TransBaviaans 2023 - Race Edt

[Adrian Fogg]

It was a great day out, weather was tops. Tailwind mostly also some gusty headwind at times. Roads were great aswell, not much corrugation. New finish area is nicer than the mall. 

[peetwindhoek]

I believe a new record for the fastest time was set. Is that correct?

[HdB]

42 minutes ago, peetwindhoek said:

I believe a new record for the fastest time was set. Is that correct?

The top three teams broke the old record

[Skubarra]

My second Baviaans, last time I rode was in 2015 so didn't remember much from the first one...

Great route, great scenery.

Was flippen tough on a gravel bike, route definitely more suited to mtb's.

Waterpoints disappointing if you weren't interested in doing the Baviaans at a scenic pace with restaurant stops - no nutrition like bars, bananas, energy drinks etc. Really not that difficult to get right.

The crap singletrack replaced with crap grass route through the fields, uggh why...?

As mentioned above, finishing venue was great.

Great event overall, hopefully not 10 years before I am back again.

Good luck to the guys doing repeat next week, hope you also have great weather and lots of tailwinds!

[Mamil]

I knew it was going to a long ride in the dark setting out because my partner, who is usually a stronger rider than I am, was spectacularly undertrained. Predictably we made excellent time to the first climb and then we didn't anymore. 

I will say this for my friend - the man knows how to suffer. He was variously, in his own words, "moer toe", "in my moer", "completely f@#d.", "had enough now" and "... actually doing quite well on the downhills".

We crossed the line in 14 and change but you must know just how "moer toe" you are when the Mamil is pushing you up the never-ender.

It was his fith one.

I told everyone it's not such a great achievement and that I deserve credit for the 5th one but he just said jealousy makes you nasty, reminded me that he'd waited for me on Bergplaas last year when I ate too many sosatie wors and told me to 'vlieg in my m#$r'"

Our support driver just shook his head and told us we were idiots.

Then the "3 stooges do Transbaviaans" movie started.

We realized that we hadn't told the guest house we were checking in late and the kind lady who runs the place had left a message at midnight and then gone to bed. Doorbell unresponsive, phone not being answered.

We were headed out of town to change out of bibs at the Shell garage and "just sommer drive home" when someone remembered the control point boxes.

At 2am we were parked on the field at the finish venue contemplating sleeping in the car when a phone call to the very larney sounding Savoy hotel put us in a 6 sleeper single room with breakfast included.

On the way there my bike dondered off the bike rack and smashed the carbon handlebar and the brake lever. 

I shrugged my shoulders.

There's a curious peace that descends when you reach the lowest point of the curve. You can't fall off the floor so now you can relax and just let the experience take you. 

Someone stopped and asked if we were OK in the way we all do when what we mean is "Jammer om van jou *** to hoor".

________________________________________

J-bay at 2:45 at the Savoy hotel is not pretty. A batch of hardened barflies who were also "moer toe" were being gently escorted out of the lobby by a very friendly bouncer who was actually making sure they DIDN'T fall down the stairs. 

Friendly staff opened a room to leave the bikes in, something I would normally be anxious about but now didn't give a hoot about (cf previous comments about the floor and not falling off").

Then two of the stooges were congratulating themselves for opening a beer by using the edge of the medal before the support crew stooge said "This medal is actually a bottle opener, what is wrong with you people?" 

I almost wet myself laughing.

Half an hour later I was lying on the bottom of one of 3 bunk beds in the room, between two of the worst snorers on the garden route, reminding myself not to sit up too quickly and smack myself "moer toe" on the wooden planks 18 inches above me where a split in one of them suggested that I wouldn't be the first one. 

There and then I vowed to myself that my next transvaviaans will be part of a week long garden route holday,

 

 

 

[DieselnDust]

2 hours ago, hboli4 said:

Hi Diesel,

How did you guys go? That tailwind should have pushed the pacing a bit?

