davem

No Triathlon bikes. Saw a number of them out there. Again, just dangerous.

What a silly isolationist viewpoint. If I look around, I see more and more bike stores. Existing ones getting bigger. Owners of bike stores and distributors clearly being financially successful. CRC makes pricing transparent. I would venture that many use it as a benchmark so they make sure they get a fair deal from their LBS. CRC may likely mean that people own more bikes, and thus spend more on accessories and labour in the LBS. CRC is good for the sport and has probably contributed significantly to its expansion and in turn to the wealth of the LBS, its owners and employees.

If the stickers are so ***, may I suggest you pin the top corners with safety pins. Should not have a problem then.

The difference between Hansie and Lance (et al) is that Hansie cheated to lose. Lance and friends cheated to win. Last night doing some research on the Alpe d'Huez triathlon, I watched the Lance vs Jan stare scene from 2001. Holy crap it was exciting to watch again. Now with knowledge that they were both on the same juice, it was goose bump stuff to watch two gladiators go toe to toe. I think we can still have heroes. Just know that the rules are there to stop athletes dying from the PEDs because they can't stop they using them completely.

Being a Garfield you must be on PEP. Performance Enhancing Pasta.

Have you factored in bike transport costs? I believe going to the North Americas can get very pricey.

I remember an article about a triathlete, I think in Go Multi, who got bust over inadvertent use of a banned substance. Was an age grouper who got a podium in a small race. Must be the one positive test.

I believe this is the effective route that is taken in IMSA and IMSA70.3. You do have the ability to declare medications on your registration form. I remember reading that if you do test positive, they can grant you a retrospective TUE if you can prove the validity of the treatment and the lack of intention to cheat. I think this only applies to age groupers, not Pros. Given that I have never heard of a test other than for podium finishers, it is largely irrelevant. If you take something to fix a cold, and are not a podium finisher I don't think you should worry. I doubt the organisers care. If you deliberately take something to improve your performance to move up a few places, well we have to put up with you for a day, you have to live with yourself forever.

I must confess to having Alpe deHuez on my list of races. Even if just to say to people while watching the TdF that I have ridden raced up that mountain .

I think there should be some kind of degree to the punishment. If you take something by accident, incorrect medication and have the ability to prove it - six months suspension. If you take something deliberately - (there is no accidental ingestion of EPO or HGH) - then it is life and all of the above. Intention to cheat is key to a life time ban.

Do IM NZ. You can then add some hobbit scalps to your trophy cabinet. So what is the story with AbuDhabi? I registered on the site and heard nothing more.

BOOM. Floored yet again...Will I ever live this down?

After 5 hours on my bike on Sat, the banana in my back pocket was pretty vrot,

Alex comes across as a super nice guy. I don't know him personally but have chatted in the shop a few times while browsing. But dammit the shop is pricey. Polaris bike box is R3999. Paid R2999 for exact same item as Solomons. Similar price differentials on most things. But it is cool to browse there. As for Liam, eish man, hire a marketing person and you can focus on something else. Before you jump on the auction bandwagon, watch and learn from ASG and CWC.

My partner has an RR start at 09h50. Likely one of the last groups. 1st Water Table cutoff shows at 10h35 at 18.4km. That is 45 min after the start requiring an average of 24.5kmh. This is absurd for the slow guys!

Garf Don't only look at a watch to monitor your HR while training. The Suunto's T4/6 and the Garmin 910XT use the FirstBeat engine which measures Training Effect and EPOC. This is an amazing tool at measuring the correct training load in your program and the appropriate recovery. This sets them streets ahead of any Polar or Bryton. It will take some reading to understand but your it will help you train more effectively. To read more about FirstBeat go to www.firstbeat.fi

"Shoe companies are in it to make money. so they sell something (not shoes), and customers demand something - not what they want, but rather what they are led to believe they need. " Sounds like he is accusing the shoe companies of deliberately misleading the consumer into buying something they don't need when there is a known better alternative which they could sell and make just as much profit. Why would an entire industry do that?

PS. i never called Zola a freak show. She is a lovely lady with an exceptional talent. She is greatly blessed to have a body geometry that enabled her to achieve the amazing things she did in the way she did. I mentioned her as she is the one person who has achieved world records barefoot.

Robox I am amazed by your conspiracy theorist approach.Athletics shoes do a job. Quite well for some and less well for others. They enable those with less than perfect body geometry to participate at many different levels in all sorts of athletic events. They use the technology of the time to fill a need. And horror or horrors the manufacturers have a profit motive. The irony seems lost that many of these natural running shoes are made by the same athletics companies. The evolution of technology and fashion has created a new market. Inov 8, Vibram and other natural shoe makers have pursued this market with the same commercial drive as Nike, Reebok, Asics, Saucony etc. Obviously for some these natural shoes work fantastically well. My partner has some adidas natural shoes (same style as the vibrams). She swears they are the most comfortable shoes she has ever worn. She was a sub 8 Comrades runner back in the days of running in Bata takkies. As an aside they are bright blue and make her look like a frigging Smurf. I have read Born to Run and love the romanticism of barefoot running. However, most likely I will not get there. WIthout my Nike Structure shoes, I won't make it round the block, never mind finish a marathon. The same situation exists in the Noakes Carbs vs Protein debate. There are zealots on both sides that believe the other view is categorically wrong, that massive industry conspiracy exists to deliberately enslave the consumer into some sub optimal way of living. In reality, often it is an evolution of science, ideas and commercial viabilty which slowly turns us down a new path. The sad thing is that zealousness stifles real debate, and further polarises opinions. If you want to change the world, sell your idea by the merits, not by unfounded accusations against tried and trusted methods and thinking. Tell me why your shoes are so good, the benefits they give you and the value they may have to me. You lose me when you tell me I am brainwashed, ripped off and a fool for choosing something which has actually opened a whole new world of athletics to me. An excellent example of this is how the 32Gi guys built a brand in SA against conventional thinking through debate and having logical informative interaction with their customers.

That's quite a statement about an entire industry which has set every foot race world record in the last 50 years*. And also about us runners who have made informed choices about our running shoes and chosen something other the product you choose. * Except Zola Budd - but she now sells Newtons anyway.

Please will the guru's put the bike contribution to my race result in perspective: For 94.7 the last two years I have done 2:59:07 and 2:59:14. Nice and consistent. That is as fast I could go. Gave everything I had. Done on my R3000 9.5kg Raleigh, mid range helmet and Olympic shoes. Now if I did go and purchase a nice 7kg carbon bike with SRAM Red at say R35 000 what would be the effect on : 1. My time 2. My experience of the ride What other items should I purchase to improve 1 or 2.

To all you S-Works riders out there, does it hurt when you have to suck my Raleigh wheel?

I am not sure the question should be about who can afford what. We all but different cars based on what we can afford. They all do essentially the same thing. A to B. What I struggle with is, do you get R70k of extra value between a R15k and an R85k bike. Not in terms of ego etc but rather in terms of extra stuff from the manufacturer. Better carbon, better alloys on the drive train. More time and labour to make due to more intricate design. And ultimately better performance. My R3k Raleigh RC3000 works rather well. Now if I spent R30k on something bling and fancy, I will get a very smalll bit of extra speed as critical times. It will look nicer and get me attention from my mates, but really R27k worth? If I spent the R27k on a coach, worked a little less and trained a little more, I would improve far more than a fancier bike would allow me too.

"training 7 or more days in a week" Where can I buy that extra day?

Been thinking about the squad thing. Can you recommend in Northcliff area?