Jewbacca

Maybe COVID killed it, but there were great sponsors, cool venues, different race options etc but it never took off. Races were not well attended I will PM you my email address......

@Frosty That is interesting. I always go on about how we, as spectators so far removed from thew reality, can't really judge the riders and staff etc, but Patric has always come across as a sleezeball to me. He may be very different behind closed doors or in person, which sort of backs up my stance on the matter in general, but it would take a lot of him actually not being a sleezeball in public to change how I see him. Even Jacob Zuma has friends and people who love working with him.....

Or make it the SA Epic and do it all over the place! I know it is relationships, contracts, land owner agreements, finish venues etc that keep it here, but as the comments show, it has definitely lost some of it's appeal and if not now, will likely need to reassess at some point. The international entries definitely keep things ticking over for now

To be fair, Hannah Barnes adds hype and wonderment talking about anything and everything. She sounds excited talking about road conditions and tire choices and LOVES a accentuated absolute.. 'THEEEE best (insert whatever she is talking about)' She also seems to talk to a lot of people the day before she is on air. The amount of times she says 'I was chatting to (insert name) yesterday and he/she was telling me........'

Nail on the head He has also been taught to believe and made to feel brilliant, so he expects to win, he doesn't 'hope' to win. He does, however, seem pretty fluid in how he wins. Loses too much time on GC? Cool, ship 27 minutes instead of 10 and go for stage wins. He didn't mope around, he didn't complain. He got on with winning bike races. I reckon he is going to try and win again before the Vuelta is done. 3 or 4 stage wins in one GT is pretty phenomenal going.

I was about to do the same! At 23 the guy has already won more than most 'brilliant' pro cyclists retire with. For me his relationship with Patrick Lefavre and the way Pat has gone on and on and on about him since he was about 9 which has created a lot of the public waffle. For me, as an armchair idiot, Lefavre gives me the creeps. His disdain for woman cycling, the way he treats riders and the stuff he has said and done in the past just creates a wholly unsavory picture in my mind, which sullies the way i see Remco and his Hype

Which shows you they are riding for him despite perhaps wanting to. Winners want to win but seem to be doing a job against their nature? I stand by what I have said all along, Jumbo have a plan and we simply don't know it. You don't win all 3 GTs and a a few handfuls of bike races in a season without having a plan as a team. I'm not that smart, but I can't imagine their complete dominance is by accident.

Looks very much like SK is the protected man today...... All those who threw their toys prematurely.... tut tut Racing to win GT vs racing to win stages. Shows you that emotional outrage without knowing the plan is often silly. Let things play out and enjoy. Okes are way to 'Days of our Lives' over this hahahaha

Ha! I recall we had a fantastic duke it out on the slopes and trails above Bainskloof pass many years ago at gravel travel for the SS win! The power data from a SS mtb race would be radical to look at if you were into that sort of thing

For tech stuff I always ask myself a few questions..... What do I want out of my hobby? Do I have the right mindset to use it properly? Is the % difference worth the money? Will I get bored of it? In cycling, I like riding bikes. Nay, I love riding bikes. I like being fit enough to enjoy riding bikes with anyone. I am currently getting back there slowly. BUT one thing I don't like is data. I like the idea of data, but I honestly get so bored looking at it. Same as my running data... I got a fancy tech stuff to track cadence and all sorts and honestly, after 3 weeks I just turned it all off. The kicker is that I likely won't ever get to a level of competition where such small margins matter. I don't have the discipline to do 2 x interval sessions a week, track running etc I also really wanted a range finder for the golf course. The marketing sold it to me hard. The I sat down, asked the above questions and concluded that as an 8.6 handicapper, exact yardage isn't my problem. I am simply not accurate enough consistently to benefit from the tech. I don't go to a simulator and hit clubs to get accurate yardages, so aiming for the middle of the green for me is still not an exact science! What I'm getting at, is that if you have a cash to burn, it will likely benefit you IF you have the discipline to use it properly and getting to the front of the field is your aim. If it's a luxury purchase and you're less inclined to get to the front of the field and just finish comfortably every day with a smile, it isn't at all essential. Many of the guys commenting here are proper data dorks and racing snakes. They struggle to see how riding could be about anything other than performance 😜

This might also be Roglic's last Hoorah at a GT win At 33 he is definitely entering that 'can he' not 'will he' stage of his career. Jonas at 26 still has a good few years left while this is Probably Kuss' best or only chance he will have to win a GT. With no title sponsor announced post 2024 there may be changes, pay cuts and a disbanding of some of the team if budget cuts become a reality. Everyone thought Pogacar would reign supreme at TDF for years after his two wins, but look what happened there. Winning a GT is not something one gives away for sentiment and Roglic and Jonas are winners. Being emotionally involved in sport is a strange phenomenon. None of us here (except John and Adrian and one or two others) actually know these guys. I'm quite happy to sit back and enjoy the entertainment and absolutely brilliant bike racing. We also can't forget Roglic won Giro earlier in the year, so HE could have the distinction of winning 2 GTs in a calendar year. So many permutations. Gosh we are lucky to be alive and watching this unfold

