[Event] Houw Hoek Gravel Race

[Skubarra]

Overall I enjoyed the challenge, had a lekker day out. Nice gravel riding around Greyton. Enjoy that pass that went through private property (even though going up was stupid steep).

Was my first gravel race on a gravel bike, Katpass down was a rude introduction! Not sure this event in its current format will catch on, too many mtb sections. Don't think a downhill like Katpass is really suitable for a gravel race. Going up a bit better but not exactly gravel riding imo.  Riding rough jeeptrack next to a perfectly good tar road near Greyton, what's up with that?

If I come back I'll probably bring the mtb and stick with the mtb event.

Edited May 5 by Skubarra

[cadenceblur]

Interesting comments, I wonder what the organizers were thinking? I’m sure they will take all the feedback into account though and make the appropriate amendments to future events 

[Mamil]

I put a Lyne dropper on my old alu Checkpoint Charlie gravel - it's much nicer now.

[bleedToWin]

Katpas was taking a lot of flak in the post race chats, but honestly there were so many sectors that were really hard on the bikes and bodies. It was my first gravel race. Doubt I'll be back.

Organisation wise: Route was marked well enough, and water points looked decent (I actually stopped at one to top up air on my front that was leaking around the plug in the gashed tyre).

What bothered me a bit was the venue that were packing up and getting ready to go home as I finished. I know the weather was mid and the winner had finished an hour ago, but more than half the field was still behind me. We got our mediocre complimentary burgers (with comments that we're lucky there's still chips left), couldn't find someone to order drinks from or order more food for our non-riding companions, so we left to go to the farm stall across the road.

[Jbr]

36 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Katpas was taking a lot of flak in the post race chats, but honestly there were so many sectors that were really hard on the bikes and bodies. It was my first gravel race. Doubt I'll be back.

Organisation wise: Route was marked well enough, and water points looked decent (I actually stopped at one to top up air on my front that was leaking around the plug in the gashed tyre).

What bothered me a bit was the venue that were packing up and getting ready to go home as I finished. I know the weather was mid and the winner had finished an hour ago, but more than half the field was still behind me. We got our mediocre complimentary burgers (with comments that we're lucky there's still chips left), couldn't find someone to order drinks from or order more food for our non-riding companions, so we left to go to the farm stall across the road.

Everything was pretty much packed up when I arrived too, I think they were put off by the drizzle. No vibe at the finish, our podium was just us three and fran to take photos. But it's cool I don't care too much for those things especially when the weather is ***, I just want to get it over with and drive home. I appreciated that I could give my bike a quick wash as well.

I also heard about that one guy that knocked himself out, I home he's alright, seemed like a scary/traumatizing one 😕

 

Down Katpas I didn't really understand the lines thing drawn on the road so just made my own, I got a big fright when I went through soft sand at speed just next to a cliff, I really thought I was going to go over, then I went extra careful to the bottom. Had another big fright mid race as we were speeding though some field in single file and suddenly there was this big gap that I just just managed to jump over, it was right before a concrete bridge. That section was tricky with lots of rocks to navigate around, which isn't easy when you're not first wheel.

The descent before the last climb was also a bit scary on very racy tyres, had to really squeeze the brakes with a lot of caution.

Usually sketch is fun, but maybe it was a little too sketch for me to enjoy, that and the long headwind section, I was pretty much over it after 80k I was looking forward to driving my car back home. Then the last climb with the single track was nice again. Seems they could've indicated a bit better that you were supposed to walk accross the train tracks there, some people missed it and took another section along the rails, that eventually connected back to the route but seemed much slower.

Edited May 6 by Jbr

[bleedToWin]

20 minutes ago, Jbr said:

Had another big fright mid race as we were speeding though some field in single file and suddenly there was this big gap that I just just managed to jump over, it was right before a concrete bridge. That section was tricky with lots of rocks to navigate around, which isn't easy when you're not first wheel.

Luckily one of those rocks just before the ditch caused another puncture (one of many) for me so after plugging and pumping (long since ran out of co2) I saw the ditch before even getting properly back up to speed. Some nasty crashes there too.

[Skubarra]

56 minutes ago, Jbr said:

Then the last climb with the single track was nice again. Seems they could've indicated a bit better that you were supposed to walk accross the train tracks there, some people missed it and took another section along the rails, that eventually connected back to the route but seemed much slower.

Oh wow - somehow missed the turn-off there, ended up riding through the township and ended up at the N2 🤣 For the life of me I couldn't understand why the turn-off back to Katpass wasn't signposted, I just recognised it from riding down there at the start. Wasn't impressed with the organisers at the time but no harm done I guess.

