Windbreaker

luckily I don't have those too and that's why your hands go numb.

and I still think that the whole thing is a bullsh*t story

do you have life insurance & medical aid? If so I hope that they don't get hold of these pics

Maybe if you give me yr number ..? Sorry' date=' dunno who you are[/quote'] Hey Ronelle... It's Thornman, my Thornman user name don't want to log in at home so i'm using my x- girlfriens username....C'mon Ronelle, get with the program ... How could you not know that????

and just for the record. if it did happen that they slapped her I don't condone it for any reason.

think about it, none of it really sounds very plausible. i don't believe any of it happened the way it was presented. even if they were characters with knuckles dragging on the ground when they walk and full of testosterone to boot. chase after a defenseless woman and slap her because she says "where the ****are your lights?" i don't think so .... there is either more (or a lot less probably) to this story than has been told. nixtcr, I suggest that you ask your friend some searching questions.

Looks like tonight we are stuck on the old topic. Guys. doing the considerate thing is obviously good for the reputation of cyclists. Following some rules blindly is not the way to go. "Single file no matter what" is really not helping the cause of cyclists because it is not always practical or safe or even reasonable. It's all been said many times. Our guidelines should be a) Don't be inconsiderate b) Try to be safe c) Be courteous to motorists - especially those that are inconvenienced by your actions. d) Try to get as many motorists as possible to see our point of view . It really is as simple as that.

I sincerely hope that I don't offend the loved ones of the children with this post, but I want to make a point that is being completely lost on the media and our cycling organisations. Read this report http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2474271,00.html and then ask whether the recent statements by cycling organisations imploring cyclists to ride in the yellow lane are really what is required to reduce cycling/motorist related accidents? What about the 1.5m law?? Windbreaker2009-02-22 11:25:19

a response to your comment "As for the development riders, I would not know how to help them get that experience before they ride elites, " and just an observation about what I think is wrong with the current setup.

If you managed to straighten it to the point where it was "rideable" then it most likely can be repaired as good as new (even better). Ask Johan Bornman for the book (and his notes) on wheel building. Buy the right spokes and a truing stand. Then be prepared to spend a good 3 or 4 hours getting it true again. If you have enough patience and are that way inclined it can be quite rewarding.Windbreaker2009-02-22 10:39:01

or go and buy that plastic film from a chemist (can't remember what it is called and leave it on for 2 weeks. It will form a "bag" of serum that promotes healing.

Thanx Ronelle - Don't you think we're looking fresh after our 68km break?!?!! OK ... I'll bite. Please tell us about your 68km break....

He's saying that development cyclists are unethical' date=' irresponsible and have poor bike-handling skills . [/quote']I think that Pickles (she) is saying that they lack "race ethics" a la looking out for the safety of your fellow competitors. In their case they are being careless and in some cases completely irresponsible.

what are they going to do with 30 bikes????????????????????

The descent is NOT going to be fun. It is hairy enough with the PPA rides. That road is bumpy as hell on the right i.e the wrong side of the road. Keep left if you can. But the biggest concern is that last bend and then the right turn back onto main road with the island right in the middle. There are going to be lots of tears & broken bones I fear.

Steve Haywood the chairman of Pedalpower has the CT Mayoress' ear. Helen Zille also happens to be the leader of the opposition, that is, she is a very influntial person. She also happens to be pro-cycling (reportedly). The PP has millions in cyclists money sitting in a bank account that they don't know what to do with There is a serious issue that requires attention. Education campaign, media campaign for tolerance etc. etc. Join the dots!!!! Not saying that I am averse to getting involved but why should I spend time that I don't really have, pursuing a cause when there is an organisation who is apparently mandated (and has the resources) to look after cyclists interests. Lecturing cyclists constantly is not enough. Making statements to the media imploring cyclists to stay in the yellow line and ride single file is a useless effort when all the deaths are occuring while the victims have been following those guideline explicitly. It is time to spend our money where it is needed - in the pursuit of a safer environment for cyclists. Windbreaker2009-02-17 10:39:51

It really is about time that Pedalpower stopped pussy footing around and spent some of our money on getting signs up and focusing on a motorist AND cyclist education campaign. It also doesn't help much when the chairman makes comments at the scene of a fatal accident where there is NO YELLOW LANE "about riding in the yellow lane".

