the unofficial Cape Epic thread

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Heat stroke is a clear and present danger in any species and how each individual descends into it, differs. I might be ***ting myself on the trail, projectile vomiting, someone else might ride themselves off the cliffside in delirium, someone else might have a vicious headache but nothing else, someone else might get violently ill way later after everything is said and done. 

Fact is, it took 90 minutes for qualified help to arrive. If the patient had fallen off the side of the mountain and was hard to access, fine. But by all accounts he succumbed to it on the track, and was accessible. So where was the help? Helping elsewhere?

Why wasn’t there enough help on a day like that? Rather you pay for 20 medics who don’t unzip their bags than have 20 patients and no medics. 

Imagine Ronny was your child, your brother, your spouse. Would 90 minutes be acceptable then? 

 

[WaynejG]

12 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Stage 7: so glad it’s over

 

firstly, I’m going to thank Lake Cycling SA, Williams Bike Shop, The Bike Uitsig and Lance the_skills_coach and dietician Kate Standley for all the help they gave me in preparation for the Cape Epic. None of them knew what they were prepping me for but that’s besides the point. These are great people, support them please. Also Special mention to Robbie's Bicycle Concept who loan me a brand new RS SiDLuxe Ultimate after the damper shaft in Float DPS let go for the 2nd time in 2years on stage 6. Without this help I would not have been able to complete the event.

Back to the stage, As you are well aware, the Neck became a muddy slipfest , so badly that two course recon vehicles got stuck up there last night. Basis this it became inevitable that the course would be altered. Prayers were answered!!

we ended up with a 42km 900 m short route gravel bike race . I’m not complaining, I’m celebrating. The last 10km were once again a mud fest that had the bike wash backed up for hours. But the traffic out of Lourensford was backed up even longer so the wait for a clean bike was at least tolerable. Gave me time to write this up.

So this is my fourth ACE. Being an  Amaboepensie I can say what i like without any “what-do-you-know” statements.

It’s a great feeling to cross the line for your first epic. The second becomes a little routine and the third is a celebration because you join the Special Persons Club known as Amabubesi. The fourth is a journey into the what next with questions like, “ do I want to do more, why do I want to do more etc. you reach a moment where you realise something has changed and the obsession is shifting or changing.

change can be good and it can be bad. It depends on your point of view.

the cape epic has always been tough from day 1 in 2004. Kevin was always focussed on rider experience. Between 2016 to 2018 there was a shift. By 2025 that shift has resulted in loss of a good experience to full on survival. Now for some that may be a good thing, it’s a matter of perspective. Going back through training logs and old warthog posts I realise it has become the animal I wanted 20years ago; more and enjoyable single track with slightly shorter stages. Over the years as I’ve spectated from computer screen I craved to be able to ride it more and I got the opportunity this year when a friend living and working abroad invited me to ride it with him. From day 1 he didn’t enjoy the experience.

registration was cold and almost too efficient. That again is a matter of perspective. We felt it was stake your things and go experience but we had to walk a long way to collect bags. A long way back to the cars, along way for everything. Registration and the first 2 nights were going to be at Meerendal. Our tents were on a massive slope with the dining and medical tents at the top of the hill. So walking to the toilet or dinner was a laboured affair. The bike park was another 300m away at the finishline while TweedeKamp was nearly 1km away in the opposite direction!!! I walked over 10000steps per day everyday while at the Meerendal venue. Good for recovery? No!

Fairview was a thorny dust bowl, again with Tweede Kamp over half a km away. Possibly one of the worst venues ever right up there with the horse paddocks of Arrabella Wines in Robertson 2018. Gone are high school sports grounds, hello working farms. Next I’m sure it will be cattle barns…

Lourensford was decent. Unfortunately we had bad weather. But again the dining tent was a way off.

the food was average at best. Either too fatty or too dry and I didn’t see olive oil . Maybe it was just me. After Wednesday stage 3 we all needed light cool food , instead we got heavy fatty food. Not ideal meals for recovery.

the tents are an improvement but the water proofing sucks. I moved out of mine at Lourensford and camped at home because I could not keep the tent dry. It’s was always wet and the tent crew just laughed off requests and complaints.

i also didn’t know how the racing was shaping up. I will have to catch up this week. When you’re being beaten up everyday there’s no time to think outside of Me. You see this every amateur competitor. There is no #Gees. For that you need to find an s as alternate event. It’s moer en trap Elle dag. 
the toilets worked with only onetime I saw someone barely made it and shat on top of the lid and left the pressie. Too much carbs will wreck your gut. The urinals were a disappointment. Lovely design, no running water. Maybe middle class people don’t wash their hands after urinating? I don’t know but I do wash my hands. So I never shook anyone’s hand, fist bumps only.

