[Event] Ronde Van Riebeek

[Firewater]

Hi guys and girls, 

I also lost a black Endura jacket somewhere on route if anyone by chance have picked it up. Please send me a dm.

[Vaultboy]

7 hours ago, Mamil said:

...my alu 2019 checkpoint with tiagra groupset, Lyne dropper and 45c cinturato m carried the 92kg mamilian bulk over the corrugations with only minor cursing.

What PSI were you running? 

[Mamil]

3 minutes ago, Vaultboy said:

What PSI were you running? 

22 front and 27 rear

[wolver]

42 minutes ago, Mamil said:

22 front and 27 rear

Why was I running 28 and 30? 😬 #rookie

[Mamil]

1 hour ago, wolver said:

Why was I running 28 and 30? 😬 #rookie

Ha ha ... Any softer at my weight and they get a bit squirmy in the turns.

 

[Vaultboy]

1 hour ago, Mamil said:

Ha ha ... Any softer at my weight and they get a bit squirmy in the turns.

 

I weigh the same, and on my WTB Byway 47s I run 23 front, 27 rear, so I agree with you there. I used my mtb with 2.35s Barzos yesterday, and had 22 in front, 26 rear. I like my rides plush and grippy.  

[BuffsVintageBikes]

This was a very lekka ride, just way faster than I was expecting. I got shelled by the front bunch as soon as it hit the dirt and everyone started bouncing around. Once the gap opened there was no way it was going to close, the front okes were hooking it and in all honesty, my legs were absolutely dead from 36One (half) the previous weekend so I just let them go and focused on trying to find my own rhythm. I only found my legs again at around 120km but by then it was way too late.

Got into small group which I believe included the legendary Mamil (orange Checkpoint?) and we tried coaching some gravel newbies on how to ride an effective pace-line (I was on the baby blue Giant Revolt). It worked, kinda but all split apart again at the 80km+ water point where most stopped and I rolled through.

I carried enough liquid with me to get me through the race (2l Camelbak & 2 x full 750ml bottles) but stopped at the last water point to grab a cold Coke, which was a God send by that stage, if only to stretch the back and legs.

Unintentionally rolled off the front of our small group with about 15km's to go when everyone's legs were properly smoked but then unfortunately took a detour up a small climb after someone turned a direction board 🤪 That was rather unnecessary but we were racing for a top 100 so it made no real difference at that stage except to extract the last bit of energy out of my soul 😄

Rolled in at 6hr27min and settled down for a well deserved beer & pizza and bit of chit chat.

Was just really pleased not to experience the crippling cramps I had at 36One but that could also have a lot to do with far less elevation gain on this route. I'll be back for sure. It was a well organized and pleasant event 🤙

Tire pressures - I'm 82kg's and was running 47C Vittoria Terreno's at 2bars. Rear was okay but front was too hard, I bounced around way too much.

Edited June 3 by BuffsVintageBikes

[Jakkals.]

Sounds like you need to start doing some dumbell curls to even out the weight distribution 💪🏼 

[Skubarra]

Paid school fees on Saturday (time to invest in a chain catcher). Dropped my chain shortly after the 1st turn onto the gravel on that initial bad corrugations, thing was properly entangled behind my chainring and by the time I managed to unravel the mess everyone was long gone with only the sweeper bike patiently standing behind me.

Was never going to make it back to the lead bunch so from then on it was a long solo ride, only after the last waterpoint did a little bunch form around me. So lekker to be able to recover while slipping another rider! 🤣 About 15km to go our little group scattered and again it was a solo ride to the finish (except for the bastard that hung onto my wheel for the last 5km quite obviously determined to sprint me around the rugby field).

Finished around 5h30ish with a sprint finish with above mentioned bastard. The free beer at the finish was awesome. Really digged this route, will be back next year (with a chain catcher!)

[Jbr]

what drivetrain you okes are using ? I've never had a dropped chain on the gravel bike ?

