The Munga 2020

[Brakenjan]

I see Simon Rollo is making good progress on his way to De Aar! 

 

Three other riders also off course. It breaks my heart to see this.

[lechatnoir]

Just googled it, This thing looks the bizz nizz

 

https://www.rohloff.de/de/produkte/speedhub

 

the real winner would be to use it on a split frame to run a Gates drive belt. fuss-free and silent. Downsides are a weirdly balanced bike and a planet-sized hole in your bank balance

[Chip]

I see Simon Rollo is making good progress on his way to De Aar! 

 

Three other riders also off course. It breaks my heart to see this.

 

Simon must be in a vehicle, last speed was over 100km/h.

 

Hope he is ok.

Edited December 3, 2020 by Chip

[walkerr]

Having guys like Vetseun and a few others with first hand experience of the munga comment on this thread is gold. Please keep posting with info on what they will be going through both mentally and physically.

As a tail ender the first leg into VdeK is a shock to the system - hard, and you arrive at RV1 late. You wanna just sleep, but know you need to eat and only have time for a short nap. Luckily the next day isn't so bad - hot, dusty, rough/corrugated roads but you settle into a rythm and if you didn't dally at RV1 you hit Britstown by sunset and can grab a few hours sleep.

[walkerr]

the real winner would be to use it on a split frame to run a Gates drive belt. fuss-free and silent. Downsides are a weirdly balanced bike and a planet-sized hole in your bank balance

Pinions and Rohloffs are pricey and with a big weight penalty. I'd def consider one for a long ride like Tour Divide, where maintenance over many days can become an issue. But on Munga, a well maintained regular drive train is fine. I went hardtail to take rear suspension issues out of the mix - was fine with front shocks to save the hands, and a compliant seatpost and wide tyres to lessen the rear blows.

[walkerr]

I see Simon Rollo is making good progress on his way to De Aar! 

 

Three other riders also off course. It breaks my heart to see this.

Yeah - harsh. Second time the SR dot has gone off course too in this edition. He's not having a good time of it on navigation.

 

Edit - ah, I see the other comment now on him being in the car. Darned. Feel for him.

Edited December 3, 2020 by walkerr

[Brakenjan]

Simon must be in a vehicle, last speed was over 100km/h.

 

Hope he is ok.

 

Jip, seems like it. Hope he's okay.

[walkerr]

Chantal Wooding is a cycling acquaintance, she is currently the second last lady on the road.  She posted just before 6 this morning that she pushed her bike for +/-25km between WP2 and RV1, there was a section with deep sand, and she came off 4 times, so decided to walk. She is still positive and pushing to Britstown.

Good for her - sand patches were horrible along there, may even be worse this year. Not being used to it, I went over the handlebars somewhere before WP2 in deep sand. Lucky a couple of guys were nearby to help me gather all my gear up and make sure it was all back on the bike. Learned a lot about riding deep sand over the next few days!

Edited December 3, 2020 by walkerr

[walkerr]

She is also a friend of mine, been following her progress too. She commented how twisty the trails were and that you couldn't distinguish between hardpack and soft sand in the dark....she is doing well for a first time racer.

If you guys are messaging with her, tell her she's going great - plenty ahead of the cutoff. Looking at her dot heading into Petrusville, I'd say she's similar pace Theunis and I were at in 2018 - we sat almost at the back, but comfortably ahead of cutoff. If she can grind out a steady pace today and not dally too much, she should hit Britstown by sunset and have time for a decent eat and few hours sleep. Day 3 is then way nicer after that! Also, she has a couple of great WPs today to look forward too - proper food and hospitality to keep her spirits up across the rough tracks and sand.

Edited December 3, 2020 by walkerr

[JohanDiv]

Go Nelis Go!!

 

[Pure Savage]

Always bleak seeing the scratched list grow.

[taito]

i hope the wind is not to mal before Britstown.It can really howl from the front.We had to visit WINDPOMPS and Farms around there, because we ran out of water.

 

If you can get to Britstown some time in the light then a quick nap and tackle the next section at night.

 

Its really sucks when okes go off-course.All your months of training and all your bucks down the drain with one mistake.

[Rowl]

Anyone know whether Alex/Erik is doing live updates on Fb (don't have it...)?

[Rowl]

i hope the wind is not to mal before Britstown.It can really howl from the front.We had to visit WINDPOMPS and Farms around there, because we ran out of water.

 

If you can get to Britstown some time in the light then a quick nap and tackle the next section at night.

 

Its really sucks when okes go off-course.All your months of training and all your bucks down the drain with one mistake.

Currently looks like a tailwind, hoping it stays so.

 

Edit: Pic.

Edited December 3, 2020 by Roul

[JohanDiv]

Looks like Benky finds himself in a similar situation as last year, but this time with Hansie. Looks like they are riding together at the moment. I wonder if one of them is going to skip a nap or pull a fast one at RV3 to drop the other one..

[Ozzie NL]

i hope the wind is not to mal before Britstown.It can really howl from the front.We had to visit WINDPOMPS and Farms around there, because we ran out of water.

 

If you can get to Britstown some time in the light then a quick nap and tackle the next section at night.

 

Its really sucks when okes go off-course.All your months of training and all your bucks down the drain with one mistake.

Not really, just turn around and continue once on the right track....most guys ride to finish rather than win