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edit: link to the event registration is open - click here. Some club mates have been talking about starting a weekly/bi-weekly/monthly Crit race on a short circuit course on a Friday night. The venue will be on a new section of tar SE of Rand Airport;1.72Km long and can be race both clockwise and counterclockwise;18m of elevation gain per lap - it's flat, but there will be "out the saddle" efforts twice per lap as you negotiate the two 180-degree turns (1 hair-pin and 1 mdeium sized traffic circle;Daurtion will be 30 mins + 1 lap - maximum of 4 groups per night;Estimated lap time of 2:00 - 2:30, depending on the group, giving 12-15 laps before the bell lap.Initial talks have been around a Friday evening as the full route is lit, but not sure what the interest will be vs a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. We'll start on a Friday evening, as planned, and then see how it gains traction. Seeding? What's that... if you get dropped, suck it up and try harder... or... drop a group the next time. Rules can be added as we go, eg. repeat winners can be pushed up a group, and vice versa for last few places. An entry fee may need to be charged to cover a medical team and toilet hire (the closest shops are about 2-3Km away, We'd prefer to award points for position and then perhaps have one end of season prize giving. As we grow, this can become more formal. No officials needed, and this won't be sanctioned. The costs to set this up is unnecessary, and is more about giving those interested in participating a chance to hone their bike handling skills, do some HIIT workouts under race conditions and FUN - the rules are simple: Safety first - it's the riders' responsibility to police the guys drifting/changing lanes;First one over the line wins - he/she gets to brag about it until the next race;The race starts on time, and only stopped if weather conditions make it unsafe - we'll use our experience from running our mass participation event. I'll post a link to the video soon - driving it by car doesn't do justice to the effort required to complete a lap or two or 12-15. What else? Let me know in the comments below

On Thursday morning, early, we start our tour to Durban which includes riding the Amashova (day 4). Our club has done many Durban tours in the past, but we haven't done one for the last few years. This thread will be a blog about our journey from Germiston to Durban, with photos and comments from as many of the tour group as possible - some of them are hubbers (but they like to keep a low profile) - pending internet connection at our overnight spots (and my willingness to sift through photos and type up a story). One of the reasons for the tour is to raise funds for the NSPCA (our chosen charity for the 947 Cycle Challenge this year). We have setup a Back-a-buddy campaign as well as an SMS number (947-67 to 38018, @ R25/sms) for any donations. Like most others, raising funds is hard as everyone has their own preferences of where to donate (if at all). If you have already donated, we say "thanks". If not - chose from one of the two methods above and help us help the animals. The route Comprising a group of 27 (24 riders and 3 providing permanent backup), we have a mix of abilities ranging from Vets to beginners, old and young, experience and inexperienced. Very few members have cycled more than 200Km in one go, so day 1 will be a big challenge (224km) for many members. Personally, the longest ride I've done is 191Km so nailing the DC will be something I've been looking forward to ever since we started planning this tour. So far, the forecast for Thursday is looking promising... a tail wind (forecast is at Standerton - at the dam), which is 170Km into our ride. Let's see what the post-ride feedback it like. The biggest concern, I would think is this heatwave we're currently experiencing, so I'm guessing a lot of fluids will be consumed by all. Day 2 appears to be a good recovery ride, if you can call 157Km a recovery, while day 3 will be a favourite among most as we make our way through the KZN midlands before we reach PMB on Saturay afternoon. Day 4 is on the Amashova, starting in TL (for 3 of our tandems) and BB (buddy batch) for the rest. We'll be riding in club kit on Sunday, so look out for the "minions" on the road on Sunday... Three sleeps and counting...