Bro Derek

Not sure if he is page 3 quality....

Issuing lawyer letters doesn't make you less of a liar and a thief I am reminded of the Emma Sadleir letters issued when anyone mentioned Kevin Evans in the same sentence as doping. I feel this will end in the same manner. TB will be guilty of lying, thieving, stealing and being a POS just like Kev Ev was found guilty of being a doping liar POS Some stuff may be redacted but the truth will come out eventually

Glad you enjoyed it. That part of the world is always a treat to visit. Road events here certainly do differ from the european versions. We seem to have adopted longer is better and if we can't make it longer, we HAVE to make it harder! Hopefully the thaw happens quickly that side

Set the road blocks up near notorious late spots too. Most of the bad stuff happens the next morning, so set up at 2am and go until 6am The vulnerable road users are out early, so runners, cyclists, sober people getting to work etc early morning, so protect them by policing then, not 10pm till midnight. Or Both if you really want to stamp it out

Bikes and equipment have also evolved. In those days 26er bikes with 1.9 tubed tires, road bike geometry and pretty rubbish suspension was also the norm. Events have to evolve to stay relevant. Most of the evolution happened before IM involvement in an attempt to keep the race attracting top XCO names to generate the return and desire. The improving broadcasting and images would have also likely not have happened without some top names being present. Just because things didn't go down well this year doesn't mean the whole event is terrible. BUT, the price is a ridiculous, so any shortfall will always draw attention and ire as one expects 100% excellence at the sort of prices the entries go for. There is no room for error or sub par delivery at these sorts of premiums without backlash

okes, Lightning doesn't need the 'go get fit' or 'you're doing it wrong' info They are comfortable while riding a bike for fun. The End Let it go. I'm glad you managed to get a dropper that allows the Kulhavy tilt. Keep riding bikes and being kiff

Kulhavy will go down as one of the most decorated MTB riders in modern history.

Jaroslav Kulhavy says point your saddle down as much as you want if it works. It certainly worked for him But then I remember less than brilliant riders back then telling him to have a bike fit too, so 🤷‍♂️

To throw a cat in amongst it, if the race is billed as the toughest in the world, do those who finish at the back and struggle every day truly believe they have trained well enough to confidently tackle the toughest race in the world? If not, then the question needs to be asked, why do it if it's not the toughest in the world as you've not treated it as such but still want to claim the accomplishment, which seems like a whole other series of questions regarding motivation, drive and expectation.... It's a pretty deep thing to go into. I personally don't think many of the field train sufficiently to ride what they claim to have ridden once they ride it OR say it was too tough if they don't successfully ride it.

Is there a bike restriction on the race? The movies all look very gravel bike specific

.......... Hypothetical situation........... Bail set at 25000zar..... New race gets advertised, 25000zar for an entry! Just remember to not attack his character on here..........

Exactly... The most demanding races in the world, the pinnacle of athletic prowess and mental fortitude with no competency measure or minimum criteria other than willing payer. If we look at a simple race like 2 Oceans Ultra - cut off used to be 6hrs, qualifying marathon 4 hrs and 12000 to 15000 people ran. Over the years extensions happened and it now sits at 7:30hrs cut off, 4hrs 45 qualifying marathon 12 to 15000 runners. The funny thing is close to 70% of all finishers finish in the last 20 minutes, historically, no matter the cut off time. While few strive for excellence, the majority will do 'just enough' to finish. When there is no measure for 'just enough' the lines between competent and delusional become feint. Ironman has some serious issues currently as a large portion of it's participants can't swim in the sea, regardless if it's vaguely rough or cold, struggle to ride their tri bikes safely, can't run a marathon and can't ride mountain bikes proficiently to be on the start line of 'The toughest in the world' They need the entries to sustain their global dominance, but the lack of qualifying means a lack of competency which makes planning and making on the day calls almost impossible. How bad IS the worst person? Nobody really knows, so how do they even begin to know where to draw the line with regards safety. More people will die and more swims/stages/races will be cancelled or shortened for very mild condition variances. (I'm not suggesting this was a mild variance, but looking at the bigger picture and where they go)

