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GLuvsMtb

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Everything posted by GLuvsMtb

  1. Its up to CA to go back and look into the recent history. If anything, I am impressed with their handling of the matter so far. Perhaps the ICC / various cricket bodies should offer some sort of amnesty and ask players to come forward and disclose information. Then the ICC can use this information in preventing similar offenses, defining undue altering / use of artificial substance (and all the other vague and ambiguous terminology around this matter) and impose a punishment to fit the crime. 3 demerit points and a potential 1 match ban, and only 5 penalty runs added to the opposition score is a joke really. Should results be reviewed? Lets first get a grasp of whether or not this sort of thing is isolated or common, and if players make disclosures under an amnesty or not. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  2. Did they confiscate any sandpaper in their hand luggage? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  3. Urgh... ‘Open letters’ are just the pits (never mind that we all want Smith and Co to be dealt with). I never read them, no-one who should ever responds to them and after 2 days we all forget about them. The writer would have been much better served sending a registered letter to CA about his outrage and disappointment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  4. Saw this on the Twatter. Still giggling. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  5. Nope... one gets you some skeef kyke (like farting in the elevator), the other gets your arse fired (like taking a dump on the boardroom table during the board meeting).
  6. So is using an Asthma pump the same as using a bike with a hidden electric motor? The objectives are exactly the same...
  7. Ok, so do you guys think that riders that actually did the Epic cares which one was the toughest?
  8. https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/107292-coral-garden-in-my-tubeless/ Here we discussed it way back in 2011. Some tried other sealants, with similar results. As Philip mentioned, the product continues to evolve and we see much less of this now. On the effect on rotation of the wheel, do an experiment: tape a 100g fishing sinker on your rim and spin it. See what happens. Remove the weight and spin the wheel again. Then spread 4 25g weights evenly at 90 deg each and spin again. 2 and 3 there is little effect. Adding 100g of liquid has little effect if the liquid spreads evenly. If it solidifies into a concentrated mass there is a marked change in wheel performance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  9. I know very well how working in the ball works, but if it creates a ‘grey area’ in the modern game, take it out. We stick to tradition when it suites us. We don’t play with cork cricket pads anymore, and bats have edges 4 times thicker than 30 years ago. We never get through 90 overs a day anymore because the ball does a full trip around 9 fielders before getting to the bowler. If you need a more even contest between bat and ball, play with the bats we played with 30 years ago rather than allowing players an opportunity to cheat. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  10. Perhaps the solution lies in not being allowed to work on the ball at all? Give it to the ump after each over and he’ll wipe it down with a cloth to remove anything from it. We may get through our overs quicker, balls may keep their shape longer and you don’t have to work out where the line is that you shouldn’t cross. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  11. You should have between 50 and 100ml of Stans in your tyre. Never use CO2 to inflate, and if you bombed a tyre on the trail, replace the Stans as soon as you get home. Stans and CO2 combined results in a congealed mess that messes up the rotational mass of your tyre and does nothing to seal a tyre in this state. I check my stans about every 2000km or 4 months, and before a big stage race. There is a technique involved when seating a tyre with a floor pump. It essentially involves putting enough downward pressure on the tyre while pumping it to ensure that enough air is retained to fill the casing and let the bead pop. I’ve never had problems to seat a tyre with my floor pump. When changing Stans, open the bead on one side only of the tyre. It makes seating the unseated bead a bit easier. Mtb rims generally allow a max pressure of 3.5 bar. You don’t need more than 2.5bar to seat a tyre, so don’t over-inflate. You may notice some seepage in the first week or 2 at the bead, it is normal. Always check your pressure before a ride. If you have a puncture, get off your bike and slowly spin your wheel so that the liquid can seal the tyre. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  12. Its one thing to fart in a full elevator at the office on Monday morning, its another to take a sh!t on the boardroom table with a directors meeting in progress. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
  13. Say my name B!TSES!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  14. I think that is very optimistic to expect major changes in a year. At one stage we actually had good sponsors backing our top riders, but due to a combination of over-selling the benefits of sponsorship, tough economic conditions, pro's behaving poorly at events (particularly the wife / girlfriend-swopping, boozing it up and getting agro with fellow racers as a result), a few positive tests and more internationals coming out to take the limelight in our other big races we have seen our pro mountain bikers all but disappear. Sponsorship problems are a mere manifestation of the root cause of our lack of competitiveness. The issue is a bigger one in that we don't have a functional national cycling body. This means that we don't have a functional national championship for any of our mtb, road or track disciplines. We also don't have functional provincial / club structures where riders can compete against like for like week in and week out. We cannot think that by sending a token contingent to Worlds every year is going to do anything for our local racers that remain in SA. The only success we had as a result are guys that take up road racing in Europe. At the time when these guys and girls go over, they are not head and shoulders above the rest that choose not to go. In Europe they grind it out for the first few seasons, racing almost every weekend to make a living, and hopefully get noticed and pick up sponsors as a result. There are other ways to up competition for the local racers than relying on CSA to get their act together. The US has a very competitive College racing calendar and it keeps them competitive to a degree with Europe (they do the same with swimming, golf and athletics and it works well). The bulk of the mtb racing is XCO races. This is clearly the best way to get your riders to be competitive internationally opposed to XCM racing. Looking at the Epic top 10, I would venture a guess that all these internationals are very good XCO racers in their own right (top 20 at least). It is also a good platform to promote development in the sport. We have a decent schools league (I would like to see at least 15 races a season though), but somehow we are not converting these bright stars into international superstars. Burry was an anomaly. He rocked the races on his GT, and did his first Epic on a GT. I remember him pulling out due to ITB in 2008. I was at the water point when it happened. It was most likely there that Sauser did the deal on behalf of Specialized to sign him. The difference here was that it was a proper sponsorship from Specialized themselves, not a one-man-band agent in SA giving him a bike and kit, and considering it a sponsorship. For us to get competitive we need to look at our racing structures and how we maintain a wider spread of racing pro's. Something like possibly the FNB Varsity Cup for Rugby / Netball / Cricket / Hockey? This offers sponsors a "safety net" to ensure some ROI. Perhaps we need to get a Francois Pienaar involved with this to package it. All of this is a bit off-topic (sorry guys and girls), but lets not kid ourselves to think that we'll magically have a healthy cycling scene 12 months from now.
