Andrew Steer

And that penalty... not in a million years. But yeah, VAR really does have it's moments

We were absolute pants... I don't mind losing the NLD, as long as the effort is there, but most of our team weren't at the races yesterday... which is just sad. I mean the fact we actually dominated the game after going down a man tells you everything, pity it was too little too late.

Morning everyone, hope you all had a great weekend Saturday was the much awaited handover, and it did not disappoint. Met Ricky, Queen and their precious little bundle RJ in Woodmead and took them through to CycleLab in Fourways. After our long struggle looking for a bike, Matt (Admin) through a connection at CycleLab, managed to track down a lovely Silverback 29er at their Pretoria Branch. It was sent through to the Fourways branch, setup with pre-slimed tubes and tyre-liners to make it as bullet proof as possible for commuting purposes... and then the massive cherry on the top - CycleLab donated the bike in full! Huge thanks to them for showing they've got a lot of heart to go with their other impressive offerings. Engela from CycleLab was absolutely wonderful in getting this all sorted, they also got Ricky nicely setup and dialed in on his new stead - and Andrew McLean even popped in to meet Ricky, have a little chat and do the handover... For a helmet I sorted out Ricky with a nice Bell I had, which luckily fitted him well, and then I also topped him up with all the essentials to keep him on the road while we were at the Lab. We (you guys) got him a pump, multi-tool, spare pre-slimed tubes, chain lube, tyre levers... the only thing I stupidly forgot was some lights, but I'll remedy that shortly. Also kitted him out with a little Anatomic gear - he's got a nice new bib, high vis top and then a cute little Mini-ones cycling jersey for RJ when he's a little older. Last stop was a graphic shop to get some black vinyl to tone down the flashy new wheels a little... sad to do, but we're hoping Ricky has many safe miles ahead. We do also luckily have the fail safe of bike insurance now thanks to hubber 117 (Martin) - hopefully we never need it, but Ricky is under strict instructions his safety is always number one and bikes are always replaceable. I then took Ricky, Queen and RJ to their new home in Tembisa - something some of our donated money also helped out greatly with as they've faced some bad luck of late which forced an unexpected move. Spending the morning with these wonderful, humble and hugely thankful people was a treat in itself and it was my privilege to do so. I look forward to updates on Ricky's riding and watching little RJ grow. Pics will go up shortly, along with a little vid of the handover. Thanks again to Brett (BuffsVintageBikes) for getting the ball rolling with this and to everyone for their donations and input. It's really great what we can do together as a community Have a great week

Hat's off to Martin (117) who has, true to his word, insured the bike for the year ahead... I think we will all sleep a bit better knowing that is in place. Handover happening tomorrow at CycleLab, who have also come to the party in a big way (more details tomorrow). I will of course be sure to post some pics. Thanks again to everyone for their contributions, and in particular to Brett (BuffsVintageBikes) and Matt from Bikehub who have really pulled the strings behind the scenes to get us here. Been a real privilege to be apart of this. Have an awesome weekend everyone

Anybody in Joburg with ideas on how to make the new bike a little less conspicuous with vinyl or something similar... please drop me a pm

Haha... thanks Stretch. How many months do I have to complete this 40?

He'd be pleased to know I'm keeping Lego shares sky high with all the purchases I've made for my kids these last few years... Some seriously cool Lego available these days

Which would then be more aligned with my mileage

Millimeters

We have a bike, a pretty cool one in fact (more on this later), we're just sorting out some logistics to get it a bit more local, and Ricky also isn't readily available midweek due to work - so the current plan will see Ricky posing with his shiny new stead this Saturday...

Yeah, I really don't know what is happening at Liverpool, but they've still on paper got a very good squad... if they pull their heads out their a$$es, they can win every game til the end of the season. But yeah, weird witnessing this capitulation - they're unrecognizable to the team that swept all before them last year.

Glad I stayed up... Kane, Bale, Son - starting to click and really look the part. And the other bonus, playing a more attacking team has helped to shore up the defence. It's a funny old thing, playing to your strengths and not inviting on pressure Going to be a serious scrum for that top 4 between Leicester, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton. Can't see West Ham and Villa keeping up the pace

Rob, you are a squire and a gentlemen - hub really has some great people on it. It does look like we have a solid option lined up now, we're just finalizing a few things - but happily, I think we're there!

Yeah Theo, we're aiming for around the R4-6k mark now. Two reasons, first we don't want him being an obvious target again which a fancier bike will bring, the insurance is also a challenging thing we're still not sure on how to solve. Secondly, the families' needs trump a fancier bike at this stage... we all obviously love our bikes and it would be great to get him a lekker one, but his needs are largely commuting which we will tick off, and then looking after his little family. Having just spoken with Ricky, I just want to thank everyone again - he's incredibly grateful and we've done a special thing here

Stock is the big challenge... but please try if you can. I have also reached out to a friend at Dragons this morning to see if he can maybe source one. Can't believe the challenge this has proven. If we don't find something today in Gauteng, will definitely look at the out of town options... Heck, I'm even starting to wonder if my wife will notice if hers goes missing

Not for a long time...

Second to this, anyone with any ideas on how to handle the insurance? Our biggest fear is we're sitting back at square one again in a couple weeks time... it's also something we need to figure into the costing. I've even considered adding it to mine, but not sure that's viable... Sad we have to think this way, but it is what it is

Awesome guys, I'm also in for R250 come payday. If you need any help with logistics or if you want me to chat to Jonene from Linden about helping out with a nice bike deal, I am happy to help... just drop me a pm. Do we know bike size etc so far?

100%... he was an incredible man manager, talent spotter and he always got the max out of his players I think all the teams in the league sighed a huge sigh of relief when he retired

You certainly weren't this chirpy the last time we played... https://www.skysports.com/football/manchester-united-vs-tottenham-hotspur/428873 Still a long way to go this season, don't get too far ahead of yourselves

Far more level playing field these days in terms of the clubs finances and power... in the Fergie days, Utd as the top team when the Premiere League really established itself professionally, they where in a different league in all honesty - they had money and power on a different level and cherry picked most of the best players from the league only re-inforcing their dominance... A lot like Bayern/Juve in all honesty. Now days there are half a dozen plus teams that can simply say not to the big teams and hang on to their best players or at the very least get top top dollar for them when they do need to sell. Heck even Palace have held on to Zaha for years now despite advances from many top teams. The leagues all the better off for it of course

I'm a Spurs fan... but this post of yours is a good example of why everyone hates Utd

If you take 26 days to do the Freedom Challenge then it's solid value... That Otter Trail run entry is insane, but it sells out. So we're clearly happy enough to accept it. Physio bills aside, Comrades a bargain I guess it's a free market, it will change and settle - worry not

Yeah, few things worse than scoring 4 away from home and going home empty handed.. Two goals down to Lloris from the sound of it, he's in a very shady patch of form of late. And also a soft penalty from Hojberg who's probably been our best player this season. It happens

Had to follow the commentary on my phone as we had load shedding... but sounded a cracker. Really not the end of the world, would way rather focus on the other two cups and our league form a bit... Will watch the highlights tonight. Our defense is a bit off though... hopefully we can find a bit of balance between parking the bus and throwing down the kitchen sink