Lucky Fish

Let us not be too hasty here. An offer to perform does not constitute the deed. We are in contact with Gert of Complete Cyclist. When the deed is done I shall respond.

Yes, I have forwarded it to Gert. He has since responded by e-mail. I quote: Hi Johan. I am really sorry for this. It was my mistake and would like to apologise for this. I neglected to get back to you and Rene to let you know that the setup was not possible as the person doing our setups is out of the country. I would hereby like to offer that if possible that I ask Hanco from Cyclefit to come to your house to do the setup. We will pay for the setup. Please feel free to contact me. Kind Regards, Gert Janse van Rensburg" I shall be in contact with Gert regarding the setup. I must also commend the company on their response to the error. Errors do occur - in business it is how you deal with it that makes the difference. I shall keep The Hub posted on the matter.

I sent an e-mail to them directing them to this post and got the following out of office reply: "Good day, I am away from the 9th April - 11th April 2009. If you need anything, please contact Gert on 086 111 4470 (Ext. 2071) or Gert@complete-cyclist.com I will attend to your email on Tuesday 7th September. Kind regards, Mike Hewan Complete Cyclist Concept Store"

Last week, while collecting our start numbers for the Gauteng Champs, we decided to visit this bike shop after we saw an advert on the wed (The Hub, nogal, if I am not mistaken). We were met by Mike who was quite knowledgeable and enthusiastic. My wife asked about a bike setup and he indicated that they do professional setups. An outside person is contracted to come to their premises to do the actual setup. An appointment was then made for my wife to come in at 10h00 on the 2nd of September (today) for the work. She rescheduled appointments, loaded her bike into her car, dressed in her cycling gear, got there at 10h00 only to be told that nothing has been arranged. She had to walk away empty handed. In my opinion, for a bike shop that has just started out, and promised the earth, this is a poor performance. Their advertising material indicates: 'Your passion for cycling is our business.' I don't think they lived up to their promise.

In life, I have seen that cream rises to the top. If you won the under 13 champs many years ago, I bet that now as a 50+ vet you will still be in there at the front of the pack. I would not be surprised if you won a couple of other championships along the way U/23, Elite, Vets 30-40, Vets 40-50 and now, kicking my ass in the Vets +50 Catagory.)

When you and your mates next see a guy walking past you with his 'stripes' on, immediately stop and say: "Still broers, daar gaan 'n man verby!"

It is better to be a 'HAS BEEN' than a 'NEVER WAS'.

If you want to be in awe go here: http://wimp.com/bicycleskill/

Stretch. Just give them a wide birth and continue to listen to your music.

I have a motor racing background so even expensive bikes are nothing compared to racing cars.

A way to avoid blind spots in your mirrors is to adjust them as follows: I have found that if you can see your own car in the side mirrors while looking back it means that you cannot see what is happening in the next lane. By moving the mirrors so that you can see the next lane reduces the incidence of blind spots. If you turn your head before changing lanes and looking to see if it is clear greatly reduces the chances of blind spots.

My wife has this down to an art. She always seems to fall (still clipped in) on some innocent bystander. Gets up and says: "I am glad to see that you are okay" before riding off as if nothing has happened. (Sorry to the lady at Bela-Bela MTB event earlier this year.)

If 1 is good then 2 is better! It seems as if my heart rate Monitors do not have the longevity of the Straps... 1) I was mugged in Cape Town when I went down for this years Argus. The criminals took the bike but did not take the strap. Thank Goodness! (The bike was recovered about a month later by SAPS but the theives had removed the monitor.) 2) As my, and my wife's, collection of bikes grew I continued, religiously, to buy a CS200 Polar for each of the bikes. (Remember a tandem takes 2.) 3) Inevitably some of the straps were mislaid somewhere in my cycling bag and could not be found - the easy solution was to buy more straps. Just in case. So there you have it. I am sure if I were to search the house, the office, the cars, my wife's handbag and the cyling bags I am sure to find more straps. The only problem is that the total collection will not grow because as soon as I find missing straps some of the 'found' ones seems to hide!

I'll start by showing you six. The seventh one is around my chest.

You know that for a fact or are you speculating?

My wife is an expert when it comes to a shunt. Last Saturday at Mabalingwe she caused a crash but made sure she fell on top of a hapless lady who was just minding her own business and passing by. Then she had the audacity to ask her: "Are you ok?" and without waiting for and answer mounted her bike and drove off into the sunset without a scratch.

BIKE RECOVERED BY TABLEVIEW POLICE On Easter Friday morning I received a call from the Tableview Police to indicate that they have recovered my bike. The bike was stashed in the roof a a house (shack) in Du Noon. Three suspects have been arrested. I'll be flying down to Cape Town during the course of the week to fetch the bike and to attend an Identity Parade. The rear wheel and the Polar HR monitor that was mounted on the handlebars are missing. Good thing I reported the matter to the Police. If I did not report it they would have had a recovered bike and three suspects but no link to me. I am so happy. Johan

Arriving in Cape Town for the Argus on Friday afternoon I went for my final training session. I cycled north past the Killarney race circuit (at Du Noon)when I noticed a pedestrial crossing the road in front of me. As I passed him, and out of view, he grabbed my right arm and caused me to crash. At first I thought he just wanted me to crash but then, two of his colleages grabbed my bike and started to make off with it. I resisted and they pulled knives. I continued to resist but slipped on the tar and lost my grip on the rear wheel. They disappeared between the houses and the bike is gone. I am okay after being stiched up. MY BIKE A black and yellow bike with the words SCOTT in yellow on a black frame. Dura Ace pedals and wheels, brand new Specialized saddle (143). Carbon seat post and 40 cm handlebars with Ultegra group set and low and behold a Race Tec chip. The bike is equiped with a Polar CS200 with a cadence meter. Handlebars are finished off with black and yellow tape. No Argus for me and I am now in the process of procuring a new bike. Johan Vermeulen

I understand that our Chairman, Simon Davenall, from Germiston Wheelers is also one of the attendees. Just think how lucky Lance is because he rides with Simon once in his lifetime and we do club rides with him every weekend.