Joe Low

This whole thing is bigger than CF. Sky Team have put together a juggernaut that is going to deliver the first British TDF winner ever, plus 2nd or 3rd place. Job done, nothing wrong. Its a boring tour and we all want some drama, but it aint gonna happen and it doesnt really matter. CF will get his ride next year as top dog, probably on another team, and i hope it provides some serious competition for BW and interest for the viewers.

I ride my bikes 200mtrs to the end of the road to Tony Impey's, I wouldnt go any further. Finish and klar.

I dont think most of us know our true motivations for most of the things we do. Even the way the OP is set up projects an image of how the person wants to be perceived, as does this reply about me. Safe to say, if you're competitive you werent loved enough by your parents, have a small willie & a need to prove yourself at every opportunity through deep-seated feelings of inadequacy & latent homosexuality. Me? I just love the feel of the wind through (whats left) of my hair ......and to WIN, WIN, WIN - ya hear me!!!! I WANT TO WIN

Yeah you can go like that, but i feel undressed without shorts and a shirt.

I want one......even if it doesnt work. @ Slowbee - I havent done one yet but me and Nancy Drew are a team for this year's TB.

To me the OP is average age, doing the average training and coming halfway up the field - nothing wrong. I found 6 hrs training a week made a big difference in race results, probably because there is a big tail off with most people not willing to make that extra time to train. 4-5 hrs is two average rides at the weekend and a spinning class. But, as others have said, it depends on intensity.

Was last off the track at Kyalami 7pm last night - it was cold and am feeling it today despite being dressed pretty much how Azonic describes. Its leaving me wanting to get some better gear at the weekend esp as Transbaviaans is coming. Had First Ascent base layer, long sleeve cycle shirt, Gore windbreaker. Cheap long bibs, thermal socks, Polar Buff. Top half got cold & thighs - i think its because Kyalami is pretty much built on a hill so you toil up there, get hot, then steep descent followed by flat/slightly downhill where the sweat comes off and its $&%^#* cold. Any ideas on warmer gear?

If you put something on a public forum, its there to be talked about, not just for folk to agree with your point of view. I'm assuming, as you're not saying, that his folks were in the park doing different things and he was off by himself - fine. Its a call that parents have to make and live with. Its a jungle out there. @ Herman - am guessing thats a rhetorical rant and you dont really want to discuss it.

Sorry to be an asshole but why not answer the question, its not unreasonable?I have a 9, nearly 10 year old, and wouldnt dream of letting him ride off on his own. How long was the poor kid alone and bleeding having been hit with a pipe? Why would I or anyone else have to "back off"? Seems very odd it cant be talked about beyond the point you want to make, which seems to be how awful everything is.

Whats a 10yr old doing by themselves there (or anywhere), where's the parents?

1800 calories is 75% of an adult male's daily requirement - it wont burn off in an hour & a half otherwise no-one would ever have a weight problem.

Pah - there's a flat bit on that hill 13kms up.

There's pros semi-pros and a lot of very fast licenced riders on the Hub so am not going to compete there. BUT there's a little bit of Ricky Bobby in all of us & I too "wanna go fast". Managed 90kmh on Butchers Hill in the Fast One a couple of yrs back (when it was fast) Last year was on charity tour in Namibia and we did 216km in 5:40, heading due West to Swakupmund across the desert. There was a howling tailwind for 180kms of that so that us middle-aged management types were going 50kmh+ on the flat. Helluva cheat, helluva thrill -never had anything like it before or since.

+1 - had one order come in 10 days the other was four weeks, both placed at the same time.

He broke the rollers!!! What a guy, can you imagine the power coming out of that squat marsupial?

Where do you think Wiggins has it over Evans? Seeing the last two stages Evans looked like the aggressor, has plenty of ideas and seemed to finish stronger. Is that just because he's 10 secs down or has he got more reserves to draw on?

You've got a while to recover before the thread title changes to Cav closing in on Eddie Merckx. He's next on the list of "most stage wins" at 34. Now that would be blasphemy.

The sprinters are the sub-plot to the main event. They provide the explosive entertainment in amongst the long haul for the GC title. The colour and excitement justifies them being there and coming and going as they need to. Its maybe like 20:20 cricketers appearing for a few overs during a test match. Great contrast and variety. &, did I mention - Cavendish is the business?

Mostly for fun, and to show that you can do a lot of things with statistics. Cavendish makes the Tour for me because he's British and helluva likeable now. Much like Robbie Hunter when he had that great year with Barloworld. Sports fans arent sposed to be reasonable, so to be honest, the anonymous crowd of european stick insects dont do it for me in the same way, regardless of their obvious talent and bravery.

One more stage win and Mark Cavendish will equal Lance's tally of 22 - could be as early as tomorrow. What a great achievement from a wonderful young man, who has, so far, avoided the taint of drugs allegations. He produces the goods time and again with or without the team train. Great to watch.

Yeah and he dont know much, its not like he owns a bike shop or anything.

You dont look like you have a problem, but then again, "black with guns" is a very slimming look.

I would if i could see your messages

Only hubber that i've ever blocked, one of my better decisions.

Thanks, its a gift Oh, and I'm about the same as you by looks of things and its a constant battle. At the mo' I'm doing 9 hours a week training without changing diet and am losing 0.5kg a week. So I reckon its !@##@! tough to do it through exercise alone, regardless of what the calori-ometers say.