Harryn

It is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

Yeah, and I see he pipped you to the post by 1 second. International Court of Arbitration for Sport? [emoji6] Btw, when it comes to arbitrary rules, I reckon the sleeveless top ban, definitely takes the cake!

He didn't ride it - he was just referencing my asking why not, and you just answered it, with scary insight.

Awesome to meet you, Ben! You went past me like a bullet. The event was totally awesome, I loved every minute. Thank you face Plant for a fantastic race, as usual. And for the merida mouse pad and socks! We spent a half hour at the water/biscuit/potatoes/biltong/freindly tannies point, waiting for a guy who was doing his first ride. (He says he will never talk to us again). People can't even complain about the mud this time. Can't wait for the next summer one [emoji3].

But the various Kauai juices are great!

How was the coffee? My personal experience is that it tastes like frothed piss.

What will happen is that you will get a time when the provisional results are posted right after the race. But, then within 24 hours, once racetec have reconciled their finishers list with the race organizer's database of paid up entrants, you're toast. King for a day.

Well, if you are coming in to the finish at the same time as the long distance alphabet soup riders, it means that you have been out there for close on 3 hours or maybe more. So, I would imagine that the distance and the elevation are irrelevant if you have not taken on nutrition, and especially if you are a beginner.

I hear you, Patch. But On a personal note, I must say that I would prefer that my offspring suck on high octane caffeine gu laced with tequila, instead of those insidious little blue sachets of chamois cream.

Below is a paste of the email in its entirety. I am posting it not because I give a continental about the goody bag. I don't. But it contains a lot other important info, so i thought it would be useful to share. To beat Spinnekop's drum, it's galactic stupidity to make us give up a working afternoon and a quarter tank of avgas to pick up a lousy piece paper. If I can't delegate this, I will in future do the unthinkable with a permanent marker on the reverse side of last year's race number. Turning to the below mail, I am mildly concerned about what they have to say re the merge with the short race, having once been nearly taken out on the skf finishing hill by a bonked and wildly weaving short distance rider. Great Caution will be needed to keep the rubber face down after the merge, especially because the bunches will be bigger than ever this year, if the subscription uptake and the mild weather predictions are to be believed. Be. Careful. Out. There. Your family, your collar bone & spleen are more important than your sub 3. --------------------------------------->> "Thanks for joining us for Sunday’s tenth running of the Emperors Palace Classic. Registration: Registration will take place at the big ASG Marquee next to the overflow parking on the left as you enter at Emperors Palace on the following days: Wednesday 19 April 2017: 10h00 – 16h00: Thursday 20 April 2017: 10h00 - 16h00 Friday 21 April 2017: 10h00 - 16h00 Saturday 22 April 2017: 9:00 – 15:00 Proceeds from the event go to the Cancer Association of South Africa and we have taken the decision not to provide goody bags this year. The goody bag budget expense will be added to the contribution that will be going to CANSA. We have received donations of Nestle Bar Ones and High 5 zero tabs which are free to take for riders at registration. ASG is putting up a 200 square metre shop at registration with lots of special offering and race day aids will be on sale. Starting Times: The main event starts at 06h15 and all riders receive text messages with their starting times and batches. Batches and start times are also printed on race numbers which riders receive at registration. Parking: This year cyclists will be ushered to either the grassed parking area adjacent to Emperors Palace (off Griffiths Road) or into a new parking area which ACSA has afforded the event off Jones Road (directly across from the start/finish). Both these parking areas are adjacent to the start/finish and a much better option than the Emperors Palace complex parking which the organisation will keep clear this year to ensure that complex activities can carry on smoothly alongside the running of the Emperors Palace Classic. Jones Road will be closed on Sunday ,you need to access parking from Griffiths offramp PLEASE ADHERE TO PARKING OFFICIALS INSTRUCTIONS. Please ensure that you afford yourself enough time to get to your parking spot as late comers will experience traffic delays of up to 1 hour outside Emperors. Riders must make their way outside to the starting pens, which are located in Jones Road in front of the UTI and Europcar offices. Riders have to be in their starting pens 15 minutes prior to their start and adhere to officials instructions. The cut-off at the finish line is at 13:00 and a cut-off of 12:00 will be enforced at the left turn into Rondebult Road for the long distance ride. Race numbers will be removed from riders after these cut-offs and should they choose to continue they will form part of normal traffic and have to adhere to all traffic rules. The finish line will be lifted at 13:00 and riders who cross the line after 13:00 will not receive an official time. Route: We have been afforded road closure in Jones Road for the start as well as Boundary Road. All other areas of the route are not closed and cyclists need to be aware of vehicles at all times. It is very important to keep to the left and give vehicles room to pass. Riders in the 48km follow the 98km route until the turn-around in Boundary Road. The outbound two lanes in Boundary Road will be closed to traffic and coned off in the middle of the two outbound lanes. 48km riders make a U-turn shortly before Carnival City and come back on the same side of Boundary Road on which they rode out, but on the other side of the cones. They join the 98km at the turn into Rondebult Road. Riders need to be aware at this joining and ensure they integrate sensible and safely for the journey back to Emperors Palace. Both distances follow the same route back to Emperors Palace from this point. For complete route maps, go to www.emperorsclassic.co.za Let’s have fun and look after each other!"

