Sunblock

how is life in Micronesia these days?

Are they? 'The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; trhe unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.' - George Bernard Shaw.

Is everyone looking forward to coming down to marrow freezing, dull as a doornail <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Bloemfontein - for SA Cycling Champs? I don?t envy you guys. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Meanwhile, after some thought I now realize Sylvia?s ?reprimand? was conveyed through Madelein (unless there?s something else I don?t know about) which must have filtered through to her via the head of Southern Free State Cycling. Madelein called me, very irate, late last night and accused me of all sorts of things, and she kept repeating: ?you went behind my back?? in reference to the Hub. I think she?s misunderstood and misinterpreted the comments (7 points I laid out somewhere here detailing exactly what happened) I made that referred to my previous cycling club. I maintained anonymity about individuals and Clubs as a teeny little gesture of respect (despite saying who I was). Even that iota of respect wasn?t deserved. But all credit to her, Madelein took some extra initiative (beyond Sylvia?s reprimand) and told me she had emailed Sylvia and decided, as LawMaker of the club, not to allow me to be a member of Lindsay Saker Cycling Club either, and the whole licensing thing (which she had supervised) would basically be stalled too. Thanks. Yes, that makes sense, and even more so, going beyond the call of duty to do the sensible thing. So a very considerate gesture indeed, thanks for understanding things so well. I assume I?ll at least get my photos back Madelein? On the phone Madelein compared me to her husband (who also cycles in my age group, is one of the best and has a much better attitude to the sport ? thanks for that personal anecdote, that helps a lot), called me ?negative?, etc. I don?t know, since when can someone from a Cycling Club call you up and talk to you like that? How can anyone assume such an arrogant position in terms of another person? Although I am not pleased, I can honestly say, when I started writing articles and posting stories on the Hub, it was from the position that I had already lost the possibility of participating in 2007?s major races, and worse, lost A LOT of private love and motivation for cycling through the interference of FSF: Free State?s Finest. I never said anything that wasn?t true, and I conveyed my opinions. Sorry, I thought I was allowed to do that? This is the Free State (or is it Nazi Germany?) I?m a passionate person, so I care when garbage (and this is the definition of garbage, all this, right here) happens. I especially care when sport gets poisoned pretty much by a bunch of people who have very little to do with the nuts and bolts of every day participation in the sport: they never ride their bikes, hardly ever train and make policies about other people but don?t talk or listen to them, unless it is to tell them their place. Luke, Lance K, Roland ? I feel your pain. So if Clubs are going to tell me: You can?t do this, we won?t let you ride, and we?re going to block you here, here and here, and make it impossible to ride in this province (because we didn?t like something you said, or how you said it) ? is that going to bother me if I am not riding anyway? I was aware of the risk in stating what I felt (please note I haven?t hidden behind avatars or written anything anonymously), and I was also aware that this year is a write off anyway. So what else do I have to loose? I?m not riding anyway! Still, it?s disappointing that people can be this petty. The sheer amount of text I?ve written on this subject in just 1 month should give a tip-of-iceberg idea of how much the local shambles irritates me. Since I?ve received a warning (thanks), here?s mine: you basically have a contract with your Club when you sign a form that?s provided, and that?s binding. Why can?t/don?t Clubs honor that? Lindsay Saker Cycling Club is now the second club to demonstrate such a pernicious neglect of their mandate. I wonder what their namesake would say about this? Let me repeat that in case I wasn?t clear: I wonder how the sponsors feel about the disrespect going on. I doubt that they?d approve. In the Free State they go to the ends of the Earth to lay down the letter of the law: No license, no ride. No exceptions. But when they don?t feel like sticking to their own rules (because they don?t like you, or are in a bad mood), then once again, Free State Cycling remains an utter shambles as far as I?m concerned. Who do you complain to though when it?s a Mafia of mayhem, help-jou-broer-maar-spoeg-op-die-engelsman, and this backslapping goes from local level all the way to the top? This isn?t the Weermacht, it?s Cycling! So the question must be asked: whose your Daddy? Answer: the public, on forums like this one.

