BBJSportGuy

Ja, that's the thing. I have some great hills out West where I live but I am worried that they are too tough, but I guess tough hill training will make Chappies seem like a breeze. K-Dorp up to Hillsnax is 3km long at 7% and looking at my Garmin data from last Cycle Tour, Chappies is also only around 3km long but never at 7%. J

Greetings Hubbers.... I live in JHB and my training programme fro Fit Track calls for a "Chapman's Peak Simulation". Now that is all well and good, but where in JHB is a Chapman's Peak hill? Please can someone tell me what the average gradient of Chappies is and how long the climb is from the Noordhoek side? Thanks Jon

Hey guys and gals, me again. Once again I am looking for people to join my from around 8pm out West of JHB this weekend. I work until midnight this weekend and still want to ride with a road group out in the West Rand. The problem is that most start between 6 and 7am which is just plain silly in my book. Is there any group that starts after 8ish? Jon

Kulula will charge you R25 per kilo over your allowed 20kg. I know it's too late now, but they are the worst when it comes to bikes on planes. See if you can get a courier company to send them down. It might be a better option. I love SAA to fly my bikes but Kulula need some serious PR to fix what they have started. I know that they give golfists an extra 10kg but not one extra kg for a cyclist! Time we changed that.

Hey Check out Platinum Rider who ride from Eagle Canyon cycles or the Athletics track on Hendrick Potgieter. They also go our from Avianto at the weekend with the odd afternoon mid-week ride. http://www.platinumriders.com/ I am also looking to get back on my MTB. I live out West too so drop me a DM. J

Nice... But they do seem to be taking up the WHOLE lane and if you include the backup vehicle, TWO lanes. Otherwise well done on following the rules the way one is supposed to. Not sure we should be celebrating the way things SHOULD be done.

I was part of the "Coronation Idols" that started first and ended last. The time on my GPS was 10:29:45 but I didn't get an official time. Due to punctures and people in and out of the backup vehicle, I rode the last 40km as a Individual Time Trial. Hurt like hell up the 3 Sisters but fantastic to say that I have ridden 202km in one day. The greatest thing about the event is the spirit on the road. EVERY team greated, waved, chirped and seemed to be having a good time out there. The wind was tough, but it IS the Western Cape, so one should expect it. Cooling rain at the start could have got us into trouble but some wise heads slowed us down. I was lucky enough to ride with David Bellairs, Vanessa Haywood, Mike Finch and Liezel van der Westhuizen, all super-athletes. We took it easy just to have fun. We even stopped for coffee in Montagu. FYI, greatest Capuccino on the planet. Will I be back next year? OF COURSE. Sub 8! PS: A big thank you to The Cycle Shop in Swellendam for opening up specially for me to buy a new skewer for my back wheel which was lost in the transport. Also, thank you to SAA for looking after my bike after my bike box got rained all over on Saturday night.

Why not start at 8?

Sorry to say, but that is a very Durban thing to do. In JHB, if you are on the highway, in the left lane, and you see someone coming into the highway, you get out of the way. We feel that it is more dangerous to stop or yield and then have to accelerate from a standstill on a highway. You might notice this little problem cropping up when you drive from Berea road onto the N3 towards Pinetown. The cars are all backed up because they don;t have the balls to just GO!!! I also notice that in DBN, when one indicates, it is a request to allow you into another lane. In JHB, when one indicates, it is a notice that you WILL be changing lanes, so get out of the way. It's a regional thing.

How is it possible that RaceTec is making me lose places? On Monday I was 902nd in the Amashova, but today I am 907th. What is happening? Are people challenging the OFFICIAL timers? J

I think the issue with the climb up Hillsnax was the guys crossing over the white line into the far right lane. As a roadie, I couldn't believe how the riders were willing to risk it up there. Another thing... RESPECT to MTB riders. Strong is not the word. I am pretty fast up hills on a road bike but those rocks and stones are terrible. Amazing how someone can ride that route twice as fast as I did. On another note, any idea where the pictures from the event are? J

Have a look at what I did a while back... http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31946893 J

Polar Personal Trainer is a great site if you go with the Polar. It keeps track of your training as well as giving you workouts. It also gives you a programme depending on what you want to do. J

Have a look at the Garmin 500. I have had no problems with it at all. As a cycling computer, it is very very good. Wirelss across the board, so no need for any wires. Setup takes 5 minutes and you are upoading as soon as you are finished. It is not cheap, but then you chose cycling as a sport, so you should be used to it. J

ROAG is free.... www.roag.co.za Do it, do it now!

Hey I ride mid-mornings as I can't do this early thing either. I am out near Hendrick Potgieter and go out to the Cradle. I meet up with some mates when we can. I also aim to Fourways and ride up Witkoppen sometimes. Drop me a DM and we can organise. J

Hey I found the best way was to ride races. Roadies tend to not be very friendly when training, for some odd reason, but in races they NEED to ride in a group, so tend to help. Not always in the best way, but its a great place to learn. J

The guy is a loser at the best of times. He seems to have nothing good to say about anything. I find the best thing to do is let the little people go. On the positive side, at least he wants a car that doesn't spew out diesel into my lungs while I ride my bike. J

I have had one now for the whole of winter and it is keeping me on my toes. It was great to use during the TdF as you could upload to MapMyRide and see how your compared to the best in the world. The Garmin Connect is good but not as good as the Polar offering as there is no training programmes option, but there are ways around that. As for use, I use it on my MTB and Road bike as it comes with 2 attachments. Also, you can change the settings for each bike you use it on. Screen settings are cool and fully customisable (is that a word). Setting up the cadence was an issue for me but I am working around that too. J

I hear you and you are right, but I dare you to buy cheap brakes...

Oh c'mon! He is a doper. "My Grandmother gave it to me after I fell." Serve your two years and move on. Vino did and look where he is today. As for a radio and tv presenter, I think that he should stick to his riding days. But then again, opiions are like assholes.

Hey guys and gals I have a Garmin HR monitor but the treadmill and bikes at Planet Fitness seem to take Polar equipment with Polar branding etc. I know I could just go to the gym to try it, but will my Garmin belt work on the Polar-based equipment? Jon

Hey I am keen. I leave later in the day due to the current temps. Drop me a DM and we can make a plan. Also, check out MapMyRide.com for some cool routes out there. J

I am not sure that I agree with you guys about Lance retiring. All I see is that he wrote on Twitter that this is his last Tour de France. It seems that the media are writing a story without actually checking facts again and it has grown around the web. To paraphrase the greatest action hero of all time, Officer John McClane in Die Hard. "Just the facts ma'am, just the facts." J

Hey This was posted on the Northern Farm Facebook on Saturday. "Sadly today was an eventful day at the farm. Firstly we had the clubhouse broken into at 3 am and all of the develpment and warden bikes stolen. Major set back. Secondly we had another bike jacking, now the third on the farm and undoubtedly the same two scoundrels who have been active nearby the farm, one armed with a gun, the other a knife. We are working with the police and mapogo on apprehending these two thugs and hope to have good news for all of you on this in the forseeable future. Finally, it would appear that the hippo has not left the farm, this morning I saw its spoor leaving the fish eagle dam and going across the road and down the opposite bank. PLEASE be very cautious when riding in that area early in the morning. Regards Simon"