BrianMTB

Hi Wayne, I can't disagree with that. And I will say that the two ladies pulling the bunch were clearly very strong. Hi Ray, thanks for the constructive input. I'm not a road cyclist ordinarily and so was just wondering about the race legality of something that seems to me to be a little off. But having read your's and Wayne's posts the reasoning is sound; I hadn't thought of it that way but it makes sense. I will therefore in future not worry about the gender of the person whose wheel I'm on as it is clearly a non-issue (and of course I'll do my fair share in the front, as always). Brian

Tough crowd...

No, I'm sure I didn't TZ - And that isn't the point either, I don't think I'm better because I'm a man - I just don't think it is right for a (big) bunch of riders to have two women doing all the work on the front. I seem to be alone in that feeling though as most other contributors here have made it clear they would happily sit in the bunch.

Why the need for the sarcasm?

Yes, my humour can sometimes be a touch basic - but drafting women is what is poor form.

I could have understood a little is that was the case... but no, if they had bodies to match their faces they would have faired better in a Derby!

During yesterday's Emperor's Palace classic, I rode past a bunch being led by two women. The men in the bunch were perfectly happy to sit in their slip and made no effort to take over from them. Seriously guys, that is not cool! besides, isn't the drafting of women by men illegal during a race in any event?

On my way back from my mtb ride at Northern Farm this morning I came up behind a large bunch of Club 100 riders on Cedar Road. They looked like they were having a good ride except that they were riding 3 and 4 abreast, forcing overtaking cars to move into the oncoming traffic lane. I get it completely that we like to ride in bunches, but guys come on; riding like this on a busy road is dangerous and plays into the anti-cyclist mentality that so many motorists have. Ride two abreast in the yellow lane or single file on the road verge and everybody's happy, right?

Oh Sh*t! You mean we're more likely to have the type of conditions we had in 2009 and 2010?

You're probably looking at about an 8am start. Not sure what your group would be. Enjoy the ride!

I heard that last year there was a lot of riding through "graspolle" - can anyone comment?

I'm sure Horatio Caine and his CSI team could make short work of such a trace

What a sad story! Hope the rider makes a full recovery. Swerving at speed in a car is never a good idea - if you don't swerve into something or someone else (in this case the rider) you risk losing control of the car... if not both. If traveling at speed rather hit the Guinea Fowl than swerve, you can always replace a broken headlight! The Guinea Fowl should be charged with leaving the scene of an accident

Thanks River Rat The markings aren't always clear (except in the case of the single track) but now I know. Clockwise it is.

That's for sure!

Hi Everyone Can anyone tell me if the main dirt tracks at Groenkloof are supposed to be uni-directional? Obviously the single-track sections are but I wondered about the main tracks yesterday when I appeared to be cycling against the flow of riders. If this is so then I caused a fellow rider to crash, for which I am truly sorry. I was riding counter-clockwise from the parking lot on the main track up near the fence at Unisa. Another rider came around a corner from the opposite direction and lost his front wheel as he hit the brakes, seemingly startled at seeing me in front of him. Perhaps I got my comeuppance when I sustained what feels like a cracked rib in a mean coming-to-ground sometime later in the morning...

Same experience as my girlfriend. The caravan missed her by centimetres. I heard that the police were there and took statements from witnesses. Apparently there were three riders that saw the incident happen in front of them. Hopefully the eyewitness accounts will lead to charges being laid.

Hi Fester and everyone Thanks for you replies. Perhaps a touch dramatic seeing as I wasn't present myself. But when I hear my girlfriend's account of it (that the driver hooted at cyclists and appeared to laugh at them when they were startled) it suggests to me that this was not a simple accident. The driver apparently did attempt to leave the scene but was prevented from doing so by one of the witnesses present. If it was purely an accident, then hopefully all involved learned from it. If it was more than that, I'd like to see some real consequences.

Hi Hubbers I heard from my girlfriend (who was participating) that 2 cyclists were knocked down today by a bakkie towing a caravan during the Stonehaven IFM Cycle Challenge. She told me that just a few minutes before the incident took place the driver had hooted other cyclists and intentionally tried to run them off the road. Does anyone have any news on what happened and if the cyclists were okay? The driver should be criminally charged, reckless and negligent driving, assault with intent, assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment and attempted murder spring to mind. Brian

I was one of the unsuspecting victims of this ill-fated Anamshova train. The train spent more time stopped at sidings than it did getting us to our destination. The train itself has obviously never experienced the humble joy of a simple cleaning in its existence - to say it was filthy would be to gravely understate matters. It was obvious to me also that walking up and down the length of the train's corridors for the duration of the trip proved to have irresistable entertainment value for some of the bored passengers. The full 24hours it took to return to JHB from DBN was nothing short of torturous. The only saving grace was the good company and suprising continued good humour of my friends and colleagues on the train with me. It is unfortunate that this shambolic situation spoiled my first experience of the Amashova. I will ride the race again, but I'll defintely either fly or drive. If I never see another train in my life again, I shall be eternally happy.