I got a late night call last night, the call courtesy of Bloem?s best cycle club, Lindsay Saker. I?d approached them after leaving my previous club, the great and formidable Tokkie Wheelers. Madelein told me that thanks to comments made on the Hub, Sylvia had instructed Free State Cycling to issue me with a reprimand. I?m not sure what that means. I?m also not sure how I can be rapped on my knuckles since I haven?t cycled in a single Free State Provincial Event this year. I also still don?t have a license (thanks Sylvia), so I don?t think I?ll be riding much in future. For those who said it?s not about control., it?s about money: there?s your answer. You make comments here (even if they are true, and even if they are your and other member?s of the public?s opinion) but mark my words, BEWARE, if you?re out of line (even if someone thinks you?re out of line) CSA may issue you with a reprimand. There?s a great word that describes that kind of control: Draconian. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

not many know what I am talking about... in the valley of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

you're obviously not very talemnted at anything, if you don't know what I'm talking about. correction: you're a talented hubber, if there is such a thing. either that or a time waster.

I think when people are talented they have a right to be difficult. it's also known as perfectionism. you don't get anywhere with mediocre standards

well that's a tragedy. in my experience, people try to find something to use against u (any straw will do), to get what they actually want for themselves. it's a pity good men didn't do anything, but then maybe other players felt threatened by him being so good. or maybe there's more to the story.

Really? Do Graeme and Lance not get along? I like Lance, but heard he's a difficult oke, but then with his talent perhaps he has a right to be (so too Lance Armstrong). After his performance in the previous world cup, it's a scandal Lance wasn't in this one. But then you can't expect one player to save a team. And what about Morne van Wyk? Why was he left out?

dis blerrie koud hier. 'n heard it's kapokking outside. I think SA's should be end of April

Ja I get the feeling a lot of people are just trying to score reactions. There's no process (or sense) in the things they say. It's interesting how human psychology is. You say something positive, and everyone starts snoring and falling asleep. Say something negative, or insult someone, and everyone wants to get in on the action. Moving on: Why isn't SA's held in April. 2 months after the Argus is too long, and the weather is always yskoud this time of the year. People get sick just before SA's. Is that supposed to be part of the contest: Survivors ready? Someone said: I find that the Hub generally reflects back to the person posting, the types of attitude in the post. Very true.

I mean: Sport should happen on the field, and everything else, off the field.

I don't think his dad feels so good. I read an interview on 'Cheeky' Wilson in the Sunday Times. The controversy over Luke seems to be out of spite because of things his dad said. His father I think was excluded from playing. Once again, sport should happen off the field, and what happens off the field shouldn't be held against sportspeople. Once it does, sport is no longer sport. What about a guy like Lance Klusener?

why must you move to another country to "not accept being looked over?" The same thing almost happened with Luke Wilson.

I wrote that article. I suppose you're right, some good arguments by the way. - cyclists do pollute (compared to motorists). ja, lots of Co2, especially after too much bean soup. I think this website is for pissing on everyone elses parade. No one wants to be constructive, most people here are too retarded.

I should probably take an Anger Management course. Your advice on channels is useful, but channeling anger into riding also works. Just ask Lance.

No, not trying to enter SA's. I did try but eventually gave up - missed deadlines, and seemed to be arguing with everyone ('cos it was a can't do attitude). I wanted to do the timetrial (got a flat tyre in the last km but basically rode terribly last year) and wanted to make up for it with a solid ride this year. So wanted to just do the time trial. Last year I drove up at 4am in the morning, and I dunno, just felt extremely flat and tired in the timetrial. I've average 37km/h in a 90km tt (in a half ironman, which is 2hr 21) - ended 2nd off the bike - this is in South Korea. So was disgusted that I barely averaged 35km in an easy peasy 30km tt with rolling hills. Pushed my HR to an average of 171, and for me that is very very hard. Maybe I was a bit sick, or tired. My Argus was an average of 161. So I thought, especially not having to drive up anywhere, and knowing the route - and it's a route that really suits me - I was going to do well. Was looking forward to it. Also wanted to take on a friend of mine who is very good now, and I've beaten him in tt long ago - sub 1 hour 40km tt's etc. But I guess my focus was too much on cycling, and too little on filling in forms. Which seems a bit of a contradiction in terms. It wasn't that I forgot. I just didn't dot all the i's and cross all the t's. Hence my annoyance that people who could have helped someone enthusiastic about the sport, and then decided not to.

