Karooryder

Must say I'm a bit of a hardegat when it comes to race entries and pulling out at the last minute. Ultimately it is also a training ride and as such: wind = a hard ride = a bit of extra training rain and storms = a hard uncomfortable ride = a bit of extra mental prep for that curveball 94.7 on a wet Gauteng morning mechanical = DIY and an uncertain and cautious ride = a bit of technical prep for that one bad bad day on the bike And medical? Well ja, I just spent two frustrating weeks off the bike missing the Amashovha and Satellite Classic (two races that I immensely looked forward to racing) after an infection...still, there should be no compromise to one's health.

I'm so glad you're ok dude....incidentally, a man was hijacked and shot in full view of motorists and passers by this afternoon in Glenwood Road near Faerie Glen Hospital...about a minute before I passed there on my bike. Really shaken by these violent events so close to home!

CWC fan or no CWC fan - one can't ignore the fact that complaints are becoming alarmingly common, and not only on The Hub. Maybe it's just me but this is not the CWC I got to know a few years back...

Swear I have not seen so many bullies since primary school, hell The Hub has become a patronizing place. Live and let live, for goodness' sake!

A very sudden infection the past few days banked my long-awaited and much-anticipated Amashova trip. I'm super disappointed... Have fun, be safe and enjoy the ride guys!

Starting in B, will probably wear a black/red/white Sintesi Specialized Kit.

Legend!

Yep first few races are sometimes frustrating but that will sort itself out as your seeding index improves and you get batched with riders of your fitness level. Dude that's a good strategy, especially for the first 60km of the race (as Prozac says). Rather find a "slower" bunch that keeps a consistent pace (and which can shield you from the wind), than time trial alone and kill your legs halfway through. Yet again, like Prozac said, you can always shoot away after Hekpoort if you feel that the consistent bunch pace is too slow for you (and provided that the legs are up for that).

Very true. And, if possible try to position yourself in the front 1/3 of the bunch when you hit Hekpoort. This allows you to gradually move to the back of the bunch - should you battle with the climb - and chances are that you will not get dropped and you can stick with the bunch for the rest of the race. Sure Hekpoort is hard but really not impossible - as a good friend of mine always says, just granny-gear it out!

Sjoe, steeper, longer and much harder. The bummer with Hekpoort is there is that little mock climb at the beginning - just as you think it was actually not that bad...you hit the real thing. Think Suikerbossie - in my opinion...

Yap, that's right. And in 2011 good weather was predicted but the race started out in pouring rain, only to clear up late morning. Sunshine or rain, this is an awesome race, can't wait for Sunday!

Any idea who the event photographers were? I'm generally not too bothered about race pics but it seems they too hundreds of shots from various spots and from their roving vehicle - some of which I think should be really awesome!

Yap same here, the legs weren't happy! 2:56 for me too. A nice race and well organized!

Nope - e.g. the Kumba Iron Ore Classic is a popular Argus seeding event and the race rarely attracts that many riders.

This is great...the start and finish at Necsa was total chaos with traffic. (Now, if the new route cut out Hekpoort that would have been super great )

Hehe me too, so we meet again!

This thread fondly takes me back to THAT rant about one of the Cajees stores, a while back...man the feedback from the dude from Cajees...it was like watching the Hindenburg! A good example of proper PR work here CWC. Yap, you guys are not immune to slip-ups but a healthy, level- headed business temperament always comes through in handling those issues. Good luck with the new store!

Thanks so much - the motorcycle marshal literally swept our group for the last 40km and did a superb job of safely getting us to the finish. Well done friend!

Haha well done mate - yep that intersection was crazy and the BMW dude was just aspris! Btw I was the guy in the white-ish Sintesi kit on the Merida.

Hey man, then we finished in the same bunch! Were you the guy that almost assaulted that BMW driver hahaha!

A race with a lot of potential, great route and good vibe. Obviously a number of organizational and marshaling issues - to be expected with a smaller (inaugural) race like this. Man, the wind was pumping on the Randfontein flats!!!!

Also entered - the first part of the route is a bit like last year's Silver Oaks Cycle Challenge. Yep, that climb on the Bronkies road up to the Lynnwood Road T-junction at around the 40km mark can be deceivingly tough, especially if the wind is pumping (which it almost always is on that section of road ). Gonna be lekker!

You go here https://www.bikehub.co.za/f/14-chit-chat/.

Nope. But. Sifting through pages and pages of nonsensical puns, personal conversations and attacks in an attempt to find meaningful contributions to thread topics is super frustrating. Good old Hub talk with some light hearted banter is great. Light hearted banter with almost no good old Hub talk is becoming a bit much...

Unfortunately this forum has lost much of its true spirit many moons ago...these days the Hub reads like "Trolling for Dummies". Carry on, boys.