ChrisF

No photos, but way back when we owned a couple of Le Jeune bikes.

Hey youngster .... some of us still rock in the 80's .... 🤣

Was hoping to NOT get this confirmation ..... the photo confirms what I dreaded. I have known Landon for almost 20 years, did many projects together. GENTLEMAN to the core !!

https://rapidsport.co.za/product/short-finger-cycling-gloves/ Years of good service from these, bought some more at the Expo in March

Tempting option, but lacks elevation. More smart, less sport ...

Garmin Forerunner 165 is excellent value for money. Marginally cheaper models in the Garmin range has notably less metrics. That said, I am more focused on the sports metrics than the smarr watch metrics... Lots of newer models from all manufacturers that are "smarter" .. but with less sports metrics. It is a trade off ... unless you double your budget to get both the sports and smart functions. Happy hunting

I am from that era .... heck, age 13 we had our rifle shooting sessions at school during cadette sessions .... imagine telling the young ones we were taught gun safety and how to shoot rifles from Std 6 ... now grade 8 I also remember my friends with "bom skok", now called PTSD. .... seeing the impact it has on normal humans when they have to take another's life up close and personal .... more than a year later my BIL was working in Cape Town, back when we had a fly by for the opening of parleament .... he was in a bundle under his desc, a total wreck for a few days . ... PTSD is a lady dog ..... Yes, if you are comfortable with guns ... your choise. But somebody to now go buy a gun as a knee jerk reaction .... couple of gun shops are affiliated to shooting ranges, many have the option to "rent" a gun for a session at their range. Money well spent if you are new to guns .... get a "feel" for the weight, the action, the operation, etc .... you will (should) also get a fair share of gun safety .... pay attention to the procedures of if having to be in a safe or on your person ... try this process with a similar object AND weight for a few weeks .... The ability to use it in an instant, high on adrenaline, ..... this requires a very special person and a ton of training. Just some real world thoughts from somebody that used fire arms for some 30 years. And from seeing friends fight their PTSD demons for decades. Personally I have never shot a human, thought there have been defensive situations with loaded and cocked guns. PS - sorry for the abuse of the term "guns". If you know, then you know ... if not, read up on: . Revolver . Pistol . Rifle . Shotgun My most loved firearm was a twin barrel riffle, vertical arrangement. .222 bullet in the top barrel and a 410 shot gun round in the bottom barrel. Had lots of fun with it on the farm. Sadly had to put down a few problem animals .... haunts me to this day. As much as I love biltong, I wont ever go hunting. As much as all the above is true .... my blood boils about this incident as much as it boils about the lovely routes we can no longer cycle safely .... If a perp got his due street justice served, I will be a happy man. More along these lines may be misinterpreted .....

Tuesday commute .... Time to "phone home ..."

Thank you @Stephan Your post rings close to home. I shared a good few training rides (just the zone 2 long rides) with friends that rode as amateur masters, their first Epic. In contrast, another friend was once again part of the back up team for a pro group. Had a nice chat with her on Saturday about the "narrow focus" of the broadcasting ..... The training rides, the many races leading up to the big one. Balancing life, work and cycling ... gets hectic when you spend weeks in other provinces for business. Training long before sunrise to be back in office before your team shows up .... And I saw TWO SECONDS of them on the entire broadcast .... One week later, and a 100km zone 2 ride on Saturday .... Sunday back at Conties sessioning the climbs, and hitting new PB's. Absolute RESPECT for the "amateurs" that do this.

Many / most of the stage races have already gone this route.

Ouch ... 😬

Back to Trans Augrabies .... where we get a glimpse into the rugged beauty of this landscape. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1837sNRJk8/

https://www.treadmtb.co.za/absa-cape-epic-adds-ebike-category-from-2027/

Ouch .... Sorry, rather reach out to more Trek dealers .... hopefully somebody has stock. OR ... a 10 or 20% deposit, NOT the full amount ... in which case you WILL get a call when your stock arive .....

@DJuice Thutwa lodge at night .... VIEWS .....

Dundi .... Circling in on the way to Dundi. .... (Dundi is about 3 or 4km from the falls, as the crow flies)

When you are lucky enough to have projects on the Northern Cape farms and the opportunity is there to go solo into widest landscape .... needed the light as I headed out some time before sunrise .... and then the day breaks .... and you have to rush back to start working .... (not that you want to be caught outside in the summer sun) YES, I have lost my heart in that landscape ....

Uhm jaaa ... 🤣 YES, it is a "real store", in a business hub in Durbanville. I have had some excellent and some "lack luster" service in this store .... I have a liking for Bontrager items, so I have spent a fair bit of money with them over the years. CONFIRM STOCK IN STORE before putting money down .... (jip, a back story to this)

MANY gravel bike owners swop out the crank and/or rings for more top end

Tutwa deserves a special mention ... Dedicated landing strip for YOUR GROUP .... the entire lodge for ONE GROUP at a time. The fee includes everything !!! Game drives, sunrise and/sunset. Orange river on canoes. Hiking .... Ironically, with 9 recorded leopards they cant promote cycling. No, you wont see the leopards, just the tracking cameras that counts them. The Northern Cape you see when driving from Upington to Springbok .... SO MUCH MORE to this area

BAIE DANKIE We love staying in the Augrabies park. Book in, switch OFF the car and relax for a couple of days. We choose a chalet closer to the restaurant, but off the road .... perfect location for us. Short walking distance to the event tent .... but far enough that the "laat kuier" does not impede our sleep. @DJuice do youtself a favour .... book at Dundi for your next work trip ... potentially a bit higher price .... but WOW !!! Steenkamps booked us their on a few trips, though we mostly lodged on Southern Farm. being able to cycle into a truly wild private reserve ....most sections the dear tracks were the only "route" until it popped out near another farm road ...

Around 10.15, final meters of G Spot .... I was lining up for another photo when this rider blitzed into view ....

Had a nice zone 2 ride today ... few cyclists out, earlier very few cars. Closer to mid day the traffic quickly increased .... The CCT traffic officer crawling forward, over the pedestrian lights, at a red robot ... still GREEN for the other side. Nope, once the light finally turned green for us he waited, then slowly drove off .... and this was the order of the day .... Fully branded combi had zero idea anything around it .... idling at 25km/h ... gently swerving between the curb and the white line .... close on a km before we turned in different directions. Gent sitting at another red robot ... suddenly dropped his phone and bolted into the intersection .... nose dipped as he realised what he was doing ... then just sped off .... just dumb luck another vehicle was not coming from the side at that moment. Way back when I learnt to ride a motorcycle defensively ... coming in handy now. The average driver, even that CCT cop, is oblivous of what is happening around their vehicle .... the near misses with other vehicles is alarming. On our bicycles we are a minor irritation, when they bother to see us .... DISCLAIMER .... BIG thanks to those drivers who are alert, and who interact with cyclists. On good days I want to believe most drivers are okay to good .... but some days the idiocy baffles me ...

R15k limit on small claims court (or used to be) Compile quotes to replace all damaged items, even for spray repair at CBR Durbanville (or similar close to you) Send a registered letter asking for compensation ... this can go two ways ... 1. If he/she hands it to their insurance you might get a 30 to 50% offer ... their insurance knows you cant take them to court ... take the offer. (Lesson I learnt the hard way ....) 2. They decide to not get their insurance involved .... either they pay up, or you go the small claims court route. Best go get a police case number ...

What a lovely morning to ride. Can see the World Champs is done ... very few cyclists out ... Wrong tool for the job 🤪 jip, went up and down ... up and down ... eventually had to ask the gps where G Spot is 🫣