Squier

Also doing my 4th. My bit of advice; don't forget to look around you and take it all in. The Baviaanskloof is a spectacular place.

Not easy to drop people on a cat 4, even the sprinters, and 20km after it is enough to bring them back anyway. Flat run in, so well suited to the few "pure sprinters" left. That being said, still really hoping for a win for Darryl. Today could be that day.

On my first Scalpel since April. That Lefty really is as phenomenal as they say.

That is unfortunately the only option left. Yesterday was just insane.

Alpe d'huez times of the past. Wouldn't be surprised if we see a sub 38 today. Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk

He's had a really rough year, so time and form was never on his side for this Tour. He might still have a kick left in him and be a factor in the sprints if his lead up to the Tour is better. But yeah, if you're Doug, do you keep on forking out half your team's budget on one guy who is clearly over his best and only has an outside chance of a sprint win? Wouldn't make sense. DD has future GC ambitions though so this was probably the last year they took a sprint team to the Tour. After the year they've had they were low on options.

My boy has the 20" Giant XTC. It does come with a coil fork, which works as well as you'd expect a coil fork on a kids bike to work, however, my boy is pretty chuffed with his fork shock! It also has v-brakes, which I also dislike, however I haven't had any issues with them whatsoever <touch wood>. The bike is also nice and heavy to get those young legs nice and strong! We're quite happy with the bike.

We're missing out on a lot of action early in the day when everyone and their dog are trying to get into the break. Would be cool to see a bit more coverage of that initial bit, especially today.

Sadly, I agree. Not looking forward to watching a Sky train tour France for the next few weeks... Most excitement would be Gerraint taking yellow today and then watching how Alpe d'Huez plays out for them tomorrow.

Logical explanation, but that is exactly why I found it strange. You don't see him touching the cranks at any point.

https://youtu.be/1ww6VvlIBww Views on Skuijin's back wheel? Difficult one to explain...

I quite like Darryl Impey's chances for today. That is, if it stays together. Not easy to bring a break back with such a technical run in...

Joined the Cannondale family for the first time this year. Old but new Scalpel. The missus' and my bikes:

Not quite sure what to make of this. That start on Summit used to be brutal for me just because it dragged for so long so I'm glad that's gone. That being said, I doubt Steyn City and Cedar will be much better...

I saw them on the Trail and found it quite strange. I do have to take my hat off to them though. Keeping phones, gps', gopros and the like charged is already a mission. They have the bike to worry about as well...

So there, Farmer Glen has said it...

Alan was spent and he knew it. It's racing and he didn't have to move over but he did the right thing. He either moved over and be lauded for good sportsmanship or just be passed 5 meters later anyway.

I'm doing my 7th Sani this year. Too many? Perhaps, but this is how I see it: 1. It was my very first stage race back in 2012 when the Trail started. I still cannot see myself sitting in the office during the second week of May knowing what I am missing out on. It is a really special race and I honestly don't know when I'm going to stop. That being said, the price tag is getting a bit much. We paid R9k per team back in 2012. Next year it'll be close on double that. There definitely is a limit to what one is willing to spend on a three day stage race. 2. I agree that the point to point race box packing and loading effort is a schlep, but the point to point concept is part of what makes Sani. Every day is completely different to the previous day with Day 1 being around the berg and the open plains of the milk farms, Day 2 is proper KZN bushveld and Day 3 Sugarcane farm fun. I doubt that there's another race where you get to experience such diverse environments over 3 days. 3. I also believe Sani is striking the perfect balance between being fun and being a challenge. The race is not overly tough if you're fit, but still requires a fair amount of training to be able to finish and enjoy the experience. Day 2 is a hard day, but Day 1 and 3 are also challenging in their own right, however, you never get the feeling that the organisers are trying to make it as tough as possible. 4. The trails you ride during Sani you can only ride during Sani (and joberg2c). It's not accessible to the public during any other time of the year unless Farmer Glen is your BFF. Many of the other big races go through public bike parks as part of their route so you can ride the best parts of the race any day of the week without entering the race. With Sani, this isn't the case. 5. Part of the appeal for me is also that we've made a family holiday of it every year. My oldest was 4 months old when he waved me off in Underberg for the first time. He's in Grade 1 next year so out of season holidays are also becoming a thing of the past... 6. This year, my wife is riding Sani with me for the first time. So, that's also putting a new spin on things. Lastly, to the OP; I doubt that I'll attempt Sani on training comprising of 50km rides. People have finished Sani on much less training, so even though you'll probably be able to finish it I don't know how much you'd enjoy it. Like I said, it's a special race with super fun flowing trails and magnificent scenery but if your battling to the finish line everyday you're probably missing the point.

I had to leave for work so missed most of the race. Had to follow on Twitter. Great result by Hatherly. Seems he was completely spent on the last lap. Understandably so given he's been out of racing since Feb. Had he not had to deal with the broken arm earlier in the season I would've expected him to be closer to Gaze and take the silver. That being said, bronze is still a great result. Gaze is in a class of his own at the moment. Looks like he closed a 28 second gap in half a lap to take the win, after his mechanical. Strauss got 7th in the ladies. Would've expected a better showing from her. Similarly, Batty got 4th. She was good for a silver at the very worst. She does do better on more technical tracks though.

Already 11 DNFs today and only half the field in.

All the best with the recovery. Always terrible to read these 'rider down' threads but glad there is one where we can read about the subsequent recovery.

I seriously doubt that it'll be worth it.

Phone China!

We did a similar trip a while back. Based in Paarl, we did Boschendal, Rhebokskloof, Welvanpas Black, Jonkershoek and G-spot. Spectacular riding!

Incredibly sad. My deepest condolences to his friends and young family. RIP.