I FLY

We tried to squeeze in a ride between the rain in Somerset West yesterday morning. Just got to the turn around point in Sir Louwry's village when we got hit by a downpour.

What about Doreen Road from Hendrick Potgieter ( Roodepoort)? I dont have the ascent but it is 2kms long and in the pre strava days I recorded 92km/hr going down it.

I really struggled with the R1 because the stock was too long for me to get comfortable during basics. After I spent 18 months on the border with lots of ammo I got reasonable proficient. Loved full auto. However on my camps the R4 was available and this suited me much better.

I have never seen those rooi hartebees at Modderfontein

I made a point of going to Modderfontein this morning and stopping where I could see the animals . Maybe for the last time ???? We took one of my brother’s cycling mates from UK to Modderfontein last year and the animal sighting plus all the white storks was the highlight of his ride

On another Modderfontein Nature Reserve Facebook page it says park will be closed Monday to Wednesday 24-26 August for game management.

Been there and done that. Read a story in an early edition of Ride soon after I started cycling and decided that I wanted to ride up Sani Pass. Finally did it 10 years later with my wife

I had a unpleasant surprise when my auto generated assessment arrived via sms yesterday. SARS said I owe them just under R1m. When I called my payroll department they said the original IRP5 upload was corrupted and that a new upload was done on wednesday. Still a little stomach turning moment .

We live in an estate about 3kms from the gate so a pleasant 5kms to the start of the trails. Sometimes not such a pleasant ride home when you have chased your fit mates around the Red route. We went in at 8am yesterday and there were about 10 cars in the queue but the one attendant waved us to the exit side and we paid there. The carpark was full already. On our way out at 10:30 there must have been 25 cars waiting to get in. In the 3.5years that we have lived in the area and ridden at the Park we have never seen as many cyclists or hikers. This seems to be one of the good aspects of this virus - people want to be healthier.

in the 90s I remember a large explosion at this factory. I lived about 25kms away at the time and could hear the blast and see the smoke.

We live nearby and can hear the emergency evacuation siren go off every Friday at noon for practice purposes

And I have to wait until level 2 before I am allowed back to our place in Somerset West before I can try out this ride

Agreed. Looked much colder than it was. we recorded 3' C average for our ride with a min of 2 and max of 4 and some very light rain.

I have the green and yellow STR frame and I think matching it with skinwall tyres will be a good combination. I read that the skinwall tyres are not as durable /dont look good after awhile. Any feedback from those who have skinwall tyres.

We did Red route this morning - track’s completely cleared. What a pleasure to ride there In three years of riding there I have never seen some many riders and families walking????????????????????????????????????????????????

We are in the same position after our 11 year female labrador died recently Our male Labrador, also 11 years old, seems to be enjoying the limelight and the extra attention. He always slept on the couch before and was not a dog that sought our company often. Now he sleeps on the dog bed next to my bed and stays by my feet during the day. He is even starting to snore as loud as the female used to.

Agreed. I only hope the same for me one day.

Unfortunately I had to euthanize my female labrador last week. It was a very sudden turn for the worse. She went from happy, energetic and loving her food to dead within 12 hours. Vet says a cancerous tumour had grown on her liver and spleen and caused them to burst. My comforting thought is that she lay next to me or under my feet for 7 weeks of the lockdown. For a dog that mothered me for 6 years since we adopted her that must have been the best life.

What are your temperature ranges now?We are getting between 1-5 now There is one section next to a river amongst trees that is always 3'c cooler than the rest of our ride

I was trying to do a quick costing on two entries - bearing in mind we have not done such a long unsupported race before. (Longest was a 400km audax which was about 24 hours.) 1. Entry fees - assume I wait to see if race goes ahead - R9k 2. Dynamo Hubs - R10k 3. Bike packing bags R10k 4. Other R??? I know that # 2 and 3 are long term equipment items but it does seem extravagant for these uncertain times.

I am enjoying the riding without all the broken glass that normally lies on the road

We always ride our mtbs when we do that road so we can ride on the gravel shoulder

There was also a Spinman forum at about the same time as the Supersport one. Terry Kobus was the moderator of it.

I lived on the Bluff from 1960 to 1984. Moved there when I was 4 years old. For most of that time there were many lower income households (my family included)and blue collar workers. As a teenager you had to be careful where you hung out on Friday and Saturday nights after the weekly wage earners had been paid. Brooze , strong men and bruised egos are a lethal combination. In addition there was the Recce camp at the end of the Bluff stirred into the Boere vs Soetie mix. So one learnt to smart about confrontations and that your hands bled if you punched someone in the mouth (teeth are sharp) I would like to think my time on the Bluff taught me to be ambitious and able to stand my ground rather than "ruff n tuff"

# 43 August 2004