Francois

From a non riders point of view, once again a great race and indeed a great weekend. The organisers, cyclists, and everybody involved in the event always make me feel very welcome. Thanks Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Giba Gorge. Looking forward to next year, may it be even better.

I was there this weekend for the Asishova Mtb event and I can only add to what has been said earlier - what a magic spot. In a way I am pleased it is in Durban and I am in Cape Town, or else I would be spending my whole life there and get nothing else done. Great facilities, well maintained, etc etc. Keep it up guys, its great. I will be there to ride next time I am in Durban.

Wow, that's going back in time. Great song. Also re-done in the late 70's by Mike Batt. One of my favourites at the moment is Coldplay ? Viva la Vida as listed on here earlier as well as Violet Hill off the same album.

One or 2 others from the Asishova. I have a few others as well and will make them available asI get time. Silly thing called work getting in my way again Francois2008-10-20 08:16:51

The top vets on Saturday Francois2008-10-20 08:03:48

There is indeed a limit in the drop over specific distances. I used to know it, but will look it up and let you know.

Like # 4 the most. I certainly will take 1 set, amybe 2. Will let you know size and quantity before order date closes.

Thanks Crow - most interesting reading. Informative

As I understand it, the reason for pushing up the prime interest rate is to encourage people to save. ?This is done in 2 ways, - 1. Higher interest from the bank on savings (if you can afford to have savings, that is) - 2. Stop people goin gout and buying things that they really can't afford and hence have to buy on HP etc. I don't know the full economics of it all, but if we look at the sales of new cars last month - dropped. ?People realize thay can't afford the new car so have either not bought one or have gone for a cheaper second hand one. ?House sales are also dropping at a large rate. ?Maybe it is working. My opinion only, and I do realise that there are many arguments for and against. ?Yes the poorest of the poor suffer the most, especially with the price of everything else going up so much.

Ha ha, ja, still getting it even better. Spent 10 days in it again over this years Epic and then used it again at Dirtopia - useful thing, especially with the toys . If you get stuck, just give me a call and we can make a plan to sort one out for you (inverter that is, not the van, he he). BTW when we going out for a drink again. sms me, soo ons kan 'n plan maak.

For purely charging smallish things camping inverters available from most outdoor shops are perfectly good and not too expensive. Try to get one that has a modified sine wave output as it puts less "strain" on your equipment. If, however you want to run any sensitive sound equipment then you need to go for a full sine wave inverter or else you will pick up a "buzz" in the system. Been there done that, now got a more expensice full sine wave on as well as my modifie sine wave inverters. He he, got too many toys for my own good

Who you refering to here? I didn't get a PM last week. Admin??

I fully back Admin with his pulling of the thread. Although the Hub has actually nothing to do with the placing of the thread and comments posted thereon, the Hub is often seen as the "bad" thing around and is often quoted as the spreader of bad news / rumours. I personally have been stuck in the middle of a fight between cycling bodies and other people, once too often, and even though most of it had nothing to do with me, I ended up getting blamed from both sides. I would hate to see the same happen to this forum. I think Admin's quick decision was the right one for the Hub.Francois2008-04-17 03:27:27

Ha ha, Eric will love that one, but he's been round the block a few more times than a 19 year old, he's 25 if I remember correctly. Eric correct me if I'm wrong. But my opinion is that while there are certainly youngsters who can complete the Epic comfortably they mustn't rush into it. Rather work on the shorter rides 1st and build up to the Epic. We South Africans are distance mad, often to our detriment.

As I have said to riders in the past - "Make sure you have a valid contract between you and the team management". I personally don't believe riders should rely on the contracts that are lodged with Cycling SA. They should have their own contracts with with the team in which pay is clearly stipulated, as well as all their benefits as well as all their obligations. Nothing can be left to chance. It is your work. I know of a few riders who have not followed up on my advice in the past and have ended up at the short end of the stick.

Just in repsect to the TV coverage. My personal opinion - Yes there should be coverage of the top guys to show the racing there, and these guys are the best in the world. Good for sponsors, good for the event and it's future. . . But I feel that the other riders should also get some coverage as well. After all, the event would be nothing without them. There is more than enough drama within the so called "back markers". And I believe some coverage of Mr and Mrs average would also go to show how tough the event really is and how good the top guys actually are. Having said that, I certainly believe that Mr and Mrs average can't finish this event. . . every finisher of the ABSA Cape Epic is above average - well done guys, I felt priviledged to be able to watch you finish every stage and hopefully was able to encourage you all a bit.

Pedal, was great seeing you and Jan there. Didn't see too much off you towards the end as I got even more busy, especially in Hermanus when Mike Mike was ill and I had to fill in for him with the presentations as well as my normal talking rubbish. I had such a great time and it looks like I will probably be back there next year again. Will be seeing Mike next week to look at it. Now we all need to do some riding and a little less working hey.

Weather looks bad for Gauteng for the next week. I seriously thought I was lost these past few days and had wondered into a Western Cape winter, not a Gauteng summer. He he, guess what, I'm about to get on a plane to Cape Town to get back to some gooood weather. Good luck to you all in Gauteng, I hope it clears sometime and please be careful if you are training in the rain. Remember that the cars have even more difficult seeing you out there.

Just an idea. Might work and might not. Try getting the unit to do e re-scan for the sensor. In system go to accessories, and then you should see where to do the scan. I have had to do that with the heart rate belt before, but I think that was because I used a diffent Garmin belt. He he, I have about 3 from all my different units. Hope this helps

Even though I haven't been training properly for 4 to 5 years now and am only getting back into it I can still easily touch my toes. In fact I get my wrist to my toes with only a little effort. But then when I did train (for running and cycling) I used to stretch regularly; especially after training. If one takes one sport seriously, one needs to stretch regularly. Preferably more dynamic stretching before training and plenty static stretching, after training.

Whoever wants to attack my club, please do it directly to my face and not behind a pseudonym. While I wasn't involved with the contract mentioned above, I have asked what happened and was told that once the correct paperwork was completed the contract was given to WPCA within a week and then the licence was obtained from Cycling SA in the next 4 days. To date this licence has still not been collected from the club, so if it was such a rush, why is it still sitting with us? I'm not pointing any fingers here, merely pointing out that one should get the facts before making statements, especially in public. As for us getting tired of running a club, watch this space, things are getting much bigger and better.

Over the past year I have flown SAA, Nationwide, Kulula, BA and prefer SAA. But maybe it's time for a change.