[Event] Durbie Dash

[ChrisF]

13 hours ago, mikkelz said:

Also rode in A. Weather made for a nice day out. Not the most challenging route, but good average speed.

Really impressed with the bike marshall.

 

I cycle from home to the starting point.  Had to turn back home to get my thermal vest ...  Did not realise the starting point had moved from last year's position.  Then got directed to the MTB start, before finally finding out where to go .... Ended up starting with a later group, missed mine by 6 minutes.  Good dose of adrenaline, and muscles properly warmed up at the start can be a good thing .... 

 

Actually a very nice group.  The group naturally split, and I was somewhere in the middle doing a solo ride.

 

Just before the Phisantekraal turn the next batch caught up.  

 

 

Nice cool calm collected pass, and very well behaved in the turn.  Nice to hear the peleton communicating.

 

And then they moved ahead ...

 

 

No other group caught me, just a couple of solo riders doing an epic solo ride.

 

For the rest it was an interesting jo-jo event.  Me pushing Zone 5 up the hills and passing a couple of riders.  Downhill the 42 ring meant I could almost keep up.  It was on the long straights where the "dun-wiele" have the upperhand and steadily passed me, until the next climb.

 

 

Nice to see so many couples and parent/kid groups along the route

 

 

Outside Wellington the cool morning air turned into a chilly ride ....

 

 

I was heading for my first 30+km/h finish, giving it my all !!  I was getting out of the saddle and rocking the bike up the hills in an attempt towards that goal .... Eventually started getting mild cramps in my quads, a first for me (normally my calves that cramp).  I would sit down, spin away the cramp, then get up and go again and again.

 

At 50km a rider was sitting on the armco .... I slowed down and he noted that he cant inflate the tubeless .... uhmmm .... uhmmm ...... Turned around and went back to help.  Ream, plug, pump ... and he was on his way.  

 

Just before the next water point, about 55km mark, a rider was pushing his bike up the hill .... "I need a pump" .... uhmmm ..... uhmmm .... I slowed at the waterpoint and asked, nope, they dont have a pump.  Stopped and helped him.  He found me at the end was very thankful.

 

HUH !!!  WHAT ?!?!? .... now my bike is making the most awefull noise ....  I did a full service last weekend, so confident the bike is okay, but this sound is NOT right !!

 

Not the pump rattling ...

 

Cant find the source while cycling ....

 

Stop and look .... nothing ...

 

But the sound dont stop .... stop again .... still cant see anything ..... Third stop I start pushing and pulling .... and there it is.   One of the support arms for the carrier had snapped !!  Tried a few things, eventually had no option but to just push it back in, and then strap it down with cable ties.

 

 

GLAD the noise made me pay attention, if that bracket made its way into the wheel at speed ....

 

30 minutes in mechanical stops ..... 🫣

EDIT - Makes a nasty dent in seeding time for CTCT ... 

 

Looking at my "riding time", I did manage 29,4km/h. 

 

 

All things considered .... GOOD day out on the bike !! 

 

That Boerie-roll at the end tasted GOOD.  

 

 

THANKS to each and every person that offered up their time to make this event happen.  Much appreciated.

 

Edited October 13 by ChrisF

[Rouxenator]

The long gravel route looks like a treat - I love Langvlei off Slent road, it is part of my usual Sunset Seventy ride. Only problem with that is on my Sunset Seventy I do around 500m of climbing, not the 1700m required for Durbie Dash 😁

[bleedToWin]

On 10/12/2024 at 7:15 PM, ChrisF said:

Did not realise the starting point had moved from last year's position.

It's been in the current location in Oxford street for a good many years now.

[Tomik]

22 hours ago, Rouxenator said:

The long gravel route looks like a treat - I love Langvlei off Slent road, it is part of my usual Sunset Seventy ride. Only problem with that is on my Sunset Seventy I do around 500m of climbing, not the 1700m required for Durbie Dash 😁

The long gravel route (86km) only had 766m of climbing. 

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, bleedToWin said:

It's been in the current location in Oxford street for a good many years now.

 

Thanks.

[Skubarra]

Thanks for all the feedback. Few things to work on for next year but I think overall it went reasonably well.

Any other feedback & observations, good or bad - please let us know!

[Rudii]

Did the 86km gravel, nice route in general and enjoyed exploring some new gravel roads beyond the Eenzaamheid. For me the tar sections felt a bit long at times but understand that it's not easy linking gravel sections in and around Durbanville area so think in general the organizers did a good job linking those. WP1 and WP2 could have been better spaced out a bit better, WP1 came at 43km and WP2 10km later. The finish line was a bit of a non-event and can do with some improvement for next year. Other than that a well organized event, will be back next year.