argie1

PPA has been doing a great job in the WP for about 35 years? I'm sure the Capetonians wouldn't want to pay more money for what they already have, so why must they be forced to? If PPA don't do anything for you in another province, get off your butt and start off with nothing like WPPPA did and make something of it. Maybe PPA should charge "out of towners" the CSA fee for the Argus but not the locals, would you CSA supporters rather prefer that?

Looks like you all had fun but what happened with the OP? Did she perhaps verdwaal or worse, maybe still out there?

I agree that we don't need to wear special numbers or bike number plates, etc. If this really worries anyone, get together and approach the authorities to enforce the traffic laws, the infrastructure for this exists, albeit in a corrupted state. That way, all road users will at some stage get caught for traffic act contraventions and only then will the roads eventually become safer. Unfortunately we are not up to EU standards, this remains Africa, our president is a sad reminder these days when he opens his mouth to change feet. At the Druiwefees on Saturday, a traffic vehicle is holding traffic back just before Bela Bela and the bicycles are passing left but some *&^% baboon (apologies to the real baboons) decides he is too important and overtakes all the cars on the RHS, partly off the road. Don't know if the cop did anything, as we were passing him as this happened but I doubt he has the gonads for any action. We all blame the cyclists, taxis, truck drivers, etc. for the way they drive and they drive like that because they can. I commute between Pretoria & Jhb each working day and I don't see the traffic cops anymore, so where are they hiding? They can't all be stopping cars at OR Tambo. Incidently, have R 30 bucks in your ID in case you roll over the parking lot stop line. Eish, it says STOP. Its the African way.

Well I believe that Boyes drive is now out of the route so that could pull 4 mins off your time, what you guys think? Have any Kapenaars actually ridden Boyes and Main Road to compare? Would anyone like to do that for comparison, hey how about a new fred and posting your times for both routes?

Aah my favourite race. I agree a fast 94.7 doesn't equate to a sub 3 Argus. I was 3 mins quicker in this years 94,7 at 2h49 but only did a 3h11 Argus starting from E. BUT, the E bunch rode like crap with only a few okes wanting to work and we were all 4 mins behind the scheduled average at Simonstown for a sub 3. They say it went downhill from there

Last year they said it was hot and windy ......... or was that a ref to baked beans ?

This is sad that it's taken a life before some of the 35 000 or 50 000 odd cyclists in the country want to take action. But, one thing sems to be clear that if PPA are indeed sitting on stashed cash, then it's time for a rival cycling body to be formed in Cape Town. One that actually will do something for cyclists to make it safer in the Cape, and in so doing, will "guarantee" its future existance by retaining members through its actions and this will hopefully lead to similar cycling bodies being formed in other areas. 35 odd years ago I used to cycle that road and I am always checking over my shoulder. Some motorists just do not look for pedestrians, cyclists or motorbikes, they look for cars and trucks before overtaking. Bright colour jerseys? years ago a friend was nearly killed despite his neon green top, a truck still managed to hit him in the yellow lane. Put him in intensive care for months and now he has a permanent limp. I don't know what the answer is to making it safer for cyclists and pedestrians, perhaps a petition we can sign at major cycling / running events could be started to be presented to relevant bodies / municipalities / ministers, etc. but we must start doing something. Any doers and shakers out there?

Our usual Saturday morning jaunt down Lynnwood road seems to bring the "best" out in some drivers. In the 35 years I ahve been perched on my saddle, only having being knocked off my perch once, this one tops them all. Please be aware of the Land Rover Discovery 3 or 4, light greenish colour from the East side of Pretoria who cannot drive like 99% of the other motorists and negotiate their way past a group of cyclists. Now we all know that cyclists legally must ride in single file and one day I'd like to arrange a massive group doing just that so see how motorists react, but thats for another day. So you hear this hooter, not a polite warning but the constant blare. I'm at the back and see this Landy, next second it's on the gravel verge overaking us on the left only to push into the group about halfway. So I sprint past and slow down forcing her to either hit me or stop. We exchange verbals, she has a baby behind the driver and a 4 or 5 year old right in the back. She could have thrown this thing over on the gravel. Anyway, she told me in no uncertain terms how wrong we were and that she had not broken any laws and she believes it. At the Boschkop SAPS they told me that as no one was injured and nothing damaged, the prosecutor would just throw the docket out. I mean really, W T F ???

