Old Mutual Wealth Double Century 2025

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Bring it on @CTLonewolf, I'll go to war with you guys, we make one hell of a team.

Not the fittest, fastest or leanest but we ride as one and for a great cause that's what this race is all about 🙌

"Twaalf manne Twaalf" 😉

[Jbr]

2 hours ago, Pure Savage said:

Dont even start....

 

Where ASAP from? Is somerset west lumped with the garden Route?

quite a few from somerset west, but also a couple riders from table view and another two from paarl, even one from tulbagh 😅that's pretty north  but surely RH is more north than us being from austria

[Heina13]

Did my second DC as part of "Loerie Bakery" mixed team. One half from George and the other half from Paarl. Unbelievable how eventhough only meeting up on Friday evening, this event can bond a group of individuals.

 

Got in it at 7:17 with a legit Charles Milner. I don't understand people waiting at the end for teammates they dropped on first witch. Isn't the Charles Milner about helping the ones who cramped or just struggled with the heat?  

We stucked together well and having a bakery as sponsor, was unbelievable at the team zones! Got learned a lesson by a couple of more senior team mates with same serious ballie strenght and experience. 

Definently one of my favourite events of the year. Just wish it wasn't the week after 70.3 Mossel Bay every year. Also a bit lower temps and no block headwind would have been great, but then it wouldnt have been DC!

 

Unbelievable to see the top teams come by. After all the KoTAS talk, I eagerly waited to see who would past first. No race recaps from the KoTAs teams? Really intrested in finding out what happened on the day for each time!

 

Now rest and maybe Rapha this year.

[PhilipV]

4 hours ago, Pure Savage said:

Where ASAP from? Is somerset west lumped with the garden Route?

Technically Somerset West is part of the Winelands. But we’ll even be happy if you lump as with the Boland just as long as it’s not the N-Subs. 

[Rowl]

1 hour ago, Heina13 said:

Did my second DC as part of "Loerie Bakery" mixed team. One half from George and the other half from Paarl. Unbelievable how eventhough only meeting up on Friday evening, this event can bond a group of individuals.

 

Got in it at 7:17 with a legit Charles Milner. I don't understand people waiting at the end for teammates they dropped on first witch. Isn't the Charles Milner about helping the ones who cramped or just struggled with the heat?  

We stucked together well and having a bakery as sponsor, was unbelievable at the team zones! Got learned a lesson by a couple of more senior team mates with same serious ballie strenght and experience. 

Definently one of my favourite events of the year. Just wish it wasn't the week after 70.3 Mossel Bay every year. Also a bit lower temps and no block headwind would have been great, but then it wouldnt have been DC!

 

Unbelievable to see the top teams come by. After all the KoTAS talk, I eagerly waited to see who would past first. No race recaps from the KoTAs teams? Really intrested in finding out what happened on the day for each time!

 

Now rest and maybe Rapha this year.

(How do I join this team🥐🥐)

[babse]

apparently "King of Cape Flats" also loading...

[F@yino]

1 hour ago, babse said:

apparently "King of Cape Flats" also loading...

Who are the main protagonists?

[WaldoZ]

Kotas is a bit of a salty fest at the moment. What started as friendly rivalry has turned into even the meme account being pissed off.

One thing I've learned now is that DC is cycled using "Prison Rules" except by a very few top teams going for podium... and those under the illusion everyone else is abiding by the rules 🤣

Another DC under the belt with some awesome guys, the fines evening was the highlight 🤐

[Jbr]

1 hour ago, WaldoZ said:

Kotas is a bit of a salty fest at the moment. What started as friendly rivalry has turned into even the meme account being pissed off.

One thing I've learned now is that DC is cycled using "Prison Rules" except by a very few top teams going for podium... and those under the illusion everyone else is abiding by the rules 🤣

Another DC under the belt with some awesome guys, the fines evening was the highlight 🤐

even when you race by the rules they will be clowns accusing you of drafting anyways.

one thing for sure, we're definitly kings of the first losers

Edited November 25, 2025 by Jbr

[bleedToWin]

15 hours ago, WaldoZ said:

Kotas is a bit of a salty fest at the moment. What started as friendly rivalry has turned into even the meme account being pissed off.

One thing I've learned now is that DC is cycled using "Prison Rules" except by a very few top teams going for podium... and those under the illusion everyone else is abiding by the rules 🤣

Another DC under the belt with some awesome guys, the fines evening was the highlight 🤐

I honestly think it's time to start the top 10 seeded teams at 6:30 with 2 minute gaps, call them $1 to $10 and dropped riders from $ teams can only slip off of none $ teams. The point of running a competitive team time trial should not just (loosely) apply to podium contenders

[CTLonewolf]

So what happened with KoTas... We need a proper race report, in the dark here and not getting much info from this thread. LPC was on stage, but the instagram page has house of 12 taking it. 

