Squier

Found this quite funny. I think the queen might think twice...

I've been there once... probably about 3 months ago. When we started off I was really impressed. They've cut some really cool singletrack running up and down the ridge. Nothing hectic but some nice short, steep and relatively technical climbs. Started off thinking that we would go there more often as 10 km there would probably be equal to 30 km out on the railway road so adding it to a long ride would add quite a bit of intensity to it. However, as we rode on things started to go downhill (pun intended). There are some sections that were just not rideable (IMO) where we pushed our bikes through rock gardens for extended periods of time. Look, I'm no Burry Stander but would think of myself as having decent technical skills and those sections were just not rideable. The other thing that was scary as hell was all the snakes. In the few kms that we rode there we saw 4 snakes. Not sure what kind (I'm not a fan) but they were big. I know I'm sounding like a little girl, but if you go there, just be aware... The last straw was that halfway through the trail just disappeared and we got completely lost carrying our bikes through the rocky terrain until we found a trail again. We haven't gone back since and I'm not planning to go any time soon. It's an awesome piece of land and based on some of the trails that are there it has massive potential, but getting lost and struggling to get back to the start just broke the camel's back.

She should be banned for an additional 2 years just for not being able to think of a better excuse!

He's a legend! Cycling will mis him! I would've stayed another season just to rock the pimped kit and gold bike! Looks awesome!

Entries opened to riders on the waiting list yesterday. Not sure who exactly that is though... General public is on the 15th. I have some mates hoping for spot.

15 August We're in for the Trail again!

The longer the better. Just advertise it as the actual distance so riders know what they are in for.

Phenomenal athlete, but XCO hasn't been his best discipline the last couple of years. He's still a great Marathon rider and will probably defend his Epic title in 2013. Good call, I'd say.

100kms to the top and back. Did it before sani and I really believe it's those long rides that made the difference on Day 2.

I also train on Sufferfest. Really good stuff and really tough. If you're only looking for mp3 spinning workouts, try Jamie Morton's on www.trihardist.com. I used to use this before I got the Sufferfest vids and really enjoyed it.

Some cool stuff here: http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/07/news/tour-tech-gearing-up-for-the-final-race-against-the-clock-of-the-2012-tour-de-france_231191

It's worrying that it took 4 pages for someone to realise this...

Sky and Wiggins were nothing but dominant. Well deserved victory. The fact that the Tour was less exciting than previous years are attributable to firstly; Sky being so dominant, which also means that their competitors weren't strong enough to rival them, and secondly, the route suited Wiggins perfectly. With over 100 km of TT'ing no one really stood a chance. It took the emphasis away from the high mountains where everyone expects to see the fireworks. Instead Wiggins brought all the fireworks to his TTs! I really enjoyed Sagan! He is a prolific sprinter and is capable of holding on to that Green jersey for many more years to come. Winning it in his first year is something special. Good ol' Hollywood Voeckler also put on a good showing! Man, he really suffered and made it count. Jens was again legendary and went all out almost everyday! What a rider! I really hope he sticks around for at least one more year!

Returning to the OPs original question: I don't think that Cadel is the only clean guy there. Sky has blown away the peleton on every climb but comparatively their average speed has been much slower to that of some of the big names of the sport in the "less clean" era. Saw this on Twitter: @Scienceofsport: Wiggins & co today climbed at 1680m/h for 24:28 (~6W/kg). VAM issues aside,compare to historical Tour performances: http://pic.twitter.com/Tc8UD0ur They don't even come close to the bottom of the list (albeit a very elite list of riders). It may not be enough to conclude that everyone is squeaky clean, but things are moving in the right direction. The only problem I have with this "right direction" is that the race for yellow has become more and more boring. Just saying...

I agree that the Tour is less exciting than I had hoped... specifically referring to the race for yellow. But, I have to concede that it is only because Sky is so dominant. Yesterday was the first time that Wiggins actually countered an attack, instead of just having his team calmly ride back onto the attackers wheel. It doesn't make for great TV, but from a race perspective this is the ideal for any team leader. I'm still left wondering if the Sky tactic would still work against explosive attackers like Schleck or Contador. Climbers that can create a gap with shere acceleration and sustain it. Something that Cadel was just unable to do. I doubt that Andy would ever really be able to compete against Wiggins, purely because of the massive difference in their TT'ing ability, but he would certainly give him nightmares in the mountains. Looking forward to seeing Contador again in the Vuelta, but we'll only really know what he can do to the Sky train by next year this time.

However, a spokesman for Leopard, Carlo Rock, told the newspaper that the company had held around one-quarter of what is owed to the riders because the riders had asked the payment to be made “to accounts with non-transparent backgrounds.” Do you think they got suspicious when Cancellara requested his salary to be paid into a Swiss bank account?

Another day for the break. We've already seen more succeed than I expected! If Nibali can create a gap on the last climb he could possibly extend it on the descent. I doubt Sky would take too many chances on the descent. Not sure how technical it is though. Van den broeck was talking about forming alliances with the other GC contenders to try and break Sky. Good idea, I think. I would really love some excitement!

Darryl's been looking after Goss. Now that they are no longer in the running for the green jersey he might be given the go ahead. They'd still be looking for a stage win on the flat stages though (even though it's clear that Gossy just doesn't have the legs this year) and he's the lead out man, so we'll only see him in the break if they feel that Goss won't make it over any of the smaller climbs. A stage win from him would be massive!

The fact that it is only picked up now is again very suspicious. It's not something that he'd take midway through the tour. I smell plasticizer... As I said with the Contador case; You’re a professional cyclist. There shouldn’t even be a question of how it got there. It’s part of your job to make sure that you don’t take anything that’s on the banned list. It’s your responsibility to stay clean, not the UCI’s (or WADA's) responsibility to find out how it actually came into your system. Being poisoned? Really? The poor team chef eats it again… Take the ban Frank. You’re not going to win anything in the next 2 years anyway.

There won't happen much more tomorrow than there will today. We need Contador. There I said it!

Bruyneel's reposnse: http://www.johanbruyneel.com/news/johan-bruyneels-statement-regarding-usada-proceedings

Theoretically you can do it. The whole focus of training is shifting from quantity to quality. But you'll need a very focussed and specific training program. Practically, IMO, I'm not too sure. You need to know how your body will react after spending 6 or 7 hours in the saddle on the long days. You'll get that confidence that you can push through when your body tells you that you can't. It's also good to expirement a bit in terms of what works best for recovery after such long rides. There are just some things that I'd think you would need to train for on long rides. However, this isn't neccesarily a deal breaker. It's not impossible. I know a guy who ran the Comrades while he was in the army and they were only given 40 minutes a day to train for it. He finished, but he really suffered. The same could possible be true for you. You'll have to be ready mentally to really suffer each day.

I just think Rolland missed the memo that they were waiting for Cadel. It did seem as if he sat up once he understood the situation. Didn't see him have a puncture, but it's certainly not impossible.

I have exactly the same thing. I think they are using the Gauteng index though and not the National index. Sani2c pushed my National index down quite a bit, but didn't affect the Gauteng seeding obviously. I find it strange that you need to have 2 seeding indexes. Does it really matter where the race was?

Wow!