Sean Badenhorst

With that kind of depth, my head says Barloworld have it sewn up. But my heart would love a closer race and I'm hoping Hellshoogte (on Friday) lives up to its name. Not so sure of Pfannberger's pedigree. Did a google search on him and most results were about his two-year doping ban. But with a strong team, he's got to be favoured to hold onto the lead.

Yep, heard about that. No love lost there...

Brilliant work again, Wayne! Great to see your pics used really big - like they should be!

Looks like Barloworld's grip wasn't so tight on the race today. Lost the Points and KOM jerseys and lost 3min or so to MTN Energade in the team comp. Also showed some vulnerability on the climb. Tomorrow's stage should be good!

It's a 2009 Raleigh Prototype. Spoke to David about it today. He says it's awesome!

Great pics as usual, Wayne. Well done! From your pic on the climb, it looks like David George was a little outnumbered by the Barloworld team. Spoke to him today and he said they took turns attacking and he just ran out of 'counters'. Serious depth in a team that can get six in the top eight... Sean Badenhorst2008-03-04 11:24:47

was just wondering cause there's many more mtb'ers in the field. a nice pic of marc for example... you could have said "look at the chubby mountainbiker" - everyone would have known who you talk about then Minus Kevin Evans and Melt Swanepoel who were prevented from starting by the race commissaire. Mannie Heymans was initially in that same mix, but because he was racing for his country (Namibia), was given the green light. So Melt and Kevin will probably be doing some big training days this week instead, in preparartion for their big goal, Cape Epic. Sean Badenhorst2008-03-04 10:03:00

Some good mass media exposure here for SA women's cycling in general. Also an indepth feature on Anriette Schoeman and more... http://www.gsport.co.za/ Click on the cover lines to access the articles.

Yes, the riders had a big carb meal and checked their brakes, gears and tyres. The race starts tomorrow, noembus...

I think it is the same Sharon Laws. She lived in Pretoria for a couple of years and rode with the Fritz Pienaar Cycles team at one stage. If I'm not mistaken, she started cycling while in SA. I think she worked for the British Consulate.

amoryns, looks like most of the international teams in the race did Geelong Tour (Feb 21-22) and the Geelong World Cup race in Australia on 24 Feb. So they would have already sorted their jet lag out by the time the NZ tour started on 26 Feb.

If they're going to charge for bicycles then they must charge for golf clubs too. Why should cyclists pay for the additional weight and not golfers? In a four-year period I flew with my bike about 100 times and most times there were golf clubs on the luggage conveyors, usually more than one set on each flight... Add the number of golf bags being flown around every day by SAA and see what tonnage that gets you! Sean Badenhorst2008-02-29 00:33:34

sernoche1, go for the counselling. It's nothing to be ashamed of and it's covered by most medical aids.

They are suffering from jet lag. An 11-hour time difference is about as bad as it can get! Heard from Marissa's husband that Cherise has been a bit ill.

Who says Marissa is not going to the Olympics? Surely the final selection is made in about May or June? I think we currently have two places qualified in the women's road events.

Better planning is definitely needed. Like buckstopper said, the tight schedule they're on is unreasonable and unfair. Under those conditions, I suppose this year's participation needs to be used as a platform from which to build on in the future. I expect a full report from the team manager AND riders would be submitted afterwards to ensure progression and not regression occurs. I don't know of a Mr Wagener (team manager?). Assume he's experienced at this otherwise he wouldn't have been selected, right? Team support - masseuse, mechanic and manager are must-haves, not nice-to-haves in cycling. Sean Badenhorst2008-02-27 01:16:15

Oh, and now we have evidence as to why we cyclists should also shave our arms....

Cat-astrophic! Hope the discomfort is as brief as possible. As you probably know, don't let the roasties dry out. Keep them moist and covered. You'll be back to normal in a week. I use a mixture of Vaseline and Betadine. Works wonders. Oh, this link might be useful: www.cateye.com

Kevin Evans, the SA marathon MTB champ, is racing for Sotheby's Cosmetek at the Giro - on loan from MTN Energade. It's all part of the preparation for The Big One, the Cape Epic. Time for a South African team on that final Epic podium...

sernoche1, you posted an equally negative comment about the national men's team at the Tour de Langkawi. You seem to sit there clutching your half-full glass of sour grape juice watching the UCI calendar tick by just itching to write something discouraging about the national teams of which you don't even know the proper composition. You also speculate wildly which is really not a very attractive character trait. Your lack of cycling knowledge is evident and your lack of optimism is unfortunate. Do you know there is counselling available for people like you?

