Dirt Tracker

Was quite keen on just getting them for a giggle but I’m not sure I could afford that many pads!

Surely it's always got to be big Sean Kelly for the win. Usually commentary gold and no screaming.

Too funny!

Just saw these on FB. Are these actually MTB brakes or some mad motorbike hack? And if they were mtb any idea how they went? They look fairly bonkers and scream OTB. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/887167932928855

You won't get away...

Will be interesting to hear her take on the team and PL after she leaves that team. Riders aren't always 100% honest about the team when they are still getting a salary from that team, even if it is 'our Ash'. Much like it'll be interesting to hear Sepps take on everything around (t)his victory* when his biography comes out 8 year from now. *If Remco doesn't go for a GC raid on the last day.

"“There’s still hard stages to come and for sure the team will give me their support but yeah, I still have to deliver in the end. That’s still how the race will be decided,” he said. "I’m always a more altruistic person than a ‘win at all costs; kind of guy but I also realise that to win, you need the killer instinct. I have to channel that every once and a while," Kuss said, convinced that Vingegaard and Roglic will back him. "They’re the best, strongest guys you could have, so we’ll try to see the situation today and hope to manage it," he said.

Nice and early on DSTV. [Grabs pop corn and punches back on the lazy-boy]

Just heard an interview with Mark Reef Car 1 DS of JV at the Vuelta. "If Jonas has already said somethings like this that also means that he........ huh....... might help.... errr.... him.... in a certain situation.... that is something that we might see" #gotyourbackbro 🤣

That's pretty much Sepps 9-5 job there for the team leader in both Its this year. Ride on the front, cover attacks and pull whoever is on your team and leader / in front / in the jersey back up if they are struggling. That's called team work, and not normally called gifting if you're doing it for Roglic or Jonas. The simplest thing for me is you don't attack your team mates for your own whats and you definitely don't attack them if that team mate is in the red jersey as race leader. It's not gifting it's helping the person currently winning the race and helping him defend the jersey. There was no one up the road, no GC danger, no team mate was in a car crash as an excuse to go for the stage. Just the finish line. Sepp has been there as the last guy for both of them this year and helped each of them to win a GT this year. No one wins a GT solo. Kudos to Landa yesterday. It just looks plain weird. Jumbo are looking for a major sponsor as well and at this rate they'll be the only team I can think of who puts 1, 2 & 3 on the podium after a stellar Grand Tour and still have damaged their brand / reputation. Want to stick your name on that? The whole 'we let the road decide' is a non decision. It smacks of the DS' not being able to manage the situation and dropping the mic. Sure you have strong personalities it's your job to manages those personalities and egos. Roglic has already stated he want's to go for GC in the tour in '24, he's been chatting to Trek, Jonas is defending leader. Maybe it's just an audition for Roglic for JV or who ever is scouting about.

ODi Reflex grips are great if you're looking to absorb some chatter but they are beefy. I've always ridden grips with a flange but they are getting harder and harder to find these days. Not the greatest fan of Death Grips but even they becoming sparse. Deity used to make great ones (enoki), ODI do the longneck but they aren't that comfy, Pro do a mini flange one but they look pretty awful and I can't find stock (the lbs phoned the agent and he didn't event know they made them). Any one seen any other lock ons locally? I'd love to be able to get PNW grips here but the exchange rate would slaughter them, great company, killer looks, need to stop messing about with that mini flange and grow it out a bit. .

Primoz: “I’d wish it was me, but at the moment Sepp is in the red, and I wish him to finish in red and it’s also my responsibility to do my best. At the end, the road will tell who wins this year, but in this race we all have the freedom to go for it.” Sepp: "They are two big champions. I want my shot, but I'm happy to work for them when it's called for. It's been a beautiful experience. I came into this race with no expectations, I was just looking to help out the guys, like always, but then I came into this beautiful jersey and all the experiences that come with it." Jonas: 'The win today was our main goal to keep the situation 1-2-3 in GC, I think everything went how we wanted. I think we can be happy with everything. To be honest, I'm still happy that Sepp is in the jersey. To be honest I actually hope that he will keep the jersey. I would love to see Sepp winning this Vuelta a España." Let's see how things go tomorrow. There are time bonuses on the first pass of the finish climb, theoretically enough to give Jonas the jersey even before the final climb to the line. Primoz to jump 90km out with Remco and then claim he was just covering moves after telling Sepp 'just keep fighting, I'm just going for some bottles' 😄

