Old Dog

At least there is signs of a realisation that most good sportsmen and women started when they were young and had to work their way through the ranks - Stofiles comment are quite radical for a politition and are more likely to get him thrown out than promoted! How long will it be before the goverment has to admit the same situation in industry is also applicable?

This issue was discussed at length a few months back on this forum. It was generally concluded that it is very much up to the individual rider to insure himself against major medical bills. i.e. to take out a hospital plan. The higher level team's maintain that salaries paid are (theoretically) inclusive of a sufficient amount for the cyclist to take out his own insurance. Typically, Barloworld's policy appears to be that they cover the direct medical costs of accidents occuring during a race and that was all. Looking at the serious accidents that can happen, the latest being JL's broken femur, to race without medical insurance would be plain stupid. An accident of his nature can easily run up a medical account of R40 000 in SA - much more in a European hospital! So if in any doubt, take out a hospital plan type insurance then debate the issues with the team management!

Heard on the GV that Tiaan Kannemeyer and Danny Spence are pulling out of cycling at the end of this year, so theres a couple of vacancies available?

There is quite substantial prize money for the world champs but only for 1st 3 I believe. On a circuit race with quite short lap distances - 18k in this years case - the referees want everyone who is about to be lapped off the circuit. 18k's is 20 - 25 minutes and you will see from the results that all those who finished were the only ones still on the same lap. i.e. no finishers over 21mins behind. So unfortunatley, satisfying personal pride is not an issue that is considered! NO CHANCE OF WINNING SO GET OUT OF THE WAY is the motto at World Champs. Just checked on UCI site and min. prize money for road race winner is 11,500 Swiss Francs. 8,050 for 2nd and 4,600 for 3rd. Elite TT winner gets5750, U23 RR winner - 5750. This is a minimum amount.Old Dog2007-10-01 13:14:03

I think our best riders have the talent but are missing that final fine tuning to prep them for a really tough event at Worlds level. I keep reading about Evens trainer told him this and that and Cancrella's wind tunnel test helped him in the TT! and so on. Hunter and Perry were doing hard core races in Italy shortly before the worlds and were'nt given much preparation at all. And George, I guess, just does what he can on his own! And there's no team training whatsoever. I can almost read the tactics - or lack of them - George and Perry realised that in a very short time they were on their own teamwise, decided who was in best shape out there on the circuit, and played it accordingly. Nothing else they could do!

That's a cyclingnews.com typo as the results on the UCI site show James to be of SA origin!

Just read that Alex Efimkin is going to Quick-Step - Innergetic next year. So more places at TBL?

Originally posted by American Flyers We cannot blame WT or PPA for not getting our results quickly because we were supposed to renew membership fee in July and I noticed lots of people do it in the last minutes. So the PPA have to update the information before putting the results up. We must learn to be patient. Patient?!. I'm still waiting for the proper time for my Construction du Cap ride which was in Feb, or was it March? they recorded me at 11hrs54mins and even I don't cycle that slow!!! Sent numerous e-mails which WT ignored but which eventually got picked up by PPA. Last heard "looking into my problem" which wasn't my problem anyway, but theirs. WT is second rate and I think is run as a hobby by a few individuals.

Originally posted by Hill Climber Darryl Impey is going to ride for Barloworld in 2008. Somehow I don't think so - where did you hear this? Hearld from "reliable source" that James Perry has asked to leave TBL because he has had another offer where he will be allowed to use his own initiative instead of being always the teams paceman. His wife, Hanlie, who also works for TBL will be going with him. Could be his place is up for grabs?

Check the "Racing" forum........

David George and James Perry are by far the best SA time trialists so they will most likely be aiming at the ITT at the worlds, where SA can enter 2. Logically, for economic reasons, they will probably be doing the road race where both are capable of providing essential support to whoever is designated as SA's man most likely to do best on the day!

Just heard this morning that JL has been given the ok to leave the hospital in Portugal, where he was operated on to patch up a broken femur, and will be flying to Italy to a clinic close to where some of his team are based, where he will stay until able to walk around on crutches. I also heard that he is not keen to return to SA yet - perhaps some concerns about the long flight in conjunction with what happenened to his teamate Ryan? He has been kept company during the whole period by Hanlie (Perry) who normally works with the team as a masseuse. Eventually JL will come back to SA for a +/- 6 month recovery period.

It's a 2.2 category tour (amateur & continental teams) so our selected team is sure to do well, but what often happens with these tours is the local lads, who feel that they need recognition, often come to the fore as it's the only significant event for their whole year!!! Old Dog2007-08-19 02:48:34

Same place as Perry (and Floyd Landis) had their breaks. The re-alignment has to be very precise otherwise there is a blood flow defficiency to the ball joint and can end up as with Landis, where a replacement eventually becomes necessary. So good docs are important!! Sure JL will bounce back.

