Sniffie

Very aerodynamic as well.

I actually think its not a bad thing for Louis to be so far down on GC at the moment, because if he does manage to get into a break on one of the hilly stages, he wont be chased down by one of the teams defending a top 10 position. It might just improve the chance of a break succeeding if the participants is not a threat in any way to any one with top 10 aspirations.

Nibali attacked at every opportunity. Very refreshing to see a GC contender do it on a flat stage. He had the whole peleton under pressure more than once. Much deserved in my opinion.

Do a search on the hub, lots of info, or ping Rouxtjie. He has done a lot of research. Think carefully before you decide on the tacx. I own a taxcx btw.

Giant Anthem all the way.

I have a new favourite english word: foggiest! It rolls nicely off my dutch tongue.

My breakfasts are basically the same, will sometimes replace the eggs and bacon with a piece of fatty boerewors, or with some chicken livers fried in olive oil, with a healthy scoop of cream cheese and a few dashes of Tobasco, yummy!

Jannie what is your opinion on peanut butter, good or bad? I have removed it completely from my diet, besides all the horror stories about afla-toxin, high PUFA content, added sugar and a few others, it is one of a few foods that I can easily eat to much of. Banned it from my house.

Neccessity is the mother of invention! A few years ago we went on a mountain biking trip through rural Lesotho. All 4 of us were relative newcomers to mountain bike day tripping. After the umpteenth water crossing on day one, our chains sounded like "maervarks". None of us remembered to pack any chain lube! The inside of a banana peel provided some lube, but the best result we had was with the naartjie peels. At least it silenced the chains for a while, until we reached a small shop where we bought some cooking oil. So I guess citrus oil might be considered a natural chain lube?

Take plenty of warm clothing. You can expect maximum temperatures of about 14C and minimums well below zero in July.Enjoy your stay!

For me it's exactly the same. If I have fruit on an empty stomach, I am peckish all day. I try to stay low carb and have removed all processed food from my diet. I eat meat, fish, fowl, eggs, butter, olive oil, dairy, low starch vegetables and tree nuts. Trying to treat fruits as nature's candy, and will use it as a treat or during a long hard ride. Will also only buy what is in season, that way you get variety through the year, and is also a lot cheaper. While I am by no means a lean racing machine, my BMI is around 23, and what is more important it has remained stable for the last couple of years. By cutting out processed foods and reducing fruit intake my blood sugar remains stable all day, and cravings are more or less a thing of the past. Have introduced a bit of extra fat into my diet, since I am using olive oil on salad and stopped cutting of the piece of fat on the chop. What is amasing is that my lipid profile have improved somewhat since I started eating this way more than 2 years ago. Triglycerides and LDL are down and HDL are up. It has been an interesting time for me, cutting out certain foodstuff and seeing how my body reacts and learning in the process. The experiment is stil going strong, and I am still tweaking things here and there, but what I know for sure is that I am much healthier without most grain products in my diet.

After my experience, I tend to agree, mine has saved my life as well. For the sake of those interested, if you don't mind to share, what brand of helmet was it?

I just wondered where I would have been without the helmet. Looking at the way it cracked it must have absorbed a lot of the shock which otherwise would have travelled into my head, brain and vertebrae. Isn't there an international standard acording to which helmets are graded acording to their safety properties?

I recently had a bad over the handlebars incident on our local trail, after one of the wooden bridges over a fence had been vandalised. The bridge is about 1,4 m above ground, and given the height at which one rides a mountain bike, I estimate the height from which I fell, almost on top of my head could easily have been 2 m. The Giro Xar helmet obviously saved me from concussion, possible broken vertebrae, and other more serious isues. Due to the fall I am suffering from a disc protrusion which are impacting on a nerve on the C6 level. This incident and the remark: "Buy the best helmet you can afford.", that Andrew Mclean made recently after his heavy fall, made me think: What is the safest helmet out there at the moment? Does Giro in SA have a crash replacement initiative? Is it true that Giro is now owned by Bell? I would like some of the expert hub opinions on this subject before buying my next lid please.

