Ratty

I disagree. Before I had my son I was 55kgs and the DS bike made a big difference to comfort and absorbing rocks and roots etc. I was able to go faster through the technical stuff.

Switch your car insurance to discovery, get the vitality drive and then you get really nice cash backs at certain stores :-) I get 30% cash back from stores like Cape Union Mart and Toys r Us (great if you have a kid), thats a rather nice discount. I also get 40% cash back on my fuel if I purchase from BP with my discovery card. You have the option to get the cash back, or put it into your excess fund. My excess fund got to R2900 in less than a year so now I don't have to worry about paying excess if I claim. EBucks are nice because you can use them at places like Kalahari, but the overall benefit I get from discovery is much better.

They do have a bulk option where you get all your photos - however in my case as I only had 5, it worked out more expensive.

All worked out well in the end. Had a fantastic replacement partner and enjoyed every minute of it.

I rode 4 different mens bikes before I got my current bike (Specialized ERA). Everyone told me going women specific was wrong because they would be harder to sell, but seems these days there are so many women cycling its no longer a problem. I will not go back to a mens frame. I am a lot more comfortable on my "girly" bike. The frame fits me well (medium). I previously rode a small Epic and a medium Stumpjumper and neither of them was the right size. My frame is now over 2 years old, but I have no intention of changing it. Will rather upgrade the wheels etc.

Fantastic event and I ended up with a really great partner at very short notice. She was stronger than me on the uphills, but was always waiting with a smile which meant I didn't feel too bad. Technically strong which mean we were about to make up time on the singletrack and downhills. I loved day 2 even though we got stuck in traffic on the singletrack. They got our time very wrong on day 1 so we were seeded right at the back. Didn't really care though as the scenery was amazing. Will be back next year to ride with my Dad.

Terrible news. They would have been on such a high after Sani2c, so sad for it to end so badly. RIP fellow mtber's.

I can get you in contact with some nice people if you are keen? Chatted to some very nice people yesterday who are very keen to ride.

My work actually organised a health day where they came in and checked everything like blood pressure, cholesterol etc. I also do the clicks health check once a year which includes cholesterol. Had a fright a few months ago, I was at my doc for my son and she decided to check my glucose levels. It read 9.6 which is pretty high. Went back the next morning and it was 4.6 (normal). The spike we reckon was due some chinese chicken I had eaten with a honey sauce. Scary the influence food can have. I suffer from low blood pressure. My normal blood pressure is about 106 / 63.

If you suffer from high blood pressure you def shouldn't take the gu's with caffeine in. . My OH suffers from high blood pressure. If he goes to the nurse to get it checked after coffee, its always a lot higher than if he does without having coffee. When he wore the monitor for 24 hours, it went up at work, but then we know his job is stressful. I also read up on what food etc increases blood pressure and one of the factors is sodium. What is interesting is that in a can of coke light, there is 14mg's of sodium which at first I thought was bad. However if you look on some of the packet sauces, its over 1000mg's! Being a working mom, I'd would often use one of the packets to make a quick meal like chicken ala King or a pasta sauce for example think it was fairly heathly (I always add veg of some kind. Little did I know...

Depends on various factors. How stressed are you at work? How much coffee do you drink at work?

I can give you a list of people looking for a partner.....there are lots. 2 of them stay in Kwazulu-Natal.

oops... sorry. Its people like me doing late substitutions that is holding up the seeding. Spoke to Judy just now and they are doing their best to get it out.

@Swift, its awesome when you can ride with a family member. Your dad is lucky he has two of you. I will be watching the Hub with eagle eyes when it gets closer to Wines2Whales. Bit like a vulture , but will do what I can to get an entry.

I have luckily managed to find a partner. Social media, forums and email are fantastic. flymango, I told my work today that if they did that to me, they would have my resignation within an hour. Stretch, not many people will employ someone who is already past retirement age, good on you for seeing that they still have something to give.

They still need to pay for their transport so its not completely free.

A couple of people interested, however all of them seem to be strong riders (sub 3:30 Argus's and the likes). I'm worried they will get annoyed. You have to ride together as they have checkpoints.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Looking positive for finding some random partner.

Doing exactly that. It sucks, but at least if I ride, we keep our entry for next year.

Well thats is exactly what has just happened to me. I no longer have a partner! My dad can't afford to quit, not much chance of getting a new job as a white male over 60. No temper tantrum, I'm just looking like a complete idiot crying at work!

Here is a question, what would you guys do if you work told you that you could no longer take leave next week?!!!

Thsi time next week we will have HUGE smiles on our faces after that little downhill :-) If you spot us, say hi. I've got a Maroon and white specialized and will be riding with a mostly black top with the rain jacket in my profile..

Yeah, doing it with my dad :-) Doing the trail though.

See thats the problem, I'm not confident in my training. Decided to rather ride undertrained than ride with an injury (ITB) or worse miss it all together. I am however super excited, already have my bags packed. Finally got my bike back today and she is working so I'm feeling a lot less stressed now.

I just need to know if I need to buy lights or not :-) I'll make it to the end eventually.