Transbaviaans 2022

[DKS]

18 minutes ago, _David_ said:

I'm thinking of entering Race to the Sun as well looks like an awesome event but I don't think you can compare it to the TB. Flat as a pancake only about a 1000m of climbing over a 160 kms.

The longest ride I have done previously is a CTCT and 94,7 both on road, think its more to test nutrition, and just spend extended length of time in the saddle, will certainly put in a 200Km plus ride closer to the TB. 

Not entirely sure there is anyway to mentally prepare of the discomfort of 230km in the saddle

 

[DKS]

25 minutes ago, 117 said:

C2T is in reverse next year april - that'll be a good tester for Trans

@ anyone: Any accommodation suggestions other than tent town for the 12th? Seems almost all the places on the web are already fully booked

Was wondering the same around the accommodation, assuming a 10am start, would it be worth staying an hour or two out of town and driving in that morning possibly?

[117]

5am start... 

Kind of makes commuting into town from a far a bit difficult 

 

 

[DKS]

5 hours ago, 117 said:

5am start... 

Kind of makes commuting into town from a far a bit difficult 

 

 

Assumed the 5am start this past year was as a result of the curfew? Have the previous years not been a 10am start?

[mrcg]

On 12/3/2021 at 10:45 AM, _David_ said:

Bucket List race for me, unfortunately not for any of my mates.

Same here. Except no mates do mtb "seriously".

Keen on starting up a group to do this? What would your aim be if you took part?

[_David_]

I would be happy with a midpack finish, I'm no racing snake:-)

[ACE Cycles]

On 12/2/2021 at 8:39 PM, DKS said:

Hope it’s not to early to start this group up.

I might just be over eager, but have entered the race, and looking to complete my first TB, 

As always, will be good to have the forum for useful tips and motivation as we go along. 
 

First question I have is best accommodation options for the night before?

Cheers

Done the race 3 times and usually don't stay in Willowmore as the start is only 10am the next morning. Few nice lodges within an hours drive

[ACE Cycles]

On 12/7/2021 at 4:09 PM, 117 said:

5am start... 

Kind of makes commuting into town from a far a bit difficult 

 

 

It was anytime from 5am to accommodate for teams that needed more time to reach the finish before curfew. I think the pro field left at 8am

[ChrisF]

16 minutes ago, ACE Cycles said:

It was anytime from 5am to accommodate for teams that needed more time to reach the finish before curfew. I think the pro field left at 8am

Friends, that have podiumed before, actually started at 5:00 this year.

 

They LOVED the early start.  They managed to get the last climbs done before the heat of the day, and after many events actually got to see parts of the kloof they normally rode in the dark.  They certainly prefer the 5:00 start.

 

 

That said, another couple in their group started 30 minutes later, and was just slow enough to get to the climbs when it was mid 30's ... they DONT like it one bit !!

 

 

so yea ... no way to keep everybody happy.

[hboli4]

The 5am rolling start was a big success and they have kept it going forward.

I have done the TB 13 times with my longest single ride in training being an 8 hour effort and will usually follow that up with a 4 hour or so the next day.

No racing snake and generally finish mid to back pack with a 13 - 15 hour goal time.

[TyronLab]

Also transferred my entry from 2020 to this year's Repeat. Doing it in a 4-man team, 2x on mountain bikes (one of them being from team Pure Savage), 2x on gravel bikes (my GP compatriot and I). If you've already started bashing in your scientific/factual/experiential response to how stupid I am to do it on a gravel bike, please know that my own teammates have been attempting this for the last two weeks and haven't yet succeeded, I very much doubt you will. I'll probably throw a smaller chainring on beforehand (I'm not in the mood to walk the MAC with the current 40:42 granny gear I have).

Really excited about tackling it again. Staying in tents close to the start line this time, definitely want to get a 5am start in, even though riding at night was one of the great parts of the experience.

Regarding training, you need to be relatively fit to do this, but in my opinion the Transbaviaans, like other longer/ultra races, is more about "toughness" than all-out fitness. You can be a sub-3 947 rider and still scratch on the day as you can't withstand the corrugations, your bum gets too sore to handle, you get an upset stomach from the food, or any number of things that you can't really expect or train for. You just need to take a solid gulp from the HTFU cup and stick through it.

I'm training for a sub 11 hour only so that I can enjoy a ~12 hour ride and be able to focus on the gorgeous scenery / atmosphere / food and not how smushed I'm feeling. Although I'm also looking forward to the post-smushed high. I'm not really that fussed about what time we finish in. Who cares if you come 325th or 570th? 

Edited December 10, 2021 by TyronLab

[TyronLab]

On 12/7/2021 at 3:21 PM, DKS said:

I am Gauteng based, so was thinking of trying out Race to the Sun, as a "test" run early next year,

 

That's a pretty solid idea, if nothing else to get your bum/hands used to extended time spent on corrugations.  Do the Race to the Sun, at the end drive to either Thaba and do the Twin Tower climb a few times or a lap of Suikerbosrand and you'll have a good proxy for the Transbaviaans.

 

Suikerbosrand double laps are also great training.

[mecheng89]

1 hour ago, TyronLab said:

That's a pretty solid idea, if nothing else to get your bum/hands used to extended time spent on corrugations.  Do the Race to the Sun, at the end drive to either Thaba and do the Twin Tower climb a few times or a lap of Suikerbosrand and you'll have a good proxy for the Transbaviaans.

 

Suikerbosrand double laps are also great training.

I promise you, after RTTS, the last thing you'd want to do is drive back to GP and tackle more riding. 

[Grease_Monkey]

On 12/3/2021 at 11:20 AM, M L said:

Never done it - definitely bucket list race.

How much training does it take to complete without dying?

 

I haven't done TB, but have done a half 36One (so 180km). The longest training ride I did was 60km before the vent, in Somerset West - so more climbing per km than the event. I finished relatively comfortably. but I did not race it by any means. I had been riding 4 to 5 times a week consistently for a couple of years leading up to that though so I had a decent base. 

If I were to do something similar, and I am toying with the idea of a TB in 2022 (if post knee op surgery rehab allows), I would probably want to do a few 100 to 150km training rides with 3000m climbing in the 2-3 months before the event. I wouldn't bother doing longer rides than that. But again, I would just want to comfortably complete it, not race it.

[TyronLab]

43 minutes ago, mecheng89 said:

I promise you, after RTTS, the last thing you'd want to do is drive back to GP and tackle more riding. 

I couldn't find the Comic Sans button for that sentence... I was being rather facetious.

[_David_]

I think another thing to take into consideration for training is that it is not just milage but rather time in the saddle. There is a big difference between a 180kms on the road and a 180kms offroad.