Dirtbreath Posted December 17, 2008 Share Another Sabie done 'n dusted. A fantastic race yet again but here are some of my thoughts on various parts of the whole setup. Race route - Great as always. Certain problems from last year have been sorted out in particular Day 2 especially where a white line seperated climbers from descenders. Well done guys! Day 3 weather made some potentially spectacular single track extremely tricky but that is life. 55kays in mud, with a grinding bike and still had a ball. Water points - Adequate. Water, coke, bananas, watermelons. Nothing fancy but what was being provided was done really well. No queues for anything and bottles and Camelbaks were whisked away and refilled with a smile and some encouragement. Big Thank YOU to all the support crew especially those in the pouring rain. Start/Finish Area - POOR! The move to the new venue has, in my opinion, really not been great for spectators. The grand stand was an awesome place for supporters and fellow competitors to watch riders coming in especially the time trail which is such a unique and interesting concept. I cant say for the leaders but for us guys down the field, there was very little atmosphere to come home to. The announcer did a sterling job keeping at least some vibe going. I really have to point out on behalf of my partner who can single handedly keep Nando's in business that their stall ran out of chicken burgers on Saturday afternoon! Race organisation - Adequate. No major problems from my side but I do think improvements can be made. I fortunately found my start batches quickly but found some people scanning the boards for ages trying to find their team name. Why dont we just stick to the alphabet here. Team name, start batch, finish and klaar. Also to have to be at the afterparty to find your start time fo the time trial is a bit off sides. Some guys stay pretty far out of Sabie and have kids etc. Coming in an hour early for the start on the final day just in case is not cool. Sabie Eateries - When will the locals of Sabie learn about good service. I think over the years Sabie X riders have started to avoid this place as waiting 45 miniuets for a cup of coffee is not on. Nuf said. In a nutshell, this is one of the best events out there. The riding is superb and the name is accurate. This is truly an experience. For those of you looking to pick up your MTB riding a notch or to and need a target to aim for on the horizon as a bit of motivation, I highly recommend securing your entry for Sabie X 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saffer Posted December 17, 2008 Share That sounds like an awesome ride dude... Fat okes like me have a bit of work to do before we get there.. Maybe 2010.... Anyhoo, how did you do in the ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbreath Posted December 17, 2008 Share We finshed comfortably with no real drama. The upside of day 3's torrential weather was extremely forgiving cool, overcast weather on day 1 and 2 which saved a large portion of the field. Saffer, get on yer bike and do it now. 2009 is very doable for anyone. I am always amazed at the spectrum of people doing this and other stage races. It really is for everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BBi Posted December 17, 2008 Share I can concur with most of your thoughts. I enjoyed it, and so dids the whole family.Mary Pebbles was a ball.This week is time to try to sort out my bike, the mud did cause some problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Badenhorst Posted December 17, 2008 Share I can concur with most of your thoughts. I enjoyed it' date=' and so dids the whole family.Mary Pebbles was a ball.This week is time to try to sort out my bike, the mud did cause some problems. [/quote'] Apparently so is Mary Christmas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_BBi Posted December 17, 2008 Share Ha-ha, or should it be Ho-ho.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mig Posted December 17, 2008 Share What a ride. Was tuff, but had a blast. My partner pushed me so hard i blew a few fuses for sure. Bike will be stripped this week for sure. Rear shifter seized on me and i had to borow my boets who had to pull out due to a rather einah looking elbow tendonitis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canaris Posted December 17, 2008 Share Leasons learnt:Pack tyres (Maxxi crossmarks scored very poorly. ?Three riders in our group had side wall cuts) , pack a spare set of wheels with MUD tyres (It always rains in Sabie) ?pack brake pads (the price esculates after day two), pack tubes (the organisers are serious about side wall cuts) , a spare rear derailler and hangers (Lots of guys lost those things), pack new cables (Some guys replaced cables ever day). ?Pack chain cleaner and chain lube. ?(for the more neat guys, back two new cheap chains for the ride.) Actually pack a full tool box and learn the detailed art of bike repair, after 6 hours riding and little sleep. ?(Don't trust anyone with your bike)Secondly, pack lots of food. ?When it is cold and wet, you must eat more to keep the mood up. ?Also if you can drive (not cycle) to the start pack cold and hot drinks in the car for afterwards. ?Did I mention food is good? ?Comfort food is better. ?ChocolateThird, get to know your partner before the ride. ?It gets really difficult if there are conflicting interests on the road. ?This year, to almost every one's amusement their was an appeal...... between two team mates. ?Yes, this is true. ?So be wary of your partner.fourth, SABIE Experience is a MTB ride. ?Brush up on your technical skills, especially decents, both dry and WET. ?(Also I did mention having MUD tyres?)Lastly, don't litter. ?It ruins the race for everyone else. ?It is not fun having to watch gel packettes pass you in the mud. ?It is even less fun having to pick them up. Other than that Sabie was an experience, maybe next year again. ps to the guy you gave me a tube on day one, thank you. ?THat was my fourth for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat-i Posted December 17, 2008 Share was stage two not the absolute BEST mountainbiking EVER! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canaris Posted December 17, 2008 Share was stage two not the absolute BEST mountainbiking EVER! Absolutely awesome. ?I luvved it up until the lost last watering point, then the cobbles was a wake up call, and the water off the mountain made every corner on the fast decent very tricky and dangerous. ?I was glad I tapped off there. ?On poor guy lost his rear derailler, hanger and rear lug ?(ie toasted GT Zaskar frame) in an unfortunate crash on the last very fast decent. ?THe final single track was great (except for the wheel grabing bridge- which I lucky got over safely) KonaFan2008-12-17 13:16:28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbreath Posted December 17, 2008 Share Kona, please tell more of this dispute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted December 17, 2008 Share I have now done 4 Sabie's and 3 pre rides ( my boet the same) on Crossmarks with no problem .............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted December 17, 2008 Share Kona' date=' please tell more of this dispute. [/quote'] Heard about it, didn't hear details but seemingly 1 partner broke his collarbone and it was no longer an issue after day 2 ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbreath Posted December 17, 2008 Share I have now done 4 Sabie's and 3 pre rides ( my boet the same) on Crossmarks with no problem .............. Ja, but if you rode those tricky bits you might have a different point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted December 17, 2008 Share DB - clearly you know I didn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbreath Posted December 17, 2008 Share Kona' date=' please tell more of this dispute. [/quote'] Heard about it, didn't hear details but seemingly 1 partner broke his collarbone and it was no longer an issue after day 2 ....... So were they having a domestic or something? Mates that we were riding with got a 30 min penalty for being more than 2 min apart. They appealed and were slapped with a further 30 min for unsporting behaviour I think. I wasnt there when they disputed but they are hardly the kind of guys to take a dispute that far and werent racing for places or anything. Didnt stop me for reminding them that Sabie is all about teamwork though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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