Andrew mclean

I understand and agree with some of the frustrations and constructive ideas put forward. However one thing about the "HUB" and Twitter for that matter, that amazes me how many people come on here and blurt out "stuff" like it is Fact when in Fact it is absolute rubbish. Just saying! On the club voting; Surely one rider one vote? Why should 8 clubs with 100 riders each have 8 times the number of votes of one large club that has 2200 members? I was not at the SASCOC meeting but after chatting to a number of people who were at the meeting; It was constructive [4hrs long] and basically CSA told [in no uncertain terms] it's house is Not in order and they SASCOC will make sure that it is in order shortly. However CSA was also not found guilty of some of the accusations they were accused of. If anyone has evidence of anything take it to SASCOC and they will investigate. If any of you are interested in the meeting speak to someone who was there, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Changes SASCOC insisted on; Starting with a new Constitution that is being redrafted now in line with all other sporting codes in SA. This I think is going to make huge difference to SA Cycling. So many things that happen and have happened, E.G. Voting. that we are not happy with are actually as a result of a Poor constitution. A lot of these loop holes will now be closed. As I said I was not there so I don't want to answer questions or get into a debate, ask the people who were there. [i was on my MTB at Wine 2 Whales a much better place to be]

Mr Single Track, I apologies for this poor service! I have chatted to Ben to understand his side of the story. I understand what his reasoning was but clearly his communication to you was poor. Ben is Ugandan and his communication style and Vocab is is not always what we would like or expect of him. He does however have many other great qualities that many customers can vouch for. Please contact me [andrew@cyclelab.com 0r 011 7074700] so I can apologies personally and make amends for this poor service. Please in future contact me and I will guarantee I will sort out any issue long before it needs to go to a public forum. Andrew McLean P.S. Whether you are window shopping, spend R1 or a lot more you deserve great service!

This is most certainly not the norm and I can assure that I will make sure it is sorted out immediately. you are 100% correct this is unacceptable service. Please mail me your details; andrew@cyclelab.com

Hello All, Long long time since I was on the Hub, glad to see it is alive and well, unfortunately still seems to be more negative than positive [bad choice of words on a Cycling forum] input. just my personal observation after a quick scan of the Hub topics. Anyway, 2011 racing categories. A lot of good people, especially Barry and Hendrick, are trying hard to make a real difference and please remember you will never keep everyone happy all of the time. Most of the strong racing countries subscribe to strength vs strength racing rather than age categories. Here is my proposal for the Full racing categories; Category 1: Elite & U23 Men, Veteran 30+ Men (Teams), Junior Men  Category 2: Next 150-200 full racing license registered riders. * Women Top Club Teams  Category 3: Next 150-200 full racing license registered riders. * Women Top Club Teams  Category 4: Next 150-200 full racing license registered riders. *Women Elite Top Club Teams will be group either in Cat2 or Cat 3, depending on team avg seeding and that of the applicable group. After this it will be; A, B, C, D, etc It does rely on an accurate seeding system which CSA is working on. I keen to hear your comments and "constructive "criticism" Obviously you will be able to move up or down a category based on your results or lack there of, but I won't go into that detail. Fire away......

Alan had been experiencing numbness and pains in his arm and shortness of breath for some weeks. He was admitted to Linksfield Clinic on Sat 5th Dec where after extensive tests it was discovered he had a severe blocked artery in his right shoulder which according to the specialist stemmed from a shoulder injury sustained in a cycling fall over 20 yrs ago and where the shoulder had not mended properly. In addition, it was found that his shortness of breath was being caused by a clot on the lung thought to be a result of broken ribs after being hit by a car while out riding in February this year. An emergency procedure to try and unblock the artery was performed on Tuesday 8th Dec. This did not work and on Friday 11th Dec (Alan?s 56th birthday) he underwent a lengthy bypass procedure, feeding an artery across his chest from his left side to his right arm. The operation was successful however this meant that he had to go on Warfarin (to prevent blood clotting) for a number of months. Alan made a remarkable recovery after surgery and was released from hospital on Monday 14th Dec. At 9.38am yesterday morning, only a short while after leaving home, Alan was critically injured whilst driving on the N1 north. Full details of the accident are still sketchy, according to paramedics it appeared he was travelling in the left lane and hit a concrete barrier where the lanes narrow and merge. Alan was thrown from the vehicle and sustained damage to his new artery, a broken pelvis, severe head injuries and brain trauma. Despite all efforts to reverse the effects of the Warfurin and stem the bleeding particularly on the brain, Alan left us at 3.10pm on Tuesday 15th December. Vanessa. Alan's Sister.