For Jumbo, what is more spectacular? A Kuss win, 1 man holding 2 x GTs in a year with potentially a go at Giro to hold all 3 at the same time or another Roglic Vuelta? As fans, everyone loves the underdog story, but as a team, they are there to win. I would love a Kuss win. It would be so cool. I loved it when G won the tour after breaking Froomie by accident up D'Huez and when Vingegaard won his first tour after Roglic crashed. We have no idea what is being said over race radio or on the road. Maybe they have a plan. I personally have no issue with any of the three of them winning. They all have a good reason and a great story behind them... One is an ex ski jumper, on an ex fish packer and one a self professed super dom who doesn't want to lead. Jumbo will protect their interests as a team, then see what plays out re GC. What makes them awesome is the way they race. To win stages, to win bike races and let the GC look after itself. It's a darn site better than the sky train controlling things to the point of choking the racing

Buy the Trek Roscoe.... Seriously. Those things are inexpensive and they shred. You can also dress it up when you want to down the line. They are fun to ride, easy to maintain, easy to upgrade and the geo is great. Get back on the bike, fall in love with riding bikes and go from there. Don't overthink it. Leave the romantic sentiment to others and think of your bike as a tool. A tool to provide smiles, radness and stoke as well as a decent amount of health benefit.

These guys are the gold standard in unbiased helmet research and testing https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html

The Spez align 2 MIPS was rated one of the safest helmets in testing (still rated at the top end) and you can grab it brand new for under R1000 It just weighs 300g as opposed to 230ish Aero it is not bad either. I have 2. I choose safety and functional over being cool

If they did this and somehow managed to 'get it right', it would be absolutely terrible for so many people........ WHAT would they have to complain about?!!!! Taking away the ability to wail at CSA about the license/seeding would be like taking away one of their legs!

I think this thread and article is a perfect case in point on why global news/socials/forums and general internet 'nowness' is causing cancer, depression and a whole heap of other social issues. There is a proper term for it, but basically it has to do with people being exposed to so many different points of interest and engagement (in this case in a negative way) which effects the reader emotionally, despite the news having absolutely zero bearing on ones life. It's quite complex and I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but basically people are emotionally invested in way too many things they can't control and have no business being invested in that it is causing all sorts of issues with the brain and body. People hurt other people's kids all the time. The fact that the Catholic church is still a thing despite it's history astonishes me. If someone hurt your kid, or you hurt someone's kid, then deal with it, but this is just simply a case of 'hahahaha look, another person is a total twat. Who would have thought?' People are, by in large, crap. We should stop feigning surprise and becoming outraged every time the news points this out 😜

Pretty sure once he realised he had leaked too much GC time to make up he sat up, watched the clock and did as little as he could to the finish in order to go on some stage win hunts. If he only leaked 7 minutes the peleton would mark him. 27? Off you go

Kid got in the way... Her parents should teach her to be more aware of what is going on around her. How did that guy know she wasn't rabid or enraged after he hit her? She might have bitten him if he approached her? Also, maybe the rider was late for an appointment or for coffee, or he really needed to poo after too much coffee? Did anyone think of that?! The dad should definitely have gained permission before using that footage. It is probably a genetic throwback, as he is as unaware of the law as his daughter is of her surroundings. So many variables, we just don't know enough of the actual situation to judge..... If my son were knee'd in the head by a cyclist and he didn't stop, I would use a timelapse montage to train my son to be a ninja assassin so he could serve his revenge very very cold as a teenager.... Seriously though, let Belgians be Belgians.... or however the saying goes

hahahahahaha I was here to type exactly that!

Remco said this morning that he definitely was not sick.... So if he is he lied

Lekker Gemmer!

Sies! Friday and Saturday are two big stages in a row. If there aren't any notable time gaps and shows of intent there I will be very surprised and somewhat disappointed

All I can say is that if they can produce a Pyga/Session quality ride at Titan pricing, it's a win win......

Before I got sick and nearly dedded last year I would have been WAY more confident signing up, but it's been a grind getting back in the saddle and getting fit the last year and a half, especially at my advanced age..... as my wife calls being in your 40s. I might give this a skip this year and spend a bit more time in the saddle. I really did enjoy the group and racing aspect of veldriff, despite having my legs torn off. Meh.... confidence is a strange thing