VETS WORLDS SELECTIONS 2008

[gianni]

And its no use picking a rider like me if I medal at SA's cause Im a wheelsucker' date=' you need the hard men that can sit with the elites.[/quote']

 

Being a wheelsucker isn't such a bad thing. Look at Evan's in last year's World's.

 

Send GL!!! 

[Sean Badenhorst]

As far as I know, anyone can enter these Vets World's in Austria, you don't have to be selected by your country. In fact, I wasn't even aware there was a national Vets team selected for anything (on the road) until I read this post.

I don't think Vets get paid for in any sports, so cycling isn't unique. The way I see it is that the guys aiming for World's should just prepare for it properly, starting well in advance, and then go and race as individuals or with some of their close mates. A proper national vets cycling association needs to be formed if it should ever be any other way.

 

[Andrew mclean]

Hello Guys,
I am NOT a selector, I won?t bore you with pages of reasons why not.
However I do agree that some of these selections or rather non selections
are really questionable. I agree SA champs are important, but certainly should not be
the only race.
Leaving Werner Moolman out shows how little the selectors know about Vets racing.
Making a mistake is not a problem, however when we as a sport, make the same mistakes year after year then we need to question our future!

Andrew Mclean.

[Athena]

I think they should send guys who know how to race.......

Apart from Jock Green, Andrew Mclean the rest are local racers who dont have what it takes to compete with the savvy International contingent

They might be the strongest but there not exactly the cleverist

[Pantani]

 

Hello Guys' date='

I am NOT a selector, I won?t bore you with pages of reasons why not.

However I do agree that some of these selections or rather non selections

are really questionable. I agree SA champs are important, but certainly should not be

the only race.

Leaving Werner Moolman out shows how little the selectors know about Vets racing.

Making a mistake is not a problem, however when we as a sport, make the same mistakes year after year then we need to question our future!

Andrew Mclean.

[/quote']

 

Oi!!! you should be watching your monitor and making notes preparing your post stage comments, not stuffing around on The Hub!

 

[butafly]

I think they should send guys who know how to race.......

Apart from Jock Green' date=' Andrew Mclean the rest are local racers who dont have what it takes to compete with the savvy International contingent

They might be the strongest but there not exactly the cleverist

[/quote']

 

hellooooo , wakey,  wakey,

csa are not sending anyone to worlds, they've just selected riders who are allowed to wear SA colours if they choose to go and ride. and i think they give you the kit and R1 500 towards costs the rest comes out of your or your sponsors pocket.  

[Spinnekop]

Thanks CSA for the first joke of Monday....

You guys crack me up.....without disappointment.....every *$(*$ year!!! 

 

 

Good luck to the guys going. 

Make us proud....

 

My sentiments are with 101% and Owen.

 

You want to perform at worlds?  Send a team over......not a bunch of guys that has NEVER trained together.  Don't like each other.  Uses different EPO.  Has different taste in women.  Ride different styles and have different qualities i.e climbing, sprinting, wheel sucking, .....blah...blah....etc....etc....

 

 

[Pantani]

Hahahahahahha

[BIGBOY]

This is a insult to riders and sponsors who give and give and dedicate whatever free time they have to the sport, but never receive (When i say receive i am referring to courtesy, respect and professionalism).

 

I agree a selector with no clue and unknown to the Vets and the team managers is a joke. I believe chat to the managers like you rightly stated, in my opinion the managers can provide loads of info as they find out things and try to know the other teams almost as well as their own guys.

 

I suggest the "selectors" choose their team of 10 guys, the team managers all nominate their selections and out of this another 10 riders with the most votes and not yet chosen are added to the selectors list, then you can even alow the licensed VETS riders to nominate and add 10 from their nominations.  Now you have a good selection of 30 riders including some less known riders, whom then are to be invited to a exclusive training camp or VETS Tour where the selectors and team managers form the final selection panel and together select a team of no less than 10 to go and compete. This way you will cover an wide opinion base, with a true test to determine the in form top riders.

 

Yes we might not be able to compete at top level yet, but damn we have to start somewhere, and 2 or 3 riders can not compete against teams consisting of 10 world class guys in each team.

[Marco]

unless i missed it, can someone please let everyone know who the selectors where?

[Eldron]

This is a insult to riders and sponsors who give and give and dedicate whatever free time they have to the sport' date=' but never receive (When i say receive i am referring to courtesy, respect and professionalism).

 

I agree a selector with no clue and unknown to the Vets and the team managers is a joke. I believe chat to the managers like you rightly stated, in my opinion the managers can provide loads of info as they find out things and try to know the other teams almost as well as their own guys.

