rattlesnake

My natural caveman instinct is also to chase down people in front of me and ride away from people trying to join me..... but my natural caveman self is an a$$hole... so I've been trying to be more open to meeting new people out on the road / trails of late. So far so good, met one or two nice riding buddies and discovered some new trails courtesy of new riding buddies. Moral of the story.... keep the monkey locked in it's cage and try and embrace your fellow riders.

"It is approved as an appetite suppressant to help reduce weight in obese patients when used short-term and combined with exercise, diet, and behavioral modification. It is typically prescribed for individuals who are at increased medical risk due to their weight" I think that SAIDS and cycling SA should spend more of their budget targeting professional cycling where sponsors and prize money is at stake. This is a waste of time. Was probably an old ballie trying to lose weight.

With all due respect I'm not sure that enough "science" or research has been applied or done to fully assess the impact of all of the various doping products due to the covert nature of doping Andy. The study methodologies have not been wide enough and the sample sizes are all too small and the test subjects subjects arguably may not have been taking part in the same intensity training regime's as the top pro cyclists. Doping has its highest benefits at a very high level of training, as it allows humans to push their bodies far further and longer. Most (all) of the research studies out there test only one control element at a time. While one athlete may respond less to say EPO, the same athlete may benefit to a greater extent from say testosterone. Some scientific evidence, in absence of sufficient and conclusive evidence is not sufficient in itself. What I'm saying is that the way in which team doctors doped individual riders may have varied from case to case, given each riders biological response to the doping method. So perhaps I might argue this: If all pro riders were given access to doctors of same abilities and access to same products, doping would level the playing fields to a greater extent then the status quo. Note, a perfect world scenario of no doping at all does not and will not exist. Sad but true.

Don't know if anyone has read Christophe Bassons book, A clean break but from reading it one thing became clear to me and that was the extent of doping in professional cycling. That NOT doping is (was) the exception and given the performance of the riders now vs the so called "doping era" of Lance, being clean still is the exception. We all know that the dope doctors will always be one step ahead of the people policing the system purely because you can only police things which you know exist and can test for. Also given the extent of doping in cycling, the UCI cannot afford to blow the whistle on all the suspected offenders as it's very existence would be threatened by it. Simply put, sponsors don't want to be seen to be involved with doping, and if the true extent of it were revealed by the UCI there wouldn't be any sponsors or professional teams left. Case in point, UCI's poor handling of the Denis Menchov doping case this past week. So, about level playing fields. It's probably (realistically) a mere myth. It has never existed in cycling and probably never will. Question is, if sponsors etc could live with a legal doping system, would the playing field be more level? Science says no.... But I think that this conclusion may underestimate the impact of the differing abilities between the doctors. Perhaps some doctors are better than others? Maybe the question should be, would the system then be more fair? I.e. the perceived leveling of the opportunity? Maybe. What I do know is that at present, the playing field is far from level, and most probably never was. Team doctors are more critical to performance than coaches.

A little off topic - and maybe deserving it's own thread; The UCI will ALWAYS be behind the latest doping methods. So here's a suggestion.... something like mary_juanna in the Netherlands. Let the pro's all dope. Legalise it and be done with it. That way nobody else will ever be fooled into thinking that our beautiful sport is clean. Because it isn't. It never has been. It never will be. Legalising it will be the closest thing to leveling the playing field as we're ever going to get. I'ts a very flawed and unethical solution, but hey, is the current situation any better?! Food for thought.

+1 on this - Used to ride Fizik and had the same problem. Now have spez saddles on all my (non spez) bikes.... problem solved. Saddles width is prescribed based on sit bone width - giving you a more stable base from which to pedal. Also less chaffing and no numb nuts

Yeah monster is about first 35kms or so - rest isn't bad at all....

Agreed.

Ok entry sorted

Thanks JC! I see you riding strong in the VB's too - nice going!