'School Ties' was a part of the 'My Only Story' series. Deon Wiggett went pretty deep across a number of destinations and situations

The 'leak' from those on the ground is that it may be more than one. I'm alluding to the fact that the official statement may not be forthcoming if that is the case. The longer the statement takes, the more likely it is that the news isn't good. Patience isn't a common virtue in todays social media natterings, but it may be best to sit tight for a while, turn it off and wait for the official news. This was eerily predicted by multiple armchair meteorologist part time cyclists on this website, so the fact that there has been a big whoopsy despite the obvious forwarnings isn't a great look. But in my original post it suggests that as there is no qualifying criteria other than having money to pay, the organisers have absolutely no idea who is making up the field and what sort of conditions the lowest level of competitor is capable of. IronMan had swimming deaths, cycling deaths and medical deaths in conditions not 'very' out of the ordinary. Having a baseline would make managing expectations a lot easier but would likely need a business idea shift across the board, which is likely a discussion for another time

For sure. But an official statement comes with weight and as people have died, there are legal obligations. I'm not excusing anyone or anything, but suggesting that there is a way things get done here in SA and sharing information without first covering ones backside isn't it. If you're unfamiliar with 'My only Story' check it out. The lengths institutions will go to protect their image is disturbing. Pretty sure they are trying to find a suitably immeasurable way to blame the lack of water on something/someone that no one can confirm nor deny etc

I'd guess that if people have died, they will need to be very careful how they release information. There is also the case of 'My only Story' in terms of Image control and what can be covered up and denied in order to protect the product image. With people dying at more than one IronMan event in the last 24 months and now this, one needs to ask some questions of the qualifying criteria for those taking part as well as the race organisers. There is zero control over who enters these races other than willing payer. Maybe that also needs to be looked at going into what is supposed to be the ultimate test in human endeavour. The 'self check' approach to overall competency may not be as effective as it used to be as we as humans evolve further and further towards a scene from Wall-E

So, can the guys who were assisted by their faster mates in other races claim the sub3 they wouldn't have if their friends hadn't beaten 'the system' to get them their seeding? That seems to be supported in the other thread by some of the same people disagreeing with the lady. She won nothing. She was the fastest female in the non racing category. There were many other females in the non racing category in the 1s surrounded by men. It's a non event

So It's not ok for a lady to get a sub 3 with the help of her male friends but it's more than ok to drop back a few groups and help your other male mates get a faster time and better seeding? The cross thread contradictions on this site are baffling

So did you know the 3:50 rule before riding? You intimated earlier that you did. If so, you did intentionally go out and disregard the rules. I find this exchange so puzzling and can't believe that you STILL don't grasp the concept. By all means enjoy the route and the experience, but do it within the rules and don't be self righteous about breaking them. It is Lance Armstrongesque

You are assisted using technology and a motor. 'Normal bikes' are powered only using human power. The rules exist to stop assisted riders towing or influencing speeds of 'normal bikes' as well as safety concerns regarding speed on climbs and bunch skill awareness If you knew the rules prior to riding a 2:50 and choosing to disregard the rules and why they exist and remain wholly uncaring, I would suggest therapy

IMHO they should life ban the e-bikers who don't follow the rules... 🍿

Won't you be disqualified? If you entered as an e-bike you will be disqualified for riding faster than the rules state you can. So did you enter as an e-bike?

Long term prediction is blowing a gale until Thursday Night, moderate to brisk SE Friday and then dead and eerily windless for 8 days on the trot I'd bring the MTB. You can ride the nice road bits on it and still hit the mountain. You will struggle to hit the mountain on a road bike. It gives you more options in terms of where you ride and also when. One really needs to get their road riding done early to avoid the incessant traffic and poo show that is the deep south road system, while the MTB gives you the option of riding any time of the day with little interaction with the traffic

I won't be finishing with the front groups, but I will have a look at the above. I will see how things line up re dates and times and try to get to 1 tonner is fighting form.

That is good advice, thank you Johan I have a road bike and I have 'some' experience racing bikes, but just very out of the loop as to which races focus on in order to jump a group or 7 Thank you all for your input