Danger Dassie

No. Driver.

I believe Ciovita organise group rides near where you are? Alternatively there’s also East City Cycles.

I’m guessing he’ll be appealing on some level. Purely speculative, but doubt it’ll be surrounding the illness given the substance. So perhaps on an issue of contamination, either beef or grain. From some reading it seems that performance benefits are negligible as an outright PED. Unless it’s used in conjunction with something else and/or masking?

Eh? How do you mean, what doesn’t add up?

Keen to hear the reasoning. It's not something that one would find in a tainted form afaik. And a WT Dr should/would absolutely know better than to administer it. I remember years back when an anti-doping evangelist ironically espoused on Twitter the virtues of the stuff. That he was able to complete a cross cape event with broken ribs pain free. This was within a twitter convo about banning it for competition use. Similarly when it was eventually banned by the UCI, I enquired with SAIDS and CSA on how this would be managed locally. Basically got fobbed off. Anyhow, found this to be one of the most useful links providing an overview on the risks associated with Tramadol: https://www.usada.org/spirit-of-sport/education/tramadol-why-some-athletes-and-anti-doping-experts-want-it-banned/

Ah the old dead horse... neigh

Fair play to those who can actually get there, more so if able to pull a result against the odds. Can imagine there are other priorities at play which actually benefit the careers and well being of the athletes. Rather than having to endure the **** sandwich from sporting federations/gov to attend an (arguably) outdated games event. At least the kit design looks good.

Minmovers conduct leaving a lot to be answered for it seems. Would start with them.

Can't say I agree. The team had an outstanding start and produced a successful number of seasons, unfortunately the latter seasons left much to be desired. That is professional sport, and life really, can't be at the top all of the time everytime. It's unfortunate that as they were getting back on their feet they were dealt blows by both the pandemic and a dodgy sponsorship deal. The fact is that in a short time frame, 7 years is short. They put a number of African riders into the WT peloton and opened doors for many others in other job roles. Then there's been the backup that's often been quietly provided behind the scenes without fanfare/acknowledgment, que support cars for one of the world champs. Sure, Ryder may not be everyone's type and the hype train not without reproach by a long shot. But if the 'only' upside is a good few people getting employment, then that's a win on it's own. Love him or hate him, one has to respect the tenacity and passion. Personally feel we would do well to have more of that than the **** talking a few others show.

The illuminati and cycling are interlinked .... what a time to be alive

WoesRand vibes in the Cradle with the WoesMTB crew.

https://www.velonews.com/news/road/doug-ryder-is-quietly-building-a-proteam-for-2023-as-speculation-mounts-surrounding-a-billionaires-backing/

Using a clean rag or soft brush. Hot soapy water and sunlight soap. Or almost full strength bike wash like Eco Logic/RedHot/Squirt/MucOff etc Using heavy chemicals and aggressive brushing will just break the grip down. Absolute worst when seeing those bike washes jet cleaning grips.

Nedbank Tour de Tuli with Children in the Wilderness. Amazing what the bicycle can achieve.

Howzit teamie 😅

This, the smart ones in the industry will be keeping an eye on the second hand market pricing. As this is a pretty accurate indicator of demand. Gravel bikes seem to be a good example.

More a case of not having the right stock. Entry, kids and mid market stuff is flooded and with supply chain delays some containers have only arrived now. Quite a few brands struggling now to access the correct volumes of the mid/upper range and higher end stuff. Forecasting has been thrown off by some brand managers not bringing in the correct models in range, and so are screwed for the next year until orders can be placed again. Compounding this is the strain on economy and reducing disposable income. Having a bike isn't necessarily a luxury, it comes down to buying habits and usage. Some people I know use their bikes for the odd errand and/or mobility. Which also points towards an attitude adjustment at some level in the South African market.

Less than carrying your bike 😋

for teams and bike brands it has been a great one for Santa Cruz

Bit of everything, will mostly catch broadcast highlights from both GCN/DSTV ... Instagram and podcasts provide a lot of depth and insights to both the racing and side stories.

Oy Mr Cele, you left out the SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

Bike have however come a damn long way, even in just the last ten years. When I ride a bike now compared to then, it's insane. Been fortunate to try out one two pro's bikes over the years, it's another level in how the mechs make their bikes perform to be faster. Bike will feel like **** initially. Tyre pressure, brakes, fit etc.... but soon you realise that everything starts to work properly at a certain speed and level of riding. Which is way outside the comfort zone of most riders.

IMHO. When the initial team announcement was made for CFR it was pretty clear that alongside XCO it was built with a deep focus around Avancini/Fumic and Cape Epic title aspirations. AH and SA were the up and coming talent who have access to a deep pool of guidance/mentorship from the the team staff Obviously the pandemic changed all of that, sadly, and Fumic has retired since. Two years has gapped and AH is rising to his strengths, which is likely part of the plan the team had in investing in him. Any speculation on HA's body language is just that, perhaps there's an element of managing expectations, he still holds huge sway in the brand with his experience and as his own personal brand has a massive following. Which in itself provides return for the sponsors. Pretty sure the team and associated support staff understand this and are managing it.

Been eyeing that steed for a long long time. If there were the greenbacks we’d be rehomeing that with the best diet of Polish, dust and lube ever.