Yang

12 days on and they have sms'd me. I called them back, and they are now in St Lucia. Consider this- a straight drive from one border to the next in Swaziland is about 140 k's. But they rode about 500 k's up and down the mountains of Swazi, staying in various reserves and campsites. They are happy to receive calls. They will not answer if they are riding, but switch on their phone when they are resting up and in the evening. If you would like their number please PM me.

With his advice Rude is obviously actually quite polite... except where he says fart if nobody else is pulling. Sies man- what a brilliant idea! Also- don't stick out your bottle as if you are offering a drink to someone- bring it straight up from the bottle cage to your mouth and back. It still happens, and one day I'm gonna take it out of the guy's hand, I swear! Never suddenly stop pedalling to stand and stretch when you have a whole bunch of people behind you- they shxt themselves when that happens- rather go off to the side or back of bunch to relieve the tension in your backside or legs. Point at glass and potholes for the ppl behind you. Slap your bum if there's an obstacle ahead- pedestrian, car (usually taxis), slow rider, cow, downed rider, etc Just hold your line- don't swerve from side to side when there are riders around you, unless you can see there's a gap to go into. Nobody likes nervous riders in the bunch. If you've pulled enough at the front and nobody is helping, either slow down, because someone behind you will get the message, or else if you're at the head of a long line, pull out to the side to expose the guy behind you to the front, and drift back into the line. Otherwise welcome to the world of cycling- too late to pull out now!!!!

I rinse out my camelback let it dry out as much as possible, then stick it in the freezer. No problems.

Welcome to the Hub Martin. A rookie and already getting the lines humming. Well done. My GT Marathon has space for 1 bottle below the down tube, directly in line with road and track fling. I would have died of dehydration if it wasn't for my new camelback on my 5 hour ride a few weekends ago.

I imagine there were some sheepish looks among the race snakes half his age he beat. What do you think were the most common excuses?

What happened yesterday?

Jolandie, I read Riaan Manser's book. I got the impression that he was able to make it partly because he is a rugger bugger, physically strong and imposing, used to feeling physical pain and being able to push through it, and being able to carry himslef through the threatening situations by force of character and a leather skin back. If you read my thread on the Bike Nomads in SA Soon, you will see photos of Nadine, a 20 something woman who rode from Germany and is on her way down to CT as we speak, with her husband Sven, before turning back up through Africa to return to Germany on their bikes. Nadine is not your picture of supreme muscle cut athlete- more like your girl next door type. If she was able to make it, then you can. But check their experience in Senegal, where the men tried to separate her from her husband. Keep in touch through this post. When you come through Mozambique you will be riding right past my place at Xinavane, where you will find a warm reception in a cyclist's home, and where you can spend as long as you like to rest up. This is a pic of them on the morning they set off from my place towards Swaziland via Moamba, which meant they were able to miss the hell ride through Maputo.

This thread's too serious man.... Lets organise a hub ride for all those okes who voted for the dagga leaf, exe! G'nite

There was a lot of stuff on the crit last night, showing different age groups with Shaun Nick Bester winning the juniors and ML winning the cash race. They showed the women's race as well, elites, with NH spinning his back wheel and losing to 4th spot in the sprint. There was a tech insert on compact cranks and chain rings, an interview with Anriette Schoeman who was looking absolutely lovely and glowing, something for the 94.7 kids races, etc.

Happy birthday Andrew.

Thanks Pilks. Will let them know. They came down via the west, and had to cut in towards the east at the Congo because of visa problems, so they have done Ghana. This time they want to go back up via Namibia, Angola, and the Congo, so they may go as far as Ghana, except that they had nasty experiences in Senegal, so they may go back into the east through Rwanda into Uganda and up towards Egypt this time.

I hadn't heard from Sven and Nadine for a while and I thought that by now they would be somewhere in Lesotho on their way down to CT. But I just received an email from them and everything is on track for them to reach Richards Bay and on. The buggers have been taking it easy- but why not! The wind has been howling in this region for weeks. This is their email: Hope you and Paula are fine and of course the dogs. We miss them. We are still in Swaziland, because we have found a lovely and comfortable place to stay in the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. We are able to come very close to the animals and enjoy to watch them. Tomorrow hopefully we will continue to South Africa. First we want to visit Santa Lucia and then we continue to Richards Bay. As soon as we have a cell phone number in South Africa we will call you.

Elle can use the lights. I will use the camera.... riding behind her.

Must say it doesn't make too much sense. Headlight beams would pick up your legs anyway.