The best drivers are also cyclists Fast reflexes and a detailed appreciation of just how dangerous it is on the highway give cyclists the edge over other road users <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Where I live in <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />South Africaon> there was a furor recently between cyclists and car drivers. Car drivers accuse cyclists of being arrogant show-offs who think they own the road, and cyclists accuse drivers of driving recklessly, and sometimes with purposeful negligence. I don?t know the sentiments of the rest of the world on this issue, but I do know a computer game has been invented called Carmageddon, which is about running over cyclists and racking up points for each ?hit?. So it?s easy to find oneself under the impression that cyclists are universally seen as an irritation on roads. And it?s easy to see the point of drivers who are impatiently on their way somewhere. A cyclist becomes just another obstacle on one?s way to work or some other destination. It?s easy to become infected with the entitlements of easy motoring. These are plenty. After being without a car for a year in South Africaon> (and this is a country where not having a car equals transportational paralysis), now I?m fully mobile once more. And I?ve quickly moved from enjoying the freedom and independence of being able to get to where I want to go when I want to, to having increasing expectations and needs about how I get what I want, and how I get to where I am going. Quick example: When I want to draw money from an ATM, I prefer to park right beside the ATM than drive into a parking lot and have to walk a little further. I know of at least three locations a reasonable distance from my home that allow me to park literally within 1-2metres of an ATM. The same applies to buying incidentals like a chocolate, or milk or bread. It?s possible to stop your car right by the door of convenience stores at gas stations. This being the case, I?m quite reluctant to park several meters away and have to waste time walking across a parking lot. These are just some of the entitlements we?ve gotten used to, and that?s just the beginning. Drive-thru is one of the most obvious. At a nearby KFC, when it gets to around 5pm or 6pm, the number of cars approaching the restaurant snake right around the building and form a queue into the highway. It?s obvious that the people in cars outnumber the people actually visiting the restaurant. Plenty of shops are designed entirely to fit alongside a highway or road system, and we prefer to use the one over the other entirely in terms of car-based accessibility (or parking). A good illustration of this is a gym in my city which is situated closer to the outskirts. It?s possible to find a parking bay right beside the entrance to the mall, or very close to it, almost throughout the day. Another popular gym is situated in a waterfront mall system where there is a continuous queue for parking. While the other gym is far away, the fact that parking is convenient is a huge plus factor. After all, who wants to walk into the gym feeling irritated, having driven around for half an hour in search of parking. More and more of our daily processes are based around the convenience of where we can drive ourselves. It makes sense from a motoring perspective. But from another perspective, many of these conveniences we expect, and feel entitled to are incredibly absurd. The extreme version of wanting front row access to every amenity is the drive-thru with a traffic jam that basically goes on forever. It?s simply not possible or viable to have as many vendors out there as cars who need them when they need them. It?s also patently ridiculous that even small groups of ordinary people should expect to be spoilt and have their whims catered to at such an individual level. But the reality is we do expect to have easy access in our cars, and we also expect ? and it?s an implicit expectation ? we expect the roads to be ours as well. We?re so busy getting to where we mean to be going, with our personal climate control, soundtrack and communication devices ready to obey at our fingertips that we simply can?t tolerate anything coming in our way. We just don?t have time or the mental space for it. The people where I live have a very low threshold for someone in a car in front of them who doesn?t quickly pull away when the traffic light turns green. Even in suburbia cars will impatiently overtake, not because they get home sooner as much as they feel their right to use the road the way they want to is being impeded, even if very slightly. The title of this article is that the best drivers are cyclists. Here?s why. People in cars seldom have the revelation that there?s a world going on outside their cars. They drive over cats, and birds, the rain pelts harmlessly off the glass, the wind sails soundlessly over the shell of the vehicle. Opening the windows may help drivers connect a little more to reality, but on a highway this is seldom possible with the roar of air around the vehicle. People in cars become very, very disconnected with the world. And while it may seem normal to want to drive to within a meter of a shop, or an ATM, or a restaurant, it?s actually not viable in terms of community. An individual yes ? at times ? but not for everyone all of the time. And so having a car grants each of us an incredible amount of personal freedom and independence, but there are limits involved. There must be. These limits are not a few either. There are many dark sides, plenty of consequences to our addiction to easy motoring, and I?ll only mention a few here: - pollution (on a global scale, causing a radical meltdown in weather patters that ultimately erodes entire ecosystems) - obesity (in terms of drivers who become increasingly lazy, increasingly loathe to walk anywhere or go to any extra effort to get to where they want to be) - irrationally high death tolls (14 000 die a year in road accidents in South Africa, and plenty of those deaths are based on people simply becoming irritated with how they are getting from A to B) Cyclists are the antidote to the side-effects mentioned above, and several others besides. Cyclists don?t pollute while on their bicycles, and they are the most appreciative of those days, especially early mornings, that dawn bright and clear. Cyclists appreciate clean air. Cyclists tend to be some of the scrawniest human beings on the planet, so obesity isn?t a problem for them. And anyone who cycles over 100km to get somewhere (but really, just to be out and about), can?t be lazy. Cyclists are keenly aware of just how dangerous it is to be on the road. Not only in terms of themselves versus the cars on the road, but in terms of other cyclists, in terms of hazards on the road, and in terms of what they see drivers doing on a daily basis. Beyond these basics, cyclists also have to have the keenest of reflexes. What almost everyone forgets in the debate around cyclists versus drivers is that cyclists are also drivers. The difference is they have a respect, recognition and understanding that life is more important than convenience, even if it seldom feels like that in modern society.

