davem

If you have a bike shop with these stickers on the counter then post here, you can get some traffic in your shop.

On Saturday having a look at the cars parked at Something Country in the Cradle, less than 5% of cars had the stickers. With probably 50 000 of the stickers distributed in Gauteng over the past few months, I would have expected to see more. Will cyclists be defined as quick to complain and blame but not so quick to take even the smallest positive step? Behaviour of motorists will be changed by education and repeated awareness. The stickers contribute to that. If a motorist passes one sticker in his commute, it will make no impact. If he sees 50 every day, maybe it will get through to him. And that includes taxis! If you think that bright yellow sticker will ruin the aesthetic of your nice fancy car, get over it. Your life is more important. So today, take five minutes of your time, find the sticker you were given at 94.7 and go stick it on your car. Post below when you have done it.

Seen him several times over the past few weeks. Beautiful animal. Heard he has a penchant for lycra clad prey who ride more than two abreast. A few days ago, there were also two giraffe on the other side of the road, right at the fence. Often see baboons, monkeys and the occasional warthog.

RIP. A truly great South African.

Hi Who sells 3T in SA? I am looking for a 3T Aura Pro. http://www.evanscycles.com/product_image/image/8c3/c5d/8b4/56576/small/3t-aura-pro-tt-aero-carbon-bar.jpg?1311468140

Reasons to be concerned about others not wearing a helmet: If they crack there pip, I will render first aid when I pass, that will probably screw up my day If they crack there pip, their medical aid, which I may also be a member of will be faced with large bills to pay, making my/your medical aid more expensive if they crack thier pip and are not on medical aid, my/your tax will pay for his ambulance, treatment etc which could rather be spent on better things Choosing to disobey laws and safety rules does impact on others and is not a victimless crime.

Had a quick look at TSA and ITU website for uniform rules. Only refers to ITU events and logos etc. Although I have observed athletes being told to zip up in Jhb Tri Series. I would suggest that the local competition should have specific rules. Logic says you should not expose more than a ladies tri suit would. A sensible benchmark would be not to show your HR monitor strap.

There are a number of tech vans that do roam and there is at least one fixed tech support station. They will give you a tube for free. More than that, they charge you after the race.

Special Needs bags are donated to charity after the race, so anything you don't use, you don't get back. You can only call for Special Needs once during the cycle and once during the run. There is a personal seconding station just after Special Needs where you can get stuff from your supporters. The marshals control it very strictly. You have to leave the road into a small area. You may not be handed anything. Your supporter has to put it on the ground and you have to pick it up, and vice versa. A little strange but stood in this area at the 2012 race and observed it very keenly. Never saw anyone change wheels but did see a lot of nutrition being taken on and top ups of spares etc.

Personally think this is better at the end of a career in recognition of a great career. Can you imagine how Phil and Paul are going to pontificate over Sir Wiggo?

Eish, you could always go run outside until the techie arrives. You Capies are always telling us what a beautiful place it is.

Check for an SABS mark. I believe it should have one to be sold in SA. If so, it should be legal 70.3. I can't see the event organisers overruling SABS.

I believe all major brands of helmet are approved accepted so should not be an issue. Do you have an unusual helmet?

Oh crap! Need to put down the mince pie and go run.

Not sure if you have used Tri shoes before, but two differences to a road shoe are the single closing flap and they have holes in the bottom for water drainage. (Makes them not very nice on a very cold winter morning) The single closing flap on most, but not all, goes the opposite way to a road shoe (ie it hangs away from the bike frame / crankset). This is an advantage if you premount your shoes to the pedals and do the Flying Squirrel mount. If you are a middle of the packer and have a good pair of road shoes, tri shoes don't have a major benefit.

Telephone call to Mike at SBR will help. He is very friendly and knows his oats.

Disk is always faster if you can ride one well. In the wet and wild conditions of 2011, the top guys still rode disks. I rode 60mm in Double Century with gusting side winds probably up to 60 knots. When the wind was on the front quarter, it was sheer hell trying to stay on the bike. On the way back, it was complete magic. In 70.3, on the return leg, there are some very exposed sections and with a strong cross wind you may be crying for your mommy unless you really were born on a bicycle.

On the top, I use a long sleeve Under Armour cooling top under the Orca 226 tri top. It cools like no tomorrow. In fact after dark I have to take it off as it makes me too cold. It works best when wet. At each water station just pour the remnants of your water bottle over yourself before you discard and take a new one. It is like stepping into air conditioning. Also takes away any risk of sunburn (SPF50). I have found that this does not work so well in cycling and running races where you have a sleeved top as the restricted airflow to the arm pits stops the cooling action and can make you hotter.

In my experience, a road chamois shape is not suitable for a Triathlon bike. The padding is the wrong shape. For Ironman, I pull a second pair of tri shorts on. The 2 slim chamois provide better protection than one and the cut is right. Takes almost no time to put on and off. I like the Orca cut but do find the 226 chamois can butt creep a bit, but that is ass shape dependent I guess. Have yet to be convinced of any merit in a one piece other than in a non-wetsuit swim if you are really good.

Troisport (Sunninghil) SBR Sport (Sunninghil) Tribe Multisports (Bryanston) Only three I know of who have stock. Google is your friend.

If you are too slow, then Stumpy will be the perfect nickname for the Hub.

Stumpy Try Fishhoek for some swimming interval training. Just float out and splash your arms around. Wait till you see the grey triangle. Then SWIM! You will be damn fast in EL.

JB, you have the wisdom of Yoda. Your input is always valued.

Tubbies have a weight advantage which is largely irrelevant on IMSA course. Rolling resistance on modern wheels is almost indistinguishable between tubbies and clinchers from what I have read. Clincher is a lower risk for changing a tyre although a well trained person can do a tubbie (almost) as quick, Tubbies are expensive. I have done all my racing on clinchers with Gatorskins. Have come to realise that Gatorskins are not bulletproof. Have ridden with Slime in the above setup for a year and now realise that Slime is what saves the day. Punctures solve themselves. At most I have had to stop for less than 30 secs and bomb the tyre hard again after it has sealed. Slime only adds 60g per wheel which is negligible and adds to rotation mass which is actually beneficial on an IMSA style course. (Small penalty in fast accelleration scenarios). Now switching to Conti 4000S as the rolling resistance saving is claimed to be massive (with Slime of course).

If this is your first race and unless you are an accomplished athlete, don't try and predict a time. You will be wrong. Do your training to the best of your ability (this includes body, equipment, nutrition) During your training, work out what is a comfortable level of effort for you to do continuously for the race distance plus a bit more without fatiguing. Link this to a heart rate range. On race day, stick essentially within your range. The result will be that you will finish the race. You will finish is your optimal time (maybe not your fastest possible time). You will be tired but not broken. You will finish having enjoyed yourself and with a smile on your face and wanting to return.