hboli4 Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 I'm also looking forward to seeing the Kloof in daylight! Last year was my first and we were hampered by early mechanicals, and one of our guys bonked on the first fang already. The rest of the team sat on top of the second fang watching the sunset while waiting for him to push his bike up.. It was a looooooong night from there! I can imagine - but been there and done that. Longest one for me was 22 hours on the Langsbaviaans - that year was rof. Apart from the weather the team dynamic is what makes it different every year. I have ridden with a different team every time. JohanDiv 1
wessie12 Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) I'm also looking forward to seeing the Kloof in daylight! Last year was my first and we were hampered by early mechanicals, and one of our guys bonked on the first fang already. The rest of the team sat on top of the second fang watching the sunset while waiting for him to push his bike up.. It was a looooooong night from there!We had the exact same experience a couple of years ago. Amazing how quickly the sun sets in the Baviaans in winter Edited November 24, 2020 by wessie12 JohanDiv 1
pedal menace Posted November 24, 2020 Author Posted November 24, 2020 We had the exact same experience a couple of years ago. Amazing how quickly the sun sets on bergplaas That feeling when you are thinking...wow at 120km I am still feeling pretty good...just to see your partner hitting that proverbial wall and slowing down to a crawl....oh boy. Time can slow down pretty quickly, But finishing it, whether it is 12 hours or 22 hours, is what makes this such a beautiful event. Proper hydration next year I think will be the top priority. And with that I also imply easily drinking too much. I have seen friends end up in hospital from over hydration. JohanDiv 1
Spurs Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 I'm also looking forward to these revised times - also remembering that things might still change and revert to the usual times. For us midpack to backmarkers(14 - 16 hours) getting to the top of Bergplaas in daylight is the goal with a real sense of achievement when getting it right, these times guarantees that and as others have said seeing parts of the route in daylight for the first time! Will be lucky number 13 for me... You will also save some time on the long downhill after that if you descend in daylight, can be quite daunting with just a light in darkness, complete different experience during the day. LarryMTB and hboli4 2
morne TREK Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 This will be my first TB the race one. We sleep at Hostel. We want to be part of experience that why we didnt book BnB. Temp is not a problem i am from KZN and get 40 easy. We are tram of 3. I am so looking forward to this. I was hoping for a night ride but bow we will finish before sun is gone. More beers before bedtime????.
JohanDiv Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 Temps aren't looking too bad for The Race weekend, sub 30 degrees, but a strong headwind predicted Rowl and DieselnDust 2
TyronLab Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 Ja nee, we were there last year too where my brother-in-law bonked hard on the first fang, so I ended up sympathy-walking a lot from there, and the whole way up the MAC, until he and two others out of our 6-person group retired. We had the last rays of sunlight at Langwater, and were in total darkness from there. So I got to really experience a lot of the kloof in detail in the day hiking, and a whole lot of pitch blackness. A change is as good as a holiday, so I'm excited about the new timeslots. We're staying in Willowmore, so will most likely jump in the 5am start. Interesting thing is that we should be in the thick of the climbing when the day's at its hottest (hoping for a 12hr finish). The thing about this, and training for a goal time, is that its so far outside of a normal ride that you struggle to gauge whether you're fit / strong enough. Lets hope I'm doing enough! I'm also looking forward to seeing the Kloof in daylight! Last year was my first and we were hampered by early mechanicals, and one of our guys bonked on the first fang already. The rest of the team sat on top of the second fang watching the sunset while waiting for him to push his bike up.. It was a looooooong night from there! ChrisF, hboli4, Rowl and 1 other 4
hboli4 Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 You will also save some time on the long downhill after that if you descend in daylight, can be quite daunting with just a light in darkness, complete different experience during the day. I reckon most teams should be able to reach CP5 in daylight or at least some light. Even if you only start at 7. DieselnDust 1
DieselnDust Posted November 24, 2020 Posted November 24, 2020 I reckon most teams should be able to reach CP5 in daylight or at least some light. Even if you only start at 7. most teams have riders who will pull their weight somewhat....then there's that one guy.... hboli4 1
pedal menace Posted December 4, 2020 Author Posted December 4, 2020 (edited) OK...so...hmmm...last night we got news of a newly declared COVID hotspot. What are the chances of this influencing the TB Jan-2021 event? Sure it is just the Nelson Mandela Metro area but that includes PE. I am aware of many a rider that will drive to the start or home from the finish from/to Port Elizabeth. With a curfew of 22:00..do we foresee the event possibly being affected? Just wondering... Edited December 4, 2020 by pedal menace
JohanDiv Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 OK...so...hmmm...last night we got news of a newly declared COVID hotspot. What are the chances of this influencing the TB Jan-2021 event? Sure it is just the Nelson Mandela Metro area but that includes PE. I am aware of many a rider that will drive to the start or home from the finish from/to Port Elizabeth. With a curfew of 22:00..do we foresee the event possibly being affected? Just wondering... If they can't organize special permits for us, I can't see the event going on with the new curfew in place. If you have to be home by 22:00, you have to finish by around 21:00. If you take the early start at 05:00, that gives you 16 hours to complete the race.. based on last year's results, that's almost a hundred teams not completing the race in time. DieselnDust 1
pedal menace Posted December 4, 2020 Author Posted December 4, 2020 If they can't organize special permits for us, I can't see the event going on with the new curfew in place. If you have to be home by 22:00, you have to finish by around 21:00. If you take the early start at 05:00, that gives you 16 hours to complete the race.. based on last year's results, that's almost a hundred teams not completing the race in time.Same thought this side. Hope they inform us sooner rather than later. DieselnDust 1
pedal menace Posted December 4, 2020 Author Posted December 4, 2020 If they can't organize special permits for us, I can't see the event going on with the new curfew in place. If you have to be home by 22:00, you have to finish by around 21:00. If you take the early start at 05:00, that gives you 16 hours to complete the race.. based on last year's results, that's almost a hundred teams not completing the race in time.Also....PE based riders/starters were only going to start at 7AM...I see a real logistical issue here. JohanDiv and DieselnDust 2
DieselnDust Posted December 4, 2020 Posted December 4, 2020 Im sure the event license to operate will cover these eventualities. Lets see what thye say in the next week. I can see that the 10am curfew is going to be a huge challenge, Jbay is in the Eastern Cape so its affected by the localised Disaster Act regulations
RobertWhitehead Posted December 5, 2020 Posted December 5, 2020 I have lined up an entry but am hesitant to make final arrangements before I am sure of an actual start ????. I will however be really p1ssed to miss the Baviaans in the summer.
wessie12 Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 What do you guys think ? Will this still go ahead? With IM and Epic being postponed there must be huge pressure on the organizers now.
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