Honkdonk

Morning all Quick update on the injuries and status of the rider: Jan jnr went to the local police station. There is a 60 year old white guy in the cell who was drunk at the time and was the driver of the SUV that hit him. He is under arrest. He did not have the brain scan today (yesterday), they say it will happen tomorrow (today). He is still in an induced coma. There is a huge gash in his thigh below his bottom, where the car hit him, but his femur is not broken. The doctors are reducing the morphine to reduce the strain on the heart, the major concerns at this stage are the brain, the heart and the kidney. The accident happened 5 mins from home. They live just round the corner from Sunninghill Village shopping centre.

This is a father of a mate of mine. Jan Henning Snr. Serious injuries. From the primary scans he has a broken left leg (ankle and femur), he has broken ribs (3 left, 2 right), he has a broken jaw, there are a few cracked vertebrae in the neck, he lost a lot of blood because he is on Warfarin, so they pumped him full of blood and adrenalin last night. He had a full body x-ray, and a Cat scan last night, there is bleeding on the brain. He is going for another Cat scan this morning. Not cool. If anyone knows further details of the incident let me know

Took me an hour and a half to get down from Maple rd and past the scene. There was an attempt at covering the body with a space blanket, but I could see that it was a black guy. A few cars still around, but no sign of the bike he was on. Not the best way to start of a Friday morning

Was about to enter this, but now have a trip up to the northern reaches of Botswana for a job over the same weekend.

Is the Prison one Jhb's best kept secrets? Rode it a few times in the 94,7 MTB challenge but always thought it was out of bounds for the ret of the year. Dont wanna ruin it by tresspassing but if its available and they dont mind..

Come spend a new years at my house and you will see how uncool fireworks is. The local loco is obsessed and every SIpho, Beki and Thabo have a fistfull and let them off from 10pm till 03h00 at least. The air is fresh with the smell of cordite and the local vets make a killing from tranquilisers for all the dogs and cats. It sounds and smells like a warzone from Midrand to Centurion. It may look nice and impressive, and I am all for spectacular sites etc, but when you see what it really does then you will change your mind. Not to mention that it is all cheap Chinese crap, and we all know that the Far Eastern influence in investment and the large workforce present is responsable for the numbers of Rhino and Elephant poaching (nearly 3000 this year), but that is for a differrent debate. Happy New year!

Fantastic. Wish we could see the same results up here in jhb

I think the farm is ok. the Hills and Dales road alongside it may be a bit suspect as is the main road in fron of the entrance. I have riden there a few times lately and it is nice. But always keep a watch out along the perimiter fences and boundaries. They have security situated in the farm and it seems to be busy enough to deter the worst offenders. That being said. we still need to take care.

So back in May I became a statistic by way of having my bike removed forcibly by 4 young armed thugs down the road from my house. Did the whole Carte Blanche, Awareness ride thing. Made piece with it, saved up and got a replacement. Have been out a few time since and gradulally building up the miles and loving every minute of it. Yesterday I was on a ride from Crowthorne, Midrand headed down Main rd, past Kyalami, turned left into Allandale and crossed over the road. Just there 2 youngsters came from ahead. the back guy had his arm in his jacket as if concealing a weapon of sorts. As we passed them they 1st guy grabbed me off my bike. Fortunately, i dont think they had it all planned out, or were armed. There was a lot of swearing from our side and then they ran off into the forest behind the estate. Had we caught them it would have got messy... Keep safe out there and avoid the Diepsloot area at all costs as indicated by the other post about the shooting.

Bastards I was riding with a mate yesterday morning and got jumped by 2 youths just on Allandale by Kyalami Downs. I'll put it in a separate post Its out of control

Nice one! I'd be interested to know how the 'return' of the bike played out along William Nicol.

Just read all about him. I remember being a 9 year old living in Canada and driving east for 2 weeks from Vancouver with my folks and we came to the recently named Mount Terry Fox in the Rockies and learning of his story that was still fresh in the memory as it was 1982 when I was there. It was both inspiring and tragic at the same time. We can all learn from this. You think you got it bad, then check what set out to do and what he went through.

Also maybe check he has entered in his wheel size. Not sure if it registers a wheel size of 0, but i think the default is 2000cm. Best check though

My Moms lemon curd... Oh Jaysus!

Shew

Also a sufferer and I find allergies also compound things, especially up here in Jozi in the winter months when its really dry and dusty. I tend to suffer a bit more during the dry months. Living in a thatch house does not help either Rule # 1 - Dont smoke!! Rule # 2 If you do, give up now. Its amazing how many Asthma sufferers puff away - I was one for 10 years Managing the Asthma is key. I too, have gotten to he point where I only have a shot of the Ventheze before a session and then all is good. I have even on the odd occasion forgotten and had no issues. Lung function tests will tell you what state your air bags are in. Cortisone will also help open up the pipes, but that is not a solution for the long term - its nasty stuff, but works wonders short term Excersise is critical, it help builds the strength you need. Remember, asthma is not being able to breath in, its not being able expire all the way and therefore you cant breath in.

