cyclingfiend

Extract from CSA's comments referred to above: "We will continue to grow the 2016 Men's group by targeting all our effort on the riders born during 1985 and younger. That is our plan and we will stick by it". This really does show extreme naivety - common sense would say pick the best - what the h*** has age got to do with it??? World champs winner Thor Hushovd yob 1978 - now 32 years. World champs ITT winner Cancellera- yob 1981 - now 29 years Commonwealth Games winner Allan Davis yob 1978 - now 32 years. 2nd Roelston - 29 years 3rd Miller - 33 years CG - ITT winner Miller yob 1977 - now 33 years History shows that the hard core endurance events are always bested by the more mature, experienced cyclist. Merit is what counts and these odd phobias about youth currently being expounded by a few at CSA need to be reviewed.

I have to go along with Dennis - damn poor show both at worlds and now CG's and the failure can be squarely on the laps of the CSA. If it were a rugby team we wouldn't be so tolerant, would we? I really hoped that here was a good opportunity to put cycling on the map as far as local perception was concerned but we blew it! And Boet, money is not an issue at the CG's the taxpayer pays for it!

James Perry. Team EMG were it CT for the track champs last weekend and were invited to stay for Engen Dynamic. Think they were also 2nd & 3rd but results not shown by Racetec- probably not wearing transponders.

A final comment from me that also has some relevence to team selection: The average age of the first 10 in this years elite worlds was 29. Youngest Greg van Avermaet @ 26 and oldest Oscar Freire @ 34. The more seasoned players seem to handle the tough indurance events best. Modern diets and exercise routinesalso seems to be increasing the "useable" age of a cyclists and so should increase the options available!

This has been quite a good, informative debate so if you can only make snide comments then rather keep out of it! What doesn't seem to have sunk in very well is that a decent cycling team needs Sprinters ( the eventual podium places), semi-sprinters - the tough lead out men, the pace setters/domestiques and a time trialist or 2. If CSA's plan to select from minimal continental tour teams and only riders who have been on the podium, then a team of mostly sprinters will emerge. The likes of Eisel and Renshaw, Jens Voight, etc, wouldn't meet their criteria because they essentially don't race to win but to provide essential team support, and consequently rarely get on the podium. I am quite convinced that in SA right now, we have the right mix to put together a reasonably competitive world class team if certain phobia's that exist can be shaken off. By all means work on youngsters for the future but its going to be very difficult without the resources and expertise of totally dedicated proffessionals. (The likes of Chris Boardman who got the Brits off the ground in a very short time!). It's the now and next few years that need to be worked on in the interim, and at all levels!!!

B) Also DG got bronze at Malaysia Commonwealths in 2000 Perry's worlds medal was in 2001 so not so long ago. Sorry Christie, but I think that the current selection process is seriously flawed - for example, to not include ITT specialists at the worlds is a serious ommission - that is the best opportunity we have to get medals - note how Peter Vellits beat Cancellera in the final itt of the Veulta - individuals can always surprise and of course the weather can help! And the same ommission at the upcoming Commonwealths! In the real world, individual cyclists do well locally, go to events like World champs/cups and then get selected by European teams. With the best will in the world, CSA can't make it the other way round! Their process is doomed to failure.

I think that is a load of bull and is an blaming CSA cash flow problems on the cyclists. Going back 8 or 9 years, SACF regularly sent U23's and Elites to World champs largely based on their local performances and at least 2 U23 worlds medals come to mind won by South Africans. How the current selection criteria evolved is just "strange".

Is there a program available anywhere - would love to go but would like to choose what I watch!

Unless you are an elite racing for money, what would be the purpose of cheating? Most enter the Argus as a personal challenge, and lets face it, who else gives a stuff what your time was except yourself and perhaps your mother! So you take a short cut and get an exceptional time, who cares really and the only possible gain is an improvement of seeding and so ending up in a group which is beyond ones capabilities! I recall mats at Boyes, Smits and top of Chappies.cyclingfiend2010-03-16 11:07:08

A not very exciting 4.04 in the U group. Wind and age (66) took their toll! Almost came to a full stop on Boyes when a freak wind hit the bunch!

That sounds like WE's old place???

Some intereting and shocking stories. I have one of my own which took a long time to get over - I had a vertebrae fusion last year - 6 and 7 in the lower part of my neck. It was done by a neurosurgeon who was referred to me by my GP. I thought I had an ok medical aid scheme and went for the op without asking any monetory questions! After the op I received the doctors account for R37 000! If paid within 7 days this would drop to R28 000?!! I submitted this to my MA who, much to my disgust, paid only "National Health" tariff of R10 500! This was the first I had heard of the NHRLP and unknowingly (to me) my MA had adopted these tarriffs and despite many protests, they would not budge. So I had to cough up the R17 000 difference myself. What is particularly immoral about this is that my MA later recommended to me that if I upgraded from the "Standard" package to the "Comprehensive" they would pay up to 3 time the NHRLP tarriff. I have done this but at a monthly premium increase of R1800! It seems that the MA's and doctors are working together to screw as much as they can get away with out of the patient! And to top it all, the op wasn't a total sucess, leaving me with numbness in my hand which the doc shrugs off as not his fault!

My thoughts on this: Very few people who don't have friends or family taking part go to watch SA Champs regardless of where it is held. I think the majority of spectators at any SA Championship are generally parents, spouses, siblings or friends of riders taking part so they will watch wether it is held in Oudtshoorn or for example Stellenbosch. I think few people who aren't cyclists will bother to go watch even if it is close by. At least the can run a really hard circuit in that area, so the racing should be good with sttrong riders claiming the titles. Absolutely correct, Phen. I remember when the SA's was held at Tweespruit a number of years ago - lots of moaning about the isolation but in fact it was quite successful and no less spectators than in Pretoria or PE.

Hi. I have just ungone surgery in my neck - vertebrae fusion - and the doc says that I should raise my handlebars about 2cm to avoid continually lifting my head excessively. I investigated this and see that the forks and bearing part - a carbon fibre tube - are all one piece and have been cut to length. Is it possible in any way to extend this tube part - like join another short piece - so that a spacer can be inserted below the stem, or do I have to buy new forks?