Liezel Panda

Nayr, there was almost one yesterday... A truck was parked in the yellow lane a few 100m outside town, so I checked for traffic and went past him, to which the driver reacted by hooting at me. I ignored it and continued cycling. I always cycle as close to the grass/gravel when I'm on my bike, and if on my mtb I normally ride on the gravel. So about 200m further, the same truck driver passes me as closely as possible, with no traffic behind him, to which I responded by shaking my head. He then pulls up about a 100m infront of me. I had no idea what he wanted to do, so again, I checked for traffic and passed him. About two minutes went by and he came up behind me, blowing his horn continues. I had nowhere left to go. He then passed me even closer than the first time, again eith no traffic behind him, and only when he was pass me, he continued out of the yellow line. I had no idea what he was thinking, but that was inexcusable. I noticed that the types of incidents increased over the past weeks, but this one was just really unnecessary and unasked for...

An open letter to all drivers, especially truck drivers. We as cyclists are mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, children and most importantly; humans. If you see us, doing our own thing on the road, please pass widely. Even if we are near the yellow line. I don't care if you have been angered be some idiot on a bike on a previous occasion. Ignore your childish voice to; to your amusement, see how near you can pass us. You see, the only difference between shooting someone and a hit and run is the method. You are still a murderer. And if we do survive, we run the risk of being paralyzed or having severe brain damage. Now tell me how you'd feel if that were to happen to you, your spouse or your child. It is not a game to see how many times you can pass closely to us. It is not a game to see how much you can anger us. You are playing with another persons life. I urge you to pay attention to the road, I know how quickly an accident can happen. There is no going back and no sorry will change what happened. As taken, exactly from the website https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/transport-travel-and-motoring/cycling/cyclist-road-rules-and-safety : "Drivers are required to give a minimum of one metre when passing a cyclist where the speed limit is 60 km/h or less or 1.5 metres where the speed limit is over 60 km/h. Scan the road for cyclists. Look for cyclists when turning or entering an intersection and give way as you would for any other vehicle. Before opening your car door look behind and check blind spots for cyclists. Do not drive, stop or park in a bicycle lane, you can cross a bicycle lane to turn left, enter private property or park in a parking lane. Cyclists can legally ride two abreast - be patient as you approach and overtake only when safe. Give cyclists plenty of room - a minimum of one metre clearance when overtaking." You can also refer to the following websites for more information: http://www.bicyclecapetown.org/bike-law/rules-of-the-road/ http://www.pedalpower.org.za/news/new-traffic-laws-affect-cyclists/ Don't be the person responsible for taking another persons life. Be patient, share the road and let everyone arrive home safely. Kind regards, A human on two wheels.

For one thing is sure. Getting a sponsorship in South Africa is hard. I've had a few people asking me why I'm not sponsored yet. My results in road races has mostly been in the top 4 under 23, and the results usually show my name up with sponsored riders. My simple answer is usually that I have no idea where to start. I've been doing countless research on what sponsors are looking for, but except for results, being a good sportsman/woman and media coverage, I have no idea what else. So I would like to pose a question to sponsors: What are you looking for in sponsoring an athlete and where does one begin. Kind regards, P.

I'm guilty of grinding as it feels the most comfortable to me (also I go faster ). I've been trying to ride at a higher cadence, but lose my power output and I feel like a Duracell duck pedaling in water . Any tips on improving this? I feel like I'm going nowhere slowly with this high cadence thing...

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