csiad

Sparrow, have you EVER won a big "funride" in SA? If you are squealing about the salaries and whatever, why dont you go accross to Europe where you get paid ZERO and you have to be thankful for the free ride in a pro team and your UCI rated team mate gets 100 000euro a year... Maybe you are not keeping your side of the bargain, or your performance is not up to scratch. Any story has more than one side. The womens cycling in SA is actually so predictable. Every race you have the same girls pitching at the finish line, so maybe if you are not one of them you should get a REAL dayjob like the rest of us..... coz its a funride....

All the best, may you feel better soon, Wisecrack. Shucks, so Jozie isn't the dodgiest place in the world afterall.......

Sorry to ask a stupid Q, but was he attacked to knocked down by a car? PE sounds like a crap place to train....

Awesome pics lurker, you should sell these! You can give actionphoto some competition! Just a pity you missed brother. Otherwise I might have offered you some moolah for the pic.

Euraquila, you have a VERY interesting link there! Just a HUGE pity this faceless deamon site consists of a lot of faceless critics that feels that breaking innocent people down makes them feel powerful. Like they say: the human is the only animal that enjoys the downfall and failure(suffering) of its own kind. So by the way, how do you dethrone someone who is not the defending champion?

Maybe you should ask the vets if they WANTED the women to just stuff up up their race. My brother was in the race and he thought it was the biggest load of crap. How can the GUYS have a fair race race if the women are in the way the whole time. Some of them don't even have bike skills. He almost got taken out by an unstable MTN girl with short hair. (He's not sure who she was). And that is exactly the reason why a BRILLIANT prospective Cape Epic winner's chances are now in doubt, due to the STUFF UP in the sprint. Yolande de Villiers would have creamed the competition in the Epic, now what? Never mind the women. What about the men? They should have a survey...

It is unbelievable how screwed up the facts are on these forums, especially when it comes to women's racing. Probably all the small minded boyfriends and jealous fellow riders doing the posts. If you have been following some of the media you would have known that Chrissie and Anriette was left out of the team due to their age. Chrissie is one of our better international riders and so is Anriette. The selectors made the choice so it had nothing to do with "saving for the Argus". Riding overseas would probably count in their favour. As for the Herald Azonic, you also got your facts mixed up. If you check the start times, the women started separate, so get your facts straight. I think let the results of the overseas racing speak for itself before ANYONE critisizes ANY women. They have a tough job ahead and lets rather support them as fellow South Africans. If you ask me this exactly is the reason why our country is in the state it is in. Because we don't grant our fellow citizens any opportunities, but rather BACKSTAB them and critisize. WAKE UP.csiad2008-02-26 09:33:36

I think we should vote on who talks the most sense and had the most constructive comments... My vote goes to SPINNEKOP and BREEZE. CSA could actually learn something out of your common sense. The initial question was why is Chrissie in the team, since she hasn't been around for the last 7 months. Now I believe you are only as good as the last race you've raced but Chrissie rode the Telkom satellite and dropped from the bunch. So why send her if there are more deserved riders like for instance: Robyn de Groot or Janine Binneman who shaped well if you look up results on the net. Seeing that CSA is clearly not interested in a training camp I reckon this would be the next best criteria to follow??? Spinnekop I like your breakdown of the different riders. Seems like you are quite informed.

Oh sorry ewep! My humble apologies. Same sh!t, different day...

Shucks, why not you might just as well! It is exactly the same principle. Hell, while we're busy lets put Cathy Carstens in the team as well!!! Oh, and Anke erlank!!!!

So Sammajoor, you also heard THAT one? Pity Juan v Heerden is not a selector... So what went wrong then??? Whatever happened to the criteria that riders get chosen on last performances? What about riders like Janine Binneman or Robyn de Groot or Arien Torsius??? It is one thing to race overseas, but funny how as soon as one rider excel, the thankless work the others had to do doesn't get mentioned??? In China ALL the work was done by Anke Moore and Robyn de Groot......???

I do'nt think you are knowlegdable, I think you are way out of line and arrogant. You have conflicting statements. The one moment you blame the system, the next you utter rude low class comments about selectors and riders who have absolutely nothing to do with this. Do you not think that this same system you just crucified was enforced upon these selectors as well? Now they have to take the blame and they were selected by the provinces. I know people are frustrated with the system, but your comments were truly distasteful and ungrounded. It just reflects a bit about your caracter I suppose...

Marissa van der Merwe is the only rider that would get my approval as a rider from SA. I don't know what shape Yolande is in, but she could also be an asset. So what about Arien Torsius? She spent half the season overseas as well? To be honest, I'd rather put Arien or even an under aged Cherise in Ronel's place. She has NEVER had any overseas results and is overrated. She has proved in the past to not be a climber. And why is Malcolm not making a fuss about not going? Because he is realistic. SA's does'nt mean anything, oh errr uhmm and the funrides in the Cape. According to the fuss on the web it is about the funrides here in Joburg. Who has been winning the "funrides" in any case in the last month? I rest my case...

I was falling asleep till they got to the finishline.

Class of which field Cruxie? There was'nt any.... I agree Anriette is average, but so is the rest of SA women's elite cyclists. When did ANY of them actually perform in Europe? That includes Ronel? She just won the sprint of a boring and pathetic race at SA's. She did'nt break away so she's no more special than princess. She got SA's 3 times princess got it 7 or 8 times, but its irrelevant info. SA's means squat. And it counts for the elite men as well.

I agree with Cruxpearl, what a load of bullsh*t. Anriette stayed at home when the other riders had to ride their asses off to get UCI points. She was'nt in shape and recovering from a broken wrist. But what was RONEL's excuse for staying at home or did I miss that one.

It is amazing how some of the hubbers have double standards or loose their objectivity. Last year Jacques Fullard was SA champ, but absolutely no one moaned when he was'nt chosen for worlds? And earlier this year did'nt some people exactly state how below standard the national champs for the women was due to the fact that there was a team in China at the time? There were actually quite a few PAGES dedicated to how pathetic the womens nationals would be and being national champ would mean jack sh!t. And I would'nt want to go to worlds anyhow if I was Malcolm. He does'nt have his team to work the other guys over. This is actually a joke. It just shows you how many armchair cyclists there are around. Sprinters doesnt stand a chance in hell at this worlds, because you have to be there to sprint in the first place you know and thats why Robert is realistic about the situation. He is still the best man for the job, but he knows what the outcome would be on a circuit like that......