  15. Agreed on all points. Perhaps another point to ponder is that to date the weather has been ‘kind’. Last year we saw a stage shortened for the first timeIn Epic history due to extreme heat. I am guessing that the margin for extreme weather will play a role going forward. The ‘shorter’ days have definitely added to the racing imo. Fast trains on district roads are less prevalent and decisive moves are more frequently made on technical terrain these days. On the jippo guts in the race village: get flushing toilets and have the dining mesh on the opposite end from the toilets in the village. Also drive home the concept of regularly sanitizing your hands (at race briefings, MC announcements, before and after meals, etc). A few years back at a BCBR I sat through a comprehensive briefing on this matter by the race doctor. He essentially said that “you get diarrhea if you eat pooh” (his exact words). Despite a very hot and humid BCBR, I don’t recall a single incident of diarrhea. I believe that flush toilets, an acute awareness of hygiene by participants and organizers, and fully separated dining and ablutions were the reasons for this. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  16. Apology accepted. It an easy mistake to make. SAIDS does not only test cyclists, but athletes in all sporting codes under WADA’s jurisdiction. As you were, ladies. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  17. Don’t be lazy. Read up about blood passports, the UCI’s testing regime and how riders are tested almost without exception when they are attending training camps the world over. Do I look like Google to you? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  18. The UCI administers the tests ultimately. Our lab closing down merely means that samples are being sent away for testing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  19. Not true. They are tested out of competition as much in SA as they are back home in Europe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  20. Better support and sponsorship from the big brands in the cycling industry will make mountain biking in SA a more appealing career choice, not more prize money in events. We unfortunately sit with a dysfunctional national cycling body who’s mandate is to grow the sport (amongst other things). Let the Hippies bleat about how Ironman is getting rich off the poor entrants. Fact is that we now have pro’s coming out to do our local races a good couple of months before the Epic (and no, its not for the prize money). Many now train in SA in the Off Season and the event has evolved into an international series. Local events are selling out to Ironman as well. Just out of interest, do you know what rugby players earn from contracts and endorsements opposed to prize money? Prize money does not feature. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  21. Shouldn’t we be whining about paying golfers and rugby players less rather than paying cyclists more? The pro’s ultimate job is to sell bicycles, not to sell entries to a race. No one is riding the Epic because Nino os riding, but many riders are on Scotts these days due to Nino’s success (even if only influenced subconsciously). Let the teams look after the riders, there is enough profit in bicycle sales to do so. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  22. Yas Marina Circuit Abu Dhabi. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  23. Only if you are doing a sub-4 ride. Anything over 4 hours and you are better off with the mtb gearing and more comfortable ride position. Putting a pair of slicks on your mtb is a way cheaper option, and if you insist on spending the money, buy new bibshorts (after the event, I wont even change my toothpaste a week before a big event, never mind clothing or a bike) or get a new wheelset for R5K if your bike is mid-range or lower. The only riding you should do this week is a quick 30 minute spin on Thursday evening/ Friday morning if you have travelled with your bike to confirm your setup. Any more than that will negatively affect your form for race day, even if you are not fit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  24. I would strongly advise against a new bike purchase 1 week before your big event. The position on the bike and bike handling will be very different. I am not sure what spec mountain bike you have, but the ride quality on a mid range mtb will be better than on an entry level road bike. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  25. And there is nothing wrong with that. My run-around is an i10. My weekend car is also a bit nicer. In all fairness, the Q7 is way more than what I need, I just like to have a nice car. Does it mean that I need to use all 7 seats and drive it at 240km/h to ‘justify’ it? No. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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