Vetplant

https://www.heraldlive.co.za/sport/cricket/2021-10-28-quinton-de-kock-explains-himself-in-emotional-statement/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1635405093-1

Hear hear! Something special about zipping along in a bunch of road bikes on the highway. Having said that, what is your start time? If it is in the 2nd-half of groups then "bunch riding" isn't really going to happen, you will be slogging it out on your own. It is a bit of a shock to the system to ride climbs without the gearing of a MTB, so be prepared for that. But do it regardless. If you've done Tonteldoos, then 947 on a roadbike will be a breeze.

From a tournament perspective, I agree, the squad is fine with or without Quinny there. I just think, form a reputational standpoint, it would be idiotic from CSA to prove a point by throwing a guy out of the squad without giving him a platform to explain why he is not comfortable with the directive publicly. He might have a valid argument, something like: "this is all for show and almost nobody here has actively done anything to break down systemic racism. The gesture rings hollow to me without following through with real actions". That would actually be a great "win" for the movement, to move away from symbolic gestures to some real action from high-profile people like sportsmen/women.

What is very interesting right now is the deafening silence on the matter from all involved in South African Cricket. Dale Steyn and Faf dP, usually quite chatty on Social media when any Cricket is taking place, are keeping their lips shut. Best to see where this all lands before making a point on social media these days. Meanwhile, on my social media timeline, I see more and more resistance to the mandatory nature of the directive from CSA compared to the amount of people cancelling QdK. To use a sport appropriate metaphor, CSA has knocked over their own wickets here. Let's see what the official statement on the matter is in a day or two, but my guess is they will need to compromise on the directive. Booting QdK from the squad due to his convictions will be completely idiotic, but it won't be completely surprising when looking at their recent history of daft decisions.

Cool, we'll be here, patiently waiting to hear what the "inside source" says transpired in the relevant meeting.

Well, let judgement then fall on this Board of Directors that made this decision:

I can't judge them. Let them make a decent living if the relationship with the national body has broken down. ????

Interestingly, he is getting some flak, which was expected, but also, from my reading, he is getting a lot of support from Indian supporters. Think he will be just fine with future IPL earnings if Cricket SA decides to throw him under the bus.

Agree. And I think the NFL player who started the gesture would not have wanted his gesture to be forced on anyone. It rings hollow when it is mandated by "management"

SNAP! From the Live Commentary feed on ESPNCricinfo: Cricket South Africa has issued this statement on Quinton de Kock's decision to withdraw from today's game due to "personal reasons": "Cricket South Africa (CSA) has noted the personal decision by South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock not to "take the knee" ahead of Tuesday's game against the West Indies. All players had been required, in line with a directive of the CSA Board on Monday evening, to "take the knee" in a united and consistent stance against racism. This is also the global gesture against racism that has been adopted by sportspeople across sporting codes because they recognise the power of sport to bring people together. After considering all relevant issues, including the freedom of choice of players, the Board had made it clear it was imperative for the team to be seen taking a stand against racism, especially given SA's history. The Board's view was that while diversity can and should find expression in many facets of daily lives, this did not apply when it came to taking a stand against racism. The Board will await a further report from team management before deciding on the next steps. All players are expected to follow this directive for the remaining games of the World Cup. CSA thanks all other Proteas players for agreeing to unite and make such an important public stand against racism."

What the F is going on at Cricket SA: "He (De Kock) has made himself unavailable for personal reasons." https://ewn.co.za/2021/10/26/de-kock-opts-out-as-south-africa-bowl-against-west-indies-in-t20-world-cup My guess is that it has something to do with "management". If it was a family emergency they would have said something along those lines.

Didn't know this. Well, he might then need to pivot away from cycling if he isn't too well liked elsewhere.

I might be completely wrong, don't know the guy personally. But you guys seem to have the biggest contingent of Saffas, so he might gel quickly there. Just a thought.

My first road bike event was on those roads... Free tip: read up on how to ride echelons, it might just come in handy.

Really hope he himself gets a good opportunity on one of the other outfits. Team UAE might be a good fit.

Nothing written about the total gain, but this gives you an idea of the terrain.

Officially on the website, route map also reflects 111km. As good a confirmation we can have right now methinks.

I knew it!

Had a little blip on my run today, GPS didn't log position for about 10mins. I noticed it whille running as the reported running pace did not reflect what I felt in the legs, so I suspected something was odd. Anyone else experience something similar? Suspected cause? Wrist unit or something going haywire in the heavens above?

I had the Fenix 3 for 5 years. Looking at my options I settled on a Forerunner645 Music on Facebook Marketplace. I sold my old Fenix 3 for R1500 to some guy wanting something for his Motocross riding. Paid R4000 for the 645 Music. It was MINT, with the plastic protector still on the screen. Wrist HR Garmin Pay Music Running Power App(Natively from the Connect Store) Sure, battery Life isn't what the Fenix 3 was and you don't have Cycling Power. But I got a Edge 520 2nd hand to do all the bike stuff with and I'm happy with my transition. All I could ever want in a watch(for now, until they invent the next metric to keep track of)

Good to hear positive vibes from the Cape Town Marathon. Hopefully this matt-to-matt timing will spill over to other events and we don't have this mad push to be in front at the start line of events.

https://thecyclingpodcast.com/episodes/life-in-the-peloton Look for the episode with Ashleigh. 1h04 from the start they discuss her future. 1h07:45 she says she "has one more season with SD Works". So I misinterpreted it to mean that she is currently in her final season. So yay! Seems she will be giving it one more tilt next year. (Nice chat to follow from the start if you have the time to kill)

Yeah, I noticed the quote. I hope she had a change of heart now that Le Tour Femmes is here. I'll go listen to the podcast again just to check whether I might have misinterpreted what she said. But she won't be the first or last person to rethink a decision on retirement. Fingers crossed she can ride the Tour.

The Cycling Podcast episode, Inside the Peloton where Mitch had a chat with AMP, she shared that this is her last year in the Pro Peloton. Bummer. ???? But, sounds like she is setting up a nice Cycling Hotel in Spain, worth putting on the bucket list.