IanJ

Hate to agree' date=' but I thought that abt yesterday's stage, tho' I'd settle for 60-70km rather than 200. ....and not much seemed to happen on the rest day either. Slow week i guess. [/quote'] Isn't it normally about now that the doping expulsions start to happen? That usually livens things up a bit.

Sorry Wolfie but I fail to see the connection between Slowpoke's chocolate cake and safety. (Unless if you eat enough it slows you down to a safe speed)

I thought this was going to be a warning to watch out for Bored Girl . WorcesterWheelers it really is good to see you back with us again, all the best with the recovery and even though I am not going thanks for the warnings.

Not a very good analogy, slops are not made for running. You can however buy running shoes for a few hundred rands or you can spend a few thousand rands. Both will get you to the end of a marathon if you are fit enough. I don't believe that the value of a bicycle makes that big a difference to performance unless you are at a professional level where you need all the assistance you can get in terms of weight etc. to be competitive. Elvin to get back to your original question, I think 22km/h is very feasible on a MTB. On our Friday group training rides it has become tradition that those that have MTB's bring them on the road ride just for fun. We average 25-26km/h on those rides with no problems. As to the value of your bike, ride what you can afford. The most benefit will be in improving your own fitness levels which can be done on any bike. You will start to get faster and faster and pretty soon you will looking for ways to upgrade. Do it in stages and upgrade what you can when you can. My first race when I switched from running to cycling in 2002 was the 94.7 which I did for 2 years on my son's old Haro mountain bike which was about 10 years old (no suspension). I then bought a second hand road bike from Cash Converters for R600 and did the 94.7 race in 3:30. After that I am afriad the bug bit and I now pay more in cycling insurance premiums alone every month than I paid for that whole bike. Incidentally the bike is still being ridden by a guy from an orphanage in Magaliesburg. So anyway go out there and enjoy your riding at whatever average speed you can manage. Keep a log book and you will soon see that speed increasing.

That will only work if it is a gay bike. On the other hand if you show it a nice italian Bianchi well .........

Didn't you guys say his bike was still stuck to the first lamp post at the bottom of the hill?

Hey, speak for yourself, some of us old toppies can still ride fast and we don't have to peer over our glasses either. On the other hand don't ask me to service a shock without my glasses (which I forgot when coming to your workshop by the way).

-4 was the min temp on the Polar. When we stopped at 7:30 to fix a puncture I couldn't get water out my bottle. When I checked why I saw the top 1cm or so was frozen . Those that rode from my house and back got in about 133km and 1200m of ascent. Nice ride even with the weather and good company. Thanks to the Southerners that made the Great Trek to the North and nice to meet you guys.

Just a word of warning to those joining us to ride from Bryanston. Our route takes us down Cedar Road past Dainfern and through the dip before Timber hill. That dip is probably the coldest place I have ever experienced in Gauteng so bring lots of protection (especially for your face etc.) as you will pick up quite a speed down the hill. Slave do you want your blouse from BigBen with the Hub Logo or without?

On second thoughts Nance there is a chance he wasn't waving but rather taking out his bottle (you know how they do that stretch the arm thingy) or adjusting something it was still a bit dark ......... Were there any taxi's around?

I think we will have to get Ox one of those orange marshall's bib's Yup, very cold and I don't think it will be much better on the weekend.

The one thing that Saturday will NOT be is a race !!! We have a rule in all our club and social training rides that we stop and regroup at the top of every hill or where necessary so no one gets left behind. Nancy Drew you'd better be there or I will have to get Big Ben to order you a special blouse too. GO, I know you can't compare, they are different hills but I would like to give Comaro a go just for the challenge.

BTDT didn't get a T-shirt. Always willing to pop in again. The one I wouldn't mind having a go at is Comaro, havn't done that yet. Did Butchers on the way back from the Fast One the last 2 years, it hurts when you already have 170km in the legs.

I would suggest leaving it out altogether. The idea was to stop at Riverstone for coffee after so if some carry on and do another loop we will be split up. We will be riding there from Bryanston so if anyone wants to join us for about 160km p.m. me for times and meeting places etc. WW I will mail you separately.

There is also another loop that wasn't there before, coming up through Muldersdrift and onto Beyers and then down to T2. Not quite sure where you originally planned to go there but that is also where the extra distance came from.

Agteros, I looked at your gpx and you have missed the left turn into Voortrekker at the top of K'dorp hill. That is where the additional distance has come from.

I had a car like that once too but I sold it and bought a better one.

Might be a worn out iPod Sorry, couldn't resist.

You're in trouble when Bored Girl gets here, and this from a journo as well. Was he at least wearing a helmut? .

If you wanted to add some more bumps and replace some of the lost distance you could turn right into Robert Broom instead of left when you come down Van Oordt then go along to the T junction with Christiaan de Wet, do a u turn and come back. Adds back 24km and some nice climbs and the roads are not too bad.