This media release went out last night... Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2008 SA WOMEN?S TEAM TO TAKE ON WORLD?S BEST The rising standard of South African women?s road cycling will be given a progress update when a five-rider national team tackles the best cyclists in the world at the Tour of New Zealand this week. Led by Team MTN stars Cherise Taylor and Marissa van der Merwe, the two most prolific race winners in the country this year, the national team, which also includes Lynette Burger and Yolandi du Toit (both Cycle Lab Toyota) and Robyn de Groot (Proline), is one of the strongest ever selected, but will still face an incredibly tough challenge. The five-day tour includes two criteriums, three road stages and an individual time trial, a format that is likely to favour the strong allrounders, especially since the time trial is undulating and only 7km long. ?I believe we have a very well balanced team and although the change in intensity overseas is always a bit of a surprise at first, after the first stage we should settle in well,? said Van der Merwe. Van der Merwe and Burger are currently occupying the top two positions respectively in 2008 Super Series, the country?s most prestigious series for Elite women and Veteran men. ?In the Super Series events we?ve been racing with the Veteran men which has undoubtedly raised the pace and the standard of our racing,? explained Van der Merwe. ?Although it?s still early in the season and we?ve only done three races with the Vets, this should have a positive effect at the Tour of New Zealand.? The South African women will do well to ignore reputations if they have any hopes of success at the Tour of New Zealand. Included in the 90-rider field are former world champions and current Olympic champions, four of the world?s top-10 professional teams, 12 of the top-20 riders in the world and national teams from eight of the planet?s top-10 cycling nations. Race Director Jorge Sandoval says the standard of the field is well beyond all his expectations. ?To have the two-time winner of the Giro d?Italia, six former world champions, European champions as well as current national champions from seven countries and current Olympic champions racing on New Zealand soil, is a privilege to any sport,? said Sandoval. South Africa?s Taylor adds to the depth of the high-profile field by virtue of having claimed the silver medal in the junior world championships last year. She is no longer in the Junior category, but the 18-year-old has begun her Elite career with impressive results so far this year against local opposition. It will be interesting to see how she fares abroad in such a high quality field. The tour starts and finishes with criterium stages (circuit races), which should suit Burger and Taylor, both of whom are quick sprinters. The 125km Stage 3, is hilly with a mountain-top finish, which should see Van der Merwe, a strong climber, come into her own while De Groot and Du Toit are allrounders, likely to be on the lookout for any breakaway opportunities. The performances of the five women in New Zealand will no doubt be noted by the relevant Cycling South Africa officials as they draw up a short list for Beijing Olympic Games selection. South Africa is currently ranked 18th as a nation in women?s road cycling and therefore qualifies two places Olympic women?s road race. The 2008 Women?s Tour of New Zealand Wednesday 27 February: Stage 1 ? 35km Criterium Thursday 28 February: Stage 2 ? 94km Friday 29 February: Stage 3 ? 125km Saturday 1 March: Stage 4 ? 124km Sunday 2 March: Stage 5 ? 7km Individual TT / Stage 6 ? 40km Criterium. ENDS.  

There used to be racing at Kyalami. I did an 80km race there a few years back. Think it was a winter series of races when the track was open for cycling between 8-12 on Sunday mornings. I thought it was a great venue, but I know ownership of the track changed about two years ago (hence the 94.7 Cycle Challenge no longer using the venue for their finish), so not sure how possible it is to have races there these days. I believe the guys that own Troisports, a triathlon/cycling shop in Sunninghill have the rights to the cycling activities at Kyalami these days.

Vermarc's quality is exceptional. Highly recommended for corporate kit. Just order well in advance because it is made in Europe. Oh and the higher price (compared to local manufacturers) is evident in the quality. Their contact details are here: http://www.vermarcsport.be/index_za.html

Wind and hills early on during a race usually result in less crashes because the bunches aren't as huge. Amashova starts with a decent climb, while Argus and 94.7 have some climbing early on which helps spread things out a bit. But those are all races with road closure. Flat, fast routes with no road closure - which is probably 70 percent of all road races - are simply scary!

The Engen to Engen weekday morning rides in Bryanston can get more than 300 riders. Biggest weekend club rides are definitely in Joburg and usually in the last 6 weeks or so leading up to big race like Argus or 94.7. I've estimated there to be well over 500 on some club rides - usually Cycle Lab and Club 100 get these big numbers. Haven't done a Pretoria ride but judging by the popularity of cycling there, they can't be far off in terms of numbers. These club rides get more cyclists than most races in other provinces! Amazing.