Jewbacca

I sent you a DM..... Have you offloaded that entry?

Tell her it's just like rural France but without the French........ 😆 Greyton is rad. There is a lot for the family to get up to if they like being outdoors.

Jokes aside, there have been a few horror stories of people being impaled by their own or someone elses handlebars. One guy chopped the end of his pinkie finger off when he caught it between a plugless bar end and a rock. I'd put some plugs in. Just to be sure 😉

The UCI will ban you from racing until you put bar plugs in the ends of those grips!

Bear in mind you are 2m tall and look like a Viking squeezed into lycra.... Some of us are hobbit sized and far less intimidating!

Yes, but it didn't 'really' feel like that. Unfortunately unless you were covered by a Stevenson screen and correctly calibrated, you can't possibly know how hot you felt........ 🤣

hahahaha the internet..... 'Look how hot it was!' 'Nah, it wasn't that hot' 'Maybe not, but it was really hot' 'Not that hot, here is proof it wasn't that hot' 'Yes, but it was really hot' 'The instrument used to measure the heat is not accurate' 'Yes, but it was REALLY hot' 'I am not convinced it was even 75% as hot as you claim' Everyone who was there 'It was REALLY hot' ........ goes on for eternity Normal conversation..... 'My word it was hot! My device measured 51' at one point and LOOK at my ugly tan lines!' 'Goodness me those are some sexy tan lines. You will likely need some aftersun soother and some rehydrate' 'Yeah man, that was tough' 'I can imagine!'

Are they the group who wear hessian sacks for clothing? I remember one year doing the old Fedhealth race that encompassed a fair portion of the trail network, we climbed up through the quarry and there were about 30 or so Rastas/Hessian sack people moving about harvesting herbs and bushes. There is another group that live in the mountains above Kalk Bay ish. By all accounts they are pretty cool and peaceful. My dogs don't even bark at them anymore when we stumble upon them while running in the mountains.

If I remember correctly, it needed a special free hub that only Hope or E-thirteen made? Like a short stubby microspline looking thing. Maybe the later versions screwed onto a SRAM xd drive, but the original ones had a very proprietary system

If you can ride up Irish to the top twice on one day you can do CTCT slowly.

The Germans at Rohloff have been making a 14 speed transmission for years!

hahahahahaha EXACTLY!

You're missing the point. I openly said I am also quick to forget his last few years. My point is the 'US' factor, not the Sagan factor. It is put to one side when discussing his retirement and glossed over or ignored. He is charismatic, quick to smile and 'fun' in all the ways that men will easily forgive. You guys all defending him is my exact point. WE as fans WANT or NEED him to be remembered well as most of the other modern day greats are tainted and/or disgraced. As an aside though, I don't condone drunk driving, especially 6x over the limit. I don't think it's funny and if my friends did it I wouldn't laugh about it, no matter how fun/funny they are. The same guys laughing about Sagan are a lot of the same guys slamming drunk drivers on other threads. Which again is my point. Anyway, I hope that's clearer. I'm done trying to put it into words. But if one of my AR team mates was caught 6x over the legal limit 5 weeks before the biggest race of the year, I would seriously question whether they were in the game.

Yes.... Giving no F**ks, being caught breaking the law multiple times, drunk mid season before a GT, handed a suspended prison sentence etc show exactly how many Fs he gave. BUT people still say 'he was a top pro and a sponsors dream'.... which he wasn't, or that behaviour certainly wouldn't be seen as such if it were another cyclist.

He was caught driving a scooter 6x over the legal limit 5 weeks before the TDF and even closer to other pretty big races. This is after a fairly torrid time in which he had injured police officers and had various run ins with the law while intoxicated and breaking curfew. This is not the behaviour of someone 100% dedicated to his trade nor an impeccable representation for his sponsors. I'm saying this is glossed over MORE than misdemeanors of other pro's who are less successful and appear less likeable. Freddie Flintoff will forever be remembered for sinking his pedal boat while drunk, even Tiger Woods can't be spoken about without people bringing up his DUI's and car accident. But us, as cycling fans, seem to be very forgiving of Sagan for whatever reason. The last few years of his career were not particularly fruitful for a man of his talents, which, along with the drinking, points to someone who wasn't fully invested in what he was doing. Can I keep up with him on a bike while he munches an energy bar? No. But he probably can't do my job as well as I can while I eat a piece of cake and drink tea. That isn't relevant. My point is the selective forgetfulness I see him like that fun uncle or parent's friend who snuck you sweeties and told you dirty jokes before you were 'old enough'.. He will be remembered fondly by pretty much everyone despite the last while of his career being a shambles

be careful.... It's helluva addictive and dot watching is a full time job!

