GLuvsMtb

We are on a bit of a run in local ODI's. 11 wins in a row. Last time this was equalled was in 1997.

Here Arianne in particular has been a fantastic ambassador. She regularly attends the school league races to encourage the youngsters.

A quick turn-around through the PR office to do damage control here before it became a social media storm. I suspect that Arianne is better off than many of the other competitors in terms of earnings and sponsorship, so the athletes benefitting most from this will be the young up and coming athletes that will be in contention once the international season starts.

Equal prize money (and a fairer dispensation with regards to start groups) was the catalyst for the very strong field of women's racers at the Epic of late. I would be focussing on womens racing if I was interested in growing my event. The mens field is saturated already, so women and children must surely be next on the radar.

I was grateful for not having to do that punchy climb out of the single track after the dam. The worst climbing (the stretch past the ferns, and the last bit out of the ST just before the little dam) so close to each other started to hurt on Sunday. The vibe was awesome, Lime bar, the pancake people and the coffee guys did an amazing job throughout the night into Sunday. Well done to each and all. Everyone were giving track where possible, and the friendly banter was always appreciated. I quite enjoyed the bumpy bit (probably the only time my 140mm travel benefitted me in a non-technical course). I look forward to the Simonsberg Contour next weekend! Roll on Friday!!!

In some instances I agree with equal prize money. Marathon racing is one of those areas. If tennis players wants to earn equal, let the ladies play to 5 sets, golf, let them tee off from the pro tee. Here the ladies ride the same course, so they should get the same incentive. In the Olympics the ladies medals are not smaller than the men's medals. It does not look like a knee-jerk reaction, but rather a lengthy discussion, with no compromises from the organisers. Lets hope one of the sponsors sees the opportunity and step up to assist with equal prize money.

Perhaps we had 1 too many new faces last night. I would have liked to see either Morris / Wiese play instead of Parnell.

It would make for interesting racing. The previous route was simple in that regard: 5km to the top, and coast down. Just carry enough momentum to get up the one short steep rise at around 8km, and you've effectively soft pedaled for 15 minutes before tackling the next lap. With one or 2 surprises on the 2nd half, the mental strength of the solo racers may well be tested.

There may be one or 2 surprises in the new section. Don't just assume that its a high way.

My GPS always records a lower Ascent than my riding partner's (by around 10%). I therefor never worry about 'official' Ascent figures.

I'm sure that the min lap requirements will be amended, and with regards to the 'borefest', encourage him to ride the new course first before making up his mind about it.

We did some of the new route sections on the night ride last week. There are definitely some fun sections, but also better opportunity to pass slower riders, which will mean a more enjoyable experience for both the racer and fun categories. While doing the same route every year has merit (year on year comparison etc.), I am personally excited to see a longer lap as strategy for the teams in particular will be interesting to observe. I think the longer route favors the riders with big engines opposed to the more explosive XC specialists in the team category. Solo will always be about the big engines, so I don't expect major strategy changes there.

I am looking forward to this one! There is nothing like camping and mountain biking with your mates to revive one's spirit a bit.

We went from this [emoji667] To this [emoji668] Lets see where we end up on Saturday.

Give that man a chopper ride! Well done Christoph!

My thinking is do my opening lap, and then sit it out till about 6pm and then do the bulk of my laps, provided I'm not too full of Gin by that time.

Yes, "quotas" will remain a part of our sport. Crying over it is not going to assist the situation in any way or form. Parnell just seems to have underperformed whenever he got the call-up, opposed to someone like Abbott who always seemed to punch above his weight, and got the results to show for it with the limited chances he got. On the Parnell matter. I can't really put my finger on why I don't like him. Perhaps its his apologetic demeanour during interviews, perhaps it is because I see him as a very talented player who never played on the national stage to his full potential (like Daryl Cullinan). For a player with a few 100's to his name, he played some pretty loose shots out there today and together with the rest of the lower order denied Quinny a decent bat.

I'm a bit torn here. I've never really liked Parnell, but for the sake of National interest I'm willing to put my personal feelings aside.

If Parnell can step up the number of players of colour is unchanged.

A bit of a collapse by the middle order. How many opportunities will Bavuma get? With an average of only 30 in test cricket, he'd be the one to miss out once AB is fit.

Entered and (almost) ready for this one!

Pure class. Started off out of form, off balance and tentative, look at him now!

There is always an indirect cost when there is an accident (which may happen anyway) and potential serious injury. Think about that when you lay in the road with a serious head injury due to not waring a helmet. Not only is your life, and your family's life upside down, but hundreds of people are late for work, a paramedic, metro police and ambulance service is now being redirected to your accident who could be saving a life elsewhere. Lets say the worst happens and you don't make it. A motorist is being charged with man slaughter which will need to be processed by the courts, eating up even further resources. Your avoidable accident may be the reason our medical aid and life insurance premiums are being increased with double digits. So tell me again how this does not impact on my life.

You don't score any additional points ito ICC rankings if you enforce a follow-on. You do however afford your bowlers a well earned rest, deny the opposition bowlers an extended break and eliminate the possibility of batting last. The pitch was not overly lively, so with better shot selection, Sri Lanka could have kept our bowlers out in the field for 5 or 6 sessions. Our batsmen have an opportunity to bat with little score board or time pressure. It may assist a struggling Amla in particular. Then there is the very supportive Newlands crowd who have been coming through the gates in their droves. I'm sure a good gate and big crowds is not a factor in the decision making, but it is always good to see nearly full stands for test matches. It would have been a pity if it was all over by lunch time today.

I'm in two minds. He seems to enjoy batting lower down and being freed up to bat aggressively. It also seems to focus the lower order to stick around. The only reason to promote him would be if we decide to play an extra bowler, as the likely player to lose out would be either Duminy or Bavuma.