To be honest I thought they weren't being D*#ks about it until today. Sepp has helped both those guys win and not ridden off when he might have been feeling better and Jonas or Primoz have been in the leader jersey. That is especially true for Primoz, who Wout and Sepp have waited, supported and pulled along a fair few times. The whole 'the road will decide' is cool if it's for everyone. No gifts, unless it's Wout pulling you to the line to save your Paris Nice. Just seems like Sepp has to win it on his own and the other guys get to win their GT's with the team around them. Today didn't really need it, Jumbo were 1,2,3 there wasn't anyone who was a danger up ahead and only Landa was 4th. Landa did a better job working for Sepp than his own team mates. Remember the storm when Froome peddled off for the stage and Wiggins was flapping? They weren't just riding their tempo and wheeling in they were flying into the final. Either way it puts extra stress on your team leader, riding on his own, isolated not just worrying about the stage but also that you could lose the jersey and have to take risks on that descent to get to the line and keep the jersey. What if he'd had a mechanical or a puncture? No teammates to give bike to the leader of the race, what if he'd crashed on the run in trying to get to the line and save the overall from his one team? The post race interviews were awkward as hell and Sepp talking to Roglic and then turning around and getting his B/day cake. Ouch.

R50 on Remco and R50 on Namibia to keep the Kiwis locked into their miserable run of results! 😆

I think Jonas attacked yesterday to draw the others out and tow Sepp but for some reason everyone sat and looked at each other and rode so slowly it was almost like they were waiting for Jumbo to pull. That meant Jonas got a big lead straight away and the stage in sight so off he goes not really knowing that any of the UAE or Movistar chap have decided to sit on so badly behind. FFBlack was off to mark him and again no one reacted so he's off up the road too wondering what to do. Let's keep peddling then. Primoz attacked and looked like he thought he was going to ride well away from pack and leave them for dust so extending the lead of 2 and 3 over 4th place and Sepp would come in with the main CG guys and keep his lead in check. Only problem was he wasn't that devastating and dragged the some of the others turning it from an 'escape to the line' to looking like he was dragging them toward Jonas, attacking both Sepp and Jonas and putting Sepp in trouble. At the end of the day JV have won, Sepp is still pretty much at the same time over his the other GC guys and there is more space between Jonas and 4th and still a good gap 3rd to 4th. only drawback is that the others might have sniffed Sepp is tired but then that climb wasn't exactly his fav. Hopefully he'll be able to pull himself like he's pulled Primoz up that goat track previously. To(day)morrow 🤦‍♂️ could be carnage and more time is better than less to have. Can't wait.

With sun in the sky and all this talk of trails n' bikes I think it's time to take my HT up to the top Tokai and drop in. Some cobra, some snakes and a shake at the lower DH's should do it.

Classifieds? If you're after alu / steel then there is a nice Nukeproof that should be boost, some 'steel' momsen's that might be but they aren't real steel (reynolds / columbus) and then I'm guessing this little Banshee Paradox is a beauty. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/hardtail-mountain-bike-frames/662731/banshee-paradox-v3 an the is one of the nicest alu frames and won't rattle the fillings or scare you on the fun downs. Carbon? Not too sure have no really ideas about plastic frame. 😏

The is the one. 👆 All other things don't matter and are incidental. Just like the only test of a surfboard you need is to put it under your arm and rock it one or twice and either chuck it on the floor and happily state it's a lemon or throw money at the seller and run laughing manically.

I've just got a 853 steel hard tail which is fantastic. I'm coming off a 160mm / 150mm dual and I love it. It's got a nice slack 64 degree head angle, is nicely long and rolls on 35mm, 29'r wheels and 2.8 tyres. I can honestly say it's a great bit of kit and does most of Tokai with ease (the top DH line next to Cobra aside). Pedals great up hill, comes down awesome. I'm not going to be a disciple for everyone running out and getting one but it's a lot of fun, super capable, you can pedal it around easily and I don't feel I'm losing too much. I hadn't realise how much my big travel bike had numbed out everything and made it pretty boring. Last thing I'd say is that is for a steel HT. A very different beast to an alu' frame and with less refined geo. I'm yet to really find the limits of my steely's capabilities after going most of the TB, Tokai and Jonkers trails but I think I might have a very, very, different view on a lot of other alu' HTs that haven't been thought out.

landis.mp4

Fair play, that was a bigger come back from the dead than JC on Easter Sunday!

I looked at the topic and thought ‘do I really need to see what bull this is?’… modern world of everyone getting outraged over everything… then I read the header of the news article and was going to lay a smart ass comment about how he worked the system, kid should have moved, #baddad activities but then accidentally watched the footage as it was on auto play and… wtf? Who does that? What a sad, pathetic, horrible excuse for a human? Pure dickery in the first instance but to the sue because the world saw you? Okay I’m sure he argued invasion of privacy or non Consent but truth is he saw what a twat he looked, the pile on and made a move. Well done son, you have the price of a new bike as your pieces of silver. Enjoy. Dooshbag.

Can't wait to see the Cava chug off between Jonas and Sepp after this stage.

Riders all over the road. Solar 3+minutes down and it looked like he has inherited Aru's pain face as he crossed the line. Still no Remco.