Edited November 26, 2025 by CTLonewolf

[BuffsVintageBikes]

After all the pre DC kotas hype I was expecting major fireworks from all those teams. Seems like most of them talked themselves right out of the game with a couple of Kings of the Boerie Curtain teams rolling them on the finish line as well 😉 But hey, at least they talked a great race.

[Pure Savage]

Old Mutual Double Century 2025
Pure Savage Project 25 Race Report

The Old Mutual Double Century is never just a race. It is a tradition, a pilgrimage, a questionable life choice, and one of the best days on a bike every single year. For our crew, this was Double Century number fourteen. Fourteen years of pain and dropping mates, which meant Project 25 was never going to be a quiet affair.

This year we made a real effort to bring back the pre pandemic vibes. The lekker training rides out in Paarl. The Tuesday hammer sessions that make you question your friendships. The one tonner that always promises joy but delivers mostly suffering. It felt like the old days again.

Kit was handed over to Jack Alexander who moved from Jozi to Cape Town and spent three years trying to get into the Southern suburbs clique. This was the year he finally got the nod. He was keen to ride for Savage but made it very clear that he refused to wear kit that looked like it had been designed by an auditor in Excel.

The drama started early when David Jenkins told Brendon that he was out and that he was riding for another team. This betrayal earned him the nickname Judas across the board. Then the other team collapsed and Judas crawled back, bringing Emil with him in a late season transfer. To try remove the Judas tag from his contact details on everyones phone, David arrived all in with the vibes. He brought Active Hobo on board to produce our kit launch video and he even orchestrated races from the Active Hobo with ECC and LPC. A proper redemption arc.

Our core Savage crew of Sean and Ben and Brendon and Matt and Klyde dipped into our Pure Average talent pool and recruited Andrew and Cam. They arrived with watts and enthusiasm and a frightening knowledge of indoor trainers.

Then at a coffee stop one morning, Sean told Brendon about a short oke on an S works who always sits on at the sharp end of a Chappies ride. Brendon had never seen this individual because he has not dipped under twelve minutes on Chappies since the X was still called Twitter. One day Corbin punctured and Brendon actually caught up to him and managed to ask if he had plans for November. Recruitment complete.

Our last draft pick came after Matt had a quieter patch on the bike. Brendon started harassing Waldo on Instagram to come join the suffering after he spent the previous year as official drafting police at the Double Century. The thought of inflicting cramps and pain on Brendon again was too tempting for Waldo to ignore. He signed immediately. We were twelve.

Leading up to race week we held a training camp to Bot River. Things got out of hand very quickly. We drilled it into a headwind to Hermanus so hard that one rider threw up at the side of the road, bought a red ambulance, and then walked straight into the closed door of the Shoprite. A braai and some red wine fixed everything. The next morning that same rider was tapping neatly up Franschhoek Pass like nothing had happened.

Our one tonner was another story. David arrived demanding everyone move to tubeless because everything else was pointless. Within minutes his rear wheel exploded slime all over Ben and Brendon. This was not a once off problem as we would later find out. Emil also suffered multiple tube failures that day. We had to stop four times, which turned the one tonner into a lonely but memorable day on the bike. A theme for what was coming.

Race day arrived. We were seeded behind the other KOTAS teams. The theory was simple. If the rear team caught the teams ahead, it would be easier for the back teams to sit on and game the system. Only five teams started behind us which meant the day was going to be spicy.

We stuck to our PDF that Matt had drawn up. Our mole must have died because it never leaked. Sadly, David’s rear wheel had not learned any lessons. It punctured on the N2 and that was the last we saw of the King of Forth for the rest of the day.

Tradouw arrived quickly. Someone set the pace at their FTP. It certainly was not Andrew or Jack because those boys were sitting like a Golf Mk One in a McDonalds parking lot bouncing the rev limiter. Andrew gave one last heroic three minute pull before the climb and then he and Jack tapped off. We are still waiting for Jacks final pull.

Nine riders hit Op Tradouw. Waldo refused to let that number drop. Brendon was carted over the top and the group regrouped with a few hangers oners for the run into Montagu. The clock stopped at three hours. A good first sector.

The VIP zone hosted by Food Lovers was a treat. Iced towels. Shade. That is honestly all any of us remember because our souls were not yet back in our bodies. It beat sitting on a cooler box on the tar with warm coke.

Once we rolled out of the feed zone the Stevens brothers became unhitched. When the maths was done and the number seven appeared, the group carried on. As we rounded the Robertson circle every rider in the event realised the party was over and it was time to suffer.

Internal negotiations began. Deals with the universe. Deals with quads. Deals with calves. Everyone was bargaining with themselves to make it to the Bonnievale stop.

Our VIP stop was unfortunately right next to the timing mats which is not great when you can barely see your Garmin through the cramps, the reader picked us up as we entered the feed zone. We had thirty minutes added to our time. Many kindly messaged us to let us know on instagram that our time was over 6 hours.