This has all translated into a poor customer experience. I’m not alone. We had 6-7hrs per day to chat about it. I reckon the satisfaction ratings are way down or maybe they will just use feedback back, spin it and tell everybody to keep smiling. This is all juxtaposed by the sense of achievement of completing a gruelling event successfully. So hopefully the negatives are viewed constructively to build a better event.

The last focus area relates to us the riders. Technical and mechanical skills, ego. Everyone is using SRAM AXS. So much so that the head of SRAM marketing came out to ride a few of the stages. They take innovation and customer satisfaction seriously. AXS is awesome as long as the device connector pins don't bind or the connector pin springs don’t break. Good connection is key to electron flow. The solution is simple, use leaf spring pins on the battery not the device. The current design is fine when you’re in Europe where it was conceived and largely tested but not for the #untamed winelands dust and mud. So now if something goes wrong riders just stand and model in the middle of the trail. Even plugging tyres will have to become electronic to keep these ironpersons rolling. Garmin will have to create new apps that inform the rider how an obstacle looks on approach and departure because without they don’t seem to know how to ride. I rode up to F batch on some days, and technical riding skills are severely lacking. It was a massive problem on Wednesday in Rheebokskloof and Thursday through the XCO courses around Paarl. It was a major contributor to riders falling foul of the heat. I wasted an hour waiting in queues. An hour extra hydrations hour extra of being cooked. Add anxiety and brain and core muscle function becomes severely impacted. This in no way removes some poor organisational decisions , like letting the route use so much of RBK in the  heat but I do believe that by entering the event you have to equip yourself with nutritional and riding skill, not AXS. I include nutritional skill because  people watch too much nonsense on SM and have a number in their head that becomes a target without understanding the  metabolism that it needs to work with. 
 

Was it worth it? From a personal achievement perspective, yes. I used my science based and taught coaching methodologies, my dietician and my relationship with other coaches to develop my approach. A doctor needs a doctor, a coach needs a coach. My teammate, like many others used what worked for him in the past. That didn’t work. We’re all older and our bodies change. You move to another country your diet changes which influences your physiology which requires adjustment to your training to normalise / acclimatise yourself. I learned a lot about myself, I have to unpack my notes, digest and adjust my approach where necessary.

from a financial perspective I did this event on the cheap but others are spending up to R500,000-00 to just finish the Cape Epic. I certainly would not spend the bulk of that on an electronic kit equipped bike. It’s not necessary it’s an ego purchase and therein lies the rub. So much of the amateur mindset is focussed on ego for the ACE. Even carbs per hour is now Dick swinging contest. I had no bugs , no stomach bugs , no gastric distress despite eating in the Dining tent. Yet the common excuse for the runs is “stomach bug” while Mr bug is him reading the paper and mrs Bug is minding her own business knitting the kid bug jerseys so they can infect you in May when our next round of flu “bug” comes to visit.  
 

so the medals will be hung up and put on display, the t-shirt will be worn and the stickers applied to something where the sense of achievement can be a reminder to celebrate. Right now I feel tired. My sleep pattern is abnormal from getting up twice during the night due to fluid intake to ensure no dehydration and keep sodium Levels up. At some point I’ll brag about it before it slips into the treasure chest of life experience, but for now it’s work tomorrow with  a different set of demands.

cheers 

 

ps: I haven’t tried a mixed team yet…🤔

 

As someone once said, “Ego is the anaesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity”.

[GLuvsMtb]

16 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Stage 7: so glad it’s over

 

firstly, I’m going to thank Lake Cycling SA, Williams Bike Shop, The Bike Uitsig and Lance the_skills_coach and dietician Kate Standley for all the help they gave me in preparation for the Cape Epic. None of them knew what they were prepping me for but that’s besides the point. These are great people, support them please. Also Special mention to Robbie's Bicycle Concept who loan me a brand new RS SiDLuxe Ultimate after the damper shaft in Float DPS let go for the 2nd time in 2years on stage 6. Without this help I would not have been able to complete the event.

