[Event] Swartberg 100 Gran Fondo 2022

[Events Bot]

Event Name: Swartberg 100 Gran Fondo 2022
When: 30/04/2022
Where: Hope Street, , Prince Albert, Prince Albert, Western Cape
Category: Gravel and Cyclocross

The Swartberg100 Gran Fondo starts and ends in Prince Albert, arguably one of the most attractive Karoo towns in South Africa, it covers 171 km of which there are 3 gravel sectors. The final climb is over the gravel Swartberg Pass, a relentless climb of 28 km with gradients of 16% as you reach the summit.

The Staffetta (Italian for relay race), follows the Gran Fondo Route and divides it exactly in 2 x 85.5 km stages. The first stage is suited to a rouleur and the second stage to a grimpeur type rider

The E-Fondo is for a pedal assisted e-bikes, 65km and 1900m a spectacular route over the Swartberg Pass, plenty of climbing.

The Medio Fondo - flat and fast 55km with 350m of ascent

Go to Event Page.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

if anyone wants a free entry you are welcome to mine - DM me

[WaldoZ]

Attempting this one for the first time. I've always wanted to do it but always some scheduling issue my side.

Who else going?

[Jensie]

Me!!!

[white tiger]

Me !!!!

Doing it for the first time.

[DieselnDust]

On 3/10/2022 at 11:18 AM, Wayne pudding Mol said:

if anyone wants a free entry you are welcome to mine - DM me

still available?

 

[MORNE]

I wanted to…but then realised I would have to stay somewhere near oudshoorn since the ‘cockring’ (Prince Albert😇) was basically fully booked already. Maybe next year.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

6 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

still available?

 

I think Jewie took it but unless he substituted without me, it may still be avialable but its now his to pass on or use

[475]

On 3/10/2022 at 11:18 AM, Wayne pudding Mol said:

if anyone wants a free entry you are welcome to mine - DM me

I'd love to take it off your hands, but I'd need to borrow your bike too 😬

[AJB76]

16 hours ago, WaldoZ said:

Attempting this one for the first time. I've always wanted to do it but always some scheduling issue my side.

Who else going?

Me. Been entered since 2019 or 2020; it's been so long ago I can't even remember. 

Gonna be a bit of a $h!tshow for me tho. Was off the bike for just over 2 months with 'vid issues. Only been doing some low volume easy rides the past 2 weeks. So just going to go and have a chilled ride and see how far I get before I've had enough.

Then to top it all, the plan was to camp with my mate. He booked a camp site and has all the fancy camping gear; bloke is like Outdoor Warehouse in his garage. Now he's picked up hassles with his missus and can't go anymore. So I'm left like Nigel Nomates having to "camp" in the back of my Transporter. 🙄 (In-laws have a house in PA tho; secretly hoping I can pull in and spend some time there).

But I'm looking forward to it. Should be fun.

[Mamil]

I'm in with an entry from 2019 too. Will be my last long ride before 36one. Really looking forward to it ... Feel like I owe this event after the pass broke me last time. I have some embarrassing go pro footage from the third switchback on the descent of my nostrils accompanied by a soundtrack of agonised moaning cos I was slumped over the bars with calves, hamstrings, quads all locked in cramp.

Not this time I hope.

[WaldoZ]

The difficulty of the pass at the end sounds like it will determined by how deep you went before that!

I'm going with my HT so not exactly the best weapon of choice. Gravel bikes will put down the hurt on the 100km of tar 🥺

Hope my 120mm of travel and dropper seatpost can be used somewhere though 🤪

[APJ88]

it will be a fight for survival that is for sure. 

[Mamil]

8 hours ago, WaldoZ said:

The difficulty of the pass at the end sounds like it will determined by how deep you went before that!

I'm going with my HT so not exactly the best weapon of choice. Gravel bikes will put down the hurt on the 100km of tar 🥺

Hope my 120mm of travel and dropper seatpost can be used somewhere though 🤪

Personally I would say a hardtail with very fast rolling tyres is a good choice. The corrugations on the descent were horrific on my gravel bike last time I did it and I didn't have the gears to get all the mamil meat up the 12 percent stretches of the pass. But I think the real racers might opt for gravel bikes. 

This year it's a dual suspension LSD for me.

[WaldoZ]

4 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Personally I would say a hardtail with very fast rolling tyres is a good choice. The corrugations on the descent were horrific on my gravel bike last time I did it and I didn't have the gears to get all the mamil meat up the 12 percent stretches of the pass. But I think the real racers might opt for gravel bikes. 

This year it's a dual suspension LSD for me.

Yeah it's the top end speed and aeronessness (is that a word? it is now...) that will be the challenge in that first bit. I might just decide to let the gravel bikes go and not keep up and try pass all of those that explodes while climbing Swartberg hehe.

[mrmed]

First "race" since 2013. Gonna be erm, interesting