Danger Dassie

And I would've helped you too but for these important reasons: 1) It would've compromised the ethics of photo- journalism 2) My camera gear would have got wet 3) Most importantly, you had the cheese and wine supply for everyone in your Camelbak!!! PB: For me personally I enjoy van Gaalen more, it has more of a flow over all and I feel like I really am out riding instead of just following a marked trail in loops. Like a hamster in a wheel. Added to that, the hospitality of Eric and the van Gaalen folk is absolutely stellar. They are so accomodating of the people that ride there, one always feels welcome. This is my personal preference though, as to vs Groenkloof the two are on a par quality wise in terms of riding. I think HR's description of the trails sums it up succintly.

Looks like a knock off.

I come down past Vega and then get onto the Spruit by the parking lot next Nandos. About 7/8/9 ish .... ... Will wave

Heheh ... I know exactly who you are talking about actually, known her for a while. Highly experienced photo- journalist who now freelances, saw her at Primedia and she told me about the incident. Camera gear was toast, talking 50k worth at the least. I speak under correction, but there was quite an issue around the whole insurance and 'who is liable' thing with the hands in the air 'oh sorry' Yeah I have to say, I'm always careful. Had a brilliant rider at the 94.7 from Ulyseses, he wasn't really experienced with cycle races. Had marshalled and carried media for running races though, also he was a level headed guy and on an F800. After explaining some things like the corners etc.. it was great, we communicated well and had no incidents and it was cool to see how he enjoyed the experience of the race. Dude was seriously impressed and I think left with a new found respect for the sport of cycling, he couldn't believe the speed and tactics that go on in a pro bunch. Insurance is something that must be looked at as well, by the rider, photographer, organisers and even the client as such. Unfortunately this most often isn't the case. Still, in terms of marshals and press coverage one of THE safest and by far most effective tools, are the motorcyclists. Thanks again.

Cat-i tell me about it, water table must be completely water logged now! Still great fun though, and better than dealing with rush hour motorists and the Putco bus on 7th from Parkhurst to Rosebank!

Shot EWEP ... on point one, do organisers not have public liability insurance or something similar for things such as this? 2- Absolutely agree, although a biker and a camera person that have done this a couple of times normally get comfortable with it pretty soon, in my experience. Do understand though it comes down to the individual as well though. I make sure I never pillion on a superbike, if theres a choice I pick the rider with a tourer like a GS or similar. 3- Can understand that completely, extra duties like ferrying media should be planned in advance and allocated accordingly. Can only speak for myself, but I keep it clear to the rider that we can't get too close to the bunch or impede cyclists at all, maybe as a cyclist it's clearer for me. 4- Yeah, think there are other reasons behind that. For the larger events and those seeking coverage, it's the only way to cover an event though. 5- It's a big responsibility for sure, though there are guys out there who are trained/skilled and have bikes rigged for this. My worry is the biker who isn't experienced in this and thus the potential risk is higher. Sorry man, I'm taking this off topic... thanks for the Q&A though

Also find that the sales staff are often disinterested, inept or both. I bought a North Face hydration pack about a year ago, which I sometimes carry my camera in. However the last couple of months I've noticed that the bladder leaks if I lay it down. I goto the branch where I bought it and query this, the sales guy tells me that the bladder is not covered. He then backtracks after I read the warranty tag out to him. Contacted Due South directly via their site and received a call with 3 hours from an extremely helpful lady. She informed of the manufacturer's warranty process, which involves paying to have the product shipped to them overseas where they inspect and replace it. clearly I'm not happy about paying to transport something that shouldn't be faulty in the first place! She did offer to take a look herself though and possibly replace the bladder from existing stock. All in all great service, but there does seem to be problem with staff on the ground in the retail shops though. This isn't just restricted to Due South either. The good experience I've had with DS sales staff has been at the Sandton branch, was looking for a Fox Flux helmet a while back. They didn't have my size and nor did the warehouse or other branches, the sales guy still took my details and called me a week later after he had actually managed to source one for me. They also helped with some other queries I had. So yeah I guess there can be good and bad experiences, one thing I've noticed though is how much of a TOOL customers can be! Talking down to staff, being offensive, sarcastic, raising voices etc ... without any provocation whatsoever, then expecting good service. Some folk actually seem to walk into a shop with the aim to break a person down and to have a conflict, the purchase is secondary. This must be one of the most disgusting characteristics in a person, it takes nothing to be polite.

Benoni by the sea hey .....

EWEPness .... During the training, is there training or anything along the lines of riding with a passenger that is a cameraman? At the Zoo Lake Crit I was told that there were no motorbikes for cameramen, marshalls only and would have to shoot from the car. Which was unusual for a cycle event as the only way to really photograph/film cycling is from a bike or aerial shots, a car is really unwieldy and although the driver did a stellar job it was really difficult to get the shots. Especially if theres 2 or 3 snappers in the car Would this be for safety reasons due to the route or nature of the race? Or no experienced riders on the day? Ta mate...

Have to note your point on the team cars, it's a difficult situation sure. Yet sometimes the okes really do take chances, especially if the motorcyclists have media on the back. Experienced this a number of times during the 94.7 for example. Pretty stupid considering that we are quick to point out how vulnerable cyclists are on the road. EWEP, TB and Ulyesses (spelling?) do a great job, many thanks.

"Just came from Cycle Lab and the bikes are specced well, look damn sweet and are competitively priced. Full sus, hydroformed frame with a DT swiss rear shock, rock shox reba up front and an XT/SLX component mix for just under 26K .... Not bad, and a bloody nice looking bike. "

Was that on Sunday the same time as the cross country champs? ... No? Move along then

Your sig could apply to a number of government depts and parastatals Having worked at a parastatal for a number years I can attest to the burger thing. Very sh!t

Had a pair of riding glasses handed to me at the cross country champs on Sunday by one of the riders. This was on the bottom singletrack section. Unfortunately I forgot about them in my pocket, if anyone lost or knows anyone who lost their specs there, PM me with a description. Ta

Thought some of you lot may be interested to see images of the mudfest that was. Proper Euro style!!! I even slipped and fell on a rock whilst running for tree cover during the rain. Luckily the camera was unscathed, although I must be one of few photographers to get a race injury whilst not even racing Huge shout out the riders, everyone rode well in the conditions, beaut course as well. Congrats to Bardy (Tread ed) on winning the vets cat in his first race in 2 years. Photos are on www.galloimages.co.za Click- editorial, latest events and browse for Gauteng Central/North Cross Country Championships Or just search for dino lloyd on the site's search engine. Tried to copy and paste the search string into a link for y'all, unfortunately she no work. danger dassie2010-01-26 08:17:33

I'm sure the reference to helicopter tape is in regard to blade tape. Jules. pleasure... and thanks for the heads up

Might not be as bad as you think Jules, let the importer take a squiz. Would be more worried if it were a deep scratch. For future use, 3M 'blade tape' is perfect for areas where there may be impact or rubbing. Can buy the stuff in rolls as well, not quite sure on what the pricing is but I reckon it's way cheaper than what so called 'cycle specific' sellers are. I still have a bit, welcome to snag a few pieces for your steed.

Glad to hear he's ok otherwise Mark, if you guys need a hand with anything I am just up the road.

Around 7k

Cheers for the update!

Scotty posed a fair question, what about there after?

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