Yang

Only that they have been doing some work on the Brondal road, but there are still cracks and holes on that stretch. The Kiepersol road has had holes filled in but practice your bunny hopping. This is from my own riding over these roads over the last few weeks, but I tend not to notice because the roads are 100 times better than my usual stamping grounds in Mozambique.

Got an entry as well- confirmed for the Race !!!!!!!

I took my bike with me to Madeira in December, via Jhb, Frankfurt and Lisbon return. I found that the airways people were confused about whether to charge or not, and in Jhb I got away with a story (or at least my wife did) that I was cycling for SA in Europe. I got some applause from two ACSA employees and they were happy to load up without charging via Frnkfrt to Lisbon. It was a hard case, compact. Lisbon to Madeira cost me about 30 euros. On the way back I paid 135 Euros from Lisbon all the way to Jhb at the Lufthansa counter. Lufthansa did not buy the story about sporting goods. Weight is not an issue if you have to pay for your bike box, so load up the box with all your excess weight. The hard cases are really expensive. I used an Alan's Bike Box, borrowed from a mate. http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/

Brad, good to hear it all ended well. I hope that justice has been dispensed sensibly (at least a few kicks to the teeth, a broken kneecap or two), and that their zubs fall off within the next few weeks so that they can no longer propagate.

Tell you what, about that naked bike ride. I'm sitting here at my laptop shaking my head. I still can't believe that I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to join in a naked bike ride, and I didn't take it. Been there, done that, anything goes stuff. Seriously, dam it!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank the guys at Bowman's for their persistence under difficult circumstances, with dozens of clamouring customers on Saturday, to fix a temperamental Campag FD on my bike. After several finetunings, including the straightening of the dropout, my little lady was tamed, picking up and dropping that chain sweetly. Thanks for the attention guys. I know here to go when I'm back next year, if I need help. A bonus was the naked bike ride which came right past the shop while on a test round.

Airbender, if I'm correct you were in J, my group. I was in 4th place entering Hospital bend climb and just behind the prang when it happened on the climb. There was also a prang coming out of Simonstown which happened just in front of me as well- dabbed my foot down for a sec, and carried on to finish in 3:26- a PB in my 10th Argus, so we probably spend a fair amount of time riding next to each other. I had the Laurentina kit. Oh, and BTW, my uncle, Don Corleone, would like the names and addresses of all the guys who beat me, to pay them a visit and offer them his congratulations. Well done to you all.

Did you get any reaction from those you touched? It happens. On Sunday going down the Blue Route there was this person in front of me with very short, very blond hair under the helmet, with dik legs and I couldn't figure out if it was a chick or a dude, but I moved to overtake and our gloved knuckles touched. All I heard was this scream of indignation and near panic "NEE MAN!!!" . That's how I found it was a battle axe woman. Me and most likely everybody else in that bunch, including the spectators on the side of the road shet themselves.

I am looking for a training manager for my department, with a track record in technical training and leadership development. There will be an ad in the Sunday Times this weekend but otherwise PM me for more detail. The job is based in Mozambique, in a sugar mill, and comes with a package designed to attract and retain the right person. Being a cyclist is not an advantage, but then again, I'm biased....

I am looking for a training manager for my department, with a track record in technical training and leadership development. There will be an ad in the Sunday Times this weekend but otherwise PM me for more detail. The job is based in Mozambique, in a sugar mill, and comes with a package designed to attract and retain the right person. Being a cyclist is not an advantage, but then again, I'm biased....

Its by Edward Burke, published about 5 years ago I think. Would have to go home to check. Lots of technical stuff for geeks, and a whole lot of insight and reports into lab studies, nutrition, supplements (legal and illegal). Will confirm later.

Enjoy your post ride recovery by getting all you need in terms of immediate nutrition with a choc milkshake and a couple of handfuls of biltong. FiT chocolate recovery Duratrain http://www.fitsportslab.com , iced up the night before and still cold with particles of ice straight after the ride is the most fun in a bike bottle that your taste buds can ever have. Then park off in front of the TV, after a warm bath, doze off with a smile on your face. This weekend I did my most intense training session with the Sabie pre-ride of 70km's on Saturday and a 151km road ride at pace the next. Today I'm climbing the stairs with a subdued spring, but with a lot less pain and stiffness that I expected after doing the above. And some pasta and steak for Sunday dinner- easy.

