Jewbacca

hahahaha I don't know what sort of level 'Cat3' is unfortunately Sub3 Argus but like 2:59? Or more 3:20 to 3:30? I have no real benchmark but really enjoyed riding in an organised group on Sunday before getting horribly dropped at 150km

Do slow people do this?

Jumbo attack! Good results for the Bees today!

BUT...... Here you have BikeHub pay as a fall back, so for a 150k adventure 4x4 trailer, you buy it using BikeHub pay and then you only release the funds once TB has delivered the trailer.

I have been in a position in life where I have never bought a car over finance. From my first to my current, I have paid cash every time. I was lucky enough to have had an opportunity straight out of school to do a very dangerous, but profitable, manual job allowed me to buy and pay for things like a car and education cash. That said, I hate cars. Cars are stupid, people driving cars who are usually reasonable, decent people become entitled and enraged over nothing. I hate driving on our roads and having to interact with other drivers. Single person transporters taking up kilometers of road, but feel like the traffic is everyone elses fault, hate any other type of road user and will cause more traffic by just not merging and splitting until they have to stop to do it because 'I'm in front of you and must stay in front of you because I'm more important than you!' I promise you, no one who lives in a city or urban sprawl needs a sports car or a bakkie. Most people on here have at least one of the two, or both. (Yes, some don't, no need to say 'I don't) I know people who own land Rovers and Fortuners so they can drive the dogs 2km to the park. Two cars crash? A car kills a pedestrian? Oh dear, what a terrible accident! 2 people drown at Iron Man and everyone wants to ban the race. BAN CARS! They kill thousands of people every year and few people are actually fit to drive them safely. Start talking about car free areas, or creating car free zones in cities and people lose their minds. We are so programmed as a people to just accept cars for what they are they never get questioned. Spend 70 million on fixing roads, right next to a railway? absolutely! Spend 20 million fixing up the railway so you don't need to drive? Absolutely NOT!

@Sid the Sloth we are sexy......

Huh? I am in no way being aggressive or emotionally reactive. I was making a joke about 'Specifying your Drive train and Frame'...... The ads in question have things like SCRAM instead of SRAM and miss spell the brand of the bike despite it being written on the frame. hahahahaha I thought that was pretty funny

Is it also not indicative of the times? There are 55 billion OLD model golfs and Polos driving around and that target market is struggling to buy NEW model cars at the current lending rate. I'd guess that new cars are struggling to move, especially those in the mid range price point. Interest rates and cost of living are driving huge changes in who can afford what

hahahahaha Really? I'm expecting a call from my full price sponsors any second! Just shows you how a good photographer can turn even the roughest diamond into a gem!

SCRAM XX01 Force 2 x 10 on a Merido? 'Most' of you guys commenting here are bike nerds. You spend way too much time looking at geo updates, bike model upgrades, spec etc. If someone is willing to spend money on a bike without knowing or checking it's geometry and spec, the reality is that said Geometry and Spec is not likely to influence that person or their riding. If the bike works, it will likely work for those buying with no knowledge. A 2016 Spez still rode trails sufficiently. It didn't suddenly become impossible to ride because the model got revamped. These things are important to you guys, the smallest segment of bike users. To most? Yeah nah.... Let it go. The classifieds runs more than fine without having to make things compulsory or making it more confusing for people who simply don't care. Buyers and sellers. To understand that most people using the Forums on this site are NOT the majority of bike riders or buyers/sellers is the first step in realising that really, of the 500000000 ads, very few are a complete shambles. Making more rules, more restraints etc to place adverts to appease a minority is not the way to make anything 'better' Anyway, that's how I see it. I am not anti establishment, but having to tick 55 boxes just to post my old bike for sale would piss me off

No comments on the crashes in the final 5km? The padding on the sweeping left that caught two of the riders was well placed! I get a feeling we are in for an explosive three weeks. The whole atmosphere of the race, riders and racing is tense and it seems like something could give or explode at any minute.

hahahaha Enjoy are getting good mileage out of this picture. 'I'd like to thank my full price sponsors........'

That finish area was a shambles! What an effort from Remco. He came flying over the top. Hopefully the cut is superfluous and just stings a bit in the shower. He hit that lady hard

hahahaha Nowhere to hide there!

For sure, but the chances of that happening to such a degree are tiny. They probably should have neutralized the stage tbh, but then those not there who wouldn't have got to watch the absolute carnage live would be saying 'How can they cancel it for RAIN! Rain is something riders and teams should prepare for!' It really was such unprecedented weather at such a severe level. The organisers chose to 'go with it' and probably made the wrong call. But asking for shifts in broadcasting schedules and closures from the living room on another continent without knowing the repercussions isn't really a thing. I quite enjoyed the carnage. I'm not sure why they didn't just ride road bikes

Does anyone realise it hasn't rained there in months? Also, Grande Departe in Barcelona?! Holy Moly that is rad. It was a perfect storm that came out and whacked everything for six. Harping on about it is useless. It's like all the COVID moaners. It is unprecedented and what ever decision they made there would be people moaning about the decision. Cancel the stage? Moans Make it earlier? I'm not sure if anyone here has been involved in a global event that has to coordinate the closures of roads, public areas etc. It is REALLY difficult. I can tell you the Olympics even struggles. Add broadcasting times across the globe and the fine balance and cost that is. There was no win for the organisers, especially as everyone these days knows better than those making the decisions and what they entail

Quite an interesting graphic

I also think people are getting larger...... Not taller, but larger in the middle. Fatter tummy, smaller visible willy, bigger car.

I just looked at the route...... Goodness me. I think there are about 4 actual sprint stages, maybe less. BRUTAL racing. I am really looking forward to this now

Are you guys quite done having a public whattsapp conversation?

hahaha I think my grammar was bad. The last 3 bike races I've done have been a 3:40 ish October CTCT on a BMX, this race last year and a 5:13 2023 CTCT.... It did involve at least 3 lengthy coffee/food and family leisure stops. It was great. I reckon there will be a few guys pushing watts out of the 7:00 Batch. You are welcome to find my wheel, but I think a number of guys will be up for sharing some time in the wind early on. I will be the really short, funny shaped, black haired, bearded, hook nosed fellow with really long ape arms on a purple girls bike.

hahahaha They look pretty similar to me Both look hideous to my aging eyes

Maybe not, but it looks helluva similar to the Silex.....

That's a Merida!

I'm 100% sure you will catch me! Hopefully I can jump on your wheel and stay there for a few km