Finished mid-bunch, but for the last 2 hours of my race I saw exactly zero other other riders, add the "already packed up" vibe at the finish and one left with a bit of a meh feeling. Was hard to shake the feeling that the weekend was really about the mtb stage race with the gravel ride just tacked on as a sideshow.

Edited May 6 by Skubarra

[Jbr]

I rode through quite a few MTB riders on that last single track climb and then on Katpas. I may have not had to think too much at that railway crossing because I saw that arrow that pointed left, and when I saw a guy push his mtb on the other side of the rails, I just figured that's where the route was. If nobody is in front of you it's easy to miss it.

We saw on flybies that there's another section were people took different routes, the bit of road before that single track to the finish being one of them, apparently there was a gravel trail there where the arrows pointed right... We didn't see any and figured it meant turn right on the road. We thought it was a bit weird that the intersection wasn't marshalled and we had to make our way through incoming trafic

 

EDIT : we took the right route, according to the GPX :

Some ended up on two different paths, I definitely saw an arrow like 20, 30m from the road, but no trail, seems that's where some turned, but those who turned early, I don't know what they followed 😅

Edited May 6 by Jbr

[BuffsVintageBikes]

14 hours ago, Gert van Wyk7 said:

The terrain was quite rough especially the first and the last 10km. (Did the 80km) 

Went past a guy that had a bad fall he was unconscious but there was all ready an official with him, does anyone know if he is all right? He was later picked up by an ambulance when I passed there again? 

This was unfortunately Pete Nelson, one of the top racing Masters. He just let me know now. He's fairly banged up with badly shattered collarbone and severe concussion. He can't recall anything so if anybody saw the crash, please give some feedback here.

[Skubarra]

11 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

This was unfortunately Pete Nelson, one of the top racing Masters. He just let me know now. He's fairly banged up with badly shattered collarbone and severe concussion. He can't recall anything so if anybody saw the crash, please give some feedback here.

Very glad he is kind of ok, didn't see the fall but went past him after the fall (3 fellow riders were attending to him) and it looked really serious.

[Gert van Wyk7]

23 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

This was unfortunately Pete Nelson, one of the top racing Masters. He just let me know now. He's fairly banged up with badly shattered collarbone and severe concussion. He can't recall anything so if anybody saw the crash, please give some feedback here.

Glad he is all right. Thanks for the response!

[Jaytriathlon]

3 hours ago, Jbr said:

Everything was pretty much packed up when I arrived too, I think they were put off by the drizzle. No vibe at the finish, our podium was just us three and fran to take photos. But it's cool I don't care too much for those things especially when the weather is ***, I just want to get it over with and drive home. I appreciated that I could give my bike a quick wash as well.

I also heard about that one guy that knocked himself out, I home he's alright, seemed like a scary/traumatizing one 😕

 

Down Katpas I didn't really understand the lines thing drawn on the road so just made my own, I got a big fright when I went through soft sand at speed just next to a cliff, I really thought I was going to go over, then I went extra careful to the bottom. Had another big fright mid race as we were speeding though some field in single file and suddenly there was this big gap that I just just managed to jump over, it was right before a concrete bridge. That section was tricky with lots of rocks to navigate around, which isn't easy when you're not first wheel.

The descent before the last climb was also a bit scary on very racy tyres, had to really squeeze the brakes with a lot of caution.

Usually sketch is fun, but maybe it was a little too sketch for me to enjoy, that and the long headwind section, I was pretty much over it after 80k I was looking forward to driving my car back home. Then the last climb with the single track was nice again. Seems they could've indicated a bit better that you were supposed to walk accross the train tracks there, some people missed it and took another section along the rails, that eventually connected back to the route but seemed much slower.

Hats off to everyone that crossed the finish line. That was a tough course. 

Also found the chalk lines a bit confusing at speed and not being first wheel often found myself rattling through rocks. 
Overall a tough race, probably not one i will likely spend R800 in the future to do again. 
Coming into the finish line mid pack with every thing pretty much packed away was quite disappointing. Then to have ridden the 135km + ,only receive a mediocre burger and scrap of chips, not even a medal/ribbon for the accomplishment. Water points were at least very well stocked from what i saw going past.  

[bleedToWin]

2 hours ago, Jbr said:

Some ended up on two different paths, I definitely saw an arrow like 20, 30m from the road, but no trail, seems that's where some turned, but those who turned early, I don't know what they followed 😅

Rough and bumpy slow single track, with the tar road just there. Wes muffed at that!

[bleedToWin]

2 hours ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

This was unfortunately Pete Nelson, one of the top racing Masters. He just let me know now. He's fairly banged up with badly shattered collarbone and severe concussion. He can't recall anything so if anybody saw the crash, please give some feedback here.

Apparently there was another severe fall. Rider did not know he lost consciousness for a few seconds and wanted to continue. Fellow riders attending to him convinced him to sit back down and wait for a bail out.