Alan van Heerden- The Idol. Born 11 December 1953 was sadly taken on 15th Dec 2009, not on his bike as we may have expected, but in a tragic Car accident. Alan or more affectionately know as ?The Idol? was one of if not South Africa?s greatest cyclists. Alan had just recovered from by-pass surgery last week, was fit and well and looking forward to getting back onto his bike. Alan effectively introduced Professional cycling to SA. Alan you were the ultimate professional on a Bike! You made cycling look effortless and could do everything [climb. Sprint and TT] You were a one day specialist and world class Tour rider. You taught most of us local Pro?s how to be a true Pro. Alan was the 1st SA cyclist ever to win a stage of grand Tour- The Giro de Italia. [ Stage 7 of the 1979 Giro] Alan was a successful businessman with Alan Van Heerden Cycles making the Colnago Bike brand a house hold name. Won the World's Veteran Championship, Austria 1989,1995; Colours: Springbok Colours 12 times between 1974-89, Springbok Colours as Manager of Springbok team 1989; I was lucky enough to race both with and against The Idol, but also to have him manage me to a podium in a Rapport Tour that I will never forget. Van I can still hear your words ?Boy now you listen to me; I was winning races before you were even born? Alan, was a larger than life character, a true icon of SA cycling and will be sorely missed. My Condolences to family and friends especially, Sean, Tyron and Wendy and Vanessa (Alan?s sister) Andrew McLean.

Mampara, I think the reason is, this is where the 2 biggest clubs hold their Saturday early morning club rides, it is pre 94.7 so this problem is exacerbated. If a club demonstrates it is doing everything reasonably possible to deal with road safety, obeying the rules of the road etc, then why should the club be fined for the actions of a few individuals? If a BMW driver speeds who get's the fine? I am all for clubs doing everything possible to deal with these issues we all face, however every individual needs to take responsibility for their own actions! Our 2010 paid up JHb members will have their names on their bikes. Andrew.

Our club had about a HUGE turn out for the club ride this morning, always a huge turn out because of 94.7. We made announcements using a loud speaker system all about rules of the road, we have certain roads we ride 2 abreast others single file, We limit our bunch sizes. Today we had; A, B, C1 C2 C3 C4 D1 D2 D3 D4, Transition and Beginners. I marshalled the C1 group about 20 riders and they were perfect. However I have no doubt that if you followed us for the 80km?s you would have got a few photos that would not have been perfect. We caught 2 or 3 Club 100 groups of about 30 to 40 riders and had to pass them, at this point what do you do? And yes as we passed for a few hundred meters it was messy.[Very messy] We have been using this route for years, with few issues. Now club 100 comes on our exact route and we simply have too many cyclists in this area. We did appeal to them to use an alternative route. Make no mistake we cyclists are our own worst enemies and we all need to do a lot to change this; Our club sends SMS?s about safety Almost Every news letter deals with it. We make announcements at the start of every club ride. We pay Think Bike marshals to be on every club ride to help make our club rides safer. Individuals however need to take responsibility for their own actions!!! I can tell you we will certainly study these pictures and contact these members to voice our disgust at their behaviour. We are looking at a Name and shame section in our club news letter. We are appealing to members to help our marshals police these individuals who think they are above the law. However there are always individuals that ride like idiots and give the rest a bad name. The only good news is one more week and the numbers will be half what they are now. Worth mentioning there is very little traffic in this area at this time of the morning. Not that this is an excuse for some of the pictures CR put up. I however do feel that if any person really goes out of their way to find fault with any group of cyclists, motorists, or any other group you will always Find some fault to highlight. We all, residents and cyclists need work together to live in harmony in the cradle. I was amazed to see how many cyclists drive out to the cradle park at local restaurants and ride, surely this is great for the local economy. Lets try ALL make the Cradle a cycling friendly zone! OK so what is the ultimate solution: Let?s have a look at what other parts of the world are doing that are 10 years ahead of us; Here is a link to Vehicular Cycling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_cycling#Vehicular_cycling_best_practices.2C_techniques_and_skills ? Here is a very interesting link to California Legislation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVC_21202#CVC_21202?a very practical set of laws governing cycling behaviour. ? Look at sections on lane sharing, shoulders etc. By the way I have had a meeting with CR and I understand his frustrations, and we as a club are doing everything in our power to deal with this unacceptable situation that a small minority are causing. Andrew McLean.