Thanks for the Pres. Lawrence Whittikar contact. will get in touch. I'm actually not cycling anymore after all this sukkel. Played squash this weekend. Quite refreshing to do something different. It's too cold in Bloem now anyway to cycle. Going to enjoy watching the guys suffer on Albrecht at SA's. Will take phots and post on this site. One of my buddies is taking part - unfortunately got sick just last week, and he was in cooking good shape. But I guess that's life.

How come our reaction in SA to a lot of difficult situations is: if you don't like it, leave. Or: whingers must go. I'm just not sure how we actually start to deal with a problem if we have this immediate schizo approach. You're wrong to complain, but nif you're not, leave. I don't know, it remind me of when a couple start arguing and then when they break up, they each claim to have left the other one, and it becomes a reactionary cycle and everyone gets hurt. I've seen blacks calling whites whingers, and whites calling whites whingers. I read that in Bloem someone tried to start a sort of community thing against crime and no one attended. Meanwhile in Canada, the UK and USA whenever their is a social issue, they have forums and community problems and sort it out. Here we'rte disconnected individuals. It's not good.

insulting them in an apparent nice manner You're very opinionated pal. And your thinking seems to be stuck in the same little box. I am not insulting anyone. I'm holding people accountable to their jobs. If they feel insulted, excellent - then I've achieved my goal and it's obvious they're not doing their jobs. You still don't seem to get the underlying moral of the story. You train to race. You arrive at the race and then people you don't know stand in your way, check lists etc and prevent you from taking part. They don't care to understand what you did (training or admin-wise). And there is no procedure for dealing with 'exceptions'. That's behind the times. That's Dinosaur management. Why do people then go out of their way to spite athletes that have nothing to do with them? In June there are going to be hundreds of unlicensed (non-CSA) riders wanting to take part in 'fun' events. Mark my works: there is going to be a massive migration out of the sport if the current supercilious attitude continues. And if there is this strict enforcement of no-license no ride for every event, you can expect races like the Argus to start counting down from 35 000 to 20 000 and worse. One of the reasons cycling has been so successful is its accessibility. Licensing is counterproductive if it ends up being more exclusive than inclusive. And that's happening. It's common sense: cycling isn't Home Affairs or security at the airport. It's sport. It's supposed to be something you do for fun or enjoyment when you're not working. Why are officials impeding this becausde you don't have the right documentation. Sure, get the documentation, but you don't ban them from an event. Give them a fine, but enable the sport. If you didn't understand that Witrot, read it again a few times.

so you're all for leaving? brilliant strategy

I also disagree with Cervelo, although I love the brand. It's a fatalistic reponse. We aren't participatory in our approach to sorting stuff out we don't like. We're reactionary. And theoretical, like we're scared to get our hands dirty. When you speak to people with an open mind you realise we're all pretty much the same (except for the occasional freakshow). But it's frustrating for sport and work and everything else when people are trying to turn everything into a rainbow nation perfectly proportioned to natural diversity. Life's just not like that. It makes me think of poverty. Isn't poverty comparable to what a classroom full of kids achieve. There are only so many A students, the rest just don't care, are not motivated or capable of getting there. They can be helped, but the chips fall where they do. But in terms of the decisions we make about ourselves, that's entirely under our control, and something we can influence, and we can and should influence this for good, and towards Fair Play. Most kindergarten kids can agree what fair is.Sunblock2007-05-18 08:29:30

except i'm not afrikaans. have you ever met an afrikaner with a surname like van der Leek, or van den Hoogenband? I doubt it. If that's the best you can do to be insulting (name calling) I pity you. Jis but people are getting sidetracked (cy-trapped?). Bicyc-ally this is a discussion about officials vs cyclists. Why aren't we one big happy family? I think we would be if our officials were also cyclists, and I think a lot of the time they aren't. What was that other comment....oh I emailed Sylia Dale myself to let her know about this. But you can try to get her attention here: sacf@iafrica.com Let me know if you'd like a copy of the page long email I sent her aswell.

the local paper is Afrikaans. if you want to translate and send it to Die Volksblad, be my guest. Did send it to a citizen website, and it'll probably appear on Monday.