NeverEnder

Funny that you mention the shifter problem... Teammate of mine is already on his third shifter. We used to joke about it being only him being to forceful on his equipment and cutting back on his protein shakes etc, then just a couple of months ago the same thing happened with another mate while climbing Franshoek pass. Same "symptoms" with lever "breaking" and being stuck in a gear - then having to be replaced. Both guys were then riding Sram Force. Hope this does not start another Sram / Shimano war... PS - Sram replaced under warranty so at least no issues there.

It is "technically" possible to ride up Devonvallei climb and then connect to Polkadraai. Only problem is that the short section of dirt road goes through the JC le Roux farm and its blocked by an electronic gate. So you need to know someone to open the gate for you. PS - its an ideal climb for your intervals and we use it quite often for training. Not many cars and just about the perfect length for a 4-5 minute effort.

Very disappointing for the entry fee That hill climb is only a 2 km sprint up a "roller". Why don't they make it a challenge like a TT up Du Toits or something. Might wait for Summer league...

Unfortunately I need to work late tonight - but will definitely join from next week!

I work in Tygervallei, but live in Stellenbosch. So will not be able to join earlier than about 6 pm. But if the majority is keen to leave earlier than no problem. I will anyway join the Chris Willemse night ride on Wednesday when leaving from office.

Hi Tankman Will also be keen to join you guys from next week. Would be nice to whip our roadie asses back into some mtb shape after the summer league

Slight difference in the quality of teams in the Argus invitational as compared to Boland Drukpers. If the wind is again pumping at 60km/h and the strong men can use the gutter to reduce the lead bunch to less than 10 then maybe, but unlikely.

Whats compression socks for? I only know Andy cycles with compression underwear. Keeps the wolf in him aggressive, but it can lead to headaches

Argus will not suite Darren Lill. Its too flat & too short - its a sprinters race. Christoph van Heerden has a better chance. But Darren is a monster at the moment. He rode away from a group of 6-8 of the strongest riders including Sauser on a VERY difficult course with one lap to go and just extended his lead over the final lap.

Great event! Well done to all concerned - and a special thanks for the great traffic marshaling We need more of these events to put some excitement and a real challenge back in road cycling for the enthusiastic amateur as well as the pro cyclist That last Cat1 stage was brutal & what a performance from Darren Lill!

Where did you get this forecast? Its still 13 days to the event? Will not read to much in such a long term forecast. The best the weatherman can get right this time of the year in cape-town is about 4-5 days.

Nope sorry tankman - no luck for you I see they ask you to bring you climbing legs for the criterium; going over a "very hilly route" This tour is definitely not sprinter friendly

Routes are effectively the same - except for one day (think its day 3) when we go over Franshoek pass. Cat 1 then starts in Paarl; while Cat 2 starts in Franshoek to make it about 30 km shorter. But the average stage for cat 2 is still about 140 km and we are doing all the the same climbs Well thats the information I have. Are you joining us Tankman? I know you love the climbing.

Good luck Tarmac - Cat 1 is going to be TUFFF! Our elites are considering entering a small team for Cat 1 - will probably confirm this week. But the Subvets have decided to take the easier options. We plan to have a few beers in between stages as well.

I handed in the leave form & committed the entry for the Tour in Cat2 Based on the preliminary feedback Cat2 will still be very tough - quite a few strong teams & riders. We will be going hard, but the main aim is to enjoy the cycling and not have any pressure in terms of results. So who else will be tackling all the best climbs in the Western Cape come next week?

What are you on about? Raced sub-vet (I presume this is the group you are referring to?) and have no recollection of any untoward shouting. Also not sure about the 15 mins chatting at the finish line? First group of "old guys" finished in total time 5 minutes slower than first elite group. And if you were not part of the top 20 then it was even closer... So seems a bit like you just want everybody to know that you raced elites and was "very fast." Congrats we are impressed. PS - Had to take the bait

Interesting I did not know that - so hopefully there will be less bitching about wheel suckers; since they actually have a small benefit.

I have heard all this talk about carbo loading & that you get fit when you rest. So I am going to drink lots of beer while lying on the couch. I feel a sub 3 coming!

