Jakes20

The photo's are @ www.burningbushmedia.net

Hi SD I started with PC accompanying a friend on his hand cycle. I was on a 20"-wheeled mountain bike. Going up Hans Strydom it became clear that my friend could well do without me and that I could serve others much better, so I rode with two other guys. Turning right into Botha ave there was no marshall but we continued anyway, against a yellow (maybe red) light. A car from our right probably didn't see the bikes (or didn't care to look) and started driving just after I entered the intersection. I got this very bad feeling of something going terribly wrong, but "from nowhere" a marshall on a bike came in between me and the car, stopping the car. If it was you, or whoever on the motorbike, thanks, and thanks for a job well done. J.

Thanks for the replies. Some of the posts make the night-riding thing seem inviting. i think I might just give it a try. Riding in known terrain seems ok, but thinking back about something like Epic I'm kind of glad we could ride accompanied by that big ball of fire.

I often wonder about events where one also rides in the dark. Is that because the participants prefer it that way? I would very much like to do Baviaanskloof one day, Lomar looks stunning, but personally I think of that part of the world as wanting to be "experienced". I battle with really enjoying the surroundings while it's dark. Many events nowadays contain some riding at night. Am I the only one who would have preferred it differently?

Well done. Saw you near Kyalami. From 16" down to 12". What's in your WorkShop for next year?

Hi I thought I'll share with the forum, it might be worth something. On Saturday morning I was riding on the N11 between Middelburg and LoskopDam. Not long after Kranspoort-pass I heard a truck coming from behind. The driver hooted, which left me thinking that it was really unnecessary as there were no cars coming from the front, and the road was wide enough to pass a bicycle without much effort. Quite a number of vehicles, including large trucks, had already passed me the morning - some of the trucks going out of their way to make ample space between us. My first thought was to just try and keep my (left-most) line and let him pass, but with him a couple of metres behind me I got "that feeling" and went onto the gravel. The next moment the truck passed me in such a way that he would not have hit my elbow or handlebar, he would have wiped me out completely. I thought that his bull-bar was maybe 30cm from the edge of the tar. The driver stopped at the Damwal-complex about 10km further where I caught up with him. Obviously some remarks were exchanged and some questions were asked and answered. He asked if I heard him "hit the horn" to which I admitted. He then went on to explain that he drives a big (8 ton) truck transporting dangerous goods which he just collected from CapeTown. It is not easy to "adjust" the direction of the truck as it is not, as I might think, a small car. There is only one way this operates: I hit the horn, you go off the road if you intend living after this day. I tried to explain to him that the courts of the country are not soft on people killing cyclists deliberately and that he can expect some form of trouble continuing with this attitude. He was adamant: I hit the horn and drive straight on. You leave the road if want to live. Been driving like that up to now, no need for a change of way.