Ooooohhh, lovely- Now you've got to walk the talk, and pull yourself through all the bunches to the front and beyond. Good luck.

Sounds about right. Just checked in my ed of Serious Cycling- extract p200, edited: The evidence is that the key to effective tapering is to cut back on mileage but maintain training intensity. Reducing mileage has the greatest impact on lessening accumulated fatigue. The best way to do this is to reduce distance or time of workouts, but to cut back only moderately on the number of rides per week. How much you reduce depends on your training volume and the race distance. If prepping for a major event, plan a break without a competition about 2 weeks before the race. The 2 week period should start with 3 to 4 days of easy riding followed by 9 to 10 days of specialised work for the event. If the race has a lot of climbing work on climbing tech and power. Intervals, high intensity sprints and other exercises shpuld be part of your program. Two days to race day should be light training of low duration with 2 or 3 jumps each day then prep mentally and nutritionally. Me, for eg, did my last heavy prep this weekend for the Argus- a 67km Sabie pre-ride on Sat and a 151 km road ride on Sunday. I will race the Sabie 40km next weekend (not the 70km- its too tough at this stage and I already banked that last Saturday), then in the last two weeks I'll do intervals and sprints during the week, two hours or so on Sat and Sunday then on the Saturday before the Argus I'll do the nekkid bike ride through CT for my mental prep.

Very good read. Shows how our perceptions become our reality, and the importance of proper evidence before reaching your conclusions.

If I heard yip yip yip all day long in NZ, I'd come back to SA to stop from going crazy.

C'mon guys. The Tech Q&A section is our serious section. You wanna get a medal for makimg fun of Hardtailrider, wait for him to post something on Rant & Rave or Chit Chat. Thanks for the "yay" moment HTR.

I got a pair of MTB Sidi 5's in Lisbon in Dec for Euros 135, about R1200. Here in SA they will go for over R2000.

Justin Bieber?

These designs are geometric, conservative, safe. Where's the inspiration for something more organic? I'm no artist, never mind having the software to do designs, but I picture kit, especially for the MTB, with irregular lines, more adventurous and in line with the bush, sun and sky, water and earth that we ride in. Do we have to be stuck with black and blue? Our avatars carry all the colours. Get some of that stuff that TB uses and become creative.

Don't bother with the model that has the WIND feature. Unless you are a team member and coached, you'd be paying for something you won't use. I have the CS400 and 725i and for cycling I'm inclined to the CS400 to do what I need and I never feel like anything is missing. Garmin for mapping.

Oh yes. I got a new pair of white Sidi's while I was in Lisbon- too beautiful to resist- my Christmas present to me. But they're WHITE MTB shoes. So I get back to a near flood situation in Moz, and the puddles are like, 100m long with nowhere else to go but through. To see them get caked was painful. But I got home, got a bucket and the omo out with a small nail brush, and eish, they came out like brand new, handwashed. I've since done the Barberton and some other muddy training routes and a light wash keeps them new.

I visit Durban every now and then from Moz and join in with the guys at the Suncoast Casino. But the best thing to do is to contact Cycle Lab at +27315634333 or email neil@cyclelab.com and ask them when it is that they get out. Groups normally meet between 5 and 6 during the week, and there's also a 7km circuit dedicated bike lane until 07:00 around the golf course starting from the swimming pool towards Blue Lagoon, and just in front of the Moses Mabida Stadium. The guys do their intervals around that circuit. Then on weekends there are 100´s of cyclists, many starting off from the Casino, riding towards Ballito and back. If you want to bale out along the route to Ballito you just turn around and hook up with another group. The groups then normally meet at the Mugg and Bean afterwards at the Casino to replenish the kj's they lost. Riding in Durbs is very lekker.

I'm also in J, like so many of you. How do they know we're Hubbers? Is there a message here?

Just seen a Sky News banner announcing that Contador has been banned for a year.