Doesn't really matter if the cyclists are in single-file or not. What matters is if you attempt to murder them (and on occasion actually succeed) in proving you are right. Whoopee. You get to be right' date=' and some poor women gets to be a widow. Nice. [/quote'] Ag please TNT.!! Get with the programme, no driver gets in his or her car and says I will MURDER a cyclist today - stop been so melodramatic.!! Porky, I take it that you heard about the Chris Atwood hit & run just before Xmas??? The f**ker that killed him had "buzzed" Skye and I MANY times on the quiet section of the road on the Cape Point side of Simonstown. I remember on one occasion screaming at Skye instinctively when I saw the bastard AIMING to get as close to her as he could. His face was burned into my memory. When I heard about the Chris Atwood incident I phoned the investigating officer and described the f**ker right down to his spikey hair. After he handed himself in the inspector called me to confirm that it was him. When he killed Chris Atwood he was drunk and his judgement was slightly "off" on that occasion. I prefer to think that he misjudged the aim rather than misjudging the consequences. So while they may not go out to murder some of them really are intent on making it as uncomfortable as they can and some of them are just plain f**king ignorant as to the potential consequences. Yesterday we spent the day with a family who lost their son a few years ago to the day. The day was made that much more difficult for them with the headlines of "Another cyclist dies" staring at them. Yes, their son did stray outside of the yellow line as did I many times at the age of 14. Fortunately when I was on my bicycle during my childhood there was still some level of care for fellow human beings. Reading the comments on the news24 articles as some of them on this forum I have to ask What has happened to us as a society?? And just for the record all of the cyclists killed in Cape Town in the last 4 years they were all riding within the yellow lane or well to the left when there was no yellow lane. So lets not focus on red herrings. South Africans are inconsiderate in all regards but it comes to the fore most in the way we use the roads - simple as that. Windbreaker2009-02-16 11:55:27

Don't recall having read anything by coyne so can't comment. The thing that I dislike about Kimmage is that he is two-faced and dishonest about his pursuit of LA. He has selected LA because it is good for his pocket. edit - There are many more cyclists that eh could write about with a lot more first hand facts - like roche and some of his other team mates but instead he avoids them completely but is happy to take LA on because he is an easy & lucrative target. I read "From Lance to Landis" hoping to get some sort of a balanced picture of doping & cycling during the era generally but stopped at about page 315 of 330 when it became painfully obvious that the title was completely misleading. There really isn't anything "From Lance to Landis" about it. There is nothing other than the usual LA crap over and over and over and over ... So yes, Walsh is also on the LA gravy train too. Windbreaker2009-02-14 08:34:13

RickA, your comments generally make sense to me but I want to warn against the perception that riding inside the yellow line is what we must always do without considering any other factors. For example, coming down sections of Ou Kaapse weg is dangerous (especially the steep side ) if you stay in the yellow lane simply because you don't have the space that you need. The speed limit on the bottom hairpin bend is 70km anyway so we are not inconveniencing motorists by travelling at 65kmh outside of the yellow line in that instance. Another one is the section of road between Ocean View & Sunvalley. The yellow line is reasonably wide but it corrugated & potholed & often strewn with debris. A youngster hit a piece of wreckage in the yellow lane last week and and almost lost control with potentially disasterous consequences. I don't ride in the yellow line on most of that section - it is the least safe of two options! I also have noticed the increase in the number of cyclists on the M3 between the start & the Tokai offramp and my initial instinct was "what a stupid thing to do". But actually on a freeway the vehicles very rarely drive in the yellow lane and the shoulder on that section is very wide. Although it is illegal it is probably much safer than cycling up Ou Kaapse inside the yellow line for the same reason that you note. It is also probably much safer than the main road at that time of the morning. Craig Haskins and Chis Atwood were both cycling on the inside of the yellow line as we are expected to do but both have been tragically killed. And come to think of it, all of the serious accidents that I am personally aware of involving motorists have been no fault of the cyclist. I might be mistaken but as far as I understand we are actually falling foul the road act by cycling in the yellow lane (even as cyclists) which points to the real problem - CYCLISTS ARE NOT RECOGNISED AS LEGITIMATE ROAD USERS BY THE MAJORITY OF SOUTH AFRICANS. (Not shouting - just for emphasis). At best we are considered a nuisance, at worst we are a target for people like the f**ker who took out Chris A. If we are involved in an accident while in the yellow on a main road is our insurance at risk?

Kimmage is on a crusade, which is fine but he is on a crusade that has been carefully selected. i.e. he is very outspoken about the one person who is guaranteed to keep him in the spotlight constantly. You have to ask the question about why he has not shown the same vigour in pursuing roche (for example). So I don't buy the bit about spending time with slipstream because they demonstrated "clean traits" that he was so interested in pursuing. He makes his real reasons known when he notes the past links between certain people on the team to LA. He just wanted to be close to individuals who he could milk for more dirt on LA. His motives are just as questionable as the object of his crusade (and major source of income???) He is a leech.

I really had intended to let this all go - especially after the "issues" started to get lost in the noise - but just to be clear. This is not an "anti-TCS" thing. It is anti doping, anti-lies and anti-arrogance. A top elite rider doped, doped some more, lied and then tried to take us all for fools His "boss" came out with a very soft line which was also quite dishonest considering his prior postings on the topic of doping. In my postings I made it clear that both their original and current actions were casting a bad light on ALL of the TCS riders some of whom I have come to admire at long distance for their achievements in the past 18 months or so. The one question also still is open is whether Babbelkous was given the boot because she stuck to her principles and made her objections known wiithin the club. If that is the case then this episode on the hub is just the last in a series of "cover ups" and the stink remains.