Patchelicious

Yes, old one served me well but it battery is at its end. This apparently has size and location of vehicles too. Testing tomorrow

Little Garmin update package for winter training.

Cool spot

First time up Jonkers

New roadie day 😁 SuperSix LAB71 Dura Ace 9200 Di2 with PM Zipp 303sw Sella Italia 3D

Appreciate you asking "if it implies", more often than not people jump to "So you are saying" rather than asking for clarity. To answer your question. Nowhere in my post did I say the guy in the white bakkie lost his temper because cyclists en masse behave badly. And I certainly didn’t say that’s the most significant factor behind what he did. What he did was irrational and unacceptable. Full stop. Some people behave irrationally. Some people are aggressive. Some people are under pressure, angry at life, short-fused, or just plain idiots. We’re never going to eliminate that from society. Trying to reverse-engineer a neat, single cause for his behaviour misses that reality. My point was different. When someone like that reacts, they often react through a lens of perception. In this case, that perception was “you cyclists.” That generalisation didn’t start in that moment. It’s something that already existed in his head. That’s not the same as saying cyclists caused his behaviour. It’s saying that we operate in an environment where public perception of cyclists is often negative, and that perception affects how some motorists respond to us. The abusive relationship analogy doesn’t fit here. “I wouldn’t hit you if you behaved better” implies justification. I am not justifying anything. There is zero justification for what this guy did. What I am saying is that public sympathy matters. Broad perception matters. If more riders are visibly considerate, predictable and respectful on the road, fewer motorists will carry around a simmering resentment toward “cyclists” as a category. Will that stop the truly unstable person? No. Will it reduce baseline hostility? Probably yes. That’s not victim-blaming. It’s acknowledging that we ride in a shared social environment where reputation influences reactions. So no, this isn’t about excusing abuse. It’s about recognising that while we can’t control irrational individuals, we can influence the general temperature around us. And in a country where cyclists already have a branding problem, that matters.

Sorry to hear about you ordeal, not nice being attacked. The bits in bold are what I have spoken about before. Firstly, and more in jest, I've said it once and I'll say it again "its always a %0^& in a white bakkie" Secondly, and more seriously.... In South Africa (and other parts), cyclists have a branding problem. You can argue about whether it’s fair. You can say motorists break the law more often. Also in South Africa most cyclists sit in the upper economic brackets. The majority of South Africans are impoverished, disconnected from cycling as a concept, and frankly don’t care about cyclists. You can point to statistics. None of that changes the lived reality that a significant portion of drivers see cyclists as obstructive, law-breaking, and entitled, "ride like they own the road". When that perception exists, the behaviour of a few riders doesn’t just affect them. It spills over onto everyone else wearing lycra. This post is a perfect example. A rider 20 metres back, not involved, gets chased, sworn at, pushed off the road and assaulted because someone else had already triggered the driver. The aggression wasn’t rational. It was generalised. “You cyclists.” We should by all means ride defensively (like we own the road), it's dangerous out there. Assume drivers don’t see you. Take the lane when it’s safer. Even jump a light if it genuinely reduces risk. But if you do those things, acknowledge the drivers behind/around you. A wave. A thumbs up. A thank you when someone gives you space. Some cyclists ride like absolute a-holes. That behaviour doesn’t just endanger them. It increases risk for everyone else who rides responsibly. We have a collective responsibility to not make things worse. Ride defensively. Protect yourself. But also be a considerate road user. Gratitude costs nothing, and it does more to change perceptions than any rant about rights ever will. Gratitude costs nothing and it genuinely helps change perceptions. OP, its sucks that you took the brunt of this, not cool glad you are mostly ok.

Note: Not legal advice. BUT, in South Africa, as far as I am aware of, there are no reported cases of a person being successfully prosecuted for posting a picture of someone else’s vehicle registration online. Concerns about POPIA in this specific context are often overstated in WhatsApp groups, online comment sections and forums. While a number plate can, in certain circumstances, be linked to an identifiable person through official records, the personal information associated with it is held in secure government databases and is not publicly accessible. On its own, a registration number does not disclose private personal information (POPIA is about personal information). That said, the legality of publishing any content that can be used to identify will always depend on the broader context, so to be safe don’t post in such a way that makes explicit accusations or could be seen as harassment. If you post allegations that are incorrect, exaggerated or something that you cannot prove, you do open yourself to defamation risks. But posting "Please will the driver of CA 12345 slow down a bit" on the local WhatsApp group will not get you thrown in jail. Best is to take the pic, call the cops and send it to them.

Hope you called the cops

MOST eBikers are just folks wanting to have fun, and eBikes have certainly helped many people get out on the road, gravel, trails. My position on them has changed somewhat (as long as people don't use their eBike dishonestly) Like I said, I actually couldn't care less. As long as you are having fun.

Not a chance they are limited, well the ones that I saw weren’t. I started in H group for the Trilogy as I haven’t raced in SA in years, I don’t have a seeding. There were lots of e-bikes in the start shoot with us, which wasn’t a problem. As long as people got out on their bikes. When we started I tried to shoot off the front (it was going to be a ITT from back there anyway) and averaged around 41kph for the first 10km trying to keep up with two Sworks Levos, ridden by two very fit looking dudes who wouldn’t otherwise “need” an eBike from what I saw. These bikes were NOT limited to 30 something. Once we hit the first drag at Fisantekraal they could keep up the 40kph as if the road was flat and I obviously couldn’t sustain the 500w needed to stay with them up there…. Now to be clear, I couldn’t care less about time/placing etc I was just riding for the fun of it. But there are clearly people who will do what they can to get “a time”, probably the same type of people that inflate their golf handicaps 😉

*race it Ps: these are not moans, it was fun and looking back it was very cool, but not so much at the time. No need to change the route, except for that last corrugated road, that was when I wished I had a dualie.

