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Alastair_S1D

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Everything posted by Alastair_S1D

  1. An interesting conundrum this. And I agree with alot of things said by everyone. At first I was willing to agree with this being a flaw with the bike and canyon etc etc, but the more I thought about it, the way I ride, the way people "should" be riding then my opinion started to change. For starters. I think if you are sitting on the TT when doing an aero tuck you are doing it wrong. It's a quick way to make yourself sterile in the event you hit anything thicker than a 10c coin at 80kph. I think it's common knowledge that the TT is one of the thinnest tubes in a bike frame. I've been riding for 12 years now. Racing elite a year now. And when I aero tuck I don't put any weight on the tube. I just sit low enough that I can feel the tube and then hover a little higher that. But weight that's a no-no in any event. But I think the others in the SA elite scene will concure with that as well. Aerotuck = down low close to TT but no weight. And technically speaking aero tucking isn't therefore technically illegal as you aren't using the TT as a contact point. And I don't think it should be banned either. Why should a position be banned? Yes it might be risky but if you have good enough skill to pull it off use it to your advantage but at your own peril? I've had to use the Aerotuck a few times in the descents. Spesh and the Wintunnel did a test where the tuck can get you nearly 10kph of free speed in the descent once you've spun out. There are times when that little extra is needed. Back on the actual topic though. I don't think there is anything wrong with the bike. If you are putting some or most or all of your 86kg heft on the TT doing the now aptly named "destructotuk", it's a big ask for pretty much any tube on the bike. I don't think it has anything to do with the bikes quality or the way its built. Maybe Canyons quality should be questioned maybe it shouldn't. But I think if you hit a bump hard enough that the frame, at that point, gets exposed to 86kg of force or more and breaks I don't think it's the frames fault. Now I get what you are trying to attempt to say by trying to make it seem that you are a skilled rider and all that "cat1" and all that? I assume that's A batch? No offense to any A batch or lower riders here on the Hub. But having come from A batch, it isn't all that fast and or skilled for that fact. And it sounds like you kind of wanted to prove a point to the guys at Canyon but ended up doing the opposite. Because a knowledgeable rider (don't read as good or skilled but rather as those with bike knowledge) will know that sitting on the TT is not good. It's a thinly built tube and one of the thinnest on a bike. And by making this high story of being skilled and cat1 and then concluded with sitting on TT with weight on it, you just made yourself look like an arse to the guys at Canyon. If you don't have the core strength to hover while aero tucking, You shouldn't be doing it. Because you will be putting yourself and other cyclists around you in unnecessary danger. Because either the bike will fail as you have seen. Or because your bike control is actually compromised vs "hovering" over the TT and you can easily wobble and loose control of the bike. Edit: Something I left out. But on the other hand. Frames do get exposed to forces outside of their design spec all the time. Often when waiting at races I sit perpendicular to the bike and lean back against the top tube. I also do the whole "sitting on the top tube while straddling the bike" while waiting for the races to start. My Fuji Transonic hasn't cracked yet and neither have any of my other carbon bikes when I have done this to them. But then again they are probably only betting exposed to maybe 60% of my 65kg weight. It's difficult to say whether the Canyon would of cracked or not of exposed to similar loads. And if they do. Then it's probably another can of worms entirely.
  2. even when the marshal did start standing in front of it I had the impression that she wasn't sure of what she had to do.
  3. sure. Riding elites on Sunday. At the turn off from Nallmapius into ARC there was supposed to be a marshal in front of the yellow barricade. There was none. Some cyclists including myself who were deep in the middle of the Peleton collided with road furniture we weren't even aware was there. Judging from the damage to my helmet and glasses I could of been seriously injured, missing an eye or worse. Another rider last I heard fractured his hip because of this. Marshal was off standing under the roof of the guard house having a fat chat with their buddies or whatever. I stood up with bleeding from a cut to my eye, the marshals standing there in shock like gaping gold fish. I actually had to tell them where to stand so that other cyclists didn't get injured. Thank fully the VA's and VB's were made aware of the crash and they didn't have to endure the same fate. Safe to say this won't end here for the race organizers and myself and I will not be entering this race in the future.