No. ASG say in the email that they gave it to charity. charity begins at home.

Entered!! Face Plant, is there number collection on race morning, as in the Summer race?

Machine, much respect, Ben![emoji122] Stupid question: were you not concerned about your Garmin battery dying, and did you have a backup?

My bad, sorry, should have read properly.

Yeah, but was there not talk of re-routing the short ride due to planned protest action?

Now it's a toss up between this and Tour of Durban [emoji848]

Why not get onto your bike, and go for a ride outta the city. If you get the same thing, you know your watch is toast, and return it. Might just be that when you do this Jupiter will align with Mars.

Try enable GLONAS

Respect, in spades. and not only for the numbers.

Well, I did not ride the Argus, and I was not the only one who didn't. But I rode to Emperors Palace, and thought of Barry on my cycle, as I have been doing each night in the pool these past weeks since he was hospitalized. I told my riding mate all about the large personality on the hub called Tumbleweed, and my brief interaction with him in real life. Next weekend, I think we will go East again - this time to Benoni - a fitting destination for my own personal "memorial ride". Let us keep his memory alive.

I have been dreading opening this thread today, for fear of this terrible news. But, I am glad Barry's suffering is over. The world is a lesser place without you in it. The bikehub won't be the same without you. I am really going to miss your many posts, always concise, often eclectic, always spot on. Always up to date, insightful. The go-to man on all things news, politics, current affairs is gone - I can't believe it. No discussion on the CPA or the Competition Commission, will be complete without Barry. No more pics of his canines in the pets thread. Who will single handedly bust the next cycling price fixing cartel?? What a void has this tragedy left. My sincere condolences to the family. RIP Barry, Tumbleweed, Holy Roller

I have called the SANBS to find out if its possible to donate and designate ones bleed to a specific patient. It is, but there is some admin, including a letter which the donor would need from Barry's doctor, specifying his blood group, and the blood product required. Also, prospective donors would need to go to SANBS at Benoni. I will post the address and all further details if and when there is a need for this initiative, which i will co-ordinate. In the meantime, please note: if you are a prospective donor, there is a charge levied for the logistics of a designated donation. The donor can pay this, although they cant tell me what the amount would be. Again, we can interrogate this when we have more clarity - but the object is not to lub Tumbles with extra billings for these costs (blood and platelets are hectic expensive as it is), so the donor should be prepared to pay the logistics fee if at all possible. Anyway, i have sent a tweet to Kevin asking him IF there is a need for copious amounts of blood, and if so, whether we can help - but i am sure not going to bug him about it. The last thing a family needs or wants in circumstances like these is to be pressured with admin by anyone, so lets all just wait and what, if anything, develops.

Kevin: if you get to read this. Reading about the transfusion- If Barry needs blood, mine is A+, and clean, and I'm in, in a nanosecond, if I am a match. i will lay odds there are plenty willing people here of like mind. #blooddrive4tumbles

Kevin, thank you for the update, sobering and scary as it is. I cannot begin to imagine what you and your family are going through. Barry is one of the good guys; as clever, smart, compassionate and engaging as his online persona depicts. Crikey, that's gotta count for something in the big celestial scheme of things. I am thinking of him lots; checking this thread for updates, hoping always for good news. Everyone is rooting for him.

My God.this is terrible, I'm shocked. Barry, I really really hope you get to read this. Soon. Thinking of you, brother