eccc whippet

My father is no longer with us...he began his journey in heaven last night. A tip for people who have elderly family members who dont have medical aid or not on the correct plan...frail care support and a burial policy...prepare yourselves for a long hard journey...please dont dump the old people at a facility and leave them. we have a large family and my father was a kind humble man...he was blessed with the support from family and friends right till the last breathe. My father is the first person of our family to leave us...I had no idea what to expect when he fell last week...man it has been an eye opener. from government hospital care to... trying to organise frail care... body collection fees...best you either have kitty with a few bob or a decent policy to include it... If only one person in the will pass away...best you have a another kitty bigger than the one you had to buy your expensive bike...because the executor estate handling fees are gona bankrupt you or you gona need to sell the property to cover the fees...check the handling fee percentage...apparently they start at 2 % of the entire estate...they send out assessors to valuate "EVERYTHING" the total amount is calculated and the percentage if taken off that value. make sure the person left behind has a separate bank account if they a married in community of property otherwise all the accounts are frozen until the will is sorted out.

medical aid or not.... if nothing happens and you could live till 100 and die in your sleep...lucky you. the reality is you not gona be that lucky... no medical aid will mean you have to deal with government hospitals...which could either be a good experience in the case of my granddaughter...or a horrific experience in the case of my father. the scary part you could have medical aid but just not enough cover...which will result in you still being declared bankrupt by the time the hospital is finished suing you for their money....boy do they make sure they get the clothes off your back if you dont pay...with all the tees crossed and i dotted page after page you have to sign before you can be admitted...dont be fooled thinking just because the medical aid gave the go ahead that everything is covered. like all other policies...you will only know how good they are when really need them or the day it is time to collect. my opinion...if you are a young single person who just lives for the day...like i did for many years...who cares...make a plan as life happens...you loose your toys you buy new ones as you recover. if you have people who depend on you...like a wife and children...only an inconsiderate fool wouldnt have medical aid within your budget.

Dubbin my wife would agree with you...we are also with discovery coastal saver...i am told we also have gap cover.

agreed...and dont take the time to read the documents from cover to cover and understand them...or tget the broker to do their job and explain everything in detail...guilty. problem is we make the mistake of taking out policies with people who we think we can trust or a family friend etc. beware of broker who "adjust" your policies after a period of time...i took out my policies when i started working at 16 on the railways...then at 28 the broker advised that because i had a family etc...it was advisable to make certain changes and additions...to "improve" my policiesF%^&* did he screw me... anyway enough of this...it just gets me worked up because of my own stupidity and laziness...not taking the time to understand what i signed.

cut a long story short...i had medical aid...hospital plan...and other policies for disability etc...the dreaded day happened...had a motor bike accident...had my hand pinned back together then 2 weeks later they tried to repair my elbow...unfortunately the ball had a piece broken out...so they just cleaned out the pieces of bone and stitched it back up...had a plastic goodie made to support my hand and a sling for my arm...was told that i would never use my right arm again...and thats how it stayed for a long time...did have the benefit of private physio for a short period of time...then went to addington once they realised i was bankrupt and nobody was gona pay anyhting...you dont want to waste your time at addington then the bills started coming... hospital plan...sorry on page ...xyz in it clearly stated that my arms and legs were NOT covered by the plan...I work with my hands everyday old mutual disability...as a sole prop i dont work i dont earn an income ( dont let me get started with them) unfortunately because the broker had put life cover on all my policies they ate into the policies within a couple months they were all worthless...it took a couple years to get back on my feet and start working again. Sanlam policy...they did send me a nice letter explaining that due to my qualification and years of experience...they felt that i could get a job as a supervisor and therefore felt that a payout was not required. i didnt have medical for years...then i got involved with my wife and she does everything by the book...medical aid...top up cover...top up for 600 % over medical aid rates some doctors charge...you name it she has cover...my daughter ended up in hospital...160 k later everything the best in a private hospital...we only paid in R6k my father had a fall last week and he is on the transnet medical aid...which is pretty worthless compared to what it was many years ago...you get to go to a goverment hospital....what a traumatic experience...he had to go for a CT scan due to head injuries...he fell on thurday last week...he had the scan late friday night...after being moved from one hospital to another then back again...after this experience...i am glad i have medical aid and get to go to a private hospital of my choice. if i were still single chances are i wouldnt have medical aid

Now i just need a decent road bike...with road pedals...road shoes...road helmet...shirt to suit...bling socks...and race snake figue then i am sorted [emoji12]

Stunny day on the beachfront

My first ride on the amashova route...took a nice slow ride from hillcrest to cato ridge.

My first ride on the amashova route...took a nice slow ride from hillcrest to cato ridge.

The only other ride i do which uses the chip is the amashova...and i have already entered and paid...chip is not a requirement for the amashova...i have a roag chip for all the mtb races. By the way you want my entry...bid starts at R 2000 racetech chip included.....just kidding...my entry is NOT for sale. My mates are also in...so looks like party starts in durban and ends back in durban a week later [emoji12] To add: It is a once off purchase which you get to use at all future Racetec timed events which include most of the big roadie events - so really no reason to moan

Just paid...had to pay for a race tech chip...told them i didnt want one because i am riding for scenery not beat any time...no chip no entry...so i had to buy the chip...i suppose now i can use it for the amashova...which you dont have purchase a chip...all the other races i enter use the roag chip...getting milked again...i suppose only ANOTHER R 120...lucky us cyclist are loaded with cash to throw at everyone.