The idea was to have a debate on this awful incident. We all agree that Bos was 100% at fault and should never have taken his hands off the handle bars! [uCI rules] The debate is; Lots of people feel he crashed Daryl on purpose. I too felt Bos crashed him on purpose the first 3 or 4 times I watched the incident. My opinion [and only my opinion] is that he was guilty of causing a crash but did not pull Daryl down in front of himself on purpose. My reason being nobody [not even fearless sprinters] crash themselves on purpose. I think, again just my opinion, is the bunch moved over to the left, the barriers on Bos?s left were close he took his hand off to move/push/ grab or brace himself on Daryl, his front wheel hit a leg of the Barriers, almost stopped him immediately, he held on tight to Daryl bringing Daryl down and across in front of him. My opinion; He did not crash Daryl on purpose Bos was 100% in the wrong for taking is hands off the handle bars. If I were Daryl I most certainly would be very upset and want the UCI to impose some sort of penalty. This is just how I see and interpret the incident, I certainly don?t think this is the only way of seeing it. Because my opinion differs to some others we decided to have a debate in studio on this terrible incident, and also just to catch up with one of if not the nicest guys on a Bike. Andrew.

Sorry everyone I messed up Friday 21st is our club year end function. So; I would like to invite all Huber?s to a Cycle lab Pre-Ride in the new Cycle Park sponsored by Cycle Lab, including FREE Seattle coffee on Thursday the 20th. Starting at 16h00 until dark.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> You do need to RSVP for catering purposes to ali@cyclelab.com or you can PM Ali on the Hub. See you next Thursday for an exciting ride, weather permitting. Sorry for the confusion, just change the date on the top of your sick note, no one will notice. Andrew Mclean.

Date Change; Toyota MTN Cycle Park Hubers Ride; Sorry everyone I messed up Friday 21st is our club year end function. So; I would like to invite all Huber?s to a Cycle lab Pre-Ride in the new Cycle Park sponsored by Cycle Lab, including FREE Seattle coffee on Thursday the 20th. Starting at 16h00 until dark.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> You do need to RSVP for catering purposes to ali@cyclelab.com or you can PM Ali on the Hub. See you next Thursday for an exciting ride, weather permitting. Sorry for the confusion, just change the date on the top of your sick note, no one will notice. Andrew Mclean.

<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> I would like to invite all Huber?s to a Cycle lab Pre-Ride in the new Cycle Park sponsored by Cycle Lab, including FREE Seattle coffee on Friday the 21st. Starting at 16h00 until dark. The park will only officially open the following day. You do need to RSVP for catering purposes to ali@cyclelab.com or you can PM Ali on the Hub. If anyone has influence on the weather, please stop the rain, we are running behind schedule. See you Friday for an exciting ride, weather permitting. Andrew Mclean.

steynja, firstly, I do appreciate the feedback!!!!<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> We take every single negative report very seriously and do try to rectify it and make sure it does not happen again! Steynja, drop me a mail and I will sort this out immediately, No charge. Admittedly we do not carry a lot of Campy stock [for various reasons] We have a Rate our Service on the front page of our website, we have a post box in our stores and rate our service forms, we have customer contact forms in our shops so that anybody and everybody can get hold of my Personal details. [andrew@cyclelab.com] We are far from perfect, however we do work hard at Customer service, and when we drop the Ball, or should that be wheel, we Will sort it out, No questions asked!!!! Because we are very, busy on weekends, we have to make use of a lot of casual [Young students and or cyclists] to help with the load, this is a double edged sword. Anyway, I just want to reassure anyone that Customer service, is extremely important to us. I am in our Niciol Grove shop most of the time and always available to sort out a problem or get involved to sort an issue out or just give you advice. If you want to contact me my direct line is 011 707 2908 or andrew@cyclelab.com Steynja, I apologise for this poor service, and anybody else who has experienced anything other than the best possible service, contact me and let me sort it out! Andrew.

