Da Vinci

Shared the FB group on my FB Grp - but wondering if you need to look at the privacy settings - I got a warning saying it may not be available to all to view. Can't share on the local mtb club group cos they have locked down their FB page.

Surfer if you are a non member on a members only section then yes you should be confronted. The SGM to discuss the setting of fees for next year is next week. I imagine this will have a large impact on what the outcome will be. It does not seem that club will be entering in to discussions on the night so perhaps those of you who have queries ought to email the Commitee in the hope they will answer you.

Anyone with any feed back on this? Seems the front Fork will manage but not sure if the rear triangle will be big enough. Any input welcome

I still have a 6 sleeper Chalet in de Hoek and well as the 5 Sleeper Cape Nature house in the Hel available if anyone has changed their mind about camping 0829244030 Will also be a De Hoek tonight so will let the organizers know where to find me.

We were chatting about this on the other thread. The event will not be cancelled just because of rain. DJR mentioned that the Swatrberg pass was built as an alternative to Meiringspoort especially for the rainy seasons . You must remember that a lot has gone in to the organization incl purchase of food - pasta at De Hoek and braai in the Hel. Obviously the organizers will not put anyone in danger but the need to examine all angles before deciding on cancellation

G - one of our friends was mugged on the Sunningdale extension,. Knocked off his bike and hurt and cell, wallet and bike taken.

So just to update those of you following. I declined to attend the meeting as I have not been formally charged with anything and as stated I find the lawyer involvement rather heavy handed, considering it was stated to be an informal meeting. Also the fact that it was in working hours was also an inconvenience due to the nature of my job. The reply I received was your point is noted and we will be in touch shortly.... This was 2 weeks ago... Lo and Behold Thursday morning arrives in my mailbox a letter from their lawyers - not registered mail mind you - but a whole bunch of Blah blah and some inaccurate statements covering a very thinly veiled threat of disciplinary action should I continue doing whatever i was doing.

Well then by that logic the small print on all the races saying littering will not be tolerated is not worth dust cos it can't be policed and therefore won't be stopped.

Saw this in this mornings Cape Argus and I Love the concept. Plus for every set sold one is donated to ppl who can't afford one. Some schools have even bought for their pupils. http://www.seeandbeseen.org.za

Ok this may be old news... Haven't exactly been keeping up with this fred.... But lookie what I found... The crisp breads are in the oven as I type and onto the muesli next

Then maybe a neutral venue may have been more appropriate. My meeting has been called in office hours which will make it difficult to bring a neutral mediator from my side.

Yes he is aware of it but as I signed the letter I am the one being called to account. Smimbys issue is a different "charge" - we were barred independently of each other and by such he should addressed separately . To date only I have received feedback addressed to me and NOT the both of us. Make no mistake Smimby and I are on the same page and we are conferring with each other regarding this - but he has not had any communication from the committee regarding the meeting.

For the record only a small percentage of the club was targeted for the petition as I realized too late quite the magnitude of agreement numbers I need and I did not want to go overly public with some of the allegations - hence why the word RUMOUR was used for some of the points. Of the ppl who received the petition - more than half are in agreement. And I have received some interesting support from surprising quarters. The fact of the matter remains - it doesn't help that people gossip and whisper behind the scenes and keep quiet when it comes to the bigger picture. I just chose to open my mouth and voice what many are thinking. Not to worry - someone passed on the petition to the committee very quickly but I at least got my letter to them in before the chair tackled me on it. At the end of the day I have been invited to a meeting to address the points I raised, the committee takes the allegations very seriously and admit they were perhaps a bit negligent in not dealing with the initial issues sooner.

r Gerhard yes - they have fantastic trails and as a member you will have access to members only sections which are great. There are internal politics and certain issues that are clouding my view of them being open and honest but if you can keep an open mind and can decide based on facts not emotions then that shouldn't worry you.

DJR - the cyclist is lucky not to be dead after he cut the bus off and proceeded to weave aggressively infront of him as the coach was making a turn. The driver had pulled out to pass but a car came along so he had to back off which he did and then passed when it was clear. I think he gave the cyclists a fright but they got overly aggro. There was a threat of a charge and I am in that case a witness so I don't want to go into the whole semantics. I am of the opinion the driver was not driving deliberately recklessly and it was handled badly by the cyclists. As I said before 2 wrongs don't make a right. I can go on about this all day but it boils down to mutual respect -it will scare the bejesus out of you to hear how some guys talk about cyclists AND I'm not sure they can be blamed entirely for their attitudes. Education and awareness is key and PPA has contacted me for a list of coach companies so maybe this post will bear fruit

Hmmm surprised not to have seen a thread on the hub from said Cyclists

In light of my mornings excitement with almost fisticuffs between my coach driver and 2 Cyclists at Camps Bay this morn. And subsequent chats with some other coach drivers. (And for the record 2 wrongs don't make a right) Perhaps the PPA can look at approaching the big tour bus companies ( we all know who they are - or pm me if you want a list) and doing some driver awareness. Winter is quiet and many companies do training workshops over this period - get in there. Chappies, Camps Bay are all hot spots for clashes... And neither buses nor cyclists are angels in these instances the only difference is the Coaches have big names and phone numbers emblazoned on the back for all to see and note...

