Karooryder

A few pages back we were discussing the crash where the rider's bike frame snapped - assumedly the result of wear and tear and then a rough road service on the route. This got me thinking and I have a question to the technically informed: Is there any way (which is obviously non-intrusive and would not cost an arm and a leg) to check for minute cracks / weak points on the frame of an older bike as a precaution? My carbon ride is over 5 years old and has - for all practical reasons - driven halfway around the earth. I would not want to be the one to have a cracked frame fail at 60km/h. Thanks guys!

I was thinking the same when I read that masterpiece. And the poorly concealed attempt at a semantic u-turn a few posts later only added to my amazement at the level of arrogance. I love cycling, I love the vibe at events and I love the community but I have said elsewhere on this forum and I will say it again...there are individuals on here (luckily in the minority) with who I will not want to ride my bike. Ever.

Interesting point made on another forum: "If someone arrives at the gate today at say CPT or JNB and the B737 Max of Comair is standing at the other end of the Jet bridge, and they refuse to board the aircraft due to the news doing it's rounds about the Max crashes, do they lose their ticket? Alternatively, will Comair accommodate them on another flight? I can only imagine how many nervous passengers there must be around the world boarding the Boeing 737 Max today."

Believe me, me too!

Indeed exceptional - and also erroneous...Got it from good authority (read: Racetec ) that my Polar was not recording the first 12 minutes with intermittent niggles during the race. A result of 3.30 is still not too shabby all things considered . 2020 challenge accepted!

So much negativity, goodness. Here's my few points on today's ride (which I surprisingly finished faster than last year to head back to the sub 3:30 zone). Spoiler alert: its all positives so you will probably want to scroll past if you haven't had your turn at the Customer Service desk... 1. The wind was not as bad as I expected...I recon all the hype of the past few days and the mini-tornadoes at the start early-on might have created an exaggerated expectation of doom. Starting from 2B; yes there were surges and concertina moves here and there but I noticed something today that I have not ever seen at a race before: proper communication between riders. Every now and then you would hear someone indicating his / her next move, warnings to other cyclists and just general courtesies shown in difficult riding conditions. I liked that. 2. That tailwind straight after the climb to Smitswinkel and the entrance to the Cape Point Nature Reserve was not one, but multiple bike-gasms. 3. Was the wind on our backs up Chappies and Suikerbossie because my granny gear and even it's neighbor remained unused throughout these climbs...? Yet again, I'd been working on a project near Heidelberg the past 2 months and Suikerbosrand became my weekly training ground...perhaps those wicked climb intervals payed off. 4. I realized again today that determination and endurance is not defined by expensive bikes, flashy kits or large legs. I ground through Sun Valley with an elderly gentleman with 22 tours under his belt. His jersey was torn and he had a massive tar burn over his back - obviously a fall earlier in the race. He nevertheless eff-off'ed and I battled to keep up...HUGE resepect oom. 3. Today I was amazed at the "gees" as the organizers so affectionately calls it but particularity in terms of the masses coming out to cheer. I want to give a MASSIVE thumbs-up to Cape Town and surrounds...the support was memorable and you guys made every single rider feel like a world champ today. Late afternoon I took a stroll down the promenade to the finish to cheer on the last riders. This group of supporters had been there since 7:00 this morning and they waited for the last rider to pass after 17:00 before they packed up. This is what it's all about... See you next year CTCT - the best ride in the world. EDIT - racetec result

Yah this is gonna hurt...be safe out there all!

After doing the usual seaboard warm-up ride to Llandudno this morning, I have come to the conclusion that tomorrow will be like eating bean soup... windy but nice! ???? Have a safe ride all!

Ja nee. I remember last year a good friend of mine, an FO at one of our local airlines, warned a few days before that their sooper dooper aviation weather predictors said that 2018 race day would look like a kite festival in Port E-wind-lizabeth. And we all know how that turned out...Hey but I think these kinds of wind whoo-haa's precede every single AHGUS and for me that's part of the build-up to get the adrenaline pumping! I am MOS the eternal optimist and I believe the weather on Sunday in the fairest (and most unpredictable) Cape will not subtract from an amazing experience on the bike...I can't wait!

Ah my bad! Thanks!

Was looking to get a last minute entry, the R460 fee quickly cured the FOMO. I can't seem to open the route on their website; I guess there's no chance of a training ride anywhere near the cradle on Sunday as the race uses most of those roads?

