WIPEOUT 1000

My DeRosa finally arrived

Yes, and he wiped out shortly thereafter.

My experience with Garmin is that the vertical accent calculation becomes particularly dodgy in bad weather.

If you can afford it I'm sure it will be nicer than a tent. I agree that the bag is to small for a 7/8 day stage race. However, I had no issues sleeping in the tent.

I'm sure they'll sell plenty, I think half the bikes at this years Epic were in fact Specalized. Maybe this is also the reason I'll never buy one.

My experience has been that walking at the Epic is more like mountaineering / rock climbing. I.e. walking up and down the road's not really an indication of how the shoes will perform in real life. I used Pearl Izumi X Projects and would recommend thick socks.

Industry 9 with Arch EX

I think Campagnolo pitches Chorus as equivelant to Ultegra. I.e. if I buy with my head it would probably be Shimano, but I unfortunately buy with my heart, and therefore always Campagnolo.

Clearly wearing a bicycle helmet, like a safety belt, will not prevent an accident, nor will it guarantee that you'll walk away unharmed from an accident should it occur. However, to say that you should not where a helmet because research indicate that some drivers may become more aggressive or that wearing a helmet does not resolve cyclists disregard for road rules, etc. is irrational. Having survived 2 helmet shattering crashes, both at speeds in excess of 40km/h, I have enough anecdotal information to keep on wearing one.

I sincerely appreciate what TMM has and is doing in Jonkershoek and by the same account I recognise Specialized's contribution. However, this forum really reminds me of the Café Roubaix debacle at the end of last year. Please stop bullying the little guy who's only trying to make a living in a clearly competitive environment. Sinyard takes responsibility and apologises to Café Roubaix owner http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sinyard-takes-responsibility-and-apologises-to-cafe-roubaix-owner

I think this is the fundamental problem with South African endurance sport, for some reason we have to always go tougher, I.e. further, harder, etc. and this is reflected in our races. Are we trying to compensate for something? I cycle because I love the freedom, the awesome views and the energy it ads to my day.

I did it last year and would recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the other side of mountain biking. This is not a mindless "climb every mountain" exercise, but rather a stunning ride through awesome scenery that endeavors to get everyone to Knysna with a big smile on their face and a sense of acheivement. I would do it again this year, but unfortunately I have already exceeded my "me time" for this year.

My experience has been that, especially with stiff soles, the issue is more related to walking with new shoes rather than actually riding. I.e. there's a lot more relative movement between the foot and the shoe while walking and this could easily cause blisters. I would suggest you also do some walking in your new shoes.

I would stick to the shoes you currently ride with, new shoes are virtually guaranteed to give you problems.

The purpose of the cage is to take up the slack in your chain, I.e. the more slack you can generate (e.g. 3x10) the longer the cage you require. Basically, Shimano suggest a long cage for a triple, a medium cage for a double and a short cage for a single as in downhill. XX1 obviously has it's own design which works differently.

If you like real science, have look at http://www.friction-facts.com/

Since I placed the clip, I'll clarify. Basically it implies that the stomach is a membrane and water moves from one side to the other through a process called osmosis. The direction of the movement is determined by the concentration of the solution. I.e. the water will move from a low concentration to the high concentration. The movement will stop when equilibrium is reached, ie both sides have the same concentration. Normally the direction in the body would be from the stomach into the blood steam. However, if one has to much sugars, etc. in solution in your stomach, the process can reverse and your body may no longer absorb water through the stomach and worse your stomach may even absorb water from your body that basically further dehydrating the body.

In short, I ended up unconcious 3km from the end of the stage due to severe dehydration but importantly with a stomach full of fluids. This can be confirmed by my partner. I was resuscitated briefly next to the road but fell unconcious again soon thereafter. I was put in the ICU and I regained consciousness approximately 3 to 4 hours later. It was a very distressing experience and I have subsequently done a lot of reading on the matter and I the best explanation could find was the one in the video clip I attached to my 1st posting. There is a lot of pseudo science out there and everyone clearly have there own opinion. The problem is that one never knows whether it's "placebo effect" or real. In this regard I found " Waterlogged" a very useful resource and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a more scientific perspective on the subject. The outcome of all of this is that I subsequently stopped using any supplements and I basically now ride on water and real food and it seems to be working fine.

I ended up in ICU because of energy gell's at last years Epic. Have look at the attached clip for the explanation. I now ride on water and real food. I suggest you also have a look at Tim Noakes book Waterlogged.