[cadenceblur]

I incidently also dropped a chain near the end - running XT 8000 - but I think my clutch needs attention as it not tensioning like it used to.

[Skubarra]

1 hour ago, Jbr said:

what drivetrain you okes are using ? I've never had a dropped chain on the gravel bike ?

SRAM Apex 1x11 - the normal corrugations & rough surfaces usually not an issue, extreme corrugations where you are more or less shaking down to crawling speed on a gravel bike the chain regularly would jump off. Hoping a chain catcher would solve the issue.

[Mayo916]

My chain dropped at 10km in, managed to get back to the front and then it dropped again at 16km.
My clutch was off so rookie error. Changed my chainring from 40T to 46T for the race on the night before the race. 

I think I might have made the chain too long since both times I was on the 11t. I'm probably going to remove a link just for extra tension.

[Mamil]

6 hours ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

This was a very lekka ride, just way faster than I was expecting. I got shelled by the front bunch as soon as it hit the dirt and everyone started bouncing around. Once the gap opened there was no way it was going to close, the front okes were hooking it and in all honesty, my legs were absolutely dead from 36One (half) the previous weekend so I just let them go and focused on trying to find my own rhythm. I only found my legs again at around 120km but by then it was way too late.

Got into small group which I believe included the legendary Mamil (orange Checkpoint?) and we tried coaching some gravel newbies on how to ride an effective pace-line (I was on the baby blue Giant Revolt). It worked, kinda but all split apart again at the 80km+ water point where most stopped and I rolled through.

I carried enough liquid with me to get me through the race (2l Camelbak & 2 x full 750ml bottles) but stopped at the last water point to grab a cold Coke, which was a God send by that stage, if only to stretch the back and legs.

Unintentionally rolled off the front of our small group with about 15km's to go when everyone's legs were properly smoked but then unfortunately took a detour up a small climb after someone turned a direction board 🤪 That was rather unnecessary but we were racing for a top 100 so it made no real difference at that stage except to extract the last bit of energy out of my soul 😄

Rolled in at 6hr27min and settled down for a well deserved beer & pizza and bit of chit chat.

Was just really pleased not to experience the crippling cramps I had at 36One but that could also have a lot to do with far less elevation gain on this route. I'll be back for sure. It was a well organized and pleasant event 🤙

Tire pressures - I'm 82kg's and was running 47C Vittoria Terreno's at 2bars. Rear was okay but front was too hard, I bounced around way too much.a

Aha that was you headed up the road and then we chatted at the end @BuffsVintageBikes... Was a lekker day out... That little batch cooperated ok for a bit, better than I've seen in C group at the PPA funrides. 

 

[MongooseMan]

37 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Aha that was you headed up the road and then we chatted at the end @BuffsVintageBikes... Was a lekker day out... That little batch cooperated ok for a bit, better than I've seen in C group at the PPA funrides. 

 

I suspect I also rode with you at some point. I was the dude in the pink Vye top. 

Turns out setting 20min, 60min, and 90min power PBs in the first half of a 100miler is not conducive to a fun 2nd half.... Finished in 6:33 with some fun cramps.

[Mook]

6 hours ago, Skubarra said:

Paid school fees on Saturday (time to invest in a chain catcher). Dropped my chain shortly after the 1st turn onto the gravel on that initial bad corrugations, thing was properly entangled behind my chainring and by the time I managed to unravel the mess everyone was long gone with only the sweeper bike patiently standing behind me.

Was never going to make it back to the lead bunch so from then on it was a long solo ride, only after the last waterpoint did a little bunch form around me. So lekker to be able to recover while slipping another rider! 🤣 About 15km to go our little group scattered and again it was a solo ride to the finish (except for the bastard that hung onto my wheel for the last 5km quite obviously determined to sprint me around the rugby field).

Finished around 5h30ish with a sprint finish with above mentioned bastard. The free beer at the finish was awesome. Really digged this route, will be back next year (with a chain catcher!)

You'll be back for sure ......... if only to get back at that bastard 😂

Well done mate 👏