Love road riding, hate riding on the road

[eddy]

Tell your company they desperately need you on the garden route and you can ride your road bike and gravel bike with me D

So if I want to do a stage of the Cross Cape route, what do you suggest?

 

Plett-knysna, Knysna-george or George-Oudtshoorn?

[Wayne pudding Mol]

Eddy

 

First I had to google the Cape Cross routes which then led to some day dreaming and now I'm going to do some of it (Hoekwil to Plett)

 

Of the 3 routes the interest you, the Knysna George is simplest - one road, some nice climbing, decent gravel but at a guess its around 85km (there's actually a smallish annual race on this route called 7 passes) About 30km of this is tar.  None of this route is busy, I regularly ride it alone.  It's beautiful and not technical.  Great ride lots of cool climbs though the passes but it's only 4 to 5 hours depending on fitness.  More than enough for me btw

 

The George Oudsthoorn route I haven't done but also looks good  - bit drier and the least pretty of the routes

 

Plett Knysna incorporates quite a bit f the K2C route - this one looks really good and long.  I must do this one

Edited January 10, 2020 by Waynemol

[Duane_Bosch]

I would honestly rather die doing what I love than somewhere terrified or old as hell relying in someone else for care. Road cycling is honestly my favourite thing in the world to do - it's scary sometimes, but I won't stop.

 

I'm with you on this.

 

I'm late to the party but I LOVE road cycling.

[Cheese]

Not Sure about the dying part, but love my Road cycling as well, Most riding done in the early hours of the mornings, have adequate lights front & back .

Ride with groups when I can but agree the groups sometimes skip traffic lights.

Did more than 13 000 km last year with very little incidents.

 

I try to be conscious of safety at all times, Rides anti clockwise when doing circle routes to minimize crossing traffic, Keep as left as possible, Do not ride into the sun in morning or evening .

 

Otherwise I pray for my safety and keep on going.

[Long Wheel Base]

Not Sure about the dying part, but love my Road cycling as well, Most riding done in the early hours of the mornings, have adequate lights front & back .

Ride with groups when I can but agree the groups sometimes skip traffic lights.

Did more than 13 000 km last year with very little incidents.

 

I try to be conscious of safety at all times, Rides anti clockwise when doing circle routes to minimize crossing traffic, Keep as left as possible, Do not ride into the sun in morning or evening .

 

Otherwise I pray for my safety and keep on going.

There is always 1 or 2 weeks of the year where I have to do this on my commute to work. There is no way to avoid it and it often turns out I am at more or less the same spot when it is extremely bad. I check my varia and either sprint the section till its safer or wait for some cars to pass and carry on when there is a gap. Sometimes I can hardly see so doesn't matter how visible I am the cars won't see me.

[Ozzie NL]

Over the past few months I have gone from riding about 5000km on the road every year to not wanting to take any of my three road bikes out on public roads. There are many reasons for this not least of which include the deaths of a number of fellow cyclists last year on the East Rand roads I used to ride.

 

Right now the only real option I want to consider is riding Suikerbosrand but that is only fun if you are fit . I have built up a light hardtail MTB for gravel riding and mapped a mostly dirt road rid from Rietvlei in the South all the way to the Vaal Dam with 88km and 112km routes.

 

Does anyone else have either really quite (safe) road riding options or other gravel, district road routes around JHB that could be shared?

How about the cradle???

[Pure Savage]

Love the - die what you love doing. 

 

Did another 12000km year with only a few incidents.

[Paul Ruinaard]

I enjoy the road too much. I also ride alone too much but thats part of the appeal.

 

I am really happy that i am in Craigavon and its a relatively safe ride from my house out to the cradle. Its nice to be local to probably one of the biggest riding areas in the country so road users expect the bunches on Saturday and Sunday morning.

 

Cradle is cool.

 

FWIW; For the first time last weekend i had a ******** who decided to buzz me on the narrower sections. It was seen by the guys behind me as well. First time i had a scary moment in the cradle TBH and it was a ******** move on a narrow part of the road.

[Nakoota]

Could you share details of this route? Often thought about riding from Brackenhurst to Vaal Marina.

 

I'll get the gpx file up for you of my long and short versions of the ride.

[Stretched@Birth]

I have been known to ride from home to Vaal Marina every now and then with my gravel bike [emoji6]

Ja, but you ride alone...!

[Stretched@Birth]

I'll get the gpx file up for you of my long and short versions of the ride.

Cool, thanks. We have a little place at Vaal Marina (Misty Bay), think it could be nice to ride there, sleep over and ride back the following day!

[Nakoota]

Cool, thanks. We have a little place at Vaal Marina (Misty Bay), think it could be nice to ride there, sleep over and ride back the following day!

 

That's pretty much it, mate has a place there and the wife and kids meet us for some fun out of JHB.