Joberg2C - 3 weeks to go!!

With less than 3 weeks to go, i'm undertrained and overexcited.
Bike is in the bikeshop for a full service - and to get the pink bitsies fitted.
I'm cramming the last few kilometers into my legs (using the hardtail) ...

Found an old ride report of the 2008 Sani2C (could it have been that long ago???)

This one's gonna be good! can't wait ...

so, that's why i'm cycling home in the rain tonight (again):

Groenkloof - still my favouritest singletrack in gauteng

It rained a little on Sunday.
But i had a ride arranged, and wasn't gonna miss out on some fun singletrack.

The parking lot looked a bit scary.


But soon we were paddling on sweet singletrack-rivers.


the signage in groenkloof is always clear - no doubt as to where the route's taking you :)



and a convenient bikwash at the finish

Happy Birthday Dark&Dirty!

Congratulations, DarknDirty, on your 5th birthday!

I discovered them almost 4 years ago. Since then i've cycled many a happy kilometer with them, and in the process met Gauteng's coolest people. And always returned home dirty and happy after a ride.

The rides have been muddy, dusty, wet, dirty, thrilling - even fiery. There were ghostrides, noon to moons, beeg nite outs, christmas rides, photo-shoots, hot coffee on freezing nights, an ice-cream ride-through and lots of cupcakes.

We had to gave up some of our routes to city developers, we've discovered other routes. We saw owls and guinea pigs, we've fixed punctures and lights, we've taken people to hospital or pushed them home on bikes without pedals, or took turns to ride the seatless bike. We've taken many a tumble, we've discussed the meaning of life, we've told ghost stories, we've found adventure racing buddies, and shared the war stories afterwards.

We wrote stories about it.

And we always returned for more.

CONGRATS D&D, here's to many more!!!!

Easter Feaster

I need to get permits if you want to do the Tonquani hike. I'm getting the permits tomorrow morning at 9, so need numbers before that.

MCSA charges R25 per person per day for the permit; there's also a day fee payable at the Mountain Sanctuary park.

Come Play :)

Sunday's Kinetic Adventure

'Just for you', Heidi said, 'we've added lots of singletrack for the next Kinetic sprint'.

She knows me well. I prefer singletrack and technical climbs and juicy riding to boring district roads. My friends Dawn and Gail both share my idea of fun, so they joined me for Sunday's sprint.

The cycling leg started with lots of climbing, NICE downhills, a quick pump to protect the non-tubeless tyre from the rocks, going back to fetch a missed control.

Then a bit of running which included finding 3 'Run 1' controls on 'Run 2' maps.

Some more cycling which included AWESOME bits of singletrack, then another running leg which the walkie talkies mostly walked and talked - except when we saw the cameraman :)

(this, and the next picture, were lifted off kinetic's picture site, see more here)


A paddling leg on a totally unsteerable boat with 3 women drivers .... we t-boned and bumped the other boats (and ourselves) out of the way, and just as we learnnt how to steer the boat, it was time to take out.

Both my team members do agility with their dogs; both of them loved being on the 'people-agility' side of things for a change. Some help from another team (whose helmet we rescued while on the paddle) to get over the obstacles, and then a sprint up the stairs to the finish.

.... and for our effort we got some vouchers to go spend on products in the kenetic shop - here we are on the podium (possie 2)


What a great way to spend a Sunday morning!!!

bikepark tuesday night

The MTN bikepark is open on Tuesday nights till 8-ish.
Leave the office early to get through the traffic, and i can be on the bike by 5-ish.
Play till dark, fit a light, and play some more.

Few things beat being on your bike on singletrack and awesome little bridgies, riding tight corners or steep short hills, while traffic's not going anywhere on the N1 next door.



Here's gerard on one of the bridgies, with Pablo underneath.

Zombie birdhouse is open, at last! Lots of new tight turns and short steep climbies.
Oh, and wetlands now has a narrow bridgie-thingy, yaaay!

R300 for a 10-entry-ticket over 6 months. A little more than groenkloof, but excellent for safe midweek-trainig, especially if the open-till-late means you can add some training-time to the short winter-days.

tripping the wilge

The paddling club invited the adventure racing club to trip the Wilge last weekend.

They (the paddlers) must have been thoroughly entertained with the adventure racers falling out of their boats at every tiny little bubbly :)

The venue was great, the paddlers friendly and patient and generous with their tips, the potjie was fantastic, the river mild and forgiving, the company great, the weather perfect - even the night-cycle in the rain without lights :)

Some muscles are sore in a 'it-was-a-good-weekend' sort of way, and my kayak now is more stable through bubblies than it was before the weekend.

here's to many more!