You always get the timing mat jumpers. Normally only frowned upon with a shake of the head. And maybe a little comment just hard enough for the offender to be aware of his chomp status. But since we all got the same time it was not a big deal. (If you not podium that is) But now with the points system in the league its a big No No. One guy took a change in one of the earlier races and got a big earful - Must say in the last couple of races and with the medallion the guys actually made an effort to keep their positions after crossing the line. Luckily you know he only gained 1 position, virtually no time & a bad rep.

Problem is getting to bed early enough in the evenings Normally only get home from work between 7-8pm. Then still need to prepare food every other day. (Since the wife also work long hours we swap the duties) So I battle getting to bed before 11pm; and if I do I am normally wide awake. Have no problems sleeping in the morning. If left to my own I will easily sleep till late, but need to get up early to train. And I need about 7-8h to feel fresh. My recovery days is normally to catch up on sleep. Cycling is tough for a natural night owl...

Also keen to get more info... If remember correctly there is also a division for us older ballies. (Sub-Vet & Vets) Would really like to test the legs on a multi-day event.

My experience in terms of seeding... If you have reasonable ability, moving up to a D/C seeding is not too difficult. It is getting from C/B to A/B that is more challenging. If you are riding in C bunch, the time differences to move up becomes tougher (and on the flat races where there are 200 people finishing close together in terms of time it does not help.) You are not going to TT on your own to match the times set by the winners. The only way to qualify for a A/Elite seeding is to start with A/Elite. It was only the tougher summer league that allowed me to jump the next step to a high B/low A; where I think my talent also runs out and I am happy to stagnate. So for a rider in Cat 2 , to move up to Cat 1 will be hard. Since you need a Cat 1 start to get a Cat 1 time on the typical PPA race. So the answer is not a more complex seeding systems - you will never win. They need to look at the races. As stated, most people only managed to improve their seeding with the more challenging races. There are too many flat, short & fast 80-110km races in the calendar. We need more races like the 1-tonner, 99er etc that will present a real challenge. Specifically if we want to develop standards in Cat1 $ Cat2. The tougher race separate the groups, so if you have the ability, after a couple of races it will influence your seeding. Now we only have 3-4 races in a year that really allow you to make a jump to the top level, and if team tactics or bad luck is against you - its back to square one. So what are the chances & challenges to expand the race route options. We have so many possibilities in the WC - Franshoek/Villiersdorp; Wellington/Ceres; Overberg etc. It would be great to experience more than racing around Wellington via Malmesbury as is currently the case. The new 99'er is a good example of a previously slightly boring route that is now a very interesting challenge. We need more of these, and it will also present more opportunities to shine if you have the legs. PS - Andy on current form you will be a solid B rider long before the end of the season.

Yes agree with Luke... I would say the top half of the Sub-Vets all have a B or better seeding. Remember seeding is not based on only 2 races (Cobra; Burger) The end time is also influenced by the race strategy of the day. The SubVet race was more tactical until Navel Hill & the Elites were flying from the start - therefor the big time difference. (There was also a few races last year where the Elites were looking at one another and actually got caught by the Sub-Vets) Since the Subvets on average will be slower than the Elites, I think they were slightly conservative choosing A-C as standard, so not to exclude Sub-Vets that may be able to compete, but where just outside the B cut-off. Unfortunately they underestimated the number of riders that registered for Cat 1 and had to split the bunch for safety reasons at the last minute. So it slightly defeated the objective. So for Spring league they need to look at only A&B for Cat 1. Maybe even make B seeding harder so as to make the 2 top groups smaller still. Ideally you want no more than about 100 in a bunch. With this in mind; the Sub-Vets will hopefully let it rip in the next couple of races to make those times up.

Any results yet available for this TT?

I am so with you on that one M_D Also get extremely irritated that so much money could be made from exploiting people (without the necessary scientific knowledge/training/savvy)with a few fancy sounding but meaningless technical terms, backed up by a few neat tricks to manipulate the so called demonstrations. My wife will be so pleased to know that hopefully in the near future she need not have to deal with my rant's each time we pass some-one with this bands. It just irks my rationally educated persona in a deep and totally irrational manner that I cannot control. And now speaking of wifes and gimmicky "scientific" claims in marketing swallowed as gospel - Let me not get started on the anti-aging, anti cellulite, anti toxin, anti weight gain etc wonder products in the womens (and these days more men as well) health & beauty market. Ok I am going for a coffee now before I scare the cats again with my wild mood swings..