I FLY

McGregor residents are also keen on a local Woolies.

So here is how I have handled this quest for good mtb trails on my door step. I bought a holiday place in Somerset West in 2019 but ended living there two weeks a month until December 2023. Moved down to Kraaifontein from Johannesburg in December 2023 so I am in the middle of Tyberberg and the Winelands trails. I joined a housesitting forum and so far this year I have spent a week in each of Greyton, Gordons Bay and Prince Albert. I am currently doing a two week housesit in McGregor. My wife is also a cyclist so we take our bikes and explore the different options every day. I work remotely a few hours in the afternoons. In May we are going to spend a week in St Helena Bay.

I remember KV sitting at his table at the 2003? RIDE Expo in the Dome. He even tried to convince me to enter the 2004 event. I told him that Joe Averages like me could never attempt such an outrageous event. History has proved me wrong as thousands have.

His mom was also a good age group cyclist

I remember rushing to finish my ride so I could stand on Witkoppen Road to watch them race past.

I am back to boost the number of entrants. Now that I live here fulltime I decided to enter this year. My last ride of CTCT was in 2005.

It is slightly tart but I only add about 10% of the bottles volume. It just makes a nice change from the sweetness of coke/water combination

In the past few years I have reverted back to water with about 25% coke . Lately I have tried adding fresh ginger beer instead of coke. We don't ride for more than 3 hours and not at a flat out pace.

I am in. R2500 towards entry fee and R2.50 per km travelled.

Agreed. I have even done it on our tandem with my wife as stoker.

We rode here on Saturday. It is the driest I have experienced. One small patch of mud and no water in the little rock depressions. Weather forecast shows rains going to start again later this week.

Tony Huglin

A gentleman under a rough exterior.

You are talking to a bunch of cyclists. We understand the practicality of high maintenance

Try living in eMalahleni ( Witbank) - all the bakkies and Fortuners are white. I used to comment that one quick way to clear a restaurant was to announce that a white bakkie had been bumped in the carpark.

It is the Riverfields and you decide on the donation you want to give.

We rode there on Saturday morning. Nothing quite like riding a hidden ( overgrown) singletrack on a tandem to test your stoker's faith in your ability to correct mistakes.

I rode a little single track in Kempton Park yesterday near the R21 . It's 12kms long , only one little patch of mud, nice and flowing with quite a few berms. Nothing overly challenging - my wife and I ride it on our tandem. Entrance is on Blaauwklippen Ave , Glen Erasmia. Fee is on a zapper/snapscan honesty system.

I used a single speed mtb for my daily commute. I think that I did 8000 kms a year. Costs were 4 tyres 1 chain 1 BB 3 sets of brake pads.

Definitely a Marin with an upside down fork setup I rode next to my Epic partner who was on this bike for a week the suspension had an annoying squeak the whole week so I did look at the name on the frame numerous times

I remember having one for an extended trial in 2006. Got many comments on the upside down fork setup. Made me look like a downhiller ( but without the necessary courage or skills)

Five SS bikes ago now. Unfortunately our circumstances have changed and we have moved over to a MTB tandem - no ways I am converting this to a SS

Mine fits neatly in my toolbottle . Takes up less room than the 2003 Topeak multitool it replaced

I do so little private kms nowdays that I don't mind paying the fuel penalty for driving two Subaru performance Suvs. The big smile on my face when I hear the exhausts talking and feel the surge of those turbos wipes out the cost of a couple of hundred rands extra I pay in petrol a month. Plus they are paid for.

I have to give my company kudos for their handling of the COVID lockdown WFH and the future of WFH. In March 2020 the entire head office staff complement started WFH with 2 days notice.( more than 100 people). IT and managers ensured everyone had LTE cards or own home WIFI. Managers allowed staff to take whatever they needed from the offices to work comfortably at home. In November 2021 all Head Office staff were surveyed to see what their work environment preference going forward was. Overwhelming majority opted for continued WFH. So company downsized offices by 90 % and we have the occasional face to face meeting. ( There are some significant financial savings that go with this downsizing - but this decision was supported by the maturity of our employees whose productivity/ meeting deadlines remained high) This has allowed me to work in Somerset West for two weeks a month and in Johannesburg the rest of the month. At the moment I am in Europe visiting my daughters for 5 weeks. I work during the day and visit/sightsee in evenings and weekends. My WIFI connectivity and obviously electricity are much better than that of my colleagues in South Africa. Next year my role changes which means less need for face to face meeting so I plan on spending 3 months in Europe during their summer.