DJR

By all means hang it somewhere good, but ride it every so often. Best is to take it out when your mates are all riding their plastic wonders and then not just keep up with them, but make them hurt for the privilege to hang with royalty! (You did see my tongue somewhat in my cheek for the last part, didn't you?)

Sometimes, just once in a very blue decade, brown trout becomes easy. Usually skittish as all hell compared to rainbows, especially in wild, small, high mountain streams. They are just sooooo pretty and there are so few places in SA where there are real wild selfsustaining populations. These were a bit darker than usual because they come out of a dark whiskey coloured stream. They were not yet in their spawning clours which bring out some red spots. My wife says it was because it was my birthday and she arranged for the brownies to oblige........love my wife, even though I think that is a very tall fishy story. (Cederberg)

Plus: Deale & Huth is a real piece of SA cycling history. Yes, keep it, clean it up, service/rebuild it front to back, but keep it original. Edit: And ride it every now and then!

Heard of the ultimate training plan recently.......guy said he goes riding whenever the electricity goes off ........ he'snever been as fit as right now 😃

Just want to add here how chuffed I am with Chris Jooste and his win. He has worked very hard from very young and deserve this for sure. I have known him since he was a little chap in Prince Albert where we both grew up. (His father and I competed as kids.) As a schoolboy, and for a couple of years after that, Chris used to be my own fathers' (the senior DJR before his passing) occasional training buddy. The old man was then in his mid seventies and Chris was of course waaaaaaay faster. The unlikely pair rode together on Chris' recovery days and sometimes hill repeats. One for the senior DJR and multiples for Chris, I suppose ! He rode his first CTCT as a 12 year old and if I remember right, he won every age group until he was 18 and turned professional. Their riding together came to an end when Chris joined his first professional team. He is a climber and the CTCT is not the kind of race that would normally have a winner like him. But then, he has always been at least as tough as a Jack Russel Terrier with a never say die attitude. It certainly worked out for him this past Sunday. I'm pretty sure my Old Man watched Sundays race and cheered at least as loud as he used to cheer for Proooooovince!

It's Cape Town, you'll have autumn, winter, spring and summer before the electricity comes on again.

Beattbox, can we PLEASE go do this in stead of riding the Cycle Tour? 🤪

Cool single engined asymmetrical tail jet that one. 😁

Shikes, your post caused a sudden and severe outbreak of green on the Bikehub.

Sounds about like ZA (Posted with the rattle and humm of the generator outside my window.)

Good to hear from you Slowbee. 👍 And, yes, hope you bunch of NZ Saffas are aLL ok.

I can help pointing out what you DO NOT want: 1. Old Land Rover Defender 2. Jeep Wrangler You will be ice cold cool if you get one of those, but you will also be broke. Bike budget will be totally broken. I know, I have those and my two student sons borrow them at will, always know how to return it with just 1 litre of fuel left in the tank and take one that has recently been filled up. Come to think of it, NOW I see their sneaky plan................

I once had a tour guide explain to us that there WAS a windfree area in Sea Point. She said to look at the trees on the mountain side of the street -- they were growing somewhat curved into the road from the Southeaster. Then she pointed out the trees on the seaward side -- they were growing curved the opposite way, from a Northwester. Now, think about it, she said -- on the white line in the middle of the road -- THAT is where the windfree area of Sea Point is! If your name is Flat Stanley you would be able to feel it too!🤪

This far, this is the shot of the year. (Challenge to Dale 🤪)

My backyard. Busy with Summer School and students starting to arrive.

Heard this morning that (sadly) they had to shoot the tiger. So, now you only have to worry about the criminals again. Pity they can't shoot those so easily, they kill many more people than tigers.

Aaagh, you KNOW always to pick RED ....... like bikes, they make you FASTER baby!

My backyard

I always KNEW trailrunners were dodgy..........🤪

Ha ha, heard that before.....but a little different.......he wanted a Land Rover that doesn't leak oil.

..........and red wine

I think the M3 is a good one to try if they want to add a shorter route. It is vastly simpler to arrange logistically, from a traffic disruption as well as smart use of resourses point of view. If it gets a few hundred or perhaps a few thousand people out on their bikes and riding, then I'm all for it. It will not detract from the normal distance ride. The M3 is also a lot more scenic than some people give it credit for. (Yes, it is my Hood) I recall how much I enjoyed cresting Hospital Bend going back on the shortened Fire Tour and seeing the whole of the bay vista open up when going under the bridge framing it like a painting. And then the Mountain View. And the crazy crowds on Edinburgh Drive. And our own Ivy League, UCT. and Newlands Forest. Pink March Lilies on the verges. Yes, it was the year I took it easy and smelled the roses ....... which is exactly what I think more people should do.

UCT jumps are derelict at the moment. Since the students were forced to go home for the Covid lockdown, it was left and had become overgrown since then. Then the fires ran right over it and the new growth took over. Also, some crazy person (I think fresh out of the funny farm) built there and you will find things that are absolutely NOT rideable, let alone safe. It needs a LOT of fixing up and demolition of some structures. Unfortunately that cannot happen before next winter as the clay is concrete hard this time of year.

I think it will essentially take 3 things: 1.Remove the vagrants and homeless that have invaded mostly PRASA owned land around that stretch and made their encampments there. Among them are the robbers and criminals. 2. Replace the idiotic wire mesh fences with something sturdy that is much more difficult to break open and make access and escape points. 3. Patrol consistently and CATCH, prosecute and lock up the few individuals who are fuelling this crime wave.

There is simply no will on the side of the politicians and the burocrats (including the cops) to fight crime. They simply don't care and are incompetent on top of that. We are on our own.🤕