Hello Guys and Girls,<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Thanks for all the Birthday wishes, I really do appreciate it! This is best post I have had on the HUB I just moved up an age cat, and no doubt down a few steps on the podium!

Hello Guys, I am NOT a selector, I won?t bore you with pages of reasons why not. However I do agree that some of these selections or rather non selections are really questionable. I agree SA champs are important, but certainly should not be the only race. Leaving Werner Moolman out shows how little the selectors know about Vets racing. Making a mistake is not a problem, however when we as a sport, make the same mistakes year after year then we need to question our future! Andrew Mclean.

Ooops sorry for using Hubbies Login, i cant remember my password (will re-apply just now - it's a Blonde thing!) We also spent last weekend at Giba Gorge. WOW it is absolutely AWESOME! when we were there on Saturday, there must have been approx 800 riders in the park, of which 350ish were kiddies! It was fantastic! we felt like we were living in another era. so amazing to see little kids flat out on their bikes for up to 6 hours of the day. Parents were carrying them out at the end of the day like they were zombies, they were so exhausted. I will post some photos later of the Fourways Park earth movement that is taking place at the moment. Other than the awesome setting of Giba Gorge, Fourways are aiming at exactly the same vibe! Jump Park, BMX Track and small skill track for kids....THEN the adults tracks! THOSE will also be awesome! and then on top of that a Coffee shop to DIE FOR! Roll on Fourways Bike Park. Durbanites - i hope you relaise how lucky you are to have a park like Giba Gorge - IT ROCKS! Ali McleanAndrew mclean2008-07-04 07:50:03

I could not agree more; The Category with the best chance of an International medal- Ladies Superseries has been good for our top ladies. Just for the record; was not me comenating on SABC, and I agree, World's View and Germinston Century we saw fantastic racing from our top Ladies.

Hi Mark I am very dissapointed to hear this. Please can you PM me so i can sort this out immediately. andrew@cyclelab.com

Hi All, Just to put the record straight. These are specificaly designed Bigger, Sturdier boxes that are specially made (Thanks to Hadley Mcormack) for transporting your bike. The cardboard is a lot thicker and as somebody earlier said, you are able to leave your bike built (except to remove wheels) and drape a blanket around it.

Guys, I have seen a number of posts of late re this issue and quotes of what I did or did not say.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Jumping red Robots is illegal and wrong! Yes on our early morning training ride, a route we have used for almost 20 years with 30 odd Robots, we do break the law. I am not saying it is right but it does happen. We have a number of unwritten laws that for the most every body adheres to. The front two riders slow up check for vehicles and call clear, this message then gets relayed back through the bunch. Not ideal I know but reality. Winter is really safe, since the cars headlights make it easy. [As long as the driver remembers to put them on] The biggest problem, especially this time of the year is the bunches are to big. [You try tell a guy he should not be riding with the A bunch] So the front cyclists get to the robot, look call clear, however once the back guys get there a vehicle is bearing down on them, then of course these back cyclist hanging on for dear life, often, do not want to stop because then they will never catch the bunch again. Anyway for Big bunches on a Dangerous route our track record as a training group is really good [Touch wood] This is not to say for one minute that jumping a red light is the correct thing to do! On rides after about 6.30 or 7am then we do stop at red robots.

Hello Guys, The break was 11 riders, JP Pearton sitting on and went off just after halfway, leaving 10 riders, Velits, Hanco and Maaske sitting on not contributing [rightly so] so that left 3 Barloworld riders also not driving the break, this means Microsoft were by far the dominant team, 4 riders and they did 85% of the work in front. [Most of it being done by Danny and Nic] With the in-form Lange and Impey in the move with a very strong Nic White to look after them they were in a dominant position. So yes if they are doing most of the racing then they will get more mentions. However I see you guys complaining about the amount of exposure Microsoft got and you do not mention that I did say during the commentary that, often in cycling when a team is in as dominant position as Microsoft was yesterday, they end up loosing? Had Konica Minolta had 4 riders in a 10 man break away they would have had the lion?s share of the exposure? Anyway, I can assure you I am most certainly not bias to Microsft or any other team for that matter. Andrew Mclean.