tubed

Okay so you couldn't resist the ess-works, but even I have to admit that's a fine looking bike. The Rotor-In power meter looks really neat ( wonder if anyone actually has the 'power in' besides Sahm) No chain guard - those Qring teeth look vicious enough no to let anything go. Rest seems reasonably simple/ tried and tested - reliability/ consistency these days seems to trump looking for the edge. Even Lill/ Wcock seem to say that all they want is steady and no drama.... and it seems to be working. Excellent work again, well done Nick (David Rome from Bikeradar has been replaced!)

Reckon this stage is going to cull some stragglers - transition stages seem to be the toughest.

C'mon Nick, what do have for us today.....suspense is killing

Agreed, if its a big deal to have a disaster, then these are dependable ones. My choice for Freedom Challenge previously and if I head out anywhere now where there is no help coming - super reliable.

Again, nice feature Nick, thanks

Nice pics and brief review Nick, about the best bit of insight so far on the Epic coverage. Would be nice to hear some of Adriaan's other specific choices, such as pedals, bars stem seatpost etc. Great to see a bike that has been properly ridden too - all the telltale signs of a well thrashed bike. Given the rest of the substandard coverage I think you guys at the Bikehub have a real opportunity this week to fill a gap (thats if the Epic allows you to). Would be great if you could have a look at LB Knipe's tricked out Pyga and Bart Brentjens hardtail. (please just not another essworks). Keep up the good work.

Couldn't agree more - served up mediocre product to the masses because they were the only show in town, suddenly some sharp lighties from the Bos (again) offer something better and Falke are now offering the next best thing - a scientifically advanced fabric tube with a seam at one end. Wonder if they tried to buy the lighties out cheaply - that's usually part of the strategy - but these youngsters seem sharp. Your move lighties. The customer wins in this case.

On reflection, I guess as long as the organiser is clear about their intentions and their audience then there is no problem, and credit to DL for being upfront and timeous about it, there is no shortage of choice if one wants to do something else and I am sure they have done their homework in assessing their target market.

Ooops......rider feedback!? Just as well they are renowned for good food, lots of people are going to be done by 11am and be pretty hungry by 1, then what do you do with the rest of the day seeing that you have hardly ridden your bike.

Interesting to see how the route pans out - Epic needs TygerbergMtb, TygerbergMtb doesn't need Epic, I cant see TygerbergMtb saying they can use the trail without some sort of undertaking to improve/ repair. Meerendal will be a harsher, dustier intro for the foreigners - and I think with the Boland as dry as it is they will be eating dust for days this year. Also heard Epic not overly flash with the cash when it comes to leaving the trails better than they were before. Something along the lines of the publicity the trail will get with Epic going through is such a bonus. Wondering if their agreement with Sanparks had an escape clause, otherwise they would have paid Sanparks a chunk for no use of TMNP, no need for the pros to flash their 2 hour Activity Card purchase in promotion of Sanparks. Plumpudding was looking like it was just about to get some attention with the heap of reddish aggregate soil dumped at the exit - would be a pity if its now left unattended.

Make the circle smaller.... If you live in Wellington its a short drive each morning to the start. (Tulbach, Wellington, Pniel) Its really now missing that element of the 'Western Cape'.

I don't think Cav 'has to be like that', I got the impression when he was more of a team player than you make him out to be. But that's just my opinion from what I saw. I don't think Doug is big on egos. Farrar get a tough rap in my view - 6 grand tour stage wins - I reckon he deserves a bit of leeway for the role he now has to play. Sure he wont win a straight out gallop with the best now, but if you watched the footage yesterday, I'd rather have him and EBH towing me around the desert at 52km/h.

Average speed 52kmp/h with some crosswinds, sure there were no hills but plenty time in the gutter for the hangers-on, ain't no pretenders in that finishing group - would bet a fair share of them will be up there come the classics. This pic sums up what seems to be the vibe Doug and his team has created, guys that previously wouldn't talk to each (Cav and Farrar) other now riding in the wind for each other. Lastly EBH, what a class rider, to ride on the front like that and finish in the sprint is superb - I really hope he has another good season and I would be over the moon in EBH won a monument - super talent and so down to earth. Excited for the rest of the season.

I am trying to figure this all out, so maybe writing it out helps me. Some years ago the former big time pro gets done for EPO – finally, the sponsor clique gets partially shattered, the former teammates/ movie producers are aghast and so the process starts. Recently the upstart from KZN gets pinged for the same – embarrassing defences aside, it seems he wasn’t the brightest of the bunch. The process is in full swing. Then another finding and this time the excuse is convoluted, almost tugging at the heart strings. Tight circle is still aghast, lines are drawn supporters vs cynics. More to come it seems. Then the fun starts: The guy who has always supplied lots of the bikes is unhappy, especially with the ‘journos’. Threats. The ‘journos’ are up against the sports scientists who stick to the facts and keep asking so many irritating questions. (isn’t that what journos are supposed to do?) The ‘journos’ are turning against each other, because the free Oakleys, event invites, product launches etc have compromised them and nobody knows who’s friends with who and who said what, all of a sudden the ‘integrity’ of the journos is seen to be in question! Shock and horror, so did that pic of you in a sponsored jersey or those new shoes mean you cant really say too much about that distributors riders. The current riders then have their own conflicts, so its OK to go after that big bike distributor or ex rider, but hey wait you have just hitched your desperate plea for a sponsor to the controversial supplement supplier. Now put aside the fact that the product supplier and their two brands are the primary sponsor of supplements to a host of pinged athletes and former brand ambassadors, you need the cash and the Epic entry, so you jump on board – ask no questions, tell no lies. Then there is the biggest mtb race, unquestionable ethics thus far and quick to turn on and disqualify some of the dopers above, but in this age of dwindling sponsors, up pops the guy with the aggressive marketing for his supplements and you too have a new event sponsor. Just my humble opinion – because it seems everyone has one. The only professionals here are the sports scientists, they are sticking to the facts. If I were advising a young rider, I would say get yourself an education and a profession or a trade, something honourable, because this mess aint going to get sorted out for some time and so when someone offers you a box of free supplements and an entry to an event – you can say yes OK or no thanks. But when you can only say yes OK, then you are along for the ride and all that comes with it. ​