We came in in 13.45 - should have gone better but I had to manage the HR a bit - something brewing in the body..

We’re up this weekend for the repeat. Will post ride report next Monday 😂

[lechatnoir]

40 minutes ago, Mamil said:

I knew it was going to a long ride in the dark setting out because my partner, who is usually a stronger rider than I am, was spectacularly undertrained. Predictably we made excellent time to the first climb and then we didn't anymore. 

I will say this for my friend - the man knows how to suffer. He was variously, in his own words, "moer toe", "in my moer", "completely f@#d.", "had enough now" and "... actually doing quite well on the downhills".

We crossed the line in 14 and change but you must know just how "moer toe" you are when the Mamil is pushing you up the never-ender.

It was his fith one.

I told everyone it's not such a great achievement and that I deserve credit for the 5th one but he just said jealousy makes you nasty, reminded me that he'd waited for me on Bergplaas last year when I ate too many sosatie wors and told me to 'vlieg in my m#$r'"

Our support driver just shook his head and told us we were idiots.

Then the "3 stooges do Transbaviaans" movie started.

We realized that we hadn't told the guest house we were checking in late and the kind lady who runs the place had left a message at midnight and then gone to bed. Doorbell unresponsive, phone not being answered.

We were headed out of town to change out of bibs at the Shell garage and "just sommer drive home" when someone remembered the control point boxes.

At 2am we were parked on the field at the finish venue contemplating sleeping in the car when a phone call to the very larney sounding Savoy hotel put us in a 6 sleeper single room with breakfast included.

On the way there my bike dondered off the bike rack and smashed the carbon handlebar and the brake lever. 

I shrugged my shoulders.

There's a curious peace that descends when you reach the lowest point of the curve. You can't fall off the floor so now you can relax and just let the experience take you. 

Someone stopped and asked if we were OK in the way we all do when what we mean is "Jammer om van jou *** to hoor".

________________________________________

J-bay at 2:45 at the Savoy hotel is not pretty. A batch of hardened barflies who were also "moer toe" were being gently escorted out of the lobby by a very friendly bouncer who was actually making sure they DIDN'T fall down the stairs. 

Friendly staff opened a room to leave the bikes in, something I would normally be anxious about but now didn't give a hoot about (cf previous comments about the floor and not falling off").

Then two of the stooges were congratulating themselves for opening a beer by using the edge of the medal before the support crew stooge said "This medal is actually a bottle opener, what is wrong with you people?" 

I almost wet myself laughing.

Half an hour later I was lying on the bottom of one of 3 bunk beds in the room, between two of the worst snorers on the garden route, reminding myself not to sit up too quickly and smack myself "moer toe" on the wooden planks 18 inches above me where a split in one of them suggested that I wouldn't be the first one. 

There and then I vowed to myself that my next transvaviaans will be part of a week long garden route holday,

 

 

 

I've been waiting for Mamil's ride/race/rude report and now my day is complete. I'm literally moer toe from laughing

Edited August 12 by lechatnoir

[hboli4]

2 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

We’re up this weekend for the repeat. Will post ride report next Monday 😂

Aaah ok oops my bad! Looks like even better weather for the Repeat...

[DieselnDust]

Just now, hboli4 said:

Aaah ok oops my bad! Looks like even better weather for the Repeat...

Heck I hope so, last minute changes to the team so it’s going to be an adventure.

[HdB]

I did my first Baviaans this weekend. Very thankful for the great weather!

Overall our ride went well, although we missed our "would be nice" time by quite a bit, coming in at just over 12h.

My partner for the race is vastly more experienced than I am with this kind of thing, having done 10 previously, finished a Munga or two, Munga Grits, the recent ATP, etc etc etc. Lucky for me he also has a lot of patience.

