Firstly, your comment about Wendell organizing everything at the last event is untrue. Omni was approached by Wendell to bring the 24 hour to the vlei and it was his enthusiasm and passion that convinced us. YES, Wendell did a lot, after all it's a venue he is in charge of and works there and makes a living from it. However Omni- Motion was involved during every step of the way, with frequent visits and working with Wendell to bring out the best for the race. When we had concerns about certain things, Wendell would respond and make the changes we required.during the week before the events started, Omni was there on site arranging everything except the camping which Wendell organized (and charged for) All the final touches, layout etc...is signed off by Omni-Motion as it is with every one of Omni's 24 hour events. Last year, we had less control as we were told that we HAD to use his newly built start/finish area which also houses showers and toilets. Although we were not happy with it, we had no choice but to use it. This layout caused pedestrians to constantly walk across the track. This is something that had MANY riders complaining. The transition zone also was a mess and also caused by the fact that Wendell was no longer allowed to use all of the open area. This was out of the control of Omni-motion and Wendell. Wendell does brilliantly with what he has at the vlie and we don't fault him, but to make such remarks without knowing all the facts is slanderous. Nobody ever makes the mention of the turbulent relationship between the land owners and the neighbors. BOTH YEARS at the vlie, there were issues and fighting. One year it led to having the water turned off and one of the roads parked in. But nobody mentions this. Then the comment of "someone" at a bike shop not getting paid.... One of you is making that up. For the last several years all prizes were handed out at prize giving by hand. If you have proof, show it or someone wants to speak up, contact me. We have never know Wendell to have organized a 24 hour before. if he has he never mentioned it. "Since the 80's"? I don't think so. Again, nothing is wrong with Wendels organization. The reasons The Bicycling 24 hour was moved are many and are listed in another thread here. If you really made an attempt to contact Dimitri and you had no response, then thats regrettable, but what are you trying to say? We get 100's of mails with regards to the 24 hour and it might just have been that yours was overlooked. Nothing sinister about that. I sent 7 e-mails to the organizers of the Crater Cruise last year and didn't get a single response either but I didn't make a big deal of it. We never made this a "us vs them" situation but it seems some people are to keen to stir trouble. It's as you've said, you are biased. But what's worse is that you don't know the facts. Anyway, we hope that riders entering the 24 at the vlei have an enjoyable event.
