Gr3mlin131

Looked at the new route https://ridejoburg.co.za/road.html. Looks like Looks like a lap of Kyalami is not part of the course anymore...

On the epic website, results screen https://www.epic-series.com/races/capeepic/results#0_A62DA2

Good point, "national park" might be a bit arbitrary for replacing with indigenous plants. I would actually prefer to keep most of the plants indigenous everywhere, but the parks are a good start. However perfect is the opposite of good. So does not need to be only local plants and animals, but trending more in that direction is a good idea for me.

We are in a water scarce country, so all the outside vegetation is a massive issue. My garden is filled with indigenous trees and plants and therefore I can get away with not watering them to save our scarce water resources. What you do in your garden your business. But in our national parks we need to protect our unique biodiversity. You summed it up so nicely, yes in our national parks get rid off all outside plants and animals to create a safe space for our indigenous animals and plants to thrive.

Not sure what you are trying to prove with this picture. This is from a different place Company`s Garden (https://www.roselinde.me/companys-garden/), has nothing to do with Deer Park. Also it is showing a grey squirrel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_gray_squirrel), which is not native outside of North America, so is displacing the actual native fauna. I will be happy if they cull the generic pines and eucalyptus trees and get the area back to the unique Fynbos that is only in South Africa.

I have only one brain, but many monies. So I have always replaced even on small falls. I have been in a few crashes and my helmets have protected me even in the serious ones. So far so good. So sample size of one, I am not taking any chances, but I also have a sensitive brain (long story). So for legal reasons the manufacturer will say replace even if it looks fine. But also it should not have done any damage with a minor fall and should be fine. Those are the two extremes, now you can decide how much the risk is worth it to you (cost to replace.

Look here in the classifieds for one close to you, or in your price range. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/c/indoor-trainers-and-accessories?sort_by=price_asc

Is there going to be any broadcast, dot watching, or is this see the results at the end of the day kind of situation?

There might be others that Garmin do not support, but intervals.icu is specifically supported after the Strava api issue a while back. After a price increase I did not see the value of paying for strava. Will keep using free version unless it becomes gutted to move features only to paid.

There are also levels to sitting in a bunch. You can sit in the middle of the bunch, getting maximum benefit, but if someone goes down in front of you not much you can do. Or you can sit to the side of the group, getting less benefit but being safer as you always have a specific way out to dodge. It is all about managing the risk and what you are comfortable with. I have dropped out of many group when the people start getting tired or started swerving and rather going at it alone further.

I have tried both and am currently not subscribed to either anymore. Both of the sets of features I just do not need currently. Garmin+ was just an AI telling me that my HRV was normal last night, well done. And Strava premium is only useful if you care about the segments, which I just do not currently. Everything else I can get for free with either Garmin (Routes), or with intervals.icu (fitness, better analytics, more stats, etc). So for me it is not worth paying just for segments.

I have a lid from Rookiesports, so far so good. https://www.rookiesports.co.za/product-category/cycling/helmets/

Either they are trying to have a big enough gap to try for stage wins, or setting up a massive comeback in the second half of the week... Or the American has properly cracked.

And what are the options for the people outside the republic of the Western Cape? The official seeding list is looking a bit thin for the rest of the country

You could honestly just link both. Strava does not have daily steps, but if you only have an edge, not a watch, it should not make a difference if you only want to link one.