Brandon P

2 x Buffs (one under helmet and one as a scarf covering jaw) - They work superb A sheet of newspaper shielding your chest under the cycle top - Can bin it when things get warmer or it folds up tiny. Newspaper works well to keep the toes warm too (inside shoe) if you don't have those neoprene toecap covers. Arm warmers Thin Fleece gloves from Cape Union Mart - Washable, breathable, cheaper & more suitable for our climate than most imported cycle gloves. Look after the knees (knee warmers) - They may not feel the cold as much but the joints don't like the cold.

The 8 minute Carte Blanche clip on this story : http://carteblanche.dstv.com/player/505484

Yeah the cranksets are a bit different, both stoker & captain, so you need a tandem specific crankset. But you might be able to stick with the cranks you have - Not sure what chainrings are compatible with them. Derailleurs : Keep in mind that tandems require longer gear cables. This means a decent spring in derailleurs is useful to pull those cables back through their housings. Both ultegra and 105 gearsets should be fine for this. I've ridden Ultegra with no problems. Just make sure those cables run smoothly. Consider the rear gear ratios you ride. Some tandems use a MTB rear derailleur just for the longer cage so as to handle a bigger cassette than we tend to use on road bikes. I think Ultegra handles up to 28t. Hope this helps.

I'm in and looking forward to it First time doing the ride.

My 2cents, if bike is in fact stolen, the guy you see riding it may not have been the one who stole it. Possibly not even realize its actual value. Might need his involvement in catching the guys selling stolen bikes.

As a cyclist I was only aware of the race by chance, thanks to a friend informing me of it > Poor media coverage. Riding out to watch the race from the top of Sandton drive we noted how quiet the roads were - imagine we had the expected busier traffic on the day. Having marshalled some races before, I thought the days route was nothing short of ludicrous... crisscrossing through city hub, multiple 'right turns', 30min+ circuits, rolling road closure, and most of all no attempt to inform or pre-warn motorists. Communication and marketing is obviously lacking. So is involvement of the communities. Not everyone is exposed to 'McLeanCycling' and it shouldn't be considered the sole communication medium. The 94.7 cannot be used as a comparison as it has 20OOO+ participants to help spread the word of the road closures, motorists are more forgiving when they know of a participant in it and it has taken years to partially obtain motorists acceptance it has today for what is a known annual event. It saddens as such poor organization only accomplishes the opposite of what the CSA SHOULD be trying to accomplish, i.e. put SA favourably on the world cycling map, attract greater sponsorships to the sport, attract broader media coverage, reduce tension between motorists and cyclists ... Keep such events out of the city hub. Also, make damn sure all cyclists, potential cyclists and spectators alike are aware of the event so as to obtain maximum support.