[Event] TransBaviaans 2011

[Musashi]

Just my thoughts on the support drivers:

 

1. Some vehicles were not equipped for the terrain. I still feel for the poor lady in her Volvo - what an experience she must've had! But personally I feel the organisers should've made it clear that a off-road 4x4 with an experienced driver is required for the route. I did inform them of the 4x4 Community Forum who will be able to assist with support.

 

2. I did not encounter any support vehicles giving the riders hassles. In fact, I had a silver Triton patiently waiting behind me and my partner on the technical up-hills without trying to push past or put pressure on us. However the rules are clear: report bad drivers.

 

3. In a 24 hour race, the field is spread very wide and I think support drivers can offer valuable assistance. This is not a function of the size of the field - slow riders will take 22 hours and fast riders 9.

[MIG41]

I was initially dissapointed when learning that I no longer was to ride in the Baviaanskloof reserve.

This was my first transbaviaans and I was really looking forward to seeing the Baviaanskloof.

 

However I have to admit that even with the route change it was an amazing race, had tons of fun. My Partner and I managed 13:13 with only some minor issues experienced. It is really special to be riding that never ender with nothing in sight except the landscape lit up by an almost full moon and in complete silence.

 

Overall the organisation was good.(Perhaps there were more queues later on causing some frustration)

The support vehicles were indeed a pain. I do agree that they are necessary though and a blessing to someone in serious need of help. I think perhaps the organisers can better enforce the rules by clearly identifying each vehicle and potentially disqualifying those teams whose vehicles were running a muck on the course.

 

Biggest Dissappointment had to be the shirt sizes. That really did seem like a practical joke. I ordered a medium and the only person I know that it will fit is my team mate that is an abnormally large Sasquatch!

 

All in all well done EcoBound Team.

[nathrix]

If they had to push you up the hills I hope you're the third not second oke from the left!

I'm on the far right.

 

Our Limo at registration in Willowmore

Edited August 16, 2011 by nathrix™ ® ©

[TYGA]

That big oke should've spent less on keeping his toes and more on keeping his knees warm.

 

On the way out the Grootrivier gorge we found the amount of destroyed booties / toe caps lying in the road quite amusing...just goes to show they have NO business being out there in the bush!

[scuzzy]

Jissie, reading all of this I feel for the "ppor" event organizers, shame man, it must be real tough, cause you cannot win, at least we are in the minority comlaining of the 400 teams that rode.

 

I am sure that with the 6th (or is it 7th) TB behind their backs they do everything with a reason, despite what we are saying and complaining about.

 

Just wonder what happened to the money we paif for our permits trhough the Baviaanskloof reserver

 

We will all be back, despite all of this complaining.

[Sasquatch]

Ya check those shirts are not for hobbits

[Vetseun]

Ah man what a ride. The different emotions. After CP 3 I felt hopeless, you would crest a climb thinking it was over just to see the headlights snaking up the mountain again. That just went on and on and on. The drop into Patensie was brilliant. At one stage we were going at 71kmph in the dark! What a feeling. Really felt sorry for some dudes at CP 5 that were wasted, puking and just didnt want to continue. From CP 5 to home was a breeze. You could see the JBay lights from far and seeing that was a wonderful feeling.

Make no mistakes it is hard, flippen hard, I didnt think I would finish when I started cramping at 85km. Rode through it and felt better. We had a technical issue that took 2 hours to repair, good in that was the recovery time, the bad was we were wet and cold and on the climb after the river crossing with the wind howling and the ice rain wacking us..

The feeling on finishing is fantastic!

Spoke to a few okes that have done the original route and all said that this was much harder, so Ill have to wait until next year to try it out!!!

[Downhilldimitri]

Just my 2 cents worth,

 

This was mine and my team mates first and 2 days after can look back and say I really enjoyed it!! it was a true MTB challenge. i have been privileged enough to have done Sani2C Non Stop when they still had it on the calender and i preferred TB.