What is needed is for the OR Tambo metro cops to get a "holiday" in the Cape for cycle lane duty. They will tow those parked cars but may stop cyclists with ....... did you got a licence? nah bra, but heres my ID, keep the change my china. tjeers. On second thoughts, stickers would be (far cheaper) easier to carry if you bothered to stop each time.

What, the Argus, already? I better start doing those qualifiers then or I'll end up in X again, that was an experience. Lads, it's the best organised cycle ride you will get in South Africa, it has been since I did my first one in um, ja, .......I think Moses was there too. I'd like to know what they will do after you get your blue number. The other major rides just do not have the hype, the exhibition atmosphere, excited locals and so on. Maybe one day we will be fortunate and have this in Joeys or Pretoria with a major ride but I think they need to find a scenic / not too tough route first. For the record, the 94.7 is tougher than the Argus so you Kaapenaars should think about supporting "our" ride too.

As a member of an EE committee, I am not sure where white folk are supposed to get employment. Experience or qualifications are not the main criteria, African or Indian are now flavour of the day. However, some of the salaries being "demanded" present the option not to pick the non white person and leaves the door open to employ the other person for the job. I agreed to be on the committee as I have just short of 20 years to retirement and I want to make sure my pension fund doesn't get siphoned off by Zuma's nephew or the like. The biggest racists in the company are the Indian men, they promote their kind over the Africans and query any white promotion within the company, even if it is the best choice. From experience, our black staff don't stay, 3 - 5 years and they leave, most went to Eskom, guess thats why we had the power outages a few years back, they don't quite have all the knowledge they thought they did. BEE as we understood it all those years ago was only required if you wanted to work with the government, which we do. You don't need "black" directors to get a BEE rating, just have non white staff which most companies will have, unless they are very small. We however, do have black directors and I have only ever met one at various seminars and he is worth his title. On the other hand, we have some white directors and I wonder whose family they are. Don't get phased by all this, there will always be change and its how we deal with it that makes us what we are.

Hi all, The 100 km route, if I rode it correctly is a good fitness test. From the start out onto Lynnwood, Boschkop n back via Garsfontein road, should be fast. Its reasonably flat for the first half, compared to Hans Strydom Drive (Solomon Mhlangu or something). The little jaunt up HS will warm you up for Rigel. Take a drive from the N1 over Rigel, its not as nasty as it looks but then again, it ain't gonna be easy after 70 odd kms but at least the climbs are much shorter than HS. I just couldn't hold my speed up those Dolly Partons, and I am looking forward to race day. C'mon guys, if we want an annual race in Pretoria, we need to support the events that we do get.

Hi Santa Reynolds, Please get the 2 x 10 cm wide cable trenches running across Rigel South filled in, they have been there for a while so we have a chance to fix them. Bikes with thin wielitjies doing around 40 km plus won't like these. No one will need red bull to go down Rigel North but hang on, 1:8 slope according to the sign post, luckily we won't be going up that side, shoo !!. Are we allowed to exceed the 60 km/h speed limit? You'll do about 75 just free wheeling.

Ha ha what ? ........... I don't think the long fingered gloves could be clumsy, but we get your point. Well I made up my mind, Edge 800 for me this month.

Seeing that common sense seems to have died out, we should have an unwritten rule about this. I move out the "bondel", and even lean down so the following car/s, motorbikes, etc have less chance of being sprayed. Sorry, I never could grasp the idea of a snot lappie in my pocket, eeeuuuu.

Hi Maryke, After 33 years in the saddle I think its about time I got a programme, how do we go about doing this?

