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Posted

Another brilliant day out at FUN Gaalen...

perhaps not as picturesque as posts of late on here (julle mense ry maar in mooi plekke)

But mooi nonetheless 

 

Near the start of the River Trail.. reeds being reborn after the arson...

post-6012-0-00241400-1508130697_thumb.jpg

 

Heading up Oom Piet's... our Mountain is pretty too :thumbup:

post-6012-0-05669200-1508130851_thumb.jpg

 

The (dreaded to some) Floating Bridge heading back on the River Trail

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Spotted some of these bikeless weird creatures while out there... called themselves Trail runners ...

post-6012-0-51602600-1508130817_thumb.jpg

 

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Posted

Ezel Enduro 2017. Fecking AWESOME event, with even awesomer people. 10/10 would do again. And next year I'm gonna make stage 5. Missed out on cutoff by 15 minutes. The walk up to the top was the same route being used to come down... 

 

 

 

Very jealous Myles. I have been away from Eselfontein for a bit too long. :(

Posted

Ezel Enduro 2017. Fecking AWESOME event, with even awesomer people. 10/10 would do again. And next year I'm gonna make stage 5. Missed out on cutoff by 15 minutes. The walk up to the top was the same route being used to come down... 

 

22449927_10159379404205133_6012590399773

 

22489812_10159379404195133_2425668202113

 

22448602_10159379405070133_3918531661357

 

22449587_10159379405060133_8007581082992

 

22448502_10159379405605133_4037640707289

 

22496199_10156673413224638_8996550203611

 

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Myles, sincere question. 

 

How technical was the riding? The terrain seems a bit bare bones. It's clearly rocky, but there doesn't seem to be too many drops, compressions, etc.

Posted

Myles, sincere question. 

 

How technical was the riding? The terrain seems a bit bare bones. It's clearly rocky, but there doesn't seem to be too many drops, compressions, etc.

I also had the pleasure to partake in the Ezelenduro.

 

The thing that makes the race tough is the endurance aspect. All the features of all the stages are manageable by a competent rider, the thing about the race is you are faced with these obstacles for at times, 10 minutes non-stop. They also sneak in little uphill sections into the stages which absolutely kills you. I walked up the majority.

 

This race is absolutely brutal on your bike and you fall onto huge rocks if you crash. It's for guys and girls that know what they are doing.

Posted

Ezel Enduro 2017. Fecking AWESOME event, with even awesomer people. 10/10 would do again. And next year I'm gonna make stage 5. Missed out on cutoff by 15 minutes. The walk up to the top was the same route being used to come down... 

 

22449927_10159379404205133_6012590399773

 

22489812_10159379404195133_2425668202113

 

22448602_10159379405070133_3918531661357

 

22449587_10159379405060133_8007581082992

 

22448502_10159379405605133_4037640707289

 

22496199_10156673413224638_8996550203611

 

22549573_10156673413714638_7474733193041

From what I have heard, it was brutal. So many other riders also got a DNF?

Oh and IMO by entering and taking part, you are already a winner.

Posted

I also had the pleasure to partake in the Ezelenduro.

 

The thing that makes the race tough is the endurance aspect. All the features of all the stages are manageable by a competent rider, the thing about the race is you are faced with these obstacles for at times, 10 minutes non-stop. They also sneak in little uphill sections into the stages which absolutely kills you. I walked up the majority.

 

This race is absolutely brutal on your bike and you fall onto huge rocks if you crash. It's for guys and girls that know what they are doing.

This. St4 for me is my favourite trail of all to date. There are drops, but they're not huge. What makes it difficult is the sheer time that you spend going down this loose, rock strewn moonscape, after having to get up there in the first place.

 

It was MURDER on the arms and legs. It took me 16 min to get down stage 4. I had to stop twice to just breathe and release some tension from my arms and to prevent cramp. A 16 min down after 6 3/4 hours at avg 158bpm is not easy.

 

Having said that, the technicality was pretty high compared to the normal trail in CT. There are patches on TM and in jonkers that rival it (talking stages 4&5) but the vast majority fall way short. If it were an imba trail it'd be a solid double black. Not from a drops or jumps perspective (there were only 3 jumps and all of them were in st1) but just from having to keep control of your bike over sections of loose rock while still doing those drops.

 

The pics, as always, don't do it justice. There is loose rock just littered all over the trail.

 

Stages 1/2/3 were completely different. Loose and off camber, but dry and dusty. Hardly any rock.

Posted

This. St4 for me is my favourite trail of all to date. There are drops, but they're not huge. What makes it difficult is the sheer time that you spend going down this loose, rock strewn moonscape, after having to get up there in the first place.

 

It was MURDER on the arms and legs. It took me 16 min to get down stage 4. I had to stop twice to just breathe and release some tension from my arms and to prevent cramp. A 16 min down after 6 3/4 hours at avg 158bpm is not easy.

 

Having said that, the technicality was pretty high compared to the normal trail in CT. There are patches on TM and in jonkers that rival it (talking stages 4&5) but the vast majority fall way short. If it were an imba trail it'd be a solid double black. Not from a drops or jumps perspective (there were only 3 jumps and all of them were in st1) but just from having to keep control of your bike over sections of loose rock while still doing those drops.

 

The pics, as always, don't do it justice. There is loose rock just littered all over the trail.

 

Stages 1/2/3 were completely different. Loose and off camber, but dry and dusty. Hardly any rock.

 

Cool. Seems to be a proper lung buster. 

 

I don't think it would be a solid double black, but okay. 

 

Would love to check out the Cape trails sometime. 

Posted (edited)

Cool. Seems to be a proper lung buster.

 

I don't think it would be a solid double black, but okay.

 

Would love to check out the Cape trails sometime.

In terms of IMBA st4&5 certainly would be. I don't like the imba ratings (think they assign the ratings too easily) but that's how it is.

 

None of the features were avoidable. Terrain is exceptionally varied. loose rock all over the place - literally carpeting stage 4. Stage 5 wasn't as loose but it was bigger, apparently.

 

Stages 1-3..... Green imo.

Edited by Myles Mayhew
Posted

Gonna be writing an Ezel for Noobs review this pm.

Sorry Myles, But I honestly believe in speaking your mind. You did get a DNF ?

Dont you think that it is rather arrogant to be writing an article on something that you couldnt complete? I personally believe in first earning my stripes before I comment or give advise.

Posted (edited)

Sorry Myles, But I honestly believe in speaking your mind. You did get a DNF ?

Dont you think that it is rather arrogant to be writing an article on something that you couldnt complete? I personally believe in first earning my stripes before I comment or give advise.

I didn't finish, but it doesn't mean I can't write about my experience.

 

Maybe It'll help someone else prepare for it or something similar a bit better than I did.

 

Oh. I also think that the very fact I DIDN'T complete, means there's something to be said. It's brutal. It's uncompromising. It's also a sign that it is achievable for the average Joe. Maybe not to finish, but to at least try.

Edited by Myles Mayhew

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