Fouriesburg to Clarens and from Clarens towards Harrismith through Golden Gate nature Reserve. Very scenic with plenty of climbing. See this thread: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/149260-clarens-road-and-mtb-routes/

It might be strong words, but I can not agree more with every sentiment expressed in the mail from Farmer Glen and the organizers of Sani2C. We can not tolerate rude riders, especially if the rudeness is aimed at landowners, farmers, their wives, or any of the volunteers involved at registration, the overnight stops or the water tables. Without the consent of the locals and especially the farmers and the landowners this race would not be possible at all. It will be the end of our beloved Sani. A famous hubber with a couple of thousand posts coined a, by now famous phrase, which comes to mind; "End van prent."

LOL! That is so true. You can add nitro's and high octane to a 4 cylinder, but it remains a 4 cylinder.

Huh? Please explain a bit more.

I also don't want to get injured (who does?) Thats why I invested some time and money on skills training. I live in the flattest part of the freestate, my nearest 2 mountain bike tracks are both more than 35 km from my home, and they are both very flat and only slightly technical. The nearest thing I can call a hill is more than 150 km away. What's more, I am on the wrong side of 50, but I made a big effort at improving my skills, so that I can be safer on the trails, enjoy it more and not hold up every one because I can not ride over a small rock or root or around a switchback.

Have to agree with Skubarra, even if it takes you 3 hours to complete the 27 km between WP 1 and WP 2, you should carry enough liquid to be able to do it easily. The following is from the Sani2C website in the rules section: "7.3 At least 3 litres liquid capacity per rider."

Favourite: 1. Umkomaas on day 2 2. Floating bridge at Scottburgh on day 3 3. Camp life esp. Jolivet 4. Food and abundunce of refreshments 5. The helpfull attitude of every one involved from registration to the last water table. Worst elements: 1. The begging children and even adults along the route. It may develop into a safety isue. 2. Riders dishing out sweets and energy bars along the route. 3. The long que for showers this year at mckenzie club. There was no que last year? 4. The parking problem at the beach. 5. The lack of basic mountain biking skills mid pack in the race. Stopping for rocks and turns in single track, and coming to a skidding halt before switchbacks. Some riders should spend 3K less on their fancy machines and invest it in some skills training. Just a thought: How about giving entrants the option if they would like the branded clothes as part of the entry package or not? I, for one, would be happpy to pay a few Rands less for an entry and perhaps receive only a finishers T shirt. Great event! If finances and time was not a problem I would be back every year!

The most important thing to do first is getting a proper diagnosis. Will a physio be able to do it? I doubt. The better chiro will at least make an initial diagnosis using X rays, and will refer you to a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon if it is serious. Pm me if I can provide you with the name of a very professional chiro.

A piece of 24 mm, or slightly smaller, o/d pipe, with 4 slots cut into it lengthwise with a hacksaw or thin grinder disc, so that it can flair open, will do the trick for removal. Otherwise a normal drift punch with a round blunt point will also work. For fitting the bb a M20 X 120 mm bolt and nut with two large flat washers will work just as well as any bearing press. (M24 will work even better, if it will fit through bb.) Remember to grease the outside of the bb very lightly.

I got my steak directly from the grill, medium rare and so tender I managed perfectly well with the plastic forkenknife!

Nico, I agree with you on the shocking lack of skill in the mid pack (H) of the race. Going down the Umko was a real frustration, guys braking for every rock and turn and uncleating before the switchbacks. I got a mouthful from a guy on the second switchback of Nick's pass, when I passed him on the inside, but I wasn't looking forward to staying behind him the whole way down while he literally came to a skidding halt before each switchback. There are to many highlights to name them all, and I totally agree with every one that has been mentioned thus far. I would like to add one, and that is those tender, perfectly cooked Karan steaks at Jolivet. As a meat lover, and a cattle farmer myself, I must give praise to the farmers and helpers at Jolivet. Those steaks were of top restaurant quality! For me, one of the negatives that hasn't been mentioned yet is the children begging for sweets along certain parts of the route, and riders tossing them there freebies. I almost had a nasty incident on day 3 when a guy in front of me cleared his pockets and the small children ran onto the trail like a pack of hounds to pick up the stuff. I think the organizers should forbid riders to hand out sweets and stuff to the locals. This is just encouraging the young children to lead a beggar's life. They can put up some containers at the end of the watering tables and red bull runs, and at the finish of each day, where riders can drop their unwanted sweets. This can then be redistributed to the locals in an orderly manner. After all has been said and done I just feel blessed to be able to take part in such an unbelievable event like Sani.