Adventure Racing Check Point It's a niche sport for special people 😆

@dave303e the AR cheat seriously has me hooked.... seriously?! hahahaha I mean, I REALLY want to know who it is but I also don't in case it's someone I know 😝

Without wanting to get into a debate or a fight, these statements form a pretty big part of the problem. I'm no fan of the Open Letter to STRAVA, but answer me this, where IS it safe for women to ride alone? Then tell me WHY the answer is nowhere. This will then lead to the next piece of the puzzle; by highlighting the statistic, a rather alarming one, about on-line abuse/unsolicited internet attacks that women are subjected to, how does that paint a terrible picture of her persona? Women shouldn't need to be subjected to that. It's disgusting. Mindset and acceptance is powerful, and realising when you yourself form part of the problem is the only way we can give maybe some women a better chance at a better experience. regarding the pro-noun comment. I don't know if you've ever known anyone to come out as gay later on in life or re-evaluate their sexuality and identity, but seeing some people I know genuinely happy for the first time in forever has far outweighed any personal stigma or historical prejudice I have lurking in my ageing brain. Happiness and acceptance are beautiful

I reluctantly query this Do we all choose to forget he was arrested for being in a scooter accident while wasted not many days before the start of the TDF and other drunken issues and scuffles with Police? He injured police officers and was handed a suspended 3 month prison sentence in separate incidents. I love the guy, but he seems to have gotten off lightly with the public due to his likeable personality and winningest history. The latter part of his career has been a bit of a shambles, not all of it out of his control. Other, less popular riders would never be able to retire without having that sort of dirty laundry aired every second post.

One of the differences, especially for you (being a racer, not a participant) will be the 156km in the legs before you start the climb. The Swartberg from Cango Caves side is long and the gradient changes constantly. There are very mild sections and then it ramps up in 2 or 3 places which gets in your head a bit. 1:1 definitely gets you over the pass, albeit a bit uncomfortably in places. But once you go over the top it's a long descent and very easy flat ride back into town. If you're there to win it, you might burn a few matches more than the others getting over which may impact the sprint to the line, but you can definitely get over the top. Maybe make a big out the saddle move a la Contador on the steeper bits and make the others chase you? 😁

I've ridden up the whole of swartberg pass on the gran fondo with a 1:1 ratio (or 42 chainring and 11-42 cassette) I've also ridden up most of it 40/20 with a SS gravel bike the year before. It's probably better having something easier but it's definitely not impossible. It's also silly to gear a bike for a race you will ride at most once a year, but probably not even that often. Gear for what you ride all the time. That 45 minutes a year isn't the rule, it's the exception.

I think this is similar to 'what saddle should I buy' or 'which brakes are the best'. Some people love their 1x, some love their 2x and they will justify and punt what they have using the reasons they have it. I have a 2x system on my gravel bike. I like it. I had an old Cotic Escapade before which I ran 1x and thoroughly enjoyed that too. Neither is better, both will do a job when set up with your preferences

The hottest one I ever did was 2013... It definitely hit 40' going over the rollers in that middle third. I remember the waterpoints looking like battlefields with bodies and bikes strewn all over the place. I think I still have the tan lines seared into my flesh

hahahaha I'd recommend poles I would also recommend you don't go till you blow. Unlike a bike race, once you blow in a 100 miler, moving at a sustained 4kph gets difficult the deeper into the race you get. There are no free km. It's a completely different discussion to the poles, which I 100% recommend going into your first 100 miler provided you practice with them and can stash/extract them easily. I know it's a 'saying' with some jest behind it, but a HUGE part of getting done on a 100 miler is not blowing and it should be a big part of training leading up to the race. 100km is roughly 'half way' in terms of effort and if you haven't eaten proper food (not race bars, gels and junk, but real food) in large amounts the body and the mind will start having some objections around that mark. It's difficult to eat enough while going hard, so I'd suggest going easier the first 100km, almost in prep for the last 60. If you can sustain that 'way too slow pace for me' in the last 60 you will blow through the field. You have my number, you're welcome to pick my brain with regards kit suggestions, food suggestions and even do a few long runs together. I plan on doing another 2 x 13 peaks on a weekend this year so joining for the first one might be a good idea. Get a 106km under the belt in August. I'm no coach and I am certainly no pro, but I've done more than a few 100 milers and longer over the last 20 years