Back to the stage, As you are well aware, the Neck became a muddy slipfest , so badly that two course recon vehicles got stuck up there last night. Basis this it became inevitable that the course would be altered. Prayers were answered!!

we ended up with a 42km 900 m short route gravel bike race . I’m not complaining, I’m celebrating. The last 10km were once again a mud fest that had the bike wash backed up for hours. But the traffic out of Lourensford was backed up even longer so the wait for a clean bike was at least tolerable. Gave me time to write this up.

So this is my fourth ACE. Being an  Amaboepensie I can say what i like without any “what-do-you-know” statements.

It’s a great feeling to cross the line for your first epic. The second becomes a little routine and the third is a celebration because you join the Special Persons Club known as Amabubesi. The fourth is a journey into the what next with questions like, “ do I want to do more, why do I want to do more etc. you reach a moment where you realise something has changed and the obsession is shifting or changing.

change can be good and it can be bad. It depends on your point of view.

the cape epic has always been tough from day 1 in 2004. Kevin was always focussed on rider experience. Between 2016 to 2018 there was a shift. By 2025 that shift has resulted in loss of a good experience to full on survival. Now for some that may be a good thing, it’s a matter of perspective. Going back through training logs and old warthog posts I realise it has become the animal I wanted 20years ago; more and enjoyable single track with slightly shorter stages. Over the years as I’ve spectated from computer screen I craved to be able to ride it more and I got the opportunity this year when a friend living and working abroad invited me to ride it with him. From day 1 he didn’t enjoy the experience.

registration was cold and almost too efficient. That again is a matter of perspective. We felt it was stake your things and go experience but we had to walk a long way to collect bags. A long way back to the cars, along way for everything. Registration and the first 2 nights were going to be at Meerendal. Our tents were on a massive slope with the dining and medical tents at the top of the hill. So walking to the toilet or dinner was a laboured affair. The bike park was another 300m away at the finishline while TweedeKamp was nearly 1km away in the opposite direction!!! I walked over 10000steps per day everyday while at the Meerendal venue. Good for recovery? No!

Fairview was a thorny dust bowl, again with Tweede Kamp over half a km away. Possibly one of the worst venues ever right up there with the horse paddocks of Arrabella Wines in Robertson 2018. Gone are high school sports grounds, hello working farms. Next I’m sure it will be cattle barns…

Lourensford was decent. Unfortunately we had bad weather. But again the dining tent was a way off.

the food was average at best. Either too fatty or too dry and I didn’t see olive oil . Maybe it was just me. After Wednesday stage 3 we all needed light cool food , instead we got heavy fatty food. Not ideal meals for recovery.

the tents are an improvement but the water proofing sucks. I moved out of mine at Lourensford and camped at home because I could not keep the tent dry. It’s was always wet and the tent crew just laughed off requests and complaints.

i also didn’t know how the racing was shaping up. I will have to catch up this week. When you’re being beaten up everyday there’s no time to think outside of Me. You see this every amateur competitor. There is no #Gees. For that you need to find an s as alternate event. It’s moer en trap Elle dag. 
the toilets worked with only onetime I saw someone barely made it and shat on top of the lid and left the pressie. Too much carbs will wreck your gut. The urinals were a disappointment. Lovely design, no running water. Maybe middle class people don’t wash their hands after urinating? I don’t know but I do wash my hands. So I never shook anyone’s hand, fist bumps only.

This has all translated into a poor customer experience. I’m not alone. We had 6-7hrs per day to chat about it. I reckon the satisfaction ratings are way down or maybe they will just use feedback back, spin it and tell everybody to keep smiling. This is all juxtaposed by the sense of achievement of completing a gruelling event successfully. So hopefully the negatives are viewed constructively to build a better event.

The last focus area relates to us the riders. Technical and mechanical skills, ego. Everyone is using SRAM AXS. So much so that the head of SRAM marketing came out to ride a few of the stages. They take innovation and customer satisfaction seriously. AXS is awesome as long as the device connector pins don't bind or the connector pin springs don’t break. Good connection is key to electron flow. The solution is simple, use leaf spring pins on the battery not the device. The current design is fine when you’re in Europe where it was conceived and largely tested but not for the #untamed winelands dust and mud. So now if something goes wrong riders just stand and model in the middle of the trail. Even plugging tyres will have to become electronic to keep these ironpersons rolling. Garmin will have to create new apps that inform the rider how an obstacle looks on approach and departure because without they don’t seem to know how to ride. I rode up to F batch on some days, and technical riding skills are severely lacking. It was a massive problem on Wednesday in Rheebokskloof and Thursday through the XCO courses around Paarl. It was a major contributor to riders falling foul of the heat. I wasted an hour waiting in queues. An hour extra hydrations hour extra of being cooked. Add anxiety and brain and core muscle function becomes severely impacted. This in no way removes some poor organisational decisions , like letting the route use so much of RBK in the  heat but I do believe that by entering the event you have to equip yourself with nutritional and riding skill, not AXS. I include nutritional skill because  people watch too much nonsense on SM and have a number in their head that becomes a target without understanding the  metabolism that it needs to work with. 
 

