Adventure and Travel

Pure Savage race report: West Coast Wheel Suckers

· By BikeHubCoreAdmin · 14 comments

After being postponed a few months ago the Outriders West Coast Express was the final Pedal Power Association event of the year. Due to Tokai opening, The Cape Town Sevens and the festive season having kicked off most of the Savage team was out of action for the action on Sunday, the remaining Pure Savage members decided to join the Pure Savage Compact team for something a bit different.

ccs-58780-0-73573100-1481568255.jpgReady to rumble

The new route for the West Coast Express included a new start venue, Killarney race track, this made for parking and admin before the race being pain free. The new route was the most climbing ever in a West Coast Express route, the route at only 80km served up roller after roller on the day making for an interesting ride. Link to strava segment of route here.

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At 7am Brendon led us out of Killarney towards town at a rather sedentary pace making sure that everyone had managed to clip in and press start on their garmins. Soon enough Tikkidraai came into view and proved to be quite a tough cookie for some of the diesel engines of Pure Savage compact. The plan was for the domestiques to sit on the front in the wind and lend a ‘hand” on the hills to make sure that the diesel motors kept up with our start group. This strategy worked flawlessly for about 2 minutes, until those Savages lending a hand started to race each other to see who could drop the other Savages lending a hand on the climb. This may dropped a little too much hammer for some of the group we started in, our bad.

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After weaving our way through Durbanville we headed out to Fisantkraal with its long airport rise and plethora of subsequent rolling hills. The wind was kind for this time of year and the group managed to cruise along in team time trial mode at just over 40 clicks.

After what seemed like a never ending amount of rollers, we crossed the famed gravel section of doom. However, at the speeds we were doing it really wasn’t a problem. The most painful part was that Brendon would not shut up about how awesome cyclo-cross would be and that we should all look out for a cyclocross bike in the Bike Hub classifieds. The real problem was Malanshoogte, 5 km of pretty steep stuff in what was now the heat of a fiery summers day. Its a real treat doing this climb in a race as the last time it was used was the 2014 99er.

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Overall it was a fantastically organised race: there were lots of informed marshals to guide us, decent sized start groups, plenty of parking and a bar stocked with ice beverages. It was great meeting guys on route and chatting about Savage and how some of our posts inspire people to get out of bed and go ride in the morning!

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Hats off to the organising team at the Outriders – it’s fantastic that everyone got a chance to do the West Coast Express in 2016 and a cracking new route!

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Comments

EvoSuperSix

Dec 13, 2016, 4:49 AM

How does one join the Pure Savage Team?

'Dale

Dec 13, 2016, 5:08 AM

How does one join the Pure Savage Team?

Everesting is one of the 39 criteria ????????????

Prince Albert Cycles

Dec 13, 2016, 5:11 AM

Well written !

Thor Buttox

Dec 13, 2016, 6:09 AM

Everesting is one of the 39 criteria ????????????

The 39 Steps? Gees... AA only has 12!
KidCharlemagne

Dec 13, 2016, 6:20 AM

How does one join the Pure Savage Team?

This question comes up now and again.  Perhaps they should put together a few teams, ie Team 1,2 & 3 ...

Pure Savage

Dec 13, 2016, 9:06 AM

How does one join the Pure Savage Team?

Once we work that our ourselves we will share the criteria. It's kind of like adopting, there is no real criteria.

 

I am sure a blog post is in order though :)

 

 

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waveduke

Dec 13, 2016, 10:00 AM

How does one join the Pure Savage Team?

 

It must have something to do with the socks - I think they pick people by their choice of cycling socks...

Pure Savage

Dec 13, 2016, 10:13 AM

It must have something to do with the socks - I think they pick people by their choice of cycling socks...

We had to set a few Savages straight and drop hints be buying them socks for Xmas, birthday, baby shower, chrsitianing gifts etc...

 

 

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carbon29er

Dec 13, 2016, 10:38 AM

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Here you go: gravel cx frames

Pure Savage

Dec 13, 2016, 10:41 AM

Wow thats a lekker frame. its also my size, if only all my spare cash wasn't going into baby number 2 expenses :P

 

At that price with those Zipp goodies it should go quick!

Brakkies Sport Fotos

Dec 13, 2016, 12:21 PM

some pics of the "reserves"

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Brakkies Sport Fotos

Dec 13, 2016, 12:21 PM

some pics of the "reserves"

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Brakkies Sport Fotos

Dec 13, 2016, 1:47 PM

gravel road racing

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Pure Savage

Dec 13, 2016, 2:02 PM

gravel road racing

Great pics!!!

 

 

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