I thought the race was well organised, with the exception of the seeding and lack of gaps between batches. I was fortunate enough not to have to wait anywhere, but feel sorry for the people that did have to wait. As for the route, it was a good challenge, the rocky loose climbs and descents were great, route marking was spot on (even without marshalls ) but compared to the 75kms at Dullstroom and Sabie this year (albeit they were in wet and muddy conditions) it wasn't nearly as tough. So I don't see merit in anyone complaining that this was too tough...... especially seeing as though the first 10kms were free (cruising in the bunch). Day 2 was nice and short.... a nice little sprint to finish the legs off. I think if they just sort out the batch start, the backlogs won't be as big an issue. A nice, affordable race, challenging yet manageable route for most riders.

Seeding index 19 and in D. The irritating part is that this race is a qualifier for world champs - one would think that they would realise that they had a responsibility to get seeding right. The reply I got from the race organiser is that "they weren't too worried about it because the rolling start meant that the last rider only crossed the start 3 minutes later, so not much time would be lost". Clearly he has never raced and does not quite understand how much a field spreads out (with a 1000 riders!) and that if you start near the back you will never again see the front of the race no matter how fast you are. My reply to him was that it wasn't just 3 minutes lost time.... it was much more than this AND energy spent trying overtake. (Never mind messing up everyone's day - as everyone has different goals etc).

Hehe - but that's just the thing.... I don't want to work unnecessarily...... I'll just start at the front and they can prove me wrong to do so later

Ok registration report. Goodie bag.... good. Seeding.... royally c0cked up.... to the extent that they can't (won't) even fix it there. Looks like the ol honesty system at the start line for batching. Hope this isn't a sign of whats to come.

And for cycle science - It just got a WHOLE lot smaller...... thanks to all this great publicity. Would have been a far cheaper exercise if they just owned up and made it right.

Won't be buying as much as a plug or spare tube from this place..... even if I have to push my bike home from broadacres. R37k for a grey/fake frameset no matter how you spin it sounds a little crazy to me.... and their response.... not doing themselves any good I'm afraid.

Keep it. He is still one of the best cyclists ever. (personality traits aside). There is doping in Professional cycling. Always has been, always will be. And if you really don't want to keep it. Name your price.

Are you sure about this? Saying that he doesn't know and approve of what his co author and other followers are saying is like asserting that JZ knew nothing of the Nkandla upgrades. And if you look back at the thread I got flamed first for expressing a valid concern. Your and capricorns reactions were very defensive ..., cult like even. PS - I also went to a talk or two where the distinction between who should go on this LCHF diet was NOT clearly distinguished. If anything he has tried to clarify himself in more recent times because of the push back he has likely received. And that's me done here- I won't attack your precious leader any further. He has already ascended to the status of a deity in your minds, common sense or free thinking clearly have no place here. Follow away lemmings.

You are hardly worth the effort cretin. Exit stage left.

I think I did that above. And I think you are nit-picking - but I'll bite anyway. I assume you are a loyal minion that freely absorbs the BS that you are fed. You're probably also a few hundred zuma's poorer as a result of buying the books. Your bitterness should however not render you quick to attack. But I'll forgive you, given that your diet may have impacted your better judgement.

The co author of the book advocated this - personally in an email. Suggesting that my wife should try this diet in spite of her genetic profile. As she is the co author I assume she speaks for both of them.

My 2 cents.... very late to the party I know. But I think that one needs to pay careful consideration to your own genetic profile and how your own body responds to different food groups. Some people don't deal as well with meat and fats and others not so well with carbs. Noakes coming out with this one size fits all is concerning, especially when there is years and years of peer reviewed research to the contrary. I think the way that they have handled this is irresponsible, especially given the amount of money he made on his first book and the amount that he's made now off this latest one. I'll also venture to say that any diet will cause radical weight loss when you the food alternatives given cause you to reduce your total calorie intake and/or your body rejects / struggles to use what you are putting in it.

So glad I gave this one a miss this morning!

Too funny..... now the pro's are getting in on the strava action too!

Feedback - tough tough day on the bike! Lots of falling, impossibly slippery in some places.... Descents treacherous...... Climbs very steep and slippery. 10th in marathon for me and it took 4hrs24. Broken.com