How pretty is this retro BA B747 painted in the old BOAC colours as part of their "100 years in the sky" celebrations. Between this Queen and the well-known Lufthansa retro B747-8 it's hard to choose which is cooler...

What Stretch said. Yes, he is making millions...in the States where "satire" is a concept more foreign than escargots and good comedy is defined by a fart in an elevator...and within a context so far removed from his "controversial"" realities that the kind of narrative he follows ad nauseam will always sell.

Man I enjoy this thread. What are all your thoughts on the demise of the A380 program? Sad, even though it was sort of to be expected I suppose. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/business/airbus-a380.html

I should ask you the same question... Satire is all about poking fun of the holy cows and that exact fact - having carte blanche to really expose and explore those socially and politically no-go areas, makes it such an effective social commentary tool (think Zapiro). Now, if in your satirical applications constant repetitions along very specific themes - some of which are not relevant anymore - start to emerge it is not satire anymore. It is diluted superficial comedy often revealing chips on the shoulder of the comedian rather than clever social commentary. Imo Mr Noah has fallen into that trap and his "growing up in segregated South Africa" and all that entails, is wearing bit thin. I used to be a big fan and I think he used to be really sharp but dare I say, he is just not funny anymore.

Julle moet dit waardeer! The best we have up north is the Crade and Suikerbosrand which are - mind you - A LOT like the Argus route, minus the ocean...and the mountains...and the seabreeze...and the beach...and the hundreds of caffeine stops :P. See you in March !

Not only the thread but the entire event... A few years back much of the Argus was a mission (but a lekker mission I have to add), from entering to getting reasonably prices flights (for those of us inland), from getting car rentals to number pickup and the expo...even getting a seat at Vida for a coffee on the traditional Saturday warm up ride down the seaboard was a kerfuffle. I think the event has entered a new season - kind of like a tumultuous teen growing into a more chilled adult...and I kinda like that. I recon we will not see the maxed-out entry numbers anytime soon again and I think it's a good thing, in a way returning to the heart and soul of the event. Speaking of which (and digressing from the philosophical for a moment)...initially we were a group of 5 buddies entered for 2019. Slowly but surely the soldiers pulled out (in all cases, for financial reasons) until only I remain...but ride I will, and I am oddly excited to just "do my own thing" this year...yet again, for me the Argus was always a bit of a personal spiritual experience...aching legs, ocean mist in the eyes and the most beautiful scenery there is simply no better sensory overload!

Anyone know what's happening at ORT? Looks like all incoming air traffic is holding (check Avcom, quite spectacular!). Weather maybe?

Yup...with cost. Probably the end of their SA commercial passenger operations - some are saying that they will employ much of their local fleet up in Africa to expand existing operations there and move away from the SA industry. Sad still, livelihoods lost and one less operator (however small) in a highly competitive industry is never good news for the flying public.

Yap, hard to see how they can survive this in terms of public perception and trust. They are pretty much disposing of their reputation through this and their lack of communication and break down in future support from loyal customers. Financially, the operator must also be on their knees - the commercial airline business in SA is so marginal that these downtime losses would be very hard to recover for a private operator unless they have deep deep pockets which is doubtful considering the shortcuts they seem to take to stay in business and make money.

Anyone in the know, know whats happening at Cemair? No press releases, no communication from the company...the silence is ominous...

And sometimes 2 A380's into ORT...A while ago I saw the 2 BA A380's, the Air France and Emirates A380's and the beautiful Lufthansa 747-8 in retro livery all parked at ORT international departures one morning...what a sight! Edited - I forgot to add the Singapore A350! All the heavies having a jol :-)

Goodness..that's next level holding right there. I'm in this habit of always checking FR24 when our all-too-familiar Highveld thunderstorms approach the ORT / Lanseria airspace, sometimes those flight paths look like a 2year old sketch of a beach holiday . Jokes aside, ORT is apparently one of the most challenging airports in the world because of altitude, temperature and weather unpredictability.

I'm also very tempted to look into a PPL soon...which schools are you considering? A lot of threads on avcom on this!

Awesome thread!!!!! I'm also one of those armchair aviation crazies who spend more time scanning FR24 than Whatsapp, Facebook or any of the other social notworking platforms! Every time I fly out of ORT I drive right around the airport and check the arriving and departing heavies! There is just something about airplanes and flying... PS - for those of you not a already signed up there is a lekke South African aviation forum with just about everything aviation local and global here: https://www.avcom.co.za