 

I had a run in with a backup driver after check point 3. It was in the muddy section after checkpoint 3 where another rider and i had a laps in concentration and got stuck in the mud. There was a Toyota Bakkie with a FS registration who cam fly through the mud, without us being able to launch ourselves and our bikes out of the way, clipped my back wheel and i know its MTB'ing but was covered in mud cause of the speed he went through the mud.

 

It could have been a lot worse but thankfully there was no damage to my bike or wheel, and the fool just carried on driving without stopping.

 

I believe back up drivers have a place if they are experienced.. and patient!!

[Musashi]

 

I believe back up drivers have a place if they are experienced.. and patient!!

 

 

+1

[AlouetteII]

LOST GARMIN EDGE 705!!

 

Hi Guys,

 

My first TB this year, and it was amazing! (well, it was a nightmare at the time, but a great feeling after!).

 

However, I lost my Garmin Edge 705 on one of the climbs in the dark, and didn't go back to find it (commitment to my team, and all of that...!). Did any of you find it, or do you know of anyone that might have picked one up?? I have contacted the organisers, but no luck yet. Would hate to lose such a valuable item!

 

Hoping someone might have heard something......

[Wil6]

Does anybody know if and when the Trans Baviaans is going to be aired on Supersport?

[29pgc10]

In my humble opinion the Transbaviaans is harder than the Attakwas. Fortunately we had absolutely NO mechanical issues (thanks to Anton at Summit cycles, a genius mechanic) and all 4 of us in the team survived and got to the end in one piece. I was the weakest link and my team did a great job in motivating me all the time and physically pushed me along on many of the climbs! I missed my Niner though. It was great to see our friends from PE and they kicked our behinds good

 

natrix you rock! Without you, we would have burned ourselves out and still be stuck on the climb out of Grootriver Port! Myself, Lambchop and Gery will attempt to collect all the medals, joining us?

[goya-goya]

I was whinging about the change of the route before the event!

 

I want to publicly eat my helmet!! The route was awesum!!! ..and just for the record: if we had to cross a river 500m wide and 1.5m deep - we would have had to cross this about 4 times!! -... we all would have suffered some sort of hypothermia... Thanx to the guys for an great race...

 

We came in near the end... had mech issues... at Check point 3 the mechanic was a marvel and sorted us out...sah-weeeet! People on the route - riders and officials where very pleasant even at 3am!!!

 

Well done to everyone who did the ride... only you will know how well you did!!

 

 

See you all at the Trans Drak!

[EcoBound MTB Events]

Does anybody know if and when the Trans Baviaans is going to be aired on Supersport?

 

Hey Wil6,

 

The Trans Baviaans will be aired on Supersport - we will confirm the dates and feed back to you as soon as it's available.

[GLuvsMtb]

In my humble opinion the Transbaviaans is harder than the Attakwas. Fortunately we had absolutely NO mechanical issues (thanks to Anton at Summit cycles, a genius mechanic) and all 4 of us in the team survived and got to the end in one piece. I was the weakest link and my team did a great job in motivating me all the time and physically pushed me along on many of the climbs! I missed my Niner though. It was great to see our friends from PE and they kicked our behinds good

On this year's routes, maybe. On the usual route for both races (remember that Atta was easier this year to accommodate the UCI's ultra marathon requirements) Atta is tougher for me. You can protect yourself from the cold, but there is little you can do to protect yourself from 40deg heat on Atta.

2700m of climbing over 130km hurts more than 2600m of climbing over 230km (and don't tell me that TB is down hill for the first half, Attakwas is also down-hill for approx 60% of the ride)

 

It doesn't matter which is tougher in the end either as this is down to rider preference and how we cope with certain conditions.

[kandui]

My stomach felt queezy after checkpoint 4 where I had 2 Chip rolls and 2 cups of Milk & Milo. Spent half the night on the loo. Felt better on Sunday night.