Sandro

Pinarello charge that price because they can, and you know what they say 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...' If you want to buy the Chinese knockoff or the real thing then that's your prerogative but stop looking for approval.

RIP... my heart goes out to all who knew him. I can't begin to imagine what his wife and family must be going through! When so many people die on our roads each year we need to stop referring to them as 'accidents'. That's bull***t, it's negligence, weak law enforcement and lack of consideration for those around us! Government need to start enforcing the law and stop trying to profit from it. Sorry for the venting, I'm just sick and tired of reading about this unnecesary carnage every day.

I'm not too sure how they would define the setup in terms of the above but he did tell me its based around the methood that Greg LeMond devised. You can check out their site at www.cyclefit.co.za. Full setup was R550 and took just over an hour so its quite intensive, they actually film you before and after so you can see the difference in your body position.

Thought after all the help I got here I should at least give you guys an update, been training hard and more focused the last few weeks but more interestingly I decided to finally go and check my bike SETUP at CycleFit yesterday... Well, well, well... so much for my bike being set up properly... Saddle height was 13mm too low,cleat positioning was wrong, saddle position was out, handlebar and hood position was also out... I don't think anything had been set up properly actually. Big ups to CycleFit though, I can't tell how impressed I was, very professional, and focused on doing the job properly. Highly reccomend them! As for the guys who did the initial setup, you will never see another cent of my business again. Ever. And to think I've been riding with wrong setup for a year now. Unbelievable.

It's only Tuesday guys, weather report is bound to change before Sunday. Those guys battle to get yesterday's weather right.

It's difficult to compare different routes, 1300m is quite a lot of climbing on that distance though so you're right in saying the 94 won't be quite as difficult in terms of climbing. I'm no expert and I'm sure quite a few guys can give you some good advice and opinions. All I'm gonna say is if you pace yourself and don't go too hard too early like you did in your other race and you ride with a strong bunch who are aiming for a similar time then I reckon sub 3:15 is doable. In the 2012 94.7 thread there's a table of group finishing times where it will give you an idea of finishing time for that group. You don't say whether you've done it before? If not then i'll tell you from my experience that the krugersdorp highway is probably the most important part of that race, if you overdo it on that stretch then you will be in trouble for the rest of the race. Leave something In the tank for after the highway... Good luck.

Were you riding alone on this training ride?

I don't know which astounds me more, the fact that the supplement industry is evidently so badly regulated, or the fact that a CEO of an established company can jeopardize the image of him and his company by responding like that? This is the reason companies have people to do PR on their behalf I suppose. Anyway they don't need my money and they are certainly not gonna get any more of it.

If that didn't put me off supplements then nothing will, I know our industry isn't well regulated but I was hoping it was a bit more advanced in the States... Evidently not!

Forex payment.

Don't worry about brakes, as long as you can see what you're going to ride into you'll be fine...

I want to see the 'clean' cyclist who gets this titles instead now...

Any suggestions for figment? I believe Arran Brown is good?

Strava segments?

Thanks guys, appreciate it! So less gym and soccer and more time on the bike, makes sense. One thing I do notice is that I feel the strain in my legs way more than I do from a breathing point of view. I also ride at a pretty high cadence (average about 80) Now as far as compact cranks are concerned, I've only had them on this bike and ridden with them for the last year, I know they're quite common these days but what is your take on them? I'm not convinced myself.

And what do I use as goals? Heart rate? Distance? Time?

Ok I dont only cycle, I also train gym (strength training) 4 or 5 times a week and I play action soccer for 60 to 90 minutes on a Saturday.

5 to 6 hours

37

Thanks guys, seems you've given me some homework to do... Carpet's right, 2008 was a very quick 94.7. In fact it was only 91 km's I think, so probably safer to say my time would have been around 3:00... Current cassette with compact is 12/25 which is what I used to ride with 39/53. My average HR yesterday was 146. Truth be told I have never trained that much, always averaged 100 to 180km per week made of 75 to 120 on a weekend and two smaller rides or spinning sessions during the week so safe to say I don't think I've ever overtrained. Thanks for working out time percentages, in saying that 2010 94.7 was a disaster, I punctured twice and ended up making a fun ride out if it. I didn't ride at all during 2011 after that 94.7 and ended up entering the 2011 one at the last minute, my bike only landed a few days before so that was an exact year without training and the beginning of training again. I don't normally train on my own, no. My weight has always fluctuated between 77 and 80kgs and I'm 6'1 so definitely not overweight. I suppose I'm just getting older now and need to train harder just to try and keep up with what I used to do? Not having set goals as far as training is concerned is probably also a problem but these things seem to be so damn technical. Else I need to start smoking again

I'm putting it out there because maybe someone has had a similar experience... I'm in a position right now where my training is the same as it has been and I'm actually riding a much better bike than before. In fact I trained almost right through winter which I've never done before. I've been cycling (road) for about 8 years now and lately my times are significantly slower (like 20 to 30 minutes on a 100km ride)... The only real factors that have changed are: - I'm riding a different bike now (better though) - I stopped smoking in January - I'm riding with compact cranks now (reluctantly) I had the bike set up at a reputable shop but is it possible that the set up is not right? Could this make such a big difference in my performance? As far as compact cranks are concerned, I believe gearing is still pretty similar, no? I've never been a top rider, make no mistake but at least I used to be able to hold my own (like 2:47 for 94.7 as opposed to yesterday's Jacaranda which took me 4:15!) Anyway any suggestions would be most welcome at this stage...

I don't think any of us have the right to actully judge unless we've competed at that level in cycling. I think when you've committed that much of your life to winning and endured so much then there's very little you won't do to compete. And that's what it comes down to I'm afraid. Once again, don't hate the player, hate the game. We can all sit here and judge with our 'holier than though' opinions but quite frankly, we don't know jack of what it must actually be like.

Great book, all I want to know is if Lance is stripped of his titles then who on earth will get them? Lets face it, it looks like all the top contenders during that era were doping so no one should get them then.

Now that brings back memories! Give her a good service and just as important, get it set up properly for you. I would get some clipless pedals too. Happy cycling!

Ha ha! Touche