AfricaMike Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 ....and to think the heat in the Karoo in November can be another 15deg on top of where Jozi is right now ......... Albert T and slickjay007 2
Ramrod Posted October 21, 2019 Author Posted October 21, 2019 ....and to think the heat in the Karoo in November can be another 15deg on top of where Jozi is right now .........Donner! Saturday was 44deg at some points. Albert T 1
Ramrod Posted October 21, 2019 Author Posted October 21, 2019 Donner! Saturday was 44deg at some points.The worst part for me was having such a dry mouth and you couldn't produce any saliva. Also drinking water became so damn warm! AfricaMike 1
Shebeen Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Tempting......gravelandtour.co.za has some attractive options.......hub dynamo for less than R3k..... https://gravelandtour.co.za/product/sp-pd-8x-dynamo-hub/
Danger Dassie Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Saturday was a bit of a sting alright. Went way better than the MM 8 though!
Albert T Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Definitely a sting and a slight wake up call. Had nearly 7 litres whilst riding and could have done with more. AfricaMike 1
Ramrod Posted October 21, 2019 Author Posted October 21, 2019 Saturday was a bit of a sting alright. Went way better than the MM 8 though!Kingsley for the win!!!
Danger Dassie Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Kingsley for the win!!!Lumo spit for lyf! Ramrod 1
JohanDiv Posted October 30, 2019 Posted October 30, 2019 The newsletter they just sent out is getting me excited to start dotwatching again!! One day I really want to do the Munga when funds and time allows it... "This year for the first time will see us hit the 150 mark as almost 160 odd riders line up to battle the heat and wind of the Karoo! So who do we think the top contenders are...For starters Ramses Bekkenk has to be the outright favourite although no Munga champion has yet successfully defended his title! An ominous stat. Ramses has to defy four years of race history to change this. His blistering ride of last year is going to be hard to beat. Then what about the 2017 winner Marco Martins! Yes, he is back after battling with a bug last year and pulling out around the 800km mark. I have also been in contact with John Ntuli who was keen to race, but who knows! Other exciting news is that Jean Biermans is back after succumbing to the heat in 2016. In fact, you can contribute to Jean's fund raising effort by clicking here. It's going to be frantic out front. On the women's front it will be a battle between Janine Stewart and Elaine Beytell no doubt, with both competitors having Munga experience! But there are always new entries that pop up as a dark horse in the night and surprise all. What about in the Development category? This year it seems wide open as Sithembiso Masango doesn't look like he will be riding! Normally Sithembiso is way out front and there is a fierce battle for 2nd and 3rd! Gosh there are so many exciting things happening that it is a crazy time! One of them is the organic evolution of the Munga Water-points. For those original 42 riders in the first year, they will recall with a bitter sweet fondness what some of our Water-points were like...polystyrene boxes left outside remote farm gates with a bar and muffin inside! I shudder when I think of that first year. Since then the farmers have welcomed us and now man the Water-points and take personal pride and joy in welcoming riders and putting on a good show! But, something is happening that was never part of the plan!Last year at WP7 there were 22 riders sleeping at one time. Similar story at 6 and also at 8. Water-points were never meant to be sleep over spots, but we are starting to see that when the wind between WP5 and WP8 is particularly bad, riders end up collapsing at these farms for a few hours.This is not new and has always been a few riders that the farmers welcome into their homes, but as the race has grown, the strain on the farms has grown as well. We are excited to announce a 'pilot' project that will be up and running at WP7 this year! Thanks to the efforts of Dirk Van Wyk the farm owner, an anonymous donor for the containers, and Mega Mica Eastgate for the interiors, we now have a fully functional, self contained Water-point that can sleep 24 riders! BOOM$! But, this thing weights 10 tons and is now permanently on Dirk's farm, so what about the rest of the year? Well the deal with the farmer is that we get to use it for the five race days, and the rest of the year it serves as either a community centre, clinic or even a stop over for touring riders! Thank you all that have been part of this exciting project!One last word on this. If you think this is making the race easier, you are wrong. A more comfortable stop makes it harder to leave and requires riders to be more disciplined...good luck leaving WP7 in a hurry! Ok folks, there is some really exciting news coming in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned! For now, watch out for the Tracking page news where you can follow the riders, or just go and enter while you still can and be part of the fun!" Calculus Bikes and taito 2
AfricaMike Posted October 30, 2019 Posted October 30, 2019 28 days to the start.....Thoughts as to whether I've done enough training continually bombard me.....but I guess there's not a heck of a lot that can be done....in the irritating words of my boss,"It is what it is..." Can't wait! Wayne pudding Mol, JohanDiv, Farrnus and 1 other 4
Ramrod Posted October 30, 2019 Author Posted October 30, 2019 28 days to the start.....Thoughts as to whether I've done enough training continually bombard me.....but I guess there's not a heck of a lot that can be done....in the irritating words of my boss,"It is what it is..." Can't wait! You are not alone. I have been doubting myself a bit too especially when doing a training ride and the temp gets to 44deg and your water tastes like **** and your juice is warm and affects your stomach. A previous competitor sent me a message saying this, "There's only one question I know that I can't answer for you and that is why do you want to do it and what are you willing to go through to finish. Its hard but its worthwhile and is worth it in spades when completed, I promise that" BigDL, AfricaMike and JohanDiv 3
taito Posted October 30, 2019 Posted October 30, 2019 Make no mistake ,,,hot energy drink you will have to drink.Try to use camelback bottles only .They do work . A small camelback on the back also stays cooler. Been there. Ramrod 1
Ramrod Posted October 30, 2019 Author Posted October 30, 2019 Make no mistake ,,,hot energy drink you will have to drink.Try to use camelback bottles only .They do work . A small camelback on the back also stays cooler. Been there.Some advise for us noobs. Do you believe in a strategy or do you make one up as you go?Any other tips you could share?
Vetseun Posted October 30, 2019 Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) Some advise for us noobs. Do you believe in a strategy or do you make one up as you go?Any other tips you could share?Bro IMHO the best plan for the Munga is to not have a plan. Sooo many variables that we cant control. So a general plan that is super flexible is the way to go. An excel spreadsheet with where I need to be when may not work. Edited October 30, 2019 by Vetseun
Vetseun Posted October 30, 2019 Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) Okes. I can offer a rider or a rider and a friend ( if you will share a queen size bed) a place to sleep the night before Munga.A comfy bed, we can get a bottle of whiskey and a couple of prostitutes if you wish. And I will feed you well. And as Taito will confirm, you may service your bike in my lounge. If anybody needs a spot to kip. Pop me a PM. Edited October 30, 2019 by Vetseun eddy, OneLove, DJR and 6 others 9
Prince Albert Cycles Posted October 30, 2019 Posted October 30, 2019 Okes. I can offer a rider or a rider and a friend ( if you will share a queen size bed) a place to sleep the night before Munga.A comfy bed, we can get a bottle of whiskey and a couple of prostitutes if you wish. And I will feed you well. And as Taito will confirm, you may service your bike in my lounge. If anybody needs a,spot. Pop me a PM.Are there late entries available ? jdwet1980 and DJR 2
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