correct, Oakley kit, bit surprised about that going to be interesting to see if Cav is able to wear any personal sponsors (I'm going to be gutted if I can no longer wear my exclusive nike/ spez/ cav/ greenline goodies at the funride world chumps....not)

Well at least we know they haven't spent the time working on their PR efforts, piss poor that they haven't kept the people they sold activity cards to in the loop (excuse the pun). No doubt the enforcers will be out with full attitude to come down hard on anybody not carrying valid permits. IMHO: so much opportunity lost to create goodwill, to educate and get everyone on board as responsible users. Seems nothing has changed with Sanparks.

the hub has no peer for bringing this type of event right into our worlds, proven once again

Swen has a program just for you....

Sign of the times, corporate sponsorship is very very hard to come by, I expect it is a major challenge for Mr Vermaak, local corporates just dont have the budget he requires, relatively limited international exposure generated by the event, means little international interest outside of the cycling community. Doug Ryder on the other hand has just hit the big leagues, a serious coup in DD and Deloitte. Doug probably even had to buy himself a suit;). (if we are being critical, even everyone's favourite race organisers took money from Bridge for a couple of years, but that seemed fine then)

An astute signing imo - think he has 14 wins so far this year, including stage 7 in the Tour, I guess if you win one stage in your career you are made, he has 26 to date - scary stat. He is also quite a different rider to the young brash guy - nowadays after the win he is first seen walking back down the course to seek out and thank his team mates - he should fit in well. You cannot compare him to the loss of Louis Meintjies - Cavendish is the real deal. Meintjies has a top 10 in the Vuelta - he is our best local hope no doubt, it may take some years still. Well done to Doug Ryder and probably more likely Brian Smith on this one.

Impressed, two quality sponsors, seems like Doug Ryder has made significant inroads into the corporate world by signing up these two, both are global concerns if one regards Dimension Data as part of the NTT Group of Japan. There was a concern that with the loss of MTN the upward trajectory might take a dip, if anything it seems these two associations increase the weight of the team in a global sense. (as an aside check out the vascularity of Teklahamainot and how were those Eritrean fans in Richmond yesterday, soon there will be a corner of them on Alp du heuz to rival the Dutch in noise)

Songezo should be immensely proud of what he has achieved, in a sport still largely characterised by old world traditions and barriers to entry, he has managed to make to from Mtatha to Madrid. His humbleness in thanking his aunt and his girlfriend for their support is really touching. For me this is my good news story of the week - against all odds he has made it thus far. Venga Songezo!

I certainly acknowledge the work of those trying to work with Sanparks and I dont support rogue riding on private land, but increasingly I get the feeling that it is time to force Sanparks hand. It is clear that they have 'negotiated' for years in bad faith, doing not much more than stalling the process while they earn significant revenue. They have not fulfilled the manadate they chose to accept when the park was formed and the heads of agreement were signed, instead they have selectively chosen to enforce what they see as their rights. This incident of fining a person for riding that trail and then abandoning the process is something they should at the least explain - if I had the time I would consider a case of malicious or wrongful prosecution - you cannot simply wield the law irresponsibly and expect citizens to bare the brunt of your misuse of power. What feedbck was obtained from the public comment process? - nothing, not even an acknowledgement of the time and effort put in to put facts on the table, another exercise in them giving a semblance of concern, but no real intention of acting. As mentioned previously, when it came to them rerouting the Rhodes Mem path over a stream and away from their offices - not a sign of an EMP or a process - done with the most haste ever. I realise that rogue riding on private land is a big NO, especially enforced by some of the race organisers with severe threats, but most of these organisers pay a fee to Sanparks at some stage to ride on Sanparks controlled land, their interest is predominantly for their own commercial benefit. Again I would suggest that the Epic's ability to get any work done in the Rhodes Mem area was directly proportionate to the funds they contributed to Sanparks and the pathetic Sanparks exercise of having overseas riders pose with their one day access cards. (Rant over feel better already)

You raise a good point re the road from Constantia Nek past the art gallery and exiting at Southern Cross Drive. I understand on reasonably good authority that this is in fact still a proclaimed public road which was the original public road to Constantia Nek, it has thus not officially been deproclaimed and hence it is open to the art gallery. It is only in recent years that Sanparks put a boom halfway down and at the bottom exit to Southern Cross drive to stop vehicles using the road as it is unsuitable for traffic, but as I say I understand it legally to still be a public road. But you would have to argue that with a Sanparks ranger with a badge and an attitude. You would probably win in court.

He is very very lucky, one of the most hectic crashes: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/08/brammeier-on-recovery-path-after-dramatic-utah-impact-im-just-happy-to-be-in-one-piece/