Squier

I don't know what the protocol is but it is rather peculiar that the top three were not tested. That being said; for Lance to dope now to be competitive in the Ironman scene just doesn't make sense. Why would he do it? I know his very driven and hates losing but the risks of being caught now outweighs anything that he could gain from competing. I just can't see him taking that risk.

We're pretty much doing the same. Currently fitting in about 4 hours during the week on the spinning bike and then a long ride of about 5 hours on a Saturday morning. We need to start stepping it up a bit though.

Michael "Flatley" Mathews! Cool moves!

Well done Lance! I see he'll be in France in June. Should be a cracker! TOUR de France legend Lance Armstrong has made an extraordinary return to a sport he did as a teenager, finishing second to New Zealand's former Olympic gold medallist Bevan Docherty in the Panama 70.3 triathlon. ArCancer survivor Armstrong, who retired from professional cycling last year, was in the news last week when Federal prosecutors in the US closed an investigation of him following allegations of drug use made by his old teammate, drug cheat Floyd Landis. This morning he was capturing headlines again after an astonishing second place in the 1.9 km swim, 90km cycle, 21.1km run triathlon in Panama City. "It's great to be back,'' said a sunburnt Armstrong after his second place. Armstrong was run down by Docherty (3hr 50min 13sec) in the final leg of the race, finishing in 3hr 50min 55sec and ahead of Australian athlete Richie Cunningham (3hr 52min 59sec). The American said he had recorded all his data from the race and would look over it in a bid to improve his performance in his return to triathlon after more than two decades. A talented triathlete as a teenager before shifting his focus to cycling, Armstrong's grand plan is to contest the Hawaii ironman triathlon - rated one of the toughest endurance races in the world. His result in Panama this morning shows he may not just be there for the challenge but as a contender for the podium. The seven-time Tour de France winner will contest Ironman France (double the distance of the 70.3) in June in an attempt to qualify for this year's Hawaii ironman on October 13.

The other worrying thing is if you look at the comments from the pro peleton after a rider has been caught (like with Contador now). No one condemns the rider but everyone supports him. Even in such a highly competitive sport. Can everybody really be such great sporting gentlemen? Even when he was still competing whilst his case was ongoing I expected a bigger outcry by his competitors. But nothing... I think only Tony Martin made a comment at some point. I've also read articles (like mentioned by SwissVan) that says a clean athlete can perform as well as a doped athlete if you can get your preparation perfect. However, the problem is recovery. A clean cyclist performing at the level of a doped up cyclist on a day is possible, but sticking with them through 3 weeks is unlikely. This is also quite a good read to explain the effect of the different doping products. Got it from someone here on thehub. Can't remember who though... http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/Drug-Test.html?page=all

The bid just reached R9000, which is the cost of an entry. Doesn't look as if there is so much interest...

Fair is fair. It is the athlete's responsibility to ensure that you stay within the rules of the sport. If it's a banned substance and it is in your blood there shouldn't be any debate around how it got there. That being said; I'm really disappointed. Yes, I agree with the verdict, but it just means that this year's tour will once again be a less spectacular affair. In 2011 I waited for the fireworks and it just never arrived... will 2012 be the same? (I know, there's more at "steak" here than my entertainment value, but I'm just that selfish!) Hopefully Bruyneel can work his magic (interpret that as you wish) and get the Schlecks firing! If I have to watch Cadel sitting on a wheel in the mountains again I might just switch to highlights of Graeme Smith batting.

Even though most would agree with you, I don't believe they had a significant influence, if any, on this case. It was a federal investigation, so who ever runs the sport would've been irelevant. And then, reveiwing the evidence is one thing, but starting another investigation 7 years after the fact? That just doesn't make sense! I'm also still curious about George Hincapie's testimony... I think he backed Lance...

Last year we got "Steve's Auto Clinic" golf shirts instead of medals at the Cradle Quest race... that was pretty random. Personally I would've rather wanted a medal. It's a way for me to keep track and remember all the races I have done. I keep all my medals.

To see what Novitzky actually found would be interesting, however, I doubt that we would get to see that. Even though everyone is still waiting for WADA to review the evidence and come up with some controversial anouncement, I don't think that anything will come of this. I'm sure that Novitzky would've had a case if he could prove that Lance doped. That would've been the starting point of the investigation. But now, the story is done. Get over it and move on.

Voortrekker Monument has some good riding! But it's not flat. Even though there are no major climbs, you are always going up or down.

Pretoria East being? Faerie Glen? Moreleta? Wapadrand?

Now that looks awesome!

Single lap! Awesome! Still one of the better races around.

pm KRL747. He struggled with an ITB injury for quite a while and kept on going back to the physio without any success. He eventually got it sorted by a chiropractor. Sounds weird, I know, but a true story.

Demand vs Supply, I’d say. There aren’t that many road races with full road closure on the calendar, therefore the massive demand needs to be catered for by the small supply of races. Many “road cyclists” I know only do two races a year; Argus and 94.7. Then, there are almost an MTB race every week and so allot more races to cater for the demand. It’s also not an issue if you can’t make a race as you’ll just catch the next one in a week’s time.

I did this race 2 years back and won't bother again. Congestion and mud, that's all it is.

One more thing... I think the main differences is that the sweatsucker is made from fabric so will get saturated after a while, while the sweatgutr is rubber so it doesn't. Oh, and the website is www.sweatgutr.com.

I have a polar cs300 and have no complaints. Works well on the bike, works well in the spinning class. If you're not too phased about getting a GPS this is a good option. The only reason I'll get something else is to get a GPS on the bike, but for heart rate, timing and speed this is perfect.

I'm using the SweatGUTR. Same concept. There is a thread on the hub somewhere about it. It works like a charm! I went on 6 hour rides in the middle of summer without having to remove my glasses once due to sweat... and I sweat allot! The agent in SA is Ruan. ruanretief at gmail dot com.

Now that doesn't look like fun...

Taken with my BlackBerry Curve's crappy camera somewhere between Gariep dam and Philoppolis. (Edited with Shendz BB app) The phone tragically died in a pool accident yesterday.

Tubeless. Just carry plugs with you for big punctures and a spare tube for sidewall cuts.

I've had my CS300 for a couple of years now and have had almost no issues. IHF has also always been super helpful. When I had problem with my HR strap not registering my heart rate they replaced it under warranty, no questions asked. I'm uploading my rides to polarpersonaltrainer without any hassles.

Looks awesome! Who did you meet Gummi?