sluiper

Yes, you're right. He's definitely playing a role, just like he was playing a role during his entire career. I mean, what a brilliant actor to lie to everyone around you for so many years. Only this time instead of playing "talented cyclist" he's playing "remorseful cycling guru". What talent!

Agreed. I mean, what's not to like? He lied about his doping and cheated during his entire career and when he saw the opportunity to make a quick buck by spilling the beans on his more famous teammate, he grabbed it with both hands. He comes out smelling like roses because he confessed his sins first and makes a bundle by writing a book about how he stuck a needle in his arm so many times he developed permanent scars (http://sports.yahoo.com/video/tyler-hamilton-scarred-veins-doping-161516246.html). Great guy indeed. If I win I'll definitely take my kid along to show him what a real winner looks like.

Congrats Hope the little one allows you a few hours of sleep every now and then.

Discovery will say they cover it, but the cost would probably come out of your medical savings account in any case

But does this include EPO and blood transfusions along the way? Or do you have to supply your own?

Probably looking for an excuse somewhere...

Hmm, better get my ass in gear and register then. You going to make it this year, JGR?

Might have been some tongue in my cheek there...

- Always wear the freebie swimming cap you got at IronMan when doing a pool session. - When on a group ride, casually mention that you prefer the time trial position. - "Forget" to shower after a pool session and humble-brag for the rest of the day that you keep on smelling chlorine. - When asked about your weekend plans say: "Oh, you know, the usual: a 6 hour ride followed by a 20km run. And you?"

Matt Goss - Orica-GreenEDGE

wat die hel doen jy gesig bleek? (According to Google Translate, in any case...)

Eric? Is that you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woYG6Uq6OVU

Once a doper...

Fight, fight, fight!

You have 2 special needs bags: 1 for the run and 1 for the bike. You can only access each of the two bags once (you can't give them back and get them again later), but you pass the special needs area 3 times on the bike (after 60km, 120km and 180km) and 3 times on the run (after 5km, 19km and 33km). I packed a lot of stuff in both my bags, but found the on-course nutrition was sufficient and never accessed one of them. I won't be packing a special needs bag again next year. You are correct in saying that family/friends can't give you any clothes as that would constitute outside help resulting in a disqualification. If you know you're going to take a long time to complete the race, you can leave a top in the special needs bag and get it whenever it starts getting cold. If you're planning on taking more than 13 hours, it might not be a bad plan to do so.

They handed out Coke, water and GU Brew. The GU Brew is supposedly quite good as it contains electrolytes (it's got what plants crave!). I didn't have any complaints, but then again I'm not too fussy when it comes to drinking or eating. I train with pretty much anything and my stomach seems to be happy with anything I can stuff down my throat. Most advice is that you should train with whatever's going to be dished up during the race, so I know a lot of people that train specifically with GU to ensure they can keep it down on race day.

Ja, I know how you feel I can't believe it's actually here... So much time and money invested in the planning, the exercise, the diet, the gear, the time away from family, etc. etc. And finally it's only a few days away Can't wait to be standing on the beach with the adrenalin pumping alongside a bunch of other crazy guys.

Don't mind too much about the rain, but I hope the cloud cover stays constant. Would love to be able to do the race without the sun beating down.

Don't know, I find the cycling race entries very cheap. Did the Journey for Sight last week at R85 and most upcoming events are at between R100 and R200. I also do triathlon, and that's a rip off. Most small events are around R400 with much less facilities than the average cycle race puts on. The 70.3 half Ironman I'm doing this weekend costs R2000 and the full Ironman R4000.

Ja, thanks. It was more like 80% bike, 15% swim and 5% run I was looking at my running shoes the other day to see where they're wearing down... There was no wear.

Wow, hard to believe all the vitriol and insults directed my way because I asked a question. Especially as I prefixed my question with an apology AND indicated later on that I thought the practice was stupid and unsafe. Thanks, to the rational people amongst us who answered the question in a rational and civil manner.

OK, thanks for all the replies so far, but so far no one has been able to point me to the actual legislation making it illegal for a bicycle to jump a red light. Saying something's illegal unfortunately doesn't make it so. I'm not denying it's stupid and dangerous, I'd just like to know where the law is that makes it illegal. The Act is available here if anyone's interested: http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=70930

I'm relatively new to cycling, so please excuse my ignorance. I see numerous posts where people rant against cyclists jumping red lights, but I'd like to know whether this is actually illegal and what the penalty is for a transgression? I've scanned through the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, and from my cursory reading it would seem that bicycles are not considered to be vehicles, and that the laws applicable to vehicles thus cannot apply to bicycles. (A "motor vehicle" is specifically defined as being inclusive of "a vehicle having pedals and an engine", meaning a vehicle having only pedals would fall outside the definition of a vehicle. And no smart comments about your legs being the engine, please ) Is there another Act specifically dealing with bicycles? If so, could someone please point me towards said Act? Perhaps I'm just missing the relevant section in the Act or misreading it.

Here's my best case scenario: Swim: 0:35 T1: 0:05 (provided I remember to put my bib on) Bike: 2:45 T2: 0:05 (provided I remember to take my bib off and put on some sunscreen) Run: 2:15 (probably more like 2:30) Total: 5:45 But to be honest, I'll be ecstatic with anything under 6 hours as it's my first long(ish) distance tri. Looking back on my preparation, I probably should have spent a bit more time running and less time on the bike...

I'm in. Had a reasonable ride today, so I'll just be doing the 50km