Nettie R

We played around with ideas how to get back and forth without handing car keys to a stranger. It would've cost quite a bit to put up a 3rd person in B&Bs for three days. With no firm plans about a shuttle before the entry process we passed up on the entry. :-(

Stage 2 used to start at 9am. Now it's 8h30, leaving me less time to finish, and gulp down a food and drink before stage 2. Staggered start from 6h30=I will probably be on the road at 7. Back in the fit/young day (2003) I got to Nelspruit at 8h20. No point of rolling into town just to carry on straight into stage 2. (and don't tell me to train harder. It's not an option.)

Getting to the start I think is not the issue. If you park your car at the start and the finish is some kms away, is there a shuttle to take you back to the car after day 3, or do you have to arrange your own t/port?

But there's satisfaction in fixing your own puncture/chain and passing the very same guys who did not even bother to ask if you need help as they came past.

+1 I paid R35 for my reflective vest at Industrial clothing co.

Main race on sunday? Last year we went riding on Sunday to see game after Saturday's race. When we got back to the chalet at 12h00, we got the angry look from cleaners who wanted us checked out by 10h00 already, even though we asked for a late checkout the day before.Somehow I don't see myself being back at the finish line before lunch.

Race, etc aside: What gets me is the degree of violence. Crime victims lose their lives for small valued items, sometimes the robbers flee empty handed. A 29yr old Pretoria women lost her life earlier in the week when robbers shot her whilst she was getting out of her car at her parents' home and they fled empty handed. 2nd attempted robbery on their farm. Very sad.

You place serious accusations out there. Do you suggest bribery from a rider herself or from outside sources? Perhaps you are close to riders who weren't picked, and feel insulted. But like someone said: What's done is done. Try and live with it.

Seems like there was an issue with the venue as the original entry read Nelspruit. We thought of doing the mtb event. Then the entries were closed for a while, and suddenly popped up with venue at Babbas lodge and buffelspoort.

The law provides that stolen property can be removed from even the 3rd, 4th,5th person in the possession queue without compensation whether he bought it knowing it's stolen or not. But it makes sense that the authorities need to handle this. For all the 3rd,4th guy knows, he may be the lawful owner of the item.

Your R400 was probably just enough for normal post based on volumetric weight. Speed services would've been four times that. Check out the post office website for fees.

But if you insisted on a specific service and the sender used any other method, he carries the risk. ?

I did not tell him to quit. If the workers are all on strike still, he will not get a phone answered or someone who will take if upon themselves to help him look for it.

+1 If the Ferreiras claim against the RAF as she now advised, it was reported the driver is guilty. Besides waiting forever for a payout from the fund (if it's not bankrupt by then) can they not drag the driver to court?

Perhaps give them some time. As far as I know the PO is on strike still. I sent a parcel with speed services 10 days ago, still not delivered.

The 40km route was much easier this year, cutting out the swamp and popping into Utopia from nowhere. But it was fun, untill I lost it on one of the last rocky downhills. Came down hard and thankfully a guy stopped to pick me up, all tangled up with the bike. Lost a lot of time in the beginning due to congestion but that's what you get for starting at the back.

They'll send you a link via e-mail

The same experience for me. After day 1, I got the lecture from hubby that I should toughen up and that I was being too nice. A lot of pushing and shoving from some men, on and off the track. I rode and plated my food(!) more defensive and that worked out well.

We had the same issue, felt like hours for our box to arrive and with our tools in it to dissassemble the bikes for the shuttle to the airport, we were stuck. Fortunately the Nando's burger made the wait worthwhile. Made it just in time and I ended up getting on the bus all dirty.

After 7hrs in the saddle I was as hungry as a horse. i ate of EVERYTHING on the table. Food poisening is a serious allegations for a chef. Too much clover choc milk perhaps? It can be a number of things.

surely food poisening would've affected just about the whole field, not just a few. Good hygiene is vital at stage events.

for this simple reason that our local airlines and acsa are not reliable, we decided to drive from jhb to dbn airport and took the shuttle. It added many hrs to our travel time but we were assured of our arrival. Sorry about your bad luck.

B in trail. They must've seen hubby's J2c seeding, because it's not my seeding.

In an ideal world,yes. But with unemployment at its highest, and the older white male a dying breed in the work place, it's the harsh reality that work comes before play. Ratty, don't wait another year to partner up with dad. Find a nice two,three day event in the very near future and enjoy that time with him. I'm sure for him it's about riding with you,doesn't matter what event it is.

No, be confident in your training you've done. Make a decision to switch off to talk about how difficult the race will be and get excited about the people, sights you'll be sharing. So what if we're a bit slower because of an extra uphill. We'll get to the end when we get there. (shooo-whaaa) I think the Sabie marathon in Feb had a lot to do with my mindset right now.