ccc2

there was a +1 group but it lasted 1 lap and a bit. a few guys from +2 joined them to make up the numbers, the +2 guys ended up dragging them around the track waiting for scratch. why they didn't they just start with scratch???

if you are a licensed rider in CT - basically have to belong to a club of your choice, who is affiliated to WPCA, have a CSA license. thats where it should end but on top of all that you have to be a member of ppa, to ride in their licensed race you have to pay like a joining fee for your race numbers and then you must still pay to enter each race. wierd.

which is technically correct - if you supposed to start at a certain time and you are late for the start , the clock is already ticking.

i'm trying out Neutripure products and an usa product sure2endure by Win. will let u know (both products are made from natural products - or so their spieel says) and are not available overthe counter.

what shock is it because if the trek you talking about is a trek 8900 with full shimano xtr it has a fox terralogic shock which you wont be able to push down from the top because it only really acts as a shock when it feels impact from the bottom ok sorted , didn't know that. thanks

i have a Trek XTR hardtail which i bought 2nd hand and have noticed that i really have to push down heavily to get the shock to move. turning the lockout in both directions has no effect to the performance iow the shocks don't lock out. can you drip a lube onto the shocks by lifting up the booties?

thats our way of thinking as well - Ride the Knysna and then have fun on the way back to CT. The biggest problem was getting a commitment from our members. We wanted to restrict the party to 20. when push came to shove and we asked for a deposit we only had 12 takers. By that time we were aware that accommodation in Sedgefield was at a premium (Shearwater, where we stayed previously had been sold and I didn?t know of a place that could accommodate all of us. (we avoid Knysna as its too ?busy?)<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The 2nd biggest problem was getting members and bikes up to Sedgefield our kombi takes 8 people and 10 bikes on the trailer. Our trip only kicks in from the Sunday night after the Oyster Festival funrides. I worked out the distances Sedgefield ? H?bos 83 km H?bos ? R?dale 83 km (we only decided to do the detour the night before) R?dale ? B?dale 150 km B?dale ? <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Worcester ? 144 km Worcester ? CT 110 km Had to then find accommodation in the towns that would accommodate us ie single beds at a reasonable price and had restaurant facilities available on the premises (more about this later) Booked accommodation for 13 people and called for deposits so that I could pay the deposits to places of accommodation. Worked out a budget per person x 12. subtracted what accommodation , food and fuel should come to. Our backup stayed free iow the other 12 members subsidised his costs. Thankfully at R2 000 pp we were showing a small surplus and we gained two other riders in the month leading up to the trip so there was a bit of comfort built into our surplus. you never know what extra costs you can incur. During the weeks leading up to the trip we decided the following: We couldn?t afford to supply energy supplements (this wasn?t a problem as most of the guys were going to use their own anyway) We would self cater at Sedgefield, Riversdale and Worcester (one member owns a fast food franchise and another member is a qualified chef). We did fish/calamari in S?field, pasta in Riverdale and a chicken potjie in Worcester. (this saved us at least R1 500). Monday we ate at Hartenbos in the restaurant @ R65 per head and The Barrydale includes supper and breakfast in their tariff. We also included breakfast in our price because we were scared that some riders wouldn?t eat 1st thing in the morning and then run out of fuel on the ride. Midmorning coffee was for own pocket. Make a list of : Members name , id , Med aid , next of kin Get them to sign an indemnity form Hospitals / Medi Clinics en route Bike shops en route (Francois of Manic Cycles came to our rescue in Worcester) Impress upon the riders to keep left at all times (even the most intelligent of people ride like idiots at times) Dress for the worst weather ? it?s the middle of winter.

we were using various creams for chafing, the best being the one in a blue tube (i'm sure it was called Blue Metal) i will get the correct name for you. try and wear different styles of shorts (must be bib shorts) so that the same places dont get rubbed. i popped an over the counter myprodol (spelling) halfway to our destination for neck and back pain. i did the PE - CT trip twice a few years back for the "hospices" the week before the Argus. got advised to do a few 20 second sprints very now and again to wake the legs up. you should be flying for DC.

the road between George and Glentana is very cyclist friendly - note the sign in the background.