  4. the marshals were not on point. I nearly lost my life because a marshal was not on point today.
  5. That's what she.........
  6. I didn't get no banana. My GF ate it before I even got a look inside.
  7. I thought it was a pretty decent race for the most part. But for a first time event they definitely have some kinks to iron out. But I am sure they will learn. Firstly CSA managed to screw up my entry. I entered as a licensed elite. When I got to race reg at Boksburg on sat they had me in batch GL. They then tried to convince me without a shadow of a doubt I had entered for the grand fondo (non-pro) event. But thanks to the wonders of modern technology I had a copy of the confirmation email on my phone. Still how they got me in GL with my seeding even that fascinates me! Still they then tried to tell me that THEY MIGHT NOT be able to get me in with the Elites as the all the teams etc had been sorted weeks before etc. I simply stated that it wasn't my problem since I followed the correct steps. After a lengthy and rather irate phone call to them on the Sat evening I got to the race on Sunday and got squeezed in with the Team Cycle Power gents. At the end of the day I can give them kudos as they did at least manage to sort it out. Even if the guy at the end of my phone call got more than an ear full. When it comes to race day. I got to sign the UCI board for the first time EVER. Got to say I was super amped about that! The connoisseurs car and the motorbikes took us down a wrong turn about 11kms in. The race was neutralized until we were back on track. Other than that I was expecting a full road closure? I dunno maybe I am wrong? But I never felt unsafe or at risk, except on the N3 section. Doing 65+km/h down the N3 the cones presented a hazard for the bunch. One gentleman promptly folded his Pinarello F8 in half riding over a cone. Held together by only a single Di2 cable his race was definitely over! When it came down to the wire in the final sprint up the hill and down the other side my legs were not quite in it. But got a second-wind as the team cars started swallowing me, and I fought hard to the top managing to catch about 10 or so riders that had left me behind at the bottom, just before I croossed the finish. I make my time around 2:17:40 for 105kms. My official time seems a bit off though at 2:18:29 which to me is a bit off. They also have the gap between Nolan Hoffman and the runner up at over a minute which seems very large as they were all together at the top of the hill. I crested the climb less than a minute behind Nolan so Racetec's times are a bit off. Other than that a great ride. I had a good time. Glad I got to ride but I REALLY hope they iron out some of the more serious kinks for next years edition. PS. I will also add that for R400 entry. The goodie bag? What goodie bag. It had some papers in it? What is up with that? Why are people getting so stingy with these things these days? R400 bucks is a hecking load of money for an event especially if you are a self funded cyclist. Surely they can do better than that.
  8. I have to say I am rather disappointed with the race. On the one hand the ride itself was great. It was tough and really ended up killing my legs as I was feeling rather flat on the day (seemed to still have R4S in my legs)and couldn't stick with the top dogs. Great route loved every minute of the ride even when the wheels fell off the bus at 90km. On the other hand the actual start finish/venue is exceedingly spectator unfriendly. If you are one of the licensed riders that are heading out first thing in the morning and you have a couple of friends and family with you this race is horrible. Firstly the start and finish was not in the same place contrary to what the website said. It ended up being quite a trek for some of my family members especially for those with bad knees to get to the finish. We struggled to find the start. First time doing this race we parked at the mall. And walked all the way to the finish on the N14. As that's the first thing you see as you are driving in and there didn't seem to be signs or any sort of information or personnel anywhere in or around the mall to really ask. So we got most of the way to finish only to be redirected tk the actual start. There is also nothing for spectators to do at the race until around 8 or so when shops in cradelstone start opening. For people that have arrived at 5 who aren't racing like my GF and family that's a whole lot of time with little to northing to ACTUALLY do. Also what's with the prize giving being at the woollies? What a silly place? The mall has an amazing food court that could be used for the prize giving with far greater exposure for both rider and sponsors alike. I have to say this has been the first ASG race I have ever been disappointed with. It felt rushed and just unorganized from my point of view. Other than that. It was a good ride at least. Even though my legs weren't on it yesterday.
  9. What's the difference between the Velo and the Link?
  10. People who entered and couldn't participate should be getting free 2018 entries. Unless you guys are getting refunded?
  11. You guys at least getting your entries refunded?
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