Western Cape Enduro 2023

[milky4130]

How many stages were there, I did the XCM and kept getting these Stage start and end signs then it clicked this is probably the same segments the Enduro event happening later are using. I wonder if Strava will record the fastest times coming from the Pros that did the XCM🧐🤔🫣

 

[MORNE]

1 hour ago, milky4130 said:

How many stages were there, I did the XCM and kept getting these Stage start and end signs then it clicked this is probably the same segments the Enduro event happening later are using. I wonder if Strava will record the fastest times coming from the Pros that did the XCM🧐🤔🫣

 

5. Skydive, pipeline, pinecone, superbowl, stiflers mom. You should check. A rigid hardtail  or ebike was the bike to have on these lol. Especially stage 4. Soooo pedally. Stage 1 was also the proof. Not quite steep enough to build speed on these squishy things. As soon as jou have to get up and pedal on an enduro bike, you are going too slow.
But some of these sendy kids are fast hey, pretty sure they’ll beat even the pro’s DOWN a trail, like they proved at jonkers against johan van zyl. But that was more of a feat for him holding his own there against 160mm bikes on a xc bike.

Edited March 5, 2023 by MORNE

[Jewbacca]

4 hours ago, MORNE said:

I get that. But if the enduro was for arguments sake, 30km, the first 2 stages and the liaison to 3 covered 20-25km lol.
I Carried 1.5L. Wasn't enough.

And not everyone is an endurance biltong like you😅

Dude, I'm talking events where we started at 7am and finished 10 hours later, often hiking bikes for an hour plus in between stages.

I'm not saying it was better, just that for me, having any sort of waterpoint at an enduro isn't 'the norm'

Maybe it is now, but I don't remember it being 'a thing' at most races 

Ones that stand out are when Chris and Philip have manned a spot out of the goodness of their heart and fed us Cadence, like on the way up to the last two stages at Jonkers in 2019

[MORNE]

2 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

Dude, I'm talking events where we started at 7am and finished 10 hours later, often hiking bikes for an hour plus in between stages.

I'm not saying it was better, just that for me, having any sort of waterpoint at an enduro isn't 'the norm'

Maybe it is now, but I don't remember it being 'a thing' at most races 

Ones that stand out are when Chris and Philip have manned a spot out of the goodness of their heart and fed us Cadence, like on the way up to the last two stages at Jonkers in 2019

Biltong…

😅

Edited March 5, 2023 by MORNE

[milky4130]

4 hours ago, MORNE said:

5. Skydive, pipeline, pinecone, superbowl, stiflers mom. You should check. A rigid hardtail  or ebike was the bike to have on these lol. Especially stage 4. Soooo pedally. Stage 1 was also the proof. Not quite steep enough to build speed on these squishy things. As soon as jou have to get up and pedal on an enduro bike, you are going too slow.
But some of these sendy kids are fast hey, pretty sure they’ll beat even the pro’s DOWN a trail, like they proved at jonkers against johan van zyl. But that was more of a feat for him holding his own there against 160mm bikes on a xc bike.

Yeah all of them owned by the XCM riders except Sky Dive which Michard Meets took. So we basically did the XCM & Enduro events ….on 2 water bottles 🤪

[MORNE]

32 minutes ago, milky4130 said:

Yeah all of them owned by the XCM riders except Sky Dive which Michard Meets took. So we basically did the XCM & Enduro events ….on 2 water bottles 🤪

And 11kg 100mm bikes lol

i followed a guy down stage 4, he was on a hardtail. He destroyed me on the pedally bits , and not from a lack of trying from my side. Probably tried too hard to catch up and tgats why I fell haha. This was not an event friendly towards 160mm Amish bikes. hell, my cruiseliner couldnt even make it around some the switchbacks on the way UP to pinecone. Its just too long and has the turning circle of a interlink truck.
Like I said already, i swear i would have gone faster on my old rigid mtb. Nothing there needed suspension. It was a hindrance  . The ebikes for the most part made up for the the bits that went uphill mid stage. An extra 600W helps when gravity doesnt. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by MORNE

[MORNE]

Theres the top 10.

shout out to mr @Lyne Componentsin p3, and a mr Morewood-Pyga loitering around the top as well!

also, spent a while riding and chatting with Cole. Nice to meet you. He soon after dropped me like a bag of potato's after the liaison to stage 2🤣  

also nice to catch up with Mrs Nixon again. Proper aunty shredder.

Edited March 5, 2023 by MORNE

[Eddy Gordo]

MTB events are not like road events. Waterpoints are few and far between on an mtb event. 

[Headshot]

Every riding video I saw on insta showed people pedaling like mad, almost everywhere. Flat course or what?