 

I suggest the "selectors" choose their team of 10 guys, the team managers all nominate their selections and out of this another 10 riders with the most votes and not yet chosen are added to the selectors list, then you can even alow the licensed VETS riders to nominate and add 10 from their nominations.  Now you have a good selection of 30 riders including some less known riders, whom then are to be invited to a exclusive training camp or VETS Tour where the selectors and team managers form the final selection panel and together select a team of no less than 10 to go and compete. This way you will cover an wide opinion base, with a true test to determine the in form top riders.

 

Yes we might not be able to compete at top level yet, but damn we have to start somewhere, and 2 or 3 riders can not compete against teams consisting of 10 world class guys in each team.

[/quote']

 

/prepares for the flaming but....

 

My reply is based on two truths:

 

1) Expecting anything from any sporting body in South Africa is a waste of time.

 

2) If you want something done right - do it yourself.

 

So - if you want to go to worlds - go! It's open to anybody with a bike and an entry fee.

 

Have a chat to your mates - gather some cash and go as a team - nothing is stopping you - the selection only entitles the rider to wear SA kit.

 

Bulk Pack meat or any other local team can race as a team at worlds. All they need is the cash.

 

At the risk of going all political on this - there are strong parallels with most of the problems in SA - all we ever do is whinge about how someone else should be solving our problems for us. I'm sure in the UK/US/elsewhere the age catters get support but this is SA - we got squat - our option are whinge about how we're getting a raw deal or take the initiative, raise some cash and go to worlds.

 

It's not easy but it is possible.

 

/rant over - let the flaming begin...

 

 

[Spinnekop]

Eldron

 

You are missing the point boet.  WAY MISSING IT.

 

CSA is saying....."these are the riders that can wear green and gold".  They are SA's best....

And being part of the Vets racing weekend after weekend, I can tell you that these guys are NOT the best. 

So they pitch up and Italy and France squash them like bugs....and we wonder why.......

 

There is something for me, call it pride, to wear your country's colors.  Going as part of my team is easy.  VERY EASY.  But in the end, I am not "classified" as one of SA's top (Selected) riders.

 

But that is just me........

 

 

 

[Marco]

worlds should be an honour, it should be open and everybody should be in agreement. yet again the CSA / SACf has let us down!!!!

WOULD THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SELECTORS PLEASE HAVE THE BALLS AND STAND UP AND ANNOUNCE YOURSELVES!!!

 

 

[BIGBOY]

Spinnekop & Marco I agree with you boys, the fact is you earn the right to wear that kit.

Why go as a BARBARIAN team and not as a recognised or 1st choice if you have worked hard, performed and truly earned the right to go and wear the kit.

[Eldron]

Personally I don't see the attraction of the whole "green and gold" thing - the experience is way more important to me than the selection medal and certificate. The CSA as pointed out in this thread are useless - why would you want a pat on the head from them?

 

I don't know how it works in vets racing (I haven't raced road vets for some years) but in triathlon there is an "appeals" process where if you aren't selected for whatever reason you can appeal to the committee and they will assess your eligibility.

 

Maybe triathlonsa is just more jacked than CSA - in my age cat 35-39 no less than 8 athletes were chosen to rep SA at worlds. They were even happy to include me (I punctured at SA's) - all I had to do was email the provincial rep and they would have included me. Perhaps because duathlon/triathlon is so small (compared to road racing) the service is more personal.

 

Of course the usual drawbacks exist: own kit, own travel, own accomodation etc.

 

Hmmm there has to be a moral to this story....start running and swimming maybe

 

 

Eldron

 

You are missing the point boet.  WAY MISSING IT.

 

CSA is saying....."these are the riders that can wear green and gold".  They are SA's best....

And being part of the Vets racing weekend after weekend' date=' I can tell you that these guys are NOT the best. 

So they pitch up and Italy and France squash them like bugs....and we wonder why.......

 

There is something for me, call it pride, to wear your country's colors.  Going as part of my team is easy.  VERY EASY.  But in the end, I am not "classified" as one of SA's top (Selected) riders.

 

But that is just me........

 

 

 

[/quote']

[Marco]

I have worn the green and gold at Vets Worlds, and believe me, it is still an honor!! the way the other countries look at you and wonder and it does leave a lump in your heart. you end up racing harder than ever before without thinking of any fear. its truly what it is all about. thats why i am peeved off about it. it should be a system whereby they take various races into account, and also various types of races. it used to be like that a couple of years ago, whereby they included flat, hilly, tt's etc.!!  it pisses me off that the csa have no be-littled it to such a state!!!