanying self recriminations but I will say that with 10k to the finish I caught up with a team of two men and and two women in Peugeot kit on vintage machines who'd clearly done the 135km Eroica and for the first time ever in a race I was embarrassed to pass a group. These guys started half an hour before me and tackled that brutal ride on skinny tyres and antique bikes. They got the warmest round of applause I've heard at an event as they came into the finish area.

 

A thoroughly enjoyable event. Back next year for sure. Just a word of advice to the organisers - having a 20km uphill add on that veers off within sight of the finish is cruel and unusual punishment for riding a modern bike with fat tubeless tyres, compact drivetrain and disk brakes. Go straight home for 137,5km or turn left for an additional 20 in 35 degree heat .... hmmmm, lemme see now ... it's a tough choice ...

 

Highlights - smashing down the Rooiberg pass at 70kmph on thick grippy tyres, climbing ouberg, the very beautiful countryside and mountains, the general sense of warmth, camaraderie and common interest amongst the field.

Thanks for the wonderful report Mamil. So glad you enjoyed the event, an especially the Batt's Store stop! See you next year. Maybe you'll take on that last segment then, and find an even better rest stop - Nic and Poppie's!

Edited March 25, 2019 by Stan Engelbrecht

[Stan Engelbrecht]

For those interested in what the event looks like here's more than an hour of unedited, no overlay gopro footage of selected points (when I felt like turning the camera on) from the ride.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iOaTYfsuEA

Ha! Cool to watch some sections. Especially the rest stops.

[Stan Engelbrecht]

To add to the pain of not being able to attend , Tim and Pippa Abbot stopped over in Prince Albert on their way to Montague in their 1972 Porsche 911 with Eroica bikes on the roof.

And they went over Swartberg Pass !

Great style !

How cool was this!?

[Stan Engelbrecht]

This year I cannot give a ride report because I sat out nursing my broken shoulder, but I still enjoyed being there. It was good to see some familiar faces and bikes, but it was particularly encouraging to see more younger riders on beautiful old steel bikes. Yes, all the old toppies were there, but there definitely seemed to be more young blood this year which was great!

 

What was left of team DJR joined up with team Beattbox and rode the 90km. Daniel rode my Eddy Merckx and at least gave the canniball the run it was built for. All went well and nobody had  any punctures or mechanicals. The only complaint I  got was about forcing the Ds to carry so many spare tubes, sealant, bombs and patches they didn't need. It only seemed logical after last years' puncture fest! But of course that is the way to prevent punctures......ok, it was the 28mm/32mm tyre combination that did it.

 

Just look how Ds shirt is packed, he looked a bit like a camel!

Ha ha! 10 tubes each?!

[Stan Engelbrecht]

I know there were some amazing bikes competing in the concourse, but my favourite was a great locally made Peugeot restored to perfection by a father and son team together with Jared Mahaffey of the Bicycle Maintenance Company.

 

The bike was painted by Jared who did a fantastic job, but also managed to put a whole lot of very personal touches on it while keeping the 1980s look.At first glance all you see is a classic steel bike, but when you look closer, you notice the name of the young owner weaved seamlessly into the design. 

 

Jack, I hope you will have many a safe and fantastic ride on this bike.

This is really nice. Pity I didn't get to see it up close. Jared and his team always do fantastic work.