Thyolo

I've started something I can't finish - gotta go out for a bit. Love the avatar Mampara - it's REALLY ANNOYING. Sad to say SA doesn't have a wealth of commentators. They really got across how tough that event is - camping for a week is bad enough without having to cycle every day.

1st time I've enjoyed a whole episode and had the willpower to keep the kids off the remote for the duration. Thet had enough good material for much more than an hr, being based at the Epic and there was a huge no. of interesting and informed people being interviewed. Arnie lost some of his wooden style and I thought the american commentator in these small doses was fine and quite subdued. Great to be positive about it, just the other 50-odd weeks of the year to fill.

The third day of the gruelling Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race, ridden over eight days in teams of two, was a day of high emotions, punctures, intense heat and a controversial shake-up in the professional ranks. Monday was undoubtedly the toughest climbing day of the race, with three brutally steep uphill tracks - interspersed with undulating arid stretches - between Oudtshoorn and Ladismith in the Klein Karoo. The event's organisers and managers of the professional teams held an emergency meeting Monday afternoon after three top riders, who had excelled at the uphills, cut themselves off from their weaker partners. top.DisplayAds('SquarLAV',12,185); < =1.1 ="http://adsrv.iol.co.za/adz/getAd.php?ord=175536145&pos=SquarLAV&site=12&section=185&undefined"> < =1.1 ="http://ad.adtech.de/addyn|3.0|585|1098745|0|165|ADTECH;loc=100;target=_blank;key=key1+key2+key3+key4;grp=185;target=_blank;misc=1174983398922"> Others professionals were worried that the loners would help certain teams to the disadvantage of others. Riders who do not finish with their partners are given a one-hour penalty the next day, but if it happens twice they are out. Last year's overall winner, Christoph Sauser, for Specialized, dropped his partner, Johannes Palhuber, and rode over the finish line with Sunday's winning team, Cannondale Vredestein 1 with Roel Paulissen and Jakob Fugelsang. Epic director Kevin Vermaak said Sauser, from Switzerland, wanted to train hard for the World Cup and, according to the rules, could carry on as a non-official finisher if he found himself a new partner by 8pm last night. Then the surprise announcement came that he would team up with South African pro David George, who had cut away from fellow South African, Rupert Rheede. New Zealand professional Kashie Leuchs, of Cannondale Vredestein 2, also dropped his partner, Axel Bult, a rider who was roped in only last Tuesday, and crossed the finish line alongside Saturday's winners, the Bulls team of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm. Leuchs said he and Bult had discussed the strategy the night before: "With all respect to the Epic, all the professionals came here to train for the World Cup. It would be extremely frustrating if I could not do this. I need to train hard and today was good for my confidence. A penalty is fair enough. But if we get taken out, none of the pros will come back next year." Platt said the other professionals were happy with the loners getting new partners if it meant that no one would get an unfair advantage. Meanwhile, tears ran down mud-caked faces as exhaustion took its toll on the minds and bodies of many riders at the back of the field. Many collapsed, shaking uncontrollably, as they crossed the finish line after 128km of hellishly steep climbs, soft sand and loose rocks. South African veteran David Arpin was taken by paramedics to the race hospital on a stretcher. His partner, Brendan Murray, said his bike frame broke early on, but they fixed it with wire from a farm fence. Official race doctor Basil Bonner said no serious injuries were reported, but many suffered from dehydration.

Went out on Sat (Lido route) with recent hub threads on my mind. Was late - 8 am, as the missus is a morning person, so I was by myself and not in a rush. I saw: Joggers coming at me 2-a-breast (they were women so 4-a-breast?) on Van Buurren, site of last week's photo, as I drove out to the N3. Rain Dead body on Swartkoppies Kibler Park Sea Scouts hut - wtf? The tide's gonna have to come in a long way to make their day. An ostrich farm of 200+ birds I'd never seen before in a year of riding past. Driver's mate gesticulate to me to get onto the gravel as they'd had to slow down behind me with lorries coming the other way. ShaunH's signs, nice but need some more. The dead dog at the bottom of the steps, decomposing since August - pretty powerful preservtives they put in dog food. Car stop in front of me in yellow lane and throw open both driver's side doors. Rain and spray. Special K bar is rubbish - wish I'd had a boost. Pedestrian groups who said hi and those that didn't. Cyclists (MTB and road) who said hi and those that didn't. So I thought it was a huge mix of experiences for a short time on the bike and to focus on one thing rather than another distorts the picture. At different times I was happy, scared, fed-up, unfocused, content, angry, thoughtful and mostly wet. Next week same time, same place.

