Epic Rookie

WoW!

Make sure your bottles, tubes and spares are strapped tightly to your bikes, last year I rode before converting to tubeless and flatted in the first few km's but the benefit was getting to pick up all the spares that had fallen off, dodging all the bottles was not fun though.

I have a spare 2013 finishers shirt if anyone wants? Got a mail the other day offering me a free one if I wanted it, thought I might as well, after forking out so much for that race anything extra I can get for free is great. I did the race and finished it, never wore the shirt, don't know when I ever will, doesn't bother me. I would definitely be pissed off having aimed at 3 races to become a member of some elite group but honestly don't think the guys who have reached that milestone care that much, they know they did it, that's what matters. Saw a guy on the weekend wearing the Zebra striped yellow jersey, thought it was pretty strange. Either way, I think KV will not be losing much sleep about any of this.

R89 on S.A iTunes, downloaded and filling my ears as I type, it's been way too long!!! Going to listen as I walk home, traffic in CT CBD has gone to hell!

Just saying to all the music lovers out there, the new Pearl Jam has dropped: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/album-preview-pearl-jams-lightning-bolt

Decided to go through a puddle instead of around it at Lourensford race on Sunday, definitely feeling it today!

Great, that's what i was wondering. Thanks

Completely understand that, we are a very supportive and patriotic country, we don't just cheer our riders, we cheer everybody, winners and losers but that is not my question, I want to know if we have anyone close to what we had with Burry? We had Greg, an outright hopeful for World Domination, do we have anybody similar in the other categories? Are we up there on a World Class stage? Is 19th good enough? Are Semis good enough? We beg and plead for more finance and support but surely we want podiums? Take the compassion out of it, our riders just had a crap load of bad luck but at the end of the day, when we look at the results sheet, is that good enough? Do we have riders that can get there? A good example, Bafana Bafana, we love them, they have our undying support but will they ever be World Cup winners? Probably not?

Really? Missed that?No, i'm joking but wasn't really talking about the DH, we owned that, hands down!

Flame-suit on, but please understand, I have the utmost respect for our riders and what they have achieved, I have no misguided pretense that I am in anyway better than any of them and I am wholeheartedly behind our South African Riders. I'm not too sure how this is going to go but I just read an article on the other bicycle site I sometimes frequent and it was a summary of one of our SA Riders and their experiences at the recent World Champs. It was heart felt and very positive in the way the crowd support was there and all the info on the backing and difficulty of getting to that position and finally finishing the race in the top 50! Now my hard and brutal response is "so what?" All that effort and the sacrifices and that was the result? Really? Has Burry left such a chasm in our sport in South Africa that we get excited and cheer on our riders for placing nowhere near the podium? Is that what we aim for now? Have we not been fostering talent behind the likes of Burry, someone to come through the ranks and take up his position? Like I said, i know i'm being brutal and I am not looking for an argument, all I want to know is what are we aiming for in our elite ranks of MTBers?

Yip, I agree, but just in case, I am a qualified Orthotist/ Prosthetist so i'll have you back up and riding after that amputation either way!

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/760/402/top-50-images/2013/wings/WI13_001020_000736-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/340/402/top-50-images/2013/spirit/SP13_025089_000955-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/760/402/top-50-images/2013/spirit/SP13_012898_000196-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/760/402/top-50-images/2013/sequence/SE13_012155_008866-high-TP02.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/340/402/top-50-images/2013/wings/WI13_011255_009176-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/660/402/top-50-images/2013/new-creativity/CR13_011964_000423-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/740/402/top-50-images/2013/experimental/EX13_012540_000031-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/760/402/top-50-images/2013/lifestyle/LI13_006829_007345-high.jpg

http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/620/402/top-50-images/2013/illumination/IL13_007465_007239-high.jpg

Red Bull Illume top 10 2013 http://image.redbull.com/rbx00124/0001/1/760/402/top-50-images/2013/close-up/CL13_001990_005700-high.jpg

Any swelling? Or has it just been pain?

Anybody even been to these parks?

So me and my beautiful Lady are heading up to the Coastal Camps at Namaqua and Sendelingsdrif in Richtersveld. Anybody know of any routes? If we can even ride in the parks? Is it worth it to take the bikes up? Pointers? Maps? Routes? Any info would be greatly appreciated, navigational skills took a sharp dent when a 16km Trail Run took almost 4hrs and into the darkness the last time I tried a new trail, haha.

Crazy waves in Namibia in August!