That really is sad and will be a major setback for the youngster. He was going quite well in the tour at around 19th place. This type of injury takes a long time to heal properly - took James Perry over a year to recover most of his form after a similar break. Hope the lad gets good doctors in Portugal!

What they are proposing is an Australian national team that's going to get registered as a ProTour team and then cruise around dominating all the big events!!!

Perhaps CSA can put together some sponsors for a SA team????? Australia to enter TDF team? 2007-8-15 08:34 Sydney - The prospect of an Australian team competing in the 2009 Tour de France has moved closer to reality, according to local media reports on Wednesday. Top Australian riders including Robbie McEwen, Cadel Evans, Stuart O'Grady and Michael Rogers could join forces in the sport's most prestigious race for a team financed by a company owned by internet entrepreneur Tony Smith. A company called Pro Cycling Australia has been set up to oversee the project and Smith has pledged A$20m over four years to help establish the team. "It's a major piece of the jigsaw," chief executive Paul Varcoe told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "The pieces are falling into place. We always believed it would happen and this is a significant step in proving it will." The project still needs an additional sponsor and the backing of the Federal Government, and Smith hopes Evans's second-place finish in this year's Tour will help. "Cadel Evans' effort in the recent Tour de France has been an inspiration to us all and put this great sport on the radar in Australia," Smith said. "The cycling world has been talking about this for years and now it's finally about to happen." Varcoe said Australia's top riders were keen to join the team. "This is something that Australian cyclists have wanted for a long time," he said. "We will be talking to all professional cyclists including Cadel Evans, Robbie McEwen and Michael Rogers - they want to be on this team." The prospect of a new Australian team will be welcome news for the sport following the doping controversies that marred this year's Tour, and Varcoe said cycling's ruling body the UCI supported the concept of a new team. "They are very keen to globalise the sport," he said. Reuters

Sorry!!! 1997

This is one from the archives - Ryan won the points race as a junior at Pretoria track in 1977. The guys had gone directly there from the Junior tour in Mpumalanga and I remember they were all suffering badly from sore butts! Sorry the quality not so good - need to get some advice from Crux about posting pic.

The situation with pro teams such as TBL is that they provide medical cover for all activities where the rider is working on behalf of the team - racing, training, etc. If the rider was on vacation and has a cycling accident then it is at his own cost as is illness's such as flu, colds, dental, etc,etc. So most cyclists would have their own personal "hospital plan" where there isn't a national health system. Typically when James Perry was knocked off his bike in Pietermaritzburg whilst warming up for the Ama he had to pay the account himself for a broken femur although in Barlows kit. Lucky for him he had an insurance which covered the R40k costs!!! So it's a bit of both depending on the circumstances and of course, whats affordable.

Looking at that list, it seems to me that they were selected from those sure not to be taking stimulants - saves a lot of hassles! No one tested after the time trials. And to Flying Scot - make no mistake, there are plenty of SA's out there who would take just about anything even for a bit of local glory.

Prudhomme ends doping rumours By Gregor Brown in Cognac http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/tour07/tour0719/fs031tn.jpg The 2007 Tour de France was ripe with a new rumour starting Friday afternoon and running late into the evening that there could be another rider announced positive for a doping control. The rider was rumoured to be stage nine winner and mountains classification leader Mauricio Soler of Barloworld, however, Tour Director Christian Prudhomme clarified that there was no reported case of doping. "We spoke with the commissionaire of the UCI and they said there was no case," Prudhomme said in a press conference Saturday morning in Cognac. One Belgian website had reported that the Colombian had already tested positive, and Prudhomme was concerned about the speculation that took place the day before, and reminded the gathered press to base its work on facts. "Please be careful. Pay attention to the real facts." The speculation was further fuelled by reports of police cars at the Barloworld hotel on Friday night. "Some journalist saw an Ag2r Pr?voyance team car and thought it was a police car," confirmed Prudhomme. "There was not any police at the hotel." Soler completed the stage 19 time trial in 42nd place. Says it all!

Who was the other TBL rider in the main peleton, finished with Vino or the group just ahead of them? That was Kanstantin Siutsou (Blr - one of the old Russian states). He has been lurking around in the background and not loosing too much time. Currently 24th on GC @ 9 minutes. Perhaps we will see something special from him?

What I believe is that the "cleaning up" of the sport has levelled the playing fields considerably and is allowing the smaller teams, who didn't have the huge resources to buy in the chemical help of the past, to now show their capabilities on a more level playing field! What can Hunter do tomorrow!!! I'm not yet saying that it is all totally clean but must be a lot better with all the declarations being signed and DNA testing becoming a possibility. GO BARLOWORLD.

Just consulted a pro - during the 1st 150k or so of yesterdays tour stage - about 150watts. On flat parts of last 50k about 350 watts with pacesetters about 400. Sprinters from 1200 to 1800 for about 10 secs!