Some cool new stuff from the Interbike Show in the US. I like the sound of the Polar GPS. Safety Illumination of Rider Light <?: PREFIX = O /> Here's a new twist on lights: It shines on the rider and bike rather than the road. Too bad it won't be available until next spring when the dark rides of winter have passed. The Safety Illumination of Rider (SIR) Light attaches with a hook-and-loop strap to the seat tube or seatpost. Two bright white beams shine onto the back of the rider's pedaling legs. The idea is to help motorists identify the object as a bike rider no matter in which direction they are approaching. The SIR has a run time of 4 hours with 3 AA batteries that recharge in 3 hours from a USB port or wall outlet. Illumination comes from 2 rows of 8 LEDs, either constantly or flashing. The SIR weighs 115 grams and will cost about $100 in bike shops. http://www.safebicycling.com EPIC Action Sports Video Camera Want to show what it's like to knife through your local Dead Man's Curve at speed? This small, lightweight and affordable video camera can be worn or attached to your bike to record up to 200 minutes of any ride. The EPIC Action Sports Video Camera measures 1.3x2.75 inches (3.8x7 cm), weighs just 70 grams and costs around $150. The maker explains that the mini device "captures high-quality VGA video or shoots still images through its built-in five mega pixel camera. Outdoor footage can be documented from a unique point-of-view perspective and uploaded to sites like YouTube for easy file sharing." The camera includes a built-in microphone. For tech specs, check the website at http://www.epicstealthcam.com. For actual footage shot with the EPIC Action cam, check http://www.youtube.com/epicstealthcam Polar RS800CX GPS Training Computer Polar's new $465 GPS training computer can be worn on the wrist like a watch or fitted to a handlebar mount. Its dizzying array of functions can handle the needs of crosstraining cyclists and multi-sport athletes such as triathletes. The RS800CX has 2 key features: GPS route tracking and compatibility with a range of Polar cycling sensors, including those for speed and cadence. It records all the usual cycling data as well as altitude and heart rate. Two big names appeared at the Polar display -- coach and "Training Bible" author Joe Friel speaking on "Training for High Performance Road Cycling," and George Hincapie, who signed autographs. http://tinyurl.com/4jqaj3

Also on 201- Wild Series Bonitas Sun Trib Gateway Cycle..

Good post- after 8 years of riding I have never used a bomb. And now I know why they call them bombs. Am now so scared off that I will stay away from them.

Its my Mom's birthday on the 4th. Its also a public holiday in Mozambique. I always phone her and tell her that on account of her birthday, they've declared a holiday in Mozambique. Always gets a giggle.

If Frank is in it, what does that say about his brother Andy, who did so well in the TdF youngest rider competition and in the GC, and has been tipped to be next cycling superstar?

I see Jacob Zuma has joined the Hub. Wow. Welcome, and we hope you really enjoy the Hub. Can we ask you to use your influence to open up bike routes and paths in all cities and towns to allow commutes from our homes to work and back without risk of being killed. Say yes and you will instantly get just over 5063 votes, and rising. I invite Arnie, AM and Owen into my lounge almost every week. I use the slot for my Tuesday session on my IDT. Its a weekly routine for several years now. What SC needs is some sassiness and risk taking to make it more adventurous and fun. I have seen various attempts at this over the years, with for eg, the Aussie, then the two guys prepping for the Epic, the live interviews and the live wires , the occasional product reviews, that one series where the guy spoke from the restaurants (I never got what that was about), the end inserts of Xtreme crashes, etc, etc. Nobody can accuse the producers for not trying. The point is it must be really difficult to come up week after week with something new on what is probably a limited budget. But some of the ideas posted are great. - What about the exploration of commuter routes in the various centres? Hog, why don't you get a video camera onto your helmet to send off to SC to show your commute? Explore various routes that cyclists can use. - Follow each of the pros around for a few weeks, develop profiles and take us through a day or a week in the life of our pros- that will be an interesting series that could be carried over several months. These profiles, consisting of interviews, race footage, a look at family life and club life, travel and tour stories, etc, I think could be riveting stuff. Then at the end we would have a record of our pros that we could still be viewing 20 years from now. Who can show me a good profile of Ertjies Bez or Alan van Heerden?? What a pity! - Look for our most eloquent pros and get them to guest host SC for a few weeks- like this they get exposure for themselves. The best way would be for them to comment on the races they have perticipated in. Imagine NH or ML personally taking us through their thought processes in the last minutes of their races. No doubt there are those who will need presentation skills training, and the director may have to do a few takes- as long as they come across well- we don't want to see our pros made to look foolish on TV because of poor direction. AM, Owen and Arnie should be there to help out. - For those who don't like Arnie or Owen or AM, yes, there will always be somebody better, but who? Come on, come up with names, rather than just crit. And be realistic. Forget James Woods or Alec Baldwin. I know I couldn't do it, mainly because I'm on the IDT at the time . What about some of us Hubbers- any volunteers, or do none of us have "made for TV faces?" They will put on make up hey, so don't worry about that. Etc, etc, etc.....

. Oh no, my Yin is fully operational on this one, to the point that you didn't geddit- very disappointing. Well, lemme try explain.... you asked a question- whether your fan was suitable equipment for joining the fan club. Believing you weren't really looking for a serious answer, I said that before I answer, how many points would I get for the right answer. (actually couldn't think of a cleverer answer) Ummmm... your avatar is pretty fearsome- I trust that no harm will come to me if you don't like my answer?

Hey, I hadn't noticed guys- I think I just became a Champion Hubber! Already done 200 posts. Wow.

Congrats on your 500th post. I think I have an answer for you, but first I want to know how many points I get for the right answer. Or is there a cash prize?

Yep Xinavane, but not my own cycling club. I ride with the Mozambique Cycling Club, based in Maputo. We have a bunch of hotshots, including sub 3 Argus riders and one oke who's doing the Epic. Only thing is getting to Maputo to train at 06:30 I leave here at 4:30 on a 2 hour drive to get there on time. Tomorrow is a public holiday and we're doing a 100K's. Now to stop hijacking my own thread- Talking about this beng an emotional thread- its nowhere near the emotional levels of some of the stuff that was being posted on the price fixing thread. On that thread you could see what emotional responses do with respect to good objective judgement. Some people had the good grace to admit that they were hasty, to the point of retracting their positions. Like they say, it takes more strength of character to say you're sorry than not, and some okes showed their strength of character.

DR- what a small world- WOW. This last post of yours has me gasping for breath, like when I connected the ground off my bike a coupla weeks ago. Check your PM. Let me know who you are- in fact will check your profile.