Hey I enjoyed the original 104 km Argus route, the detour over ou kaapse when Chappies was closed and now Boyes Drive just adds to making it a fantastic tour. In fact I think they should skip out the main road in future. Those residents used to complain when they closed the road for the Argus, then for the Two oceans and for the remainder of the year they gripe about all the rush hour traffic. Blue route was supposed to join up with Boyes Drive but those golfers complained, thats why the road ends like it does. Check out the golf course when you ride your next Argus. The Kalk Bay end of Boyes drive, just before that steep decent, was meant to go through a tunnel and come out at the Clovelly trafic light / Silvermine river, but the residents complained. Not sure why the flyovers in the city centre were not completed, I guess someone complained. I guess that about sums up Capetonians, I read about R 60 being expensive for funrides.

I'm with the authorities, fine the baas teds. This mornings ride, I'm actually stopped at a red light, that middle to no class motorist, pulls off even before its green for us. Another intersection, I wanna turn, waiting in the middle, green to orange to red and those no class motorists are still chopping through the now red light. I'm then left with an irate motorist trying to cross over in red when the other side are going on green. I am not going to ride in front of a car at a red light. So where are the traffic authorities? I just don't see them and this morning I was on my bike (with lights) from 4 am and got back home after 6 am. I drove to work later but still no traffic cops, maybe thats why everyone seems to drive as they please these days.

That bit about a membership only to ride provincial champs gets me when you need a racing licence to ride in an arbitrary "fun ride" So any wally can take part in champs but you wanna go with the racing snakes, you need da licence. Makes me think it should have been the other way around but hey I'm just a cyclist.

VB 431 also enjoyed my first emperors race til those juniors caught us and it all got mixed up with fun riders with about 15 km to go. That made it awkward to race safely from there so we stayed behind the juniors to pop in at 2h35. I don't mind the distance issues cos I'm ready for my next Argus. Those 50 km fun riders are a problem for the faster bunches though. We had 1 car skidding to a halt at a traffic light, another waiting at a red light not knowing what to do but pulled away only to get overtaken from both sides and a TLB pulling away as we approached a green then he moved right until a marshall stopped it. Brave bugger that.

Did my first in 1980, all 2000 of us in a mass start with a cannon fired off the castle wall. Best was 1986 in 2h50 for 104 km with Ertjie B just 10 mins ahead of me. Worst weather 1987, year of the storm, wanted to go home when I got to Camel Rock, DNF. Since then its been fun just finishing, got about 6 sub 3s along the way. Now I just go and enjoy the ride and help others if they need it. Starting H this year and age has nothing to do with it. TITS = Time in the saddle.

I agree with Mads, cyclists and Argus riders. I've only missed a few Argus cycle tours in my time and never really did any other major rides, until I moved to Pretoria in 2002. It is so much more fun to remain a cyclist and do some of the out of the way rides as well. We did the Modimolle Druiwefees 105 km this weekend and it was really a great ride. Wet in places this year and the new category seeding system worked well for our age group in that the ladies never caught us, despite some promises.

Right, I have worn some of the sprocket teeth as they jump with a new chain. Ask LBS for a replacement and they say, not a 11 - 23 in stock but only a 12 - 23, last one available. Why not upgrade to 10 or 11 speed? First Q: If I bought the last available 9 speed campy unit, how would I know if the 11 on my existing free hub would fit in place of the 12? Second Q: If I do buy the last available, do you think I would be "forced" to upgrade in the future? Never really used more than 8 gears anyway.

You know what? I think it must be the powerband that I tried on in December, they did say it would be attractive on my wrist Pity it had the wrong attraction effect. Was thinking more along the lines of new kit delivered by santa..... thats it, it must be his tube.

Ok, who lost theirs? I didn't have this in December but somehow soemone else's tubby has attached itself around my waist. Now how do I deflate or get rid of this little problem? Who else has this magical attractive power problem?