Shebeen

@LarryMTB will say that I can't have an opinion here with my zero munga finishes, but I'm not convinced this rapier is going to handle a karoo gunfight.

can you remind us plebs here. who has podiumed (or top5) previously and riding this year?

I wasn't looking at the figure here, but that they are presumably employing more eyes on the mountain. one of the responsibilities hidden in there is patrolling. and the physical requirements are going to make sure only fit people get in - Passing of fitness trial which includes: (dependent on the deployment activities) 2,4 km run in 12 minutes or less Ability to do 30 pushups and 30 sit-ups in under a minute Successful candidates are then granted an interview this is not from Sanparks budget, EPWP is a work placement program for unemployed people to get into the game. show some initiative and it's a stepping stone into the labour pool.

Not sure what a ranger's salary is. What TMNP needs is not game rangers, they need security guards. but hey, thought i'd go and see what is going there, and they posted this on friday https://www.sanparks.org/about/jobs/default.php?id=58965

Ja, well. As an entity for the citizens does sanparks need to operate as a business and turn a profit? It should be run on efficient means, but just like health and education it doesn;t need to pay for itself. but ja, the cross subsidizing of other parks is a problem if minimal is spent on TMNP. especially since sanparks has only owned this one for 25years now. we know this whole story from TokaiMTB getting zip out of the permit the trails that they generate the funds from. it's a crap situation.

it's actually R35k! originally entry was 10 000$, and if my goggling is correct this is now the 10th one (first in 2014). https://marathonmtb.com/2014/06/09/the-munga-confirms-prize-money/

Life would be very boring if we agreed on everything. If you feel so strongly about it, then share your thoughts with us. Add to the conversation. You might even be able to turn some people. Opinions will be hardcore on this one, was the case from the moment the million dollar prize money announced it. If I'm not mistaken people even get Munga tattoos now.

someone touch you on your munga, tough guy? back to the race, anyone been on Ouberg pass recently? did it survive the wet and wild winter we had? other route change is that bainskloof is back (might have been last year already actually, 2023 has flown for me!)

nope.I only race for prize money

yet they come back every year! just checked. it's actually R35k you get another fortnight of riding where you want and seeing awesome things!

is that the actual race or just a group ride? If the latter, who is overtaking who?

like actual Gary Kirsten?! I remember as proteas coach he bunked day1 of a test match to go run the 2oceans or something once, classic.

Maybe people are bored with a 1000km sufferfest in the karoo heat? I know there are loads of people who keep on going back for more, and yes it sure is a tough challenge. The race has a few possible narratives (sometimes there's even a bit of podium action to keep it entertaining) but it's kind of the same story each year just with different names. Smurfy is doing it, rad. there's a long list of roadpros who came in with serious legs and ended up in a foetal position crying into their chamois, hopefully he can avoid that trap. Each to their own, I'd rather use time and fitness (and entry RRR) on something I find a little less futile (imho). ps. oh, this is actually just a clickbaity post to get more action on @gemmerbal and is fund raising efforts in this race!

No marshalls were mugged. crazy world were journalism now uses facebook keyboard warriors as their news sources. in other news, this also off facetwit so may be made up. looks legit though! The TMNP is paid for by National Govt. JP Smith in a written question this week asking how much the TMNP which funds SANParks maeks in revenue. The answer was R300m and it said its outgoings were R97m so the profit is R203m - which is not reinvested into security but goes to National Govt. JP said that if only half the revenue TMNP earned - R100m - was paid into security of the mountain it would pay for 400 extra rangers to support the present 70 rangers many of whom are diverted to the south of the mountain on anti-poaching duties. Out of that R100m would come the vehicles needed, drones, cameras etc and give us 500 pairs of boots in total on that mountain 24/7. JP is asking why the National Govt will not finance SANParks out of the R300m a year it makes out of Cape Town tourists and locals on the mountains....

https://content.rapha.cc/no/en/a/story/festive-500 ok now i know what you're talking about

i thought you rode a stinkbike these days?! I think we can both be right on this one!

In my experience a red light that will be properly visible in the african daylight needs to be a monster red light, and you can't use that in a group without blinding the oke on your wheel. I see tjaainas riding with these, in their all black kit that is the fashion that all the rapha et al insist on selling to you to look cool. Just wear something bright if you want to be noticed in the day, never need to charge it.

What a barefaced lie. I'd be happy for admin to give this guy a week to: a: remove or change this review to reflect the facts b:remove his multiple adverts. If not, ban him. His honour is worth R400; he belongs on gumtree and this place would be better off without him.

click on this link

nope not me. should claim it though! all good. enjoy jozi!

I'm guessing this is the feedback/reassurance you were hoping to get - great work hubsa. I feel the important thing in this scenario is to have a GP who both knows you and has current experience with cardio issues and athletes (yes you're an athlete). You're looking to manage the balance between staying fit, active and not keeling over at km26 on a kerkbazaar prettrap If you don't think your current doc has experience in managing this sort of thing, then look around. but like Ouzo says, that's my thumbsuck too!

no probs, you came out swinging and are justifying both your arguments and your shortcomings. We will get on well! We agree on most things here, the probable disconnect is people's line in the sand between the ideal situation and reality on the ground is. At the end of the day it takes a bike race minimum three years to build a good reputation and a single one to mess it up and go back to minus one. This is up to RideJoburg to sort out or they will only shoot themselves in the foot. I can't believe that a megacity can shut off all the highways for a sunday but can't find a decent start finish venue. I'd be looking at schools/sportsclubs/malls if the stadium isn't possible. (argus is finished at from hamiltons rugby/cricket club fields). ok enough mixed metaphors now, since you mentioned obsfest and I'm a business member in the community there i leave you with what they relaunched in between covid lockdown windows. hopefully they can do it again, it's not all doom and gloom - I'm even off to the armchair tomorrow night!

ja totally not fingerpointing at bikepark. They very cool people. the fact that they found and offer solution to SANparks stoopid annual permit system makes them lekker. I think they actually comp your parking, maybe other vendors do and then uitsig comp that back. it's uitsig with their big security and access setup that charges a small fee (presumably to keep riff raff out). It's more a hack trying to look after a ticket and pay the nominal fee when all you're doing is visiting a place (and probably dropping ca$h). I have seen people stuck at the exit gate who have lost/forgotten their ticket and security just waves them through after a chit chat!

The part where your suggested Plan A is to leave. That's hardly a viable plan and not "standing up for yourself" like you first suggested. Your Plan B is get a gun. I didn't realize jozi went down the tubes enough that the parking lot at a bike race is the O.K. Corral. A bike race needs to provide secure parking for your car (and bike). That's one of the tickboxes for a race to work and survive in the future. End of story.

Tickets booked. Come on slaapstad, pull in!