Was it worth it? From a personal achievement perspective, yes. I used my science based and taught coaching methodologies, my dietician and my relationship with other coaches to develop my approach. A doctor needs a doctor, a coach needs a coach. My teammate, like many others used what worked for him in the past. That didn’t work. We’re all older and our bodies change. You move to another country your diet changes which influences your physiology which requires adjustment to your training to normalise / acclimatise yourself. I learned a lot about myself, I have to unpack my notes, digest and adjust my approach where necessary.

from a financial perspective I did this event on the cheap but others are spending up to R500,000-00 to just finish the Cape Epic. I certainly would not spend the bulk of that on an electronic kit equipped bike. It’s not necessary it’s an ego purchase and therein lies the rub. So much of the amateur mindset is focussed on ego for the ACE. Even carbs per hour is now Dick swinging contest. I had no bugs , no stomach bugs , no gastric distress despite eating in the Dining tent. Yet the common excuse for the runs is “stomach bug” while Mr bug is him reading the paper and mrs Bug is minding her own business knitting the kid bug jerseys so they can infect you in May when our next round of flu “bug” comes to visit.  
 

so the medals will be hung up and put on display, the t-shirt will be worn and the stickers applied to something where the sense of achievement can be a reminder to celebrate. Right now I feel tired. My sleep pattern is abnormal from getting up twice during the night due to fluid intake to ensure no dehydration and keep sodium Levels up. At some point I’ll brag about it before it slips into the treasure chest of life experience, but for now it’s work tomorrow with  a different set of demands.

cheers 

 

ps: I haven’t tried a mixed team yet…🤔

 

Well said D&D. My own experience and ambitions to one day do the ride of all rides was buried many moons ago. I opted for more user friendly events ,i.e. smaller events that is more budget-friendly and affords me the opportunity to go for a clamping / guest house option to enable me to get the maximum return for my training and money spent. I also prefer solo events to team events as the team dynamic adds little to improve my race. The only time I'll even consider doing a W2W or S2C is if the entry is free, and most importantly, my racing partner understands that it's a team event. For ACE money I'll rather go and do 4 islands, or go do another BCBR and have a decent break for a week or so with the change. My thoughts go out to the rider who passed away. Hopefully the event learns from this. While we can't stick warning labels on everything, event orginisers have a big responsibility to factor extreme conditions and make pro active changes to mitigate these risks. There will always be the keyboard ninjas claiming that they've gone "soft" (these comments are ageing like milk right now), but these views are irrelevant when rider safety is concerned. There were many good things at this year's event. Media coverage was superb, the racing was out of this world and using so much existing trails gives the Western Cape so much exposure. Finally a big shout out to all that participated this year. You all have earned that medal and T Shirt, so wear them proudly.  

[DieselnDust]

I’m only starting to catch up on the media coverage now. It was indeed superb. The pros made dat 1 look easy because they ride everything. The amateurs had varying degrees of competence through the field so sometimes the steel

climbs required walking or the singletrack and that added a lot to our day coupled to starting later made it all the more much much harder. When I compare my moving be elapsed times there’s always more than An hour giveaway. That’s a lot of recovery time lost right there

[Squier]

I finished my first Epic on Sunday. It was brutal in every sense of the word but also the best riding (trails) I've experienced. 

The max for Wednesday was forecasted at 39. I recorded 46 on my Garmin. My partner was pulled by the medics at wp2 and sent to race hospital. Ended up finishing alone. It was a war zone out there.

That day would have been a super tough day even in mild weather. It was almost all single-track. I went past a guy completely unresponsive on the trail. Marshall's were already there but access would have been a problem. Likely that it could have been Ronny. (RIP)

That day stands out as the toughest, but all the other days weren't far off...

[CARANXCycleMobile]

RIP Ronny.

