DIPSLICK Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 but it seems like he will say whatever he needs to to get what he wants... pretty much 99% of all pro athletes/politicians Spoke101 1
Ramrod Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 but it seems like he will say whatever he needs to to get what he wants... pretty much 99% of all pro athletes/politiciansand people in general! Cellar and Underachiever 2
jcza Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 but it seems like he will say whatever he needs to to get what he wants... pretty much 99% of all pro athletes/politicians Us corporate jonnies will do the same and throw all our maatjies under the bus in the process.
DIPSLICK Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 Us corporate jonnies will do the same and throw all our maatjies under the bus in the process. Bean counters all about the Benjamin's
McD23 Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 So Kevin has gone from riding with the suspended doper David George, to riding with the guy George accused of doping... Small world!um no, he went from David ( suspended ) to Brandon ( now suspended ) to Max ?Not so ? GLuvsMtb, TALUS and Andrew Steer 3
Sworks20 Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 If anyone remembers or got the mail that did its rounds last year of the "motley crew" of SA Pro's they are basically now on this team. Lets hope Neil leaves and finds greener pastures.
Ramrod Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 If anyone remembers or got the mail that did its rounds last year of the "motley crew" of SA Pro's they are basically now on this team. Lets hope Neil leaves and finds greener pastures.care to forward it to me if you still have it? Would be an interesting read.
G e r h a r d Odendaal Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 Has anyone met Kevin Evans in person, geez what a friendly down to earth guy! Firemeister, Tumbleweed and Spoke101 3
Gen Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 Has anyone met Kevin Evans in person, geez what a friendly down to earth guy! I saw him twice. . He smiled at me so he got bonus points But I also like Knox cause he is my BFFFFFF he just doesn't know it yet. G e r h a r d Odendaal 1
splat Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 Are you perhaps thinking of the incident at Baberton Ultra XCM in 2009 where Brandon pushed Kevin off his bike? Yupp. That's the one.Thanks for clearing that up. They obviously got over that incident.
Shebeen Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 I think this is the statement/email referred to.Seems quite odd now since he's back in epic so soon into the season, not entirely sure if it means he has given up on rio or not. Probably irked a few riders, but probably not far off either. Posted on his Facebook page, I wish him all the best and hope more will follow his example. Max Knox (Specialized) says he does not want to have any regrets the day he retires as a professional mountain biker.“I want to completely change my focus. The future of mountain biking, actually the pinnacle of the sport, is cross-country racing,” Knox” said.He was last year’s overall winner of the MTN Series and is currently 2nd overall.“Internationally cross-country racing overseas has a v...ery huge following.“Anyone who says that he became a cyclist to make money is stupid and talking nonsense. If you want to earn a good salary, go to university and get an office job.“I could have done that if I wanted to. I have matriculation exemption to go to University, but I preferred to cycle because I loved it. But I am no longer enjoying myself. I feel at the moment I have achieved all there is to achieve here in South Africa and I feel it’s time to aim higher internationally to further my career.“One of the reasons is that the quality of local racing is not as good as it used to be when I started out. In the past you had to be prepared to really push yourself to the limit to stand any chance at all to achieve a podium finish.“Nowadays I am racing at a much slower pace, but I am still achieving good results. I think a kind of road-cycling mentality has developed in mountain biking. Riders are not prepared to race hard any longer and I don’t want to be part of it. It is all about making easy money.“Don’t get me wrong. The MTN Series is very well organized and it has fantastic races, which have developed me as an athlete and I’m very grateful for them as they have raised the profile of cycling in South Africa, but I feel it’s time for me to take on the international circuit. .“After riding the TransAlp I realized that I am not that special as a mountain biker. I still need to improve about 1 or 2% and if I just continue to race locally, I will not be able to improve.“It is like being a big fish in a small pond. The only way for me to improve is to race internationally against faster and better riders.“I discussed my frustrations with my dad. He pointed out to me that I used to be the South African cross-country champion and suggested that I should take it up again with the aim of representing South Africa at next year’s Commonwealth Games and in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.“I am going to do just that. During the next three years I am going to focus on becoming a good cross-country rider.“This I can promise. I will give it 110%. The worst that can happen is that I fail and I am not scared of that. It will definitely be better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all.“I want to be able to look my children in the eyes one day and tell them that I had really tried. I want no regrets when I am an old man.“My advice to young riders is not to fall into a rut. They should not be scared of having goals and aspirations and they should be willing to put in a 100% effort to achieve them.“As I have said before, mountain biking should be about pushing yourself and having fun on the bike and fulfilling ones dreams.
TALUS Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 My comment at the time of that release was that one should not burn bridges. It may be that "...the much slower pace..." part comes back to him. I really would like them to do well though.
Spoke101 Posted March 17, 2014 Posted March 17, 2014 The whispers in the wing that I heard where that Max was told he would get a spot on the Ghost international squad an as of the last time I checked he wasn't or had ever been put up on there site as a official sponsored rider. So it might be a case of empty promises? I find it sad how most of the Pro riders here in SA chop and change between teams like they change their underwear, yes the riders have to take the opportunities that present themselves and do what they deem to be in their best interest but there seems to be no brand loyalty both with athletes and sponsors. Yes on the face of it everything seems to have ended amicably but the behind the scenes talk and politics with everyone throwing each other "under the bus" is killing the sport. Sponsors don't want to sponsor athletes because the get kicked in the teeth as the end of one season and obviously athletes aren't happy with there current situation be it that the grass may look greener on the other side or that they are not getting the support and backing they require? I think we need to take a leaf out of the overseas teams book and have sponsors make a long commitment to the sport ie. 10 years and do it to the best of their ability and on the other hand our riders need to stop being so fussy and a bit OCD, be happy you have a sponsor and a bike to ride. They for lack of a better way of putting it are way to serious and high strung always having an excuse as to why they didn't perform instead of just saying a better man won, suck it up and live to fight another day. Look at some of the European riders ie. Hermida, Fontana and the likes. A happy rider = a fast rider.Rant over. Ride it, Andrew Steer and G e r h a r d Odendaal 3
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