nate

isn't there still a fire in Constantia?

They changed it to 6:30pm

The city may very well withdraw the CTCT event permit. But this is also just speculation... we'll just have to wait and see what they've decided later this evening.

eish...

"The City of Cape Town says there are no fires at Cape Point, in response to tweets that a fire had flared up there. "

ahhh ok, read all the posts now... I guess it is quite dodgy then...

Does anyone know for sure that he sells stolen bikes or do you guys only suspect? I've never been there but heard that he has some good deals and know someone who bought a bike there... it was a bike that I saw on Gumtree for cheap... then this person bought the same bike for a bit more than the gumtree ad.... so Maybe he buys some stock off gumtree and resells at a small markup? I've never been there and don't know much about the shop... but get the feeling from this post that people are making a judgement based on a perception rather than fact?

Don't ride so hard All the time... It's good to work on stamina as well then you won't feel the burn as much after a hard ride and your recovery time will improve... It's best to balance out the stamina rides and hard rides.. But I think, ideally, you should 1st build a stamina base.. Then ride hard.. that way the hard rides will be more enjoyable, your recovery will be faster... and general fitness will be better

That's was not allowed for the DC and as I understand, is grounds for disqualification... I could be wrong though.

Condolences to his family and friends... The newspaper printed his name as Creslin Attwood... http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20081116092325331C968997

how intense is the spinning? You talking about indoor or spinning out on the road? I suppose she just shouldn't eat something too heavy before ... it's never a good idea to cycle on an empty stomach... Also, she should see what works best for her... maybe just some fruit before.. bananas are good... I always have breakfast before I ride, I eat while I ride and if it's a long ride then I'll have banana on roll somewhere around halfway...

Andre, have you done any riding over 160km? There is a HUGE difference between doing 100km fast and doing 200km, even slow... The key, in my opinion, is to work on stamina. For an endurance ride like the double century you want to be able to ride at a steady, comfortable pace for an extended period... So your preparation for this event should be long rides, Hours in the saddle at a comfortable pace.. you should feel good when u get home and the next day you want to feel that you can do another long ride at the same comfortable pace... I'm not saying you should ride the next day, just saying that you should feel fully recovered the next day... that's when you know that you not over-training. If you do want to push it a bit.. rather push yourself a bit on your return trip during training and cruise from about 5 - 10km before you get home so that you can cool down and recover better... As for whether to ride in the race or social team.. the aim of the DC is to start as a team, ride as a team and FINISH AS A TEAM... that is something too many teams get wrong... It's not so much about how fast you can do it, it's about enjoying the day with your team and working as a team to finish as a team.. trust me.. it's ALOT more enjoyable... Unless you have been riding 300km during the week plus 150 - 200km on the Sunday/weekend then I'd suggest you do your first DC with a social team and enjoy the ride with your team and not get left behind alone in the middle of nowhere... cause I've seen that in the past and it's not pleasant for the guy being left out on his own, especially when there's 100km to go.... Unless you are confident that you can race for 200km to finish in 6h30min... work out the average speed and decide whether you can in fact maintain that average speed over a distance of 200km+ what was your Argus tour time?

I've been cycling for about 15 - 17 years and I have Always used 42/52 chainrings on my road bike. The 42 ring is becoming more difficult to replace because shops just don't stock them any more. I love my 42, I use that ring 95% of the time because I find it comfortable for most terrain I ride. So my question, have any of you gone from 42 to 39 and how did you find the change? I do most of my training on the 42-17 and 42 -19 gearing. The 39 will no doubt make climbing easier but what's it like on the flat routes? Does anyone know the gearing comparison calculation?

Like what's been said... You need to build a good base. Stamina is a vital part of training for an event like the Double Century. SO, time in the saddle at high cadence. Pretty much stay off the big chainring. I use a 42 small blade and use my 17, 19, 21, 23 on the back most of the time when doing my base training. A good guide I think would be to ride on a nice light gear at an average of about 25-27km/h over distances of 100km+ (depends how fit you are though) But the key is to build that stamina base - time in the saddle at high cadence. And remember that the Double Century is a team event, too many people miss the spirit of it being a team event. So you Have to train with your team... You wouldn't want them to leave you behind after 50km alone, in what will feel like the middle of nowhere... I've seen that happen and can only imagine that it must be the worst thing... Train as a team, ride as a team, finish as a team and enjoy the ride... I've posted our training rides schedule on my blog, http://nathanravens.com/cycling/double-century-training