Mine does exactly the same - magic shine light and specialized computer. Lucky I don't ride much in the dark

I am not going to work my self up over this any more. Most of you are clearly accomplished riders who have never had your confidence rattled on the trails. Other than Repunzel who is clearly a well accomplished rider and has been biking for years I don't think many of you are ladies either and I'm sure you all had buddies showing you the ropes. Luckily for me I had/ and have Smimby, Schwinnlover, my hubby (when he is not tearing his hair out over how slow I am), Covie, GluvsMTB, my neighbor, my GP and many guys who are not on the Hub all of whom have looked after and coached me thru the 2 short years I have been on the bike. I am now gonna concentrate my energies on my Ladies group and leave all club politics out of it. The chairman has my suggestions on email but as I said I can ride the trails so if the club uses them great, if not i can still ride and cope nicely.

Noel I don't LET them fall but It happens. You can talk and coach til u blue in the face but if someone panics they panic. I take that insinuation quite personally.

Yes Noel I do know about the club financial setback from 2 years ago and the Bun fight that that created at the AGM.. And the committee is probably doing a great job sorting it out but maybe half the current members are aware of that situation. And they have full time employed a trail maintenance man and soon to be Adium person so financially we must be sound. It's the same as a new member riding up Dorstberg, seeing a guy cycling up the single track and scheming COOL I can do that too next time....

Yes Rapunzel but I'm also chick and I battle, so did the 3 ladies that rode last week, and the8 that rode the week before as well as an older gentleman. I think many people tend to forget they were also once newbies... The club is growing which means more people on the trails.... Great no issue except for wear and tear that will just compound over time. We may also be sharing with runners too. I can't do math but I am one person and I personally know about 20 members who have issues with certain aspects and could be clarified as less than happy. Of those 20 - 3 have opened their mouths on a public forum. Riding Meerendals Mineshaft the other day we were 4 Woman doing and easy " confidence" boosting ride so we were passed by many guys at the mineshaft switchbacks - EVERY Guy dragged his wheels down it. Creates ruts and then a newb building confidence on downs wipes out after hitting a tyre groove. Now Meerendal is the clubs busiest trail cos it is the "beginner trail" it's also open to the public so it probabaly sees a few thousand bikes a week and the more members the more bikes. There must be a long term solution found for the dry season. What if we are to host the Epic prologue again next year? What should the club members suffer on the worn out trails for 3 months until they get rain again? And it does bother me that the first year of the Epic prologue the members were all consulted and we were promised stuff (which I have no reason to believe didn't happen) and yet this year it was just taken for granted the members would accept it. I have issues that I want to to raise but there is no plan for a meeting anytime soon so I'm biding my time. Perhaps if the Club hadn't tried to sneak an amendment into the constitution last year with out following due process I would be more trusting of the committee and its intentions. I am passionate about the club and I love the trails and I can ride all of them confidently but not every one who is a member can. And I'm worse than any security guard when it comes to follow the letter of the law regarding boards and sticking to trail routes and members corridors. And yes if my work didn't take me out of town as often as it does I would volunteer to be on the committee. But because of work commitments I don't offer my service because if you choose to offer yourself for that service you do with the knowledge you have to do this for love and that you will suffer under the pressure.

I think part of the problem is that only 5 % are so vocal. If I listen to the circles I ride in (and I am driving the ladies group at the moment) many of the ppl I speak to are of a similar mind but don't know how to or if they should voice opinions. And no I haven't gone round and said I hate this and don't you think this is rubbish.... And btw its one of my good friends I watched go HOH on Burry Stander. Yes mayb cos she is a noob but she hit the ditch and to her the ditch caused her to fall (not the fact that she prob grabbed a handful of brakes and prevented the wheel from rolling out) And I on my own cannot lift my bike over the step overs.

Interestingly the latest debacle couldve been avoided if the clubs info officer (Facebook Patroller) either had had or had remembered the official status on the question asked. It should have been handled with more Diplomacy - the persons banned from FB were given the reasons that the comments/ questions asked would jeapordise the clubs relationships with land owners. But the flippant, dimissive comments on the original post by said official were far more negative and potentially damaging. There is a way you should handle uncomfortable questions and i dont think it was handled well at all considering.

That's the problem - there is not one for who knows when... Books have been audited - the only thing we really are addressing is communication (or lack there of) and accountability. We have yet to see the financials after the last AGM and no constitution either but we have no reason to believe there are any irregularities.