Having to pick between MTBs or Gravel bikes, is part of the fun. They both have advatages and disadvantages on this route. Gravel gains an advantage on the tar and some gravel roads, MTB gain it back on the single track and corrugations. Gravel bikes lose a lot on those short technical or bumpy bits. What was more annoying was the number of E-Bikes, they have little to no downside. As fast as the gravel bikes on the road and as fast as the MTB on the more technical stuff. Perhaps have the E-Bikes in a separate category and start batch?

That's because you didn't have to ride it Going through that at "speed", not seeing what's underneath the grass, on gravel tyres, with barbed wire on the right, was hair raising.

Well done Nic. Well organised and gold to see you at the start and on the route. Leading from the front. The gravel bike handled the A frames just fine, even a roadie like me managed to ride them. Where we struggled was the corn field section and the last horrible corrugated road. That was death. Nice event, will do it again.

I don’t think the deterrent for drunk driving is primarily law enforcement or harsher punishment. It’s societal. I’ve spent the last eight or so years in Europe and the UK. In that time, the number of people I know who have driven after more than one beer is basically zero. The number of random police stops I’ve seen for drink-driving checks is also basically zero. Contrast that with South Africa. We have roadblocks everywhere, many of them explicitly targeting drunk drivers. SAPS even publishes weekend stats on how many drunk drivers they catch. And if you hit and kill a cyclist while drunk, you’re almost certainly spending at least a few nights in prison. Anyone here who has even a vague idea of what a South African prison is like knows that one night in Pollsmoor is not a light consequence. It’s a serious deterrent. There were even TV adverts disgustingly implying this at one stage. Yet people still drink and drive. That tells you the issue isn’t enforcement or consequences. It’s culture. In most developed countries, drink-driving is socially unacceptable. Your friends would stop you. Your partner would stop you. You’d be judged hard for even suggesting it. That social pressure does far more than a roadblock ever will. In South Africa, we don’t have that broadly shared social norm. Cyclists, by and large, sit in the upper economic brackets. The majority of South Africans are impoverished, disconnected from cycling as a concept, and frankly don’t care about cyclists or drink-driving. You can shout for stricter enforcement all you want, but it’s not going to move the needle in a society where the behaviour itself isn’t socially discouraged. That’s the uncomfortable reality.

Does anybody have a Strava route for the Trilogy?

I don’t think the deterrent for drunk driving is primarily law enforcement or harsher punishment. It’s societal. I’ve spent the last eight or so years in Europe and the UK. In that time, the number of people I know who have driven after more than one beer is basically zero. The number of random police stops I’ve seen for drink-driving checks is also basically zero. Contrast that with South Africa. We have roadblocks everywhere, many of them explicitly targeting drunk drivers. SAPS even publishes weekend stats on how many drunk drivers they catch. And if you hit and kill a cyclist while drunk, you’re almost certainly spending at least a few nights in prison. Anyone here who has even a vague idea of what a South African prison is like knows that one night in Pollsmoor is not a light consequence. It’s a serious deterrent. There were even TV adverts disgustingly implying this at one stage. Yet people still drink and drive. That tells you the issue isn’t enforcement or consequences. It’s culture. In most developed countries, drink-driving is socially unacceptable. Your friends would stop you. Your partner would stop you. You’d be judged hard for even suggesting it. That social pressure does far more than a roadblock ever will. In South Africa, we don’t have that broadly shared social norm. Cyclists, by and large, sit in the upper economic brackets. The majority of South Africans are impoverished, disconnected from cycling as a concept, and frankly don’t care about cyclists or drink-driving. You can shout for stricter enforcement all you want, but it’s not going to move the needle in a society where the behaviour itself isn’t socially discouraged. That’s the uncomfortable reality. So what can we actually control? Ourselves. Ride defensively. Assume drivers don’t see you. Take the lane if it makes for a temporary safer situtation, like that stretch by Camps/Bakoven. Even roll a light if it genuinely reduces risk. But if you do those things, acknowledge the drivers that it affects. A wave. A thumbs up. A thank you when someone gives you space. Keep the motorist onside. Positively reenforce them being extra considerate to cyclists. Unfortunately cyclists in South Africa have a real brand problem. You can debate whether that’s fair or justified or how much that actually increases injury or deaths, but pretending it doesn’t exist helps no one. Go read the comment sections on social media of this accidents. Most motorists don’t care about “entitled cyclists,” and arguing with them about cyclists rights won’t change that. Behaviour will. Some cyclists ride like absolute idiots. Just yesterday on the Jonkers road two MTBers riding side by side on that road almost got hit as they wobbled around as a driver tried to pass them, if they did they would 100% have been to blame from what I witnessed. Needless to say when they got hooted at, they swore at the motorist. That behaviour doesn’t just endanger them. It increases risk for everyone else who rides responsibly. We have a collective responsibility to not make things worse. Ride defensively. Protect yourself. But also be a considerate road user. Gratitude costs nothing, and it does more to change perceptions than any rant about rights ever will.

Little chappies run on the new gravel

Oh I'm around, great to see that 10 years on you are still vying for attention. Keep it up.

Always happy to help. I'll pledge a bag of dog food to the same doggy sanctuary for every 100km that Guy manages. Will double it if he does it on a BMX.

I asked somebody this exact question, but they got rather annoyed that I did so on "their personal FB", so I'll ask here: "Did he (Darryl) ever name the irresponsible pharmacist who almost, through complete and utter negligence almost ended his career?"

Speaking of which.. this is interesting. Driving a bakkie for work vs driving a bakkie for image.

Avoiding bakkies