That is very sexy! I had looked a few other options, but me thinks I need to look at these a bit more closely.

Hmm Busy deciding on whether to get a new bike for XC or one with the extra travel. I came from a hardtail so anything with a rear shock is luxury.

Right, I think i got it.

Hmm. As I thought Trail is for fun, XC is race, but you can race a XC course on a trail bike and have fun on the trail with a XC bike. So here in Jozi where is Trail and what is XC?

Come on, give it to me you bunch of know it alls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want the real definition and difference between cross country and trail riding! What is it, why is it, why do you think it is what it is and what do you think you need for it and why. Real life experiances and advice only thanks. 4" vs 5", flat vs riser, 2 x 10 vs 3 x 10, 26 vs 29 blah blah blah

Its like a hiatus I guess. I have all I need around me to get on with things and take some stock in my life. There is change on the horizon that I need to go through, and believe it or not, not riding is part of it. It all hapens for a reason as they say, and I am a firm believer in that. I drive my other half nuts by often not getting involved in making things happen, but rather sitting around waiting. There is something to be learnt in that, from both perspectives. See the thing is, I used to ride on my own. That was my Sunday thing. 3 hours solo. Its good headspace, clears the mind and allows one to get into things that you are otherwise not able to. So while it may seem odd that I am not riding now, I get it in another form. Its temporary. The solo thing, I now realize is dangerous. It annoys me that I cant enjoy the time alone, but like I said earlier it is no longer about me. There are two other people involved in every decision I make. So when I get my new trail eating machine I will need to adjust to riding with a group and adapt. Its a more rigid routine and not as flexible as " let me try this path, or maybe I'll go up there, through that section and then down to that and up over there and wind my way home via this' Bit of a shame, but such it is. Us humans are incredible beings. We are able to cope and put up with a lot more than people realise. If we put our minds to something anything is possible. Thanks for the kind words and offers. I'll see you on the flip side

So back in May I got bike jacked. Bastards took my and a mates bike. I am sure many of you have followed all the related threads about it.. Anyway, I got the insurance payout, but it was no where near replacement value as it was a 8 grand bike back in 2005 when I bought it and I had done up everything on the bike except the brakes. Lesson #1 - make sure the insurance policy follows the upgrades. So I got the bucks and stashed it in an account and tried to figure out a master plan. Then I swapped medical aids and recieved a healthy payout from the policy I cancelled. I began to rub my hands with glee and started pricing some potential purchases and narrowed the choices down. However, being married, and doing my best to uphold the vows we took together I began to see that there are priorities in ones life and its not all me me me. Cycling, or any hobby/sport can be very selfish obsession. If you are 1. single and 2. loaded then this does not really apply. I am neither, so extra funds need to be wisely spent and in conjunction with the other half. So very quickly the extra funds have been out to good use by way of kick ass queen size bed that we were in dire need of and I am about to spend my weekend sloshing new paint all over the kitchen and dining room. House upgrades are also good! I am a simple bloke who could easliy sleep on a matress on the floor. Who needs a new bed? The current paint job is just fine... But this is not about me.. So the wait continues and slowly I will chip away and add to the stash that will one day turn into a new trail eating beast. One thing I do know - I am prepared to wait long enough so that I dont buy a bike that I add to gradually. Buy it once, complete, and be happy. Be happy with the wheelset, be happy with the groupset, be happy with the suspension. I know myself all to well and expensive tastes are me! So i am prepared to wait. Its nice looking around though. In the meantime I run. Did 15km in an 1 hour 20 last Sunday. Stoked with that! So it goes

I have not watched the Carte Blanch thing yet, but will see it online later tonight. As a victim of this I can say that the fact that this has been aired is a good thing. Like so many have said its the awareness that is needed first. This kind of thing does not go away overnight and needs constant pressure. We can be glad for people like Anton, Troy, Denis and the rest who have put in plenty effort and hard work. Remember, this is not something these guys get paid to do. Its done out of love and free will. After i got jacked I connected a lot of people, made calls, emailed etc. Everyone needs to do their part no matter how small. It all contributes. We can all do our part to help make this go away. Moaning and whining is not included I still do not have a bike to ride and it grates me daily. It will come, the time must be right.

As the old saying goes - United we stand, divided we fall! I think the momentum and awareness around this that has deloped and continues to grow is fantastic. It shows what can be achieved through the power of social networks and the media. The pressure must be kept on and the word must continue to spread. We can beat this