[Event] THE CANOLA ROLLER

[BMCfan]

Morning Guys

 

I see rider 120 is Christiaan Joubert.

Anyone knows him?

 

I would like to return his handpump (with interest) as he saved my race when i ran out of CO2 cannisters.

 

 

Thanks in advance

Edited September 25, 2025 by BMCfan

[Rowl]

1 hour ago, BMCfan said:

Morning Guys

 

I see rider 120 is Christiaan Joubert.

Anyone knows him?

 

I would like to return his handpump (with interest) as he saved my race when i ran out of CO2 cannisters.

 

 

Thanks in advance

Try and find him on Strava?

[Kylie]

On 9/23/2025 at 10:27 AM, bleedToWin said:

Hard to believe they could actually miss the low bar they set with it last year...

We've tried many times to get them to use the events calendar for listing their events as cost-effective (free) starting point. There seems to be something about the structure there that nobody is willing or able to tackle marketing.

[bleedToWin]

8 minutes ago, Kylie said:

We've tried many times to get them to use the events calendar for listing their events as cost-effective (free) starting point. There seems to be something about the structure there that nobody is willing or able to tackle marketing.

It feels like it's borderline systemic to cycling events these days. Organisers complaining profitability and about how participation is dwindling, but doing nothing to breathe life into their events... 

[BMCfan]

3 hours ago, Rowl said:

Try and find him on Strava?

I did check Flyby, but nothing

[MongooseMan]

16 minutes ago, BMCfan said:

I did check Flyby, but nothing

If you search Christiaan Joubert on Strava there's this profile, who also did the 130k on Saturday:

Not gonna post links here, because POPI, but should be easy enough to find him.

[Skubarra]

2 hours ago, bleedToWin said:

It feels like it's borderline systemic to cycling events these days. Organisers complaining profitability and about how participation is dwindling, but doing nothing to breathe life into their events... 

Any suggestions on what race organisers should do differently to attract numbers again? (In general not the WP gravel series)

[bleedToWin]

10 minutes ago, Skubarra said:

Any suggestions on what race organisers should do differently to attract numbers again? (In general not the WP gravel series)

 

• Social presence leading up to and on race day
• A vibe at the finish (with content showcasing what to expect beforehand)
• Something about the route or have something happen at a waterpoint that's a real talking point
• A bit of a spotlight on the racers expected to participate and then celebration of those on the podium
• Targeted marketing 
• Clear info of what makes this different (and better) from just doing a group ride, and consistent communication on that front

[BMCfan]

3 hours ago, MongooseMan said:

If you search Christiaan Joubert on Strava there's this profile, who also did the 130k on Saturday:

Not gonna post links here, because POPI, but should be easy enough to find him.

Thank you, your detective skills are much better than mine

[HdB]

2 hours ago, Skubarra said:

Any suggestions on what race organisers should do differently to attract numbers again? (In general not the WP gravel series)

In addition:

* Have detailed enough information available on the primary website/FB page/Bikehub page. I've had to Google in which province some events were held, because I guess whoever was responsible for the webpage didn't think that not everyone knows the exact location of Venue XYZ. Imagine you are someone who has never been in the area, and go from there.

* Consider the participants' perspectives, as a racer, mid-pack and also the tail-end rider.
 - how technical is the route really? This is a very different thing for the inexperienced rider, so be a bit more clear in route descriptions so that each rider can pick the best distance for them to be able to enjoy it. No, a profile jpg of the route that has been resized and compressed so much that you can't even read the elevation details, does not tell them about the kilometers of rocky singletrack that they will end up walking and hating.
 - think long and hard about the start order and times of the different distances. Not everyone on an ebike has an unlocked bike capable of 45km/h-while-barely-pedaling.
Having the racers of the long distance start a few minutes after the ebikes of the mid-distance is not a fun experience when they flash by while yelling at you to get out of the way, even though you are already as far left as you can be.
 - Try and get some bubbly energizer-bunny type at the finish, especially for the slower riders finishing when many have already left - to welcome them to the finish.
 - If prize-giving/lucky draws need to be before everyone has finished, figure out your system of how to be fair to the slow riders - missing out on a snazzy lucky draw bike because you were still 2 hours from the finish at the time (but well within the time cuts) must suck. You know who collected their numbers, you know who has finished and who is still out there.

(and yes, I've recently been at some events that my wife and I had wildly different experiences).

[bleedToWin]

17 hours ago, HdB said:

prize-giving/lucky draws

And sorry to hate on Canolla Roller MC (great guy and created a brilliant vibe generally), but for the love of craft beer, none of this "first to do 10 push-ups gets a prize" nonsense!

[MongooseMan]

@guidodg any sign of the photos? 😁

[guidodg]

3 hours ago, MongooseMan said:

@guidodg any sign of the photos? 😁

https://thecanolaroller.pic-time.com/-thecanolaroller2025/gallery?inviteptoken2=AAAAAN0AAADfMy10xDTcjFhm_hDDPIzZu4F9

[HdB]

I see next year's event is 19 Sept, and Karoo to Coast/Ladismith 7Weekspoort the weekend of 26/27th.
Depending on how insane you are, you could do all three 😂

[MongooseMan]

@guidodg can you confirm 19 Sep 2026 date? Trying to get a head start on accommodation booking

[guidodg]

yes confirmed 😉