[RiverInTheRoad]

Course was crazy pedally. Have never pedalled so much in my life. Ideal bike would have been an Epic Evo or similar, maybe even a hardtail. An ebike was a massive advantage. Was genuinely surprised that a guy on a normal bike took the win. Fun event though, really puts into perspective the skill and endurance that the top XCM guys and gals have. The lack of waterpoint was a big problem.

[Headshot]

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/za/bikes/cross-and-gravel-bikes/gravel

Latest enduro bike for events like this from Giant 🙂 

[Robbie Stewart]

Hey now. The last time I mentioned this new race format of Endu-GravelXC-ro races I got properly caned. What has changed? Why all the interest in the excessive pedaling that was needed? What about the necessity of having some stuk lungs?  

[PhilipV]

On 3/5/2023 at 5:38 PM, Jewbacca said:

Dude, I'm talking events where we started at 7am and finished 10 hours later, often hiking bikes for an hour plus in between stages.

I'm not saying it was better, just that for me, having any sort of waterpoint at an enduro isn't 'the norm'

Maybe it is now, but I don't remember it being 'a thing' at most races 

Ones that stand out are when Chris and Philip have manned a spot out of the goodness of their heart and fed us Cadence, like on the way up to the last two stages at Jonkers in 2019

Just remember that back in your day’s the riders knew how to be self sufficient, drinking out of streams like savages, flip, legend has it that some guys even fixed their own bikes.
And we were so used to the shitshow by three organisers ago that we were happy just to have a prize giving with accurate times. 

 

[PhilipV]

5 minutes ago, PhilipV said:

Just remember that back in your day’s the riders knew how to be self sufficient, drinking out of streams like savages, flip, legend has it that some guys even fixed their own bikes.
And we were so used to the shitshow by three organisers ago that we were happy just to have a prize giving with accurate times. 

 

Now we have new organizers sticking up their hands, trying new venues and adding more dates. Wins all round if you ask me.
Riders must bear in mind that enduro racing in the western cape is not viable financially, so the guys organizing now have day jobs, and doing this is for the love of sport more than anything else. So mistakes will be made, fixed and hopefully not repeated.

 
But I reckon a venue where the route is safe but requires some pedaling is great to get newbies acclimated and into the sport. Pretty soon the racing will be back at jonkers/Conties and riders will moan about their arm pump and not their blown legs. 
 

Does anyone remember the Amarider enduros ? We had a blast racing the relatively tame trails at Delvera/Muratie and Welvanpas. That series also died down, way more rewarding and less hassle to organise trail runs. 
 

moral of the story: if you want Enduro races, go do the enduro races. 

[Jewbacca]

1 hour ago, PhilipV said:

Now we have new organizers sticking up their hands, trying new venues and adding more dates. Wins all round if you ask me.
Riders must bear in mind that enduro racing in the western cape is not viable financially, so the guys organizing now have day jobs, and doing this is for the love of sport more than anything else. So mistakes will be made, fixed and hopefully not repeated.

 
But I reckon a venue where the route is safe but requires some pedaling is great to get newbies acclimated and into the sport. Pretty soon the racing will be back at jonkers/Conties and riders will moan about their arm pump and not their blown legs. 
 

Does anyone remember the Amarider enduros ? We had a blast racing the relatively tame trails at Delvera/Muratie and Welvanpas. That series also died down, way more rewarding and less hassle to organise trail runs. 
 

moral of the story: if you want Enduro races, go do the enduro races. 

I still have some pictures of those early ones when everyone complained about the amarider tag in and out system and wanted mat timing hahaha

The strava duro's we used to have at Jonkers were also a jam. 

I remember guys carrying entire brand new tires strapped to their packs at Ezels and some even used them mid stage and still didn't come last 🤣

Gone are the days of throwing in a couple of tins of pilchards, some rolls, sweeties and 3L of water/juice for the day.

 

 

[Headshot]

5 hours ago, PhilipV said:

Now we have new organizers sticking up their hands, trying new venues and adding more dates. Wins all round if you ask me.
Riders must bear in mind that enduro racing in the western cape is not viable financially, so the guys organizing now have day jobs, and doing this is for the love of sport more than anything else. So mistakes will be made, fixed and hopefully not repeated.

 
But I reckon a venue where the route is safe but requires some pedaling is great to get newbies acclimated and into the sport. Pretty soon the racing will be back at jonkers/Conties and riders will moan about their arm pump and not their blown legs. 
 

Does anyone remember the Amarider enduros ? We had a blast racing the relatively tame trails at Delvera/Muratie and Welvanpas. That series also died down, way more rewarding and less hassle to organise trail runs. 
 

moral of the story: if you want Enduro races, go do the enduro races. 

I'm totally in agreement with you. but enduro and DH are not financially viable anywhere in SA and should never have been seen as such. The DH organizers know this and run a tight ship for the good of the sport. The WC Enduro peeps know this too I believe and have brought the same ethos to Enduro.  Easier courses encourage parents to get their kids entered and that grows the sport.