Sean Badenhorst

Yes, both sides of the story would be useful to know. Pity that cop lost his job, he would have been perfect for the Riot Squad. At 22, at least he's still got crime on his side, er, I mean time on his side...

Polluted or not, the air is the same for everyone, so the 'playing field' is level. If it was that bad, why was a bigger issue not made of it during test events for various sports there last year before the manufacturing and motoring restrictions were imposed? I'd like to see those athletes get through one week in their home countries without using something made in China... I'm not for the pollution and think more needs to be done to sort it out. Just think there needs to be some big-picture thinking around this Olympics.

I'm with Tromps on this one. A camera from behind the cop facing the other direction would have shown what the cyclist did to cause the cop to select him specifically. If the cop was just a ****, he would have been pushing all the cyclists off their bikes, but his demeanour changed noticeably when he saw something (off camera) and that's why he chose that cyclist specifically. I do think the way the cop managed it was a little harsh, but then anger, and adrenaline have been known to strip away all sense of rationality... Anyone know what provoked the cop? Anything reported in the media from his side?

Don't call it a protest ride, call it an awareness ride. So much more positive.

Anyone can go fast in a straight line... There should be more open days at Swartkops and Kyalami for these guys to test their speed. That way, they're only putting their own lives in danger. I have nothing against motor bikers, I just want them to ride responsibly on public roads.

Wheel? That looks like a life belt. You either have to finish at the front of a race or the back of a race to carry that look off...

I reckon the motor bike riders' website equivalent of The Hub would be more accurate pointing out the growing number of cyclists on 'their' routes in the Mulderdrift and Kromdraai areas. They've been riding those roads (obviously not the newly-tarred ones) for years and years and years... But you're right, GIRR, it's flippen heart stopping when they fly past you at speeds that really aren't very responsible.

Eat less, ride more, lose weight. If you're super serious and podium finishes are your goal, then you can fine-tune supplementation with a sports nutrition expert. Calcium is about the only supplement all cyclists should take all the time as cycling's one negative effect is diminished bone density.

I have a bell on my MTB and just tink, tink, tink it occasionally when approaching slower riders. You'll be amazed how effective it is. Nobody gets irritated with it and they just move aside when they get a chance. BBB bell ? best R40 I ever spent on bike accessories.

The teeter totter isn't that difficult to ride. Like everything in cycling, it's about momentum and balance. The thing that surprises people is the moment the planks hit the ground once you've 'crossed over'. Keep looking ahead to where you want to go (ie the grass on the other side) and shift your weight back a bit more than you think you should. The key is the momentum and staying relaxed. Don't brake! Don't tense up.

Don't forget your arm warmers, Pantani, might dip below 15 deg C at some point and you don't want to catch a chill...

Haven't ridden the Spruit in a ages, assume this is the teeter totter near Peter Place. It's not compulsory to ride this, you can dismount and just walk your bike through the stream, which is probably dry this time of year. If you're really skilled, you can ride through the stream bed. Hope the rider recovers fully. Never good to hear stories like this. All bicycle riding involves risks. No one is to blame for this. Just an unfortunate incident.

She races on 22 August in Beijing. That was her final sharpener race for her before she leaves. The MTB and BMX events are at the end of the Games, road events are first (this weekend) TT is middle of next week I think.

I'm quite happy with mechanical shifting. Can't see how electronic is going to improve my cycling experience that much more. All I see is more things to go wrong. I can't see this becoming the norm and just wish Shimano had rather spent the R&D time and money on developing a more affordable power meter system.

Tromps, stop moaning and ride your bike as fast as you can. Mountain biking is tough. Life is tough. Just accept it.

Over 4000 entries as of yesterday. It's a Mazda MTN Series event as well as the national marathon champs. Both bound to boost the entries of an event.

The Thug, how did they test the tyres? Laboratory and trail, or just trail? And how many testers were involved? Oh and were they all tested in dry conditions?

SA conditions are definitely different to the US and Europe. Ask the Cannondale Vredestein team that rode the Cape Epic in 2007 and 2008!

Laxatives. Best money I ever spent in my weight saving quest...

What can I say, time management is one of my strengths.

vroom, you are following the training advice of Lance Armstrong's coach, well the one the public is more aware of. Do you think Lance did high intensity intervals on Sportsfuel? Seriously though, getting your heart rate that high on an IDT is not easy. Far easier getting it that high on the road. Here's my IDT formula that prevents boredom and death. * Never do more than 1 hour a day * Always have a DSTV music channel playing. Loud. Best visual value is Aerobic on VH1 from 10h00-11h00 on weekdays (trust me on this one!) * Never take your HR above 85% * Use it to focus on perfecting your cadence mostly (cadence sensor essential) * Warm up for 10 min, one song hard, one song easy, one song hard, one song easy etc. 5min cool down. * Only drink water

nochain, use the upgrade cash to buy beer and pizza and just adjust your expectations.

Oh, well in your dopey state, you didn't make that very clear. And in my Merlot... er, I mean dopey state, I didn't pick that up.

Probike still do a, um, roaring trade with them and have the lion's share of the market in SA and other southern African countries, HR. They're Called Humbers these days, but they're pretty much unchanged over the models sold over 50 years ago.

Tromps, relax. We all had to start in the back groups before we became good enough to be seeded in the front. Seriously though, this is the 2008 SA Marathon Champs and Round 4 of the Mazda MTN National Series, which carries it's own merit-based seeding sytem. Also, just because you enter early doesn't mean you get to start near the front. This is why there are seeding systems. My advice: Hang your helmet over your number, shuffle inconspicuously into any start group you want and just before the gun goes, pop your helmet on and go for that podium place result!