G-Unit

Apologies if I trivialized that piece of road - I can see how people get emotionally attached to those mountains - they really are impressive. In hindsight I was probably not in a position to make an informed assessment.

Got back last night and my opinions on the CPT as follows: Obviously disappointed that we were of the unlucky ones who got nailed by the bees. My wife and I were both stung over 900 times each. I had to get adrenaline and antihistamines in the field, and missed the next 2 days. My wife didn't react as badly and only missed the Swartberg day. To their credit, the organisers were very flexible and allowed us to rejoin as and when we were able (albeit at the cost of an official finish). When I did rejoin on the 'short' 65k day through the Kamanassie mountains, I was amazed at the beauty and the difficulty of the route. That day was easily as hard as any day at the Epic this year. But it was beautiful and rewarding. The following 2 days day which saw us go from Heorld down to Geroge and then back up Oudtshoorn over the Outeniqua mountains were just magnificent. So from a route point of view 9/10 (-1 for the bees ) And then the biggest thing - the friendly people. It was a common theme that just about everyone we dealt with were friendly and genuinely nice. From the guest house owners to the locals helping out with logistics, the race organisers and honestly, just about anyone we met was wonderful. The racers too were really nice - met a hubber or two and just generally enjoyed everyone's company. In fact, we'll probably be down in the cape not too soon to visit some of the people we befriended. Now it's just the small matter of unfinished business - I can't wait to try do this thing properly next year.

Sadly not - a few k's of tar drag after the undulating district road descent. Not exactly a freebee.

Dude, respect for doing that. Insane climb - I've not seen anything as singularly impressive.

Thanks, pm sent. Although, I don't know if I want too many reminders of that! :-)

Thanks. I'm hoping that I'll be able to ride tomorrow. Still a couple of awesome stages left. It's a pity that we couldn't do the Swartbergpas climb. We rode up it yesterday in the car, and it is brutal. The last 3k kicks up really steeply. Just about every team who got to the top looked FUBAR. And what is not advertised is that while the timing stops at the top you still have to cycle another 21k into Prince Albert. Eina.

Thanks, the locals are super friendly and vibe is great. Something really special.

My wiife and I were one of the unlucky ones who were stung by bees. We both ended up in hospital on Monday. I am still unable I ride. My wife was feeling fine by the end of yesterday, so I dropped her at Prince Albert this morning, so she could do today's stage. I'm pretty bummed out, but I guess that's life.

Hey gerhardc, my wife and I met you yesterday at registration. Just had a look at this thread and the penny dropped. Good luck on the prologue - we'll try say howzit afterwards.

Looks like you'll have to bank more than leave! But that will be magic - '50km of technical sinhletrack' sounds amazing. You already signed up?

Haha! Wish I could pull that one off...

Agreed. Who's driving down tomorrow already? I would love to buy have to put in a full day's work.

Hurry up Thomson! Christmas is coming... I NEED that bar!

All the better to eat you with, my dear...

Thanks! Herold looks like it could be a little chilly, but apart from that , it looks really pleasant. You doing it this year, MorewoodMad?

So obviously this wunderground must be correct :-)

In my (limited) experience of both, a flat bar helps you get you hands lower in corners. This improves handling (cornering ability) quite substantially. It also enables you to get lower on the bike during steep climbs where it is necessary to get right on the front of you saddle and really bend your back to keep the wheel down. A riser bar gives a more relaxed, comfortable (and slower) riding position. I went from a riser to a flat bar and like the flat bar more.

Specially when you slap a couple of bar ends on that puppy.

For those who really care, this will be a step closer to SS and acceptance by the main manne of the hub. I personally will try the 11 speed with my triple crankset. 33 speed, hell yeah!! :-) Seriously though, I think the biggest application will be for XCO where before the race you can chose the correct front chainring. I don't think 11 is enough for XCM. Downhill application? I'm clueless there.

I agree that Botha is an excellent captain, but the problem is that he is not always the best option to play as a bowler. Then you sit with a situation that a player is getting picked just because he's a good captain, and keeping someone better out the team (ala Smith).

You may have some compatibility issues with differences between post and IS mounting, depending on the particular frame and fork options. But there are adaptors available for just about any combination. If you buy new hubs, make sure they have the same fixing arrangement for the rotors (ie. centre lock or 6 hole) Also check the hose lengths on the brakes. May come up a bit short depending on the routing. Other than that should be fine?

Specialized phenom 143. My poeper loves that thing.

Got a corporate entry. Will be my first 94.7 and only my 3rd road race (my 2nd was Panorama tour!) Not expecting a good time, as the okes I'm riding with seem a bit 'cheese and wine'.

We gonna need all the cheering we can get! An early start is nice,. As you say, it give you time do all your chores. Plus, the sooner you done, the sooner recovery starts (read beer-time).

Errr... we start at about 13:30. I can't decide if that's good or bad. At least we have an hour start over Kevin Evans and David George. Should be enough...