 

The heat on those two stages was out of this world. I recorded a 45 Deg Celsius average hitting 58 Deg C for almost 2 hours long a situation you can't mimic training / prepare for. Water points close to each other but took longer you'd think to reach by guessing and not filling up between WP's. Its not fair to judge and point fingers if you weren't there participating in the event.        

[DieselnDust]

35 minutes ago, Squier said:

I finished my first Epic on Sunday. It was brutal in every sense of the word but also the best riding (trails) I've experienced. 

The max for Wednesday was forecasted at 39. I recorded 46 on my Garmin. My partner was pulled by the medics at wp2 and sent to race hospital. Ended up finishing alone. It was a war zone out there.

That day would have been a super tough day even in mild weather. It was almost all single-track. I went past a guy completely unresponsive on the trail. Marshall's were already there but access would have been a problem. Likely that it could have been Ronny. (RIP)

That day stands out as the toughest, but all the other days weren't far off...

we must have been riding fairly close to each other. We got to Wp2 at 11hr35am. I left shortly after 12h05 before the WP was closed. Left my team mate there as well

[mazambaan]

47 minutes ago, Squier said:

I finished my first Epic on Sunday. It was brutal in every sense of the word but also the best riding (trails) I've experienced. 

The max for Wednesday was forecasted at 39. I recorded 46 on my Garmin. My partner was pulled by the medics at wp2 and sent to race hospital. Ended up finishing alone. It was a war zone out there.

That day would have been a super tough day even in mild weather. It was almost all single-track. I went past a guy completely unresponsive on the trail. Marshall's were already there but access would have been a problem. Likely that it could have been Ronny. (RIP)

That day stands out as the toughest, but all the other days weren't far off...

Well done to all finishers and, having had a few overheating (and freezing) experiences where some part of your brain tells you "You could die here" I am exceedingly impressed by Stephan & DnD et al.

After listening to a few friends' comments on their Epics I quickly realised it was out of my capability so I watch on and off from afar. My overall impression is that it is a bit like a poorly organised Dakar Rallye where it was rumoured that the organisers only allow for half the participants to get beyond halfway (and a few sad deaths each year RIP Elmer Symons).

Like Dakar, I'm guessing it will continue to have a full field but we shall see.

[ChrisF]

4 minutes ago, mazambaan said:

Well done to all finishers and, having had a few overheating (and freezing) experiences where some part of your brain tells you "You could die here" I am exceedingly impressed by Stephan & DnD et al.

After listening to a few friends' comments on their Epics I quickly realised it was out of my capability so I watch on and off from afar. My overall impression is that it is a bit like a poorly organised Dakar Rallye where it was rumoured that the organisers only allow for half the participants to get beyond halfway (and a few sad deaths each year RIP Elmer Symons).

Like Dakar, I'm guessing it will continue to have a full field but we shall see.

 

Much like the Dakar the media concentrate on the "front runners" .... while the "real stories" unfold much later in the field.

 

Respect to one and all the finished this Epic.  Thoughts with those that got pulled by the medics .....

 

[Dappere]

I might receive criticism for saying this, but I don’t entirely understand the sentiment expressed by some people here. I truly don’t believe that the organisers—past or present—would ever wish harm upon anyone participating in the event. A fatality is undoubtedly the worst possible outcome, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the individual’s family and loved ones.

That said, I’m not entirely sure what is being expected from the community in response. At times, it feels like there’s a call to boycott the event or respond with anger or vengeance. I understand the emotion behind this, but it also seems to overlook the broader context.

Kevin has always been transparent about the nature of the event. That may have changed slightly since the event was sold, but I still believe many underestimate just how massive and complex a logistical undertaking the Epic truly is. In an interview Kevin did around five years ago, he mentioned that each edition of the Epic takes a full 12 months to plan and generates over R300 million in economic impact for the Western Cape annually—in his own words, a conservative estimate. The event employs more than 800 people, and the average stay for a team is around 13 days.

The Cape Epic has done a great deal for South Africa and South Africans. It has created jobs, provided exposure and opportunity for local athletes, and attracted international visitors who often return to the country—sometimes multiple times—further contributing to the economy. I know several European friends who have come back to South Africa on holiday after experiencing the Epic.

Of course, it is deeply saddening to hear of someone losing their life during such an event, and that should never be dismissed. But I also believe we should acknowledge the positive impact the Epic continues to have, both economically and in terms of building the local cycling community.