We were going quite well until the Zandvlakte checkpoint, 70-ish team. But my lack of experience bit soon after. I must have overdone the energy drink, as by Smitskraal I was slowing down, still mid-70s team but going backwards, feeling like a balloon about to pop, with the start of a dehydrated headache. By the foot of MAC I had to run into the bushes.
Did my best impression of a pale snail up MAC, losing 30 positions between CP3 and CP4. A lengthy rest and a cup of the nicest soup in the world ever did wonders, and we just made it to the bottom of the descent in daylight. My saddlebag got ripped loose on the downhill section, so it was squashed into my hydration pack.
We lost an additional place to CP5, but by now I was starting to feel like myself again. Another lengthy rest, a chip roll and a double-shot Americano (they could have charged 5 times the price, I wouldn't have cared) was just what the doctor ordered, and from there we flew.
By CP7 we had made up around 20 places, and a few more by the finish.

What a place to get to ride our bikes! I need to plan a trip there, to show my wife the scenery. And perhaps I can convince my dad to do it with me next year.

Edit: Forgot to say: Well done to every person who did the event, whether it went great or not. Especially the teams like the final team, who came in as we were having breakfast - that is much, much harder than anything I've ever done.

Edited August 13 by HdB
typos

[DieselnDust]

On 8/12/2024 at 10:45 AM, Skubarra said:

My second Baviaans, last time I rode was in 2015 so didn't remember much from the first one...

Great route, great scenery.

Was flippen tough on a gravel bike, route definitely more suited to mtb's.

Waterpoints disappointing if you weren't interested in doing the Baviaans at a scenic pace with restaurant stops - no nutrition like bars, bananas, energy drinks etc. Really not that difficult to get right.

The crap singletrack replaced with crap grass route through the fields, uggh why...?

As mentioned above, finishing venue was great.

Great event overall, hopefully not 10 years before I am back again.

Good luck to the guys doing repeat next week, hope you also have great weather and lots of tailwinds!

No nutrition? The race guide says there is supposed to be energy drinks and snacks at every checkpoint 

[Rowl]

13 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

No nutrition? The race guide says there is supposed to be energy drinks and snacks at every checkpoint 

There aren't any energy drinks at the any of the tables, only coke and water. The normal food is available at the various CPs, i.e. Roosterkoek at CP1, Sweets (gummies) and Fruit (oranges and bananas) at CP2, SOSATIE WORS at CP3, Soup & bread at CP4, Chip rolls at CP5 and Jafels at CP6. Coffee also available through out.

 

My opinion, I'll take the above over a bar any day. Part of the vibe at Trans.

Edited August 13 by Rowl

[pedal menace]

3 minutes ago, Rowl said:

There aren't any energy drinks at the any of the tables, only coke and water. The normal food is available at the various CPs, i.e. Roosterkoek at CP1, Sweets (gummies) and Fruit (oranges and bananas) at CP2, SOSATIE WORS at CP3, Soup & bread at CP4, Chip rolls at CP5 and Jafels at CP6. Coffee also available through out.

 

My opinion, I'll take the above over a bar any day. Part of the vibe at Trans.

No Milo this year?  - Milo and milk was my favourite last year! 

[Rowl]

1 minute ago, pedal menace said:

No Milo this year?  - Milo and milk was my favourite last year! 

Yes there was milo, had 3/4 myself. And there was tea.

 

At CP5 you can buy coffee and a boerie and whatnot.

Edited August 13 by Rowl

[splat]

5 minutes ago, Rowl said:

Yes there was milo, had 3/4 myself. And there was tea.

 

At CP5 you can buy coffee and a boerie and whatnot.

Its been a while since I did this event.

The jaffels near J-Bay were the most amazing things.
I was so tired that I dropped mine. Probably in the mud. I didn't care.
It got my 1000 yard stare under control for a while.

But you have to buy food at Check Points now ?
SRLSY ?

[DieselnDust]

Ok cool so I know what to pack. Rooster brood is just too heavy. Might have a light meal at checkpoint 2 and 5, depending on time of day.