When the Stevens brothers finally rejoined, a small resurrection began. Some of the final six candidates on the PDF had cooked themselves in sector two. It was survival mode.

Sector three was chaos and beauty. Everyone who had a match left burned it over the two opening rollers. We kept the momentum on the downhills and stayed safe as we passed riders on the left.

Entering the Valley of Death we were down to seven. This meant the dads began hearing the voices of their kids asking the inevitable question. Dad were you six or seven. Six seven.

The crosswind down the valley was strong but from behind. With smart riding the group of seven held together and managed to keep Waldo attached on the front.

Corbin suddenly cramped for the first time in his life. Brendon, an expert in cramping and already two hours deep into personal agony, offered some world class advice while trying not to smirk. Corbin gritted his teeth and sat in.

Brendon had bigger problems. According to the PDF he was number eight. With David gone, simple maths moved him to number seven. Unfortunately Cameron was number six. Although by this point Cameron looked like Italy playing the Springboks in the seventy fourth minute. He was a little worse for wear. He rode into every cat eye as he was so deep in the hurt locker that fine motor control had left the building.

Brendon argued that Cameron had avoided mince pies for two months and weighed far less. Logic said he should finish in the six. Sadly the suffering in sector two had broken Cameron. After the first sister he launched a perfect ninja bomb. He dodged Waldo’s helping hand and waved goodbye with one middle finger.

This left a certain PDF number eight inside the top six and very far from his comfort zone.

Fueled by pure rage towards runners on Chappies and that one guy on Strava, Sean was having the ride of his life. From the nail to the jack hammer, he was unstoppable. He and Emil ensured Brendon never dipped below maximum heart rate in the last fifteen kilometres. Brendon's Di2  even took pity on him and dropped the chain twice to help stop the suffering.

There are rumours that someone placed a hand on Ben’s back up the final sister. No one knows if it was a push or a pull. Corbin, being small enough, may have simply climbed into Waldo’s back pocket to get over the climbs.

In a final burst of enthusiasm everyone took turns pulling far above what was sensible at that stage. We crossed the line in five hours thirty one minutes and took twentieth overall.

If you have read this far, yes we came 3rd in KOTAS, but it was a Jol. Think the photo of Jarryd crowning Jasper on the podium is pretty Epic. Was great racing with our nemesis out there and even having a coffee with them and learning they have names. Will we change anything for next, maybe our seeding but nothing else. What a viab ridding with 90% of the team on Tuesday chappies debrief. 

A proper performance on a brutally tough day. The Strava flyby showed zero riding with other teams which means it was a true team time trial. A mega day out with an incredible team.

Bring on Double Century twenty twenty six. We cannot wait.

Big thanks to Active Hobo, Foodlovers Market, Netto Invest for making the project so awesome.

[Pure Savage]

22 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

I honestly think it's time to start the top 10 seeded teams at 6:30 with 2 minute gaps, call them $1 to $10 and dropped riders from $ teams can only slip off of none $ teams. The point of running a competitive team time trial should not just (loosely) apply to podium contenders

The strava flyby screen shots I have seen floating around with teams riding 74% of the race with others. Guess its a you do you boo kinda thing.

[bleedToWin]

9 minutes ago, Pure Savage said:

The strava flyby screen shots I have seen floating around with teams riding 74% of the race with others. Guess its a you do you boo kinda thing.

LPC did the final 35km of sector 1 and the whole of sector 2 behind us (ASAP). Looks like they've all disabled FlyBys since I last checked though...   Jasper felt a bit embarrassed at one point and offered to join the rotation, but being in contention for podium we declined.

[WaldoZ]

44 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

LPC did the final 35km of sector 1 and the whole of sector 2 behind us (ASAP). Looks like they've all disabled FlyBys since I last checked though...   Jasper felt a bit embarrassed at one point and offered to join the rotation, but being in contention for podium we declined.

The Active Hobo podcast with Ballairs covered the drafting and policing of it. There is just now enough resources and we can think what we want bit in 320 teams its the 310 teams that actually matter in this race and makes it what it is. So concentrating on those people is far more beneficial for the event. Last year Mother drafting ASAP/EuroSteel cost us a podium I'm sure. We also made sure we are within the rules. It just so happens it was one of the Kotas teams which then was made worse because I'm obv routing for Savage and it was deemed being salty... but as a racing team we wanted to race clean and HAVE to as part of the rules. 

For Kotas, who cares. It's fun and games but for overall it def has to apply and a protest should be handled properly. Minor teams should respect that though and I don't think they do.

We don't really care that LPC drafted ASAP, ECC worked with Rouleurs or House of 12 who somehow thought they were part of Kotas latched on to 226ers same way Mother latched on to us last year. Savage boys were on their own, did the work and feel great about the effort. Had an awesome ride and was moertoe afterwards. This is how I remembered Savage from 5 years ago, results don't matter, laughing at who crashed and burned does 🤣