Went shopping today...found these at the same price as the kraft bibs...no prize for guessing which one i took [emoji3]

Lucky i drive a transporter...bikes will be inside the vehicle[emoji3]

Looks like i am in for a long drive again.

Going to cape town...successful application [emoji482][emoji482][emoji482]

a good idea for all the cracked anthem frames

Thought i would try out the cadence and see if it will improve my cycling...3 weeks into it and i have just got the weekly up date...it gives you a break down of a whole bunch of stuff. weight 110 kg HR avg - 162 bpm max HR 186 bpm big concern considering my age (49) and weight 110 kg. avg bike power - 187 watt max bike power - 2488 watt then at the bottom CP5 s - 634w CP1m - 335w CP5m - 259w CP20m - 221w after ever session you can log in and update your activities on the selfloops website. dont use any devices on my bikes (will get a garmin one day)...no HRM...no cadence or power meter...so using a bike with all the goodies makes it interesting and gives you some idea of what you are doing. one thing it is teaching me to do is control my pedal speed...normally i just pedal as fast as i can until i feel i might die if i dont stop...then take a break...either stop and get my breathe back or just freewheel for a while...till i feel better...even during the sessions i use to just pedal like crazy then look at the tablet and i would be way out...then slow down and get to the right watts...and try keep it constant.

I started getting confused as to what the thing on a seat post was called so thank goodness for google and wikipedia...this should clear it up.... a saddle on a seat post or a seat on a seat post. "A bicycle saddle, often called a seat,[1] is one of three contact points on an upright bicycle, the others being the pedals and the handlebars. The bicycle saddle has been known as such since the bicycle evolved from thedraisine, a forerunner of the bicycle.[2][3] It performs a similar role as a horse's saddle, not bearing all the weight of the rider as the other contact points also take some of the load. A bicycle saddle is commonly attached to the seatpost and the height of the saddle can usually be adjusted by the seatpost telescoping in and out of the seat tube"

Enjoyed a leka relaxed 50 km ride out to Umhlanga this morning...to test my new specialized " saddle" ...butt feels a tad raw...the saddle feels very similar to the giant contact seat.

My old trek bicycle seat has pretty much past its sell by date...when i push my thumb in the middle of the seat it collapses right down to the rail...time to replace. Amashova coming up in a couple weeks...thought it would be a good idea to replace the seat sooner than later. Seems there are lots of good reviews about specialized...so off to concept cyclery in waterfall...got my butt bones measured 142 mm...i wanted a road bike specific seat...romin evo looked like a good choice at a reasonable price. I was told i need a seat 155mm for my big butt....i see all the videos which show saddle selection indicate that you should add 25-30 mm...specialized must be different. Fitted the saddle...eeeeish gona take a while to get use the hard saddle...the old seat felt like i had a pillow on the post

I am one of those customers from hell...taken various bikes to just about every bike shop in Durban and surrounding areas. I have to give cyclesphere credit where it is due...they have stuck to what was agreed in the sale agreement and sorted my anthem out without any issues...they changed the pipes for my brakes and stripped and assembled the maestro suspension because they found something wasnt right...also replaced the freewheel thingy mabob which was causing the click clack noise...just the pedals were a problem...but thats sorted now. if or should i say when i upgrage my road bike...if i decide to buy a giant chances are good that it will be from them. If you have an old bike like i do ( ol miss daisy) and need second parts or cant find anywhere else...urban cycles is the place to go...the only reason the old girl is still on the road is thanks to these guys. Good 2 go have done a couple of services on a variety of bikes for me...price was fair workmanship good. I have had bad experiences with some of the bike shops ...not gona name and shame because it might have been sh¥t that happens...waited a week for my revel to be serviced...got to the event brake started leaking......part of the service was to true the back wheel...shortly afterwards one spokes broke wasnt impressed. Not even gona go into bike sales...some shops around durban dont need your business...they selling so many bikes that they cant keep up...so you get that...do i really have to stand here...i would much rather be doing something else or be serving the other customer who looks like can afford a new bike...

I have been watching the price of the 520...started off at R5999...you can find them for a low as R5195 for a bundle. http://www.gumtree.co.za/a-sports-bicycles-fitness/somerset-west/garmin-520-bundle-+new/1001423148840910656334809

They are doing you a favour...you might get to only pay R470 instead of R800. Clever idea at least this way all the entrants are entered into a data base and it makes it simple for the charities...now they randomly select the people want to pay R470 and the rest will recieve and email for the tickets at R800...is it right...thats for you to decide... some will say it is a good idea others will say they getting ripped off...if you are already supporting charities you can cancel those and choose to support the ones the bicycle organisations support. one thing i am learning about cycling...it is becoming an expensive sport...when you start adding up yearly license fees...track entrance fees...club memberships fees...race entry fees...or i suppose you can take a chance and ride for free on the road...just a pity it is so dangerous to ride on the road.

entry done...email confirmation received...now to wait till the 2 October.