Matewis: Thank you :) Not much to say I'm afraid. It's this big
annual race held in Johannesburg. This year there were a little under 27000 riders. It's called the 94.7 because of the Johannesburg radio station 94.7 FM and the route is planned out so that it's exactly 94.7 km. Some highlights include a stint on the N1 highway, Johannesburg's inner city and one lap around the
Kyalami race track.
27000 is huge! The level of organization must be superb. Our main event attracts about 9000 riders, which is the soft limit (people who can't qualify probably shouldn't be riding for medical reasons) but also the hard limit, because the infrastructure can't bear more.
(Argh. Wikigroaning strikes again. I bet there's an anime about cycling whose wikipedia article is 50 times longer.)
Matewis: The race is a loop but unfortunately Johannesburg is very hill-y so there are a ton of ungodly inclines which amounts to a gross climb of about 1.5 km. That's what damn near killed me :P
That's 1.5 times harder than my absolute maximum, and I don't even race. You're a hero.
Matewis: What I especially enjoyed was the bystanders. Thousands of people set up a few gazebos and chill out for the day somewhere along the route to encourage the riders. Some even hook op hosepipes and spray any rider that comes in close to cool off, which I did 3 times :D
This. The people are the best.
If I may ask, when did you start cycling and what's your main bike?