Eroica: The Feel Of Steel

[News bot]

Writer and editor STEVE SMITH on why he rides a vintage steel road bike and will once again be heading to Montagu for Eroica South Africa.

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[DJR]

Great article Steve! I also see some of team DJR in the pictures! Cool! 

[Shebeen]

nova eroica - ENTERED!

camping - booked!

 

now to go to Nils to go find a qualifying bike!

[Headshot]

Friend of mine had the perfect bike - Reynolds 531 Le Jeune circa 1992, unridden for years. His wife gave it away before I could lay claim to it...

[rk ranger]

A great read! thanks old friend!

[AlexSouth]

Thanks, Steve, accommodation check, Nova Eroica also check!!

[Nick]

nova eroica - ENTERED!

camping - booked!

 

now to go to Nils to go find a qualifying bike!

 

Have you tried: https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/category/114-vintage-bikes-components/

 

But ya, Nils is the expert.

[Stan Engelbrecht]

Hi vintage steel riders! Eroica South Africa is a week away, and I hope you are all prepared for a great weekend. Entries will be closing this Wednesday 6 March 2019, so if there are still family and friends who you know want to join us, please get them to register as soon as possible. 

 

Here is some important information you need to know for the weekend of the event.

 

PROGRAM

 

  Friday 15 March 2019

 

Registration : You can pick up your riders numbers from the MMACC from 16:00 until 20:00.

 

Concourse : We will host a vintage bicycle concourse at 18:00. The best and rarest and most beautiful will be judged and awarded. Please get in touch with me at info@eroicasouthafrica.com if you are wanting to enter some bicycles for display and judging. You can enter as many as you like, and entry is free. 

 

Dinner (not our official dinner) : There are not many options for dinner in Montagu, so in addition to old favourites like Ye Olde Tavern (+2723 614 2398) and 22 Church Street Restaurant (+27236141200), we've arranged for Rambling Rose to be open for dinner too. You can book by chatting to Cay or Sergio on +27834014503 or at ramblingrosemontagu@gmail.com

 

  Saturday 16 March 2019

 

Late registration : For those of you who cannot collect your numbers etc. on Friday, you can do so between 06:30 and 07:30 on Saturday morning.

 

Start times : At 07:30 the 135km group will start, followed by the NOVA riders at 08:00. The 90km riders will set off at 08:30 and the 45km group at 09:00.

 

Routes : Each rider will receive a map, and the routes will be clearly marked. But remember, people do get lost. Don’t simply follow the riders in front of you - pay attention to the route markers. Please report to a marshal and get your map stamped at each of the rest stops so we can keep track of you all. Important - carry enough water with you, and some extra food if you eat a lot. Especially on the 135km and NOVA routes.

 

Massages : For those of you who would like to pre-book a massage from Susan Retief of Montagu, get in touch with her at completehealthandbody@gmail.com. Susan will be set up at the Festival venue, so you’ll be able to find her without straying too far. She’s really good!

 

Official dinner : Please book your tickets for the official dinner on Saturday at 19:00 as soon as possible. Remember that you cannot attend this dinner if you do not pre-book. Tickets for the 3-course Italian-style dinner are R200 each, and you can book here - https://eroicasouthafrica.com/about

 

   Sunday 17 March 2019

 

Unofficial breakfast ride : On Sunday morning we will meet at the old church at the top of Kerk street and have our official/unofficial jaunt around Montagu to take in a few sights, have the chance to check out each other’s bikes one last time, and divide ourselves amongst the 3 or 4 breakfasts spots to eat something and say out goodbyes. 

 

See you in Montagu!

 

Stan.

[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]

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!