The climb out of mosselbay is called "de bakke bult"...if you not quite fit you can replace the second "b" with a "k" and there you have it. this is my local training ground. ...ps...did you guys tackle the hill on the way to george or not? 6km in length!!!!! Kaaimans ???? if so , ja. we were worried about the traffic on this section but it turned out ok. the trucks are going just a few k's faster than you up the climb. i know there is an alternative route out of mossel bay in between the houses but no-one knew of the exact roads to take.

Ja, we had a number of riders that did it for the 1st time and they were worried that the daily distance would "catch up". but the human body is amazing at adapting. after 150+ on Wednesday and 140+ on Thursday, Friday was a mere 109kms. what a pleasure. the last hill 5 k's from home is a 7% incline but short at about 250 metres. what a pleasure, after Kaaimans Pass (5kms) , numerous 3+ k climbs on day 2, Garcia - the hard side, Op d Tradouw (7kms) and du Toits (7kms) never mind the small bumps in between , this mere 250 metre hill just flew by.

Ja, the Monday wasn't too bad. the breeze kept you honest but we still managed a good average once over the Kaaimans Pass @ ?30kph. the worst day was the one from Riversdale over Garcia, once over the pass and onto the plateau, we had a headwind for 70kms and then when we turned left onto the R62 it was a side wind. no hiding on this day.

In Summary.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> We were able to keep the cost down to R2 000 per person even though the fuel price was increased a few times since we announced our intentions to ride back to CT. The route was fantastic, other than the little bit on the N2 , traffic was minimal. We had one day of bad weather , albeit for just 2 hours. In total we rode just over 565 km (4 riders did 597 as they did not cut the Wednesday short at Ronnies) my calorie counter said 13 486 over the five days. This is the 3rd time City have cycled back to CT from the Oyster Festival. Plans are already afoot for the 2009 journey. ccc22008-07-29 12:52:01

Friday ? our last day in the saddle. Most of us were now complaining of tender nether regions. The uncomfortable pain tends to ease off after about 20 minutes. It was just as cold as the day before. The du Toits Kloof Pass was open, we were receiving horror stories from the Cape that there were floods and rockfalls all over the Western Cape.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The tunnel is scary. We stopped in Paarl for a fantastic omelette at some or other coffee shop in the Main Road and then it was the last leg home on now familiar roads. We negotiated our way through busy roads of Bellville and then the last hill dawned. Hendrik Verwoed Rylaan,

Thursday - It was 1degree as we left Barrydale and headed towards Op de Tradouw. We stopped in Montagu for a bite and then it was on through Ashton , Robertson and Worcester. Our stop was to be Nekkies Resort in between Rawsonville and Worcester. The ride was quiet uneventfull. The snow on the surrounding mountains kept the sunshine weak. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Wednesday - It was still dark when I rose from one of the warmest beds I have experienced, Anton our backup driver rushed in from the cottage next door: ?I can see stars, its stopped raining?. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> We retraced our steps to the Wimpy for breakfast and then it was up the <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Garcia Pass. Ronnies Sex Shop was a welcome stop for some of us. Four brave souls decided it was all the way to Barrydale on the Bike. 159 kms for the day.

Tuesday - We were all awakend by the train bypassing Hartenbos at about 6.30 on Tuesday morning. We all trudged off back to the Musselcracker for breakfast. The climb out of <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Mossel Bay is a bitch. Period.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The detour past Boggoms and Vleesbaai was quiet and scenic with rolling hills every few k?s. It started raining just before we decided to stop at the Aloe Factory Coffee Shop. We were absolutely wet through when we hit that downhill into Riversdale. There was a scramble for the showers at the Oakdale Cottages. Steve promptly started spraying down not only his bike but all of our bikes. Bless his soul. We had accumulated quiet a bit of dirt from the Boggoms/Vleesbbaai road due to mud/cow dung and heavy rain. 115 kms for the day

Our 1st flat