[Pandatron]

8 minutes ago, Dappere said:

I might receive criticism for saying this, but I don’t entirely understand the sentiment expressed by some people here. I truly don’t believe that the organisers—past or present—would ever wish harm upon anyone participating in the event. A fatality is undoubtedly the worst possible outcome, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the individual’s family and loved ones.

That said, I’m not entirely sure what is being expected from the community in response. At times, it feels like there’s a call to boycott the event or respond with anger or vengeance. I understand the emotion behind this, but it also seems to overlook the broader context.

Kevin has always been transparent about the nature of the event. That may have changed slightly since the event was sold, but I still believe many underestimate just how massive and complex a logistical undertaking the Epic truly is. In an interview Kevin did around five years ago, he mentioned that each edition of the Epic takes a full 12 months to plan and generates over R300 million in economic impact for the Western Cape annually—in his own words, a conservative estimate. The event employs more than 800 people, and the average stay for a team is around 13 days.

The Cape Epic has done a great deal for South Africa and South Africans. It has created jobs, provided exposure and opportunity for local athletes, and attracted international visitors who often return to the country—sometimes multiple times—further contributing to the economy. I know several European friends who have come back to South Africa on holiday after experiencing the Epic.

Of course, it is deeply saddening to hear of someone losing their life during such an event, and that should never be dismissed. But I also believe we should acknowledge the positive impact the Epic continues to have, both economically and in terms of building the local cycling community.

Its the bikehub forum, every year this follows the same journey. 

We watch Epic, cheer our people on and then write a masochistic self flagellation of how we would never ride epic due to the price and whatever flavour is going of the current year. We then end this off with a disclaimer that if we got a ticket for free we would do it.

 

[Shebeen]

15 minutes ago, Dappere said:

I might receive criticism for saying this, but I don’t entirely understand the sentiment expressed by some people here. I truly don’t believe that the organisers—past or present—would ever wish harm upon anyone participating in the event. A fatality is undoubtedly the worst possible outcome, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the individual’s family and loved ones.

That said, I’m not entirely sure what is being expected from the community in response. At times, it feels like there’s a call to boycott the event or respond with anger or vengeance. I understand the emotion behind this, but it also seems to overlook the broader context.

Kevin has always been transparent about the nature of the event. That may have changed slightly since the event was sold, but I still believe many underestimate just how massive and complex a logistical undertaking the Epic truly is. In an interview Kevin did around five years ago, he mentioned that each edition of the Epic takes a full 12 months to plan and generates over R300 million in economic impact for the Western Cape annually—in his own words, a conservative estimate. The event employs more than 800 people, and the average stay for a team is around 13 days.

The Cape Epic has done a great deal for South Africa and South Africans. It has created jobs, provided exposure and opportunity for local athletes, and attracted international visitors who often return to the country—sometimes multiple times—further contributing to the economy. I know several European friends who have come back to South Africa on holiday after experiencing the Epic.

Of course, it is deeply saddening to hear of someone losing their life during such an event, and that should never be dismissed. But I also believe we should acknowledge the positive impact the Epic continues to have, both economically and in terms of building the local cycling community.

simple:

Kevin prioritized the rider experience to build the long term legacy of the event at the expense of short term profit.

Ironman are using the long term legacy to prioritize the short term profit at the expense of rider experience.

 

well that's the way this keyboard warrior sees it, backed up by riders from the field

[Shebeen]

wonder if Tristan Nortje got a standing ovation at school assembly yesterday. Headmaster must be super proud of him!

[Dappere]

1 minute ago, Shebeen said:

simple:

Kevin prioritized the rider experience to build the long term legacy of the event at the expense of short term profit.

Ironman are using the long term legacy to prioritize the short term profit at the expense of rider experience.

 

well that's the way this keyboard warrior sees it, backed up by riders from the field

Fair – but the event still has a positive impact on South Africa. Beyond the race itself, people are booking accommodation, dining at local restaurants, and supporting small businesses. That broader ripple effect is still significant.

It seems we share a similar perspective – appreciate the clarification.

[andydude]

Saw on Beers' instagram!

[andydude]

23 minutes ago, Dappere said:

Fair – but the event still has a positive impact on South Africa. Beyond the race itself, people are booking accommodation, dining at local restaurants, and supporting small businesses. That broader ripple effect is still significant.

It seems we share a similar perspective – appreciate the clarification.

Running a well organised event and still having a positive impact is not mutually exclusive?