Pick and Pay are out of grape nuts too. Love BG's attitude to chocolate - volume beats presentation, me next at the trough.

Haakbos Naturists Lodge Nudist / Naturist Activities in Bela-Bela, Limpopo, South Africa Anyone know if you can cycle here and are there any suppliers specialising in naturist-specific equipment? http://www.whattodo.co.za/img/sp.gif http://www.whattodo.co.za/img/sp.gif

Oh no, there he's done it now - Windbreaker has gone for the "C" word. Totally unnecessary in the middle of a lot of self-righteous ranting to come out with something so sensible. Compromise - nice one Windbreaker, the voice of reason.

I had to go out for a couple of hours but it seems like you carried on without me. Riding through a red at Kloof and Van Buurren is a bit naughty but it looks early enough not to be dangerous. If you think this is bad (which it isn't) you wanna see the Bedfordview joggers, they fill the road... I mean fill the road, and they're given footpaths. And if you think that's bad last week on this road I saw a baby monkey in some bird's Mercedes C230 hopping around the front seats. I knew it was a baby as it had a disposable nappy on - tell me that's not distracting to the driver, especially when the thing put it's face in her lap. So if you're the sensitive type you really want to steer clear of Bedfordview we're all A-type personalities with a need for counselling.

Looks like the stretch past Village View Doesnt look too bad?

Thank you, thank you .... you've been a wonderful audience.

Mozambique has licences for cyclists but for tax rather than identification purposes - I wonder if this is where BigH got his idea? Identifying cyclists or cycles by a reg. no? Let me think about that....... ROFLOL

Yoga is great It reduces the urge to beat up grandpas and swear at motorists and I can now clean my ears with my toes.

Hipocrates - wasn't he the ancient greek fella that came up with the oath for doctors? Wouldn't want to spend every Sunday with him but one might be interesting.

National Geographic: "The African Helmet Bush rarely flowers but when it does it produces a single red fruit"

The sporting gods often put great talent into flawed characters to confuse our ideas as to how our heroes should be. Top of my list would be: Mike Tyson and then a huge distance behind him John McEnroe Paul Gascoigne Most Australian cricketers etc; etc. No rights and wrongs in this but it makes for debate and puts excitement in sport. Look at mens tennis - talented but boring for the last 20 years.

Could we not find a longer article with a smaller font on something more pointless than running to get high? Otherwise loved it but now need to go to the optician - better run before they close. I have detected a lull in quality postings today maybe the Argus factor has set in. 80 mins. left and that's it with work - time for Cape Town.

Fair enough Windbreaker I guess I'll change my view rather than my signature.

If SC gave a sanitised version maybe that's better for giving the race a chance next year. The organizers have got a huge amount of experience out of this year's event and it can be positively used to establish the race next. I don't like censorship but maybe, in this case, it helps if the sport's only TV prog doesn't broadcast the debacle the way CNN might. Those that need to know what happened, know what happened.

You shouldn't worry Frosty - anything found in Gauteng (roadkill, bits of old tyres etc.) is probably eaten here and wouldn't be shipped to Cape Town.

I'm hoping that the moonrise information is not going to be useful

Well done, great result...... er what race and err what report? .....but really really good - I'm sure!

Short report on the race - (can't get rid of underline) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=185&art_id=vn20070305070442104C361421

Hi Racman, welcome to the Hub Your 1st post is in quite a dead zone timewise so if you don't get a response and it disappears off the latest posts list, re-float it tomorrow any time from say 8 a.m. and you should score. Sorry not in a position to advise on your query but there's plenty that will be.

What, you want to spoil uninformed ranting and mudslinging with the facts? Obviously you don't spend much time around the hub Great offer, though - thanks.