Alberton _ JHB South Riders

[Slave]

Trubes, the route was very much up and down. Some long pulls that hurt and very few flat sections.

 

Some of those hills were steep enough to get 70 kph on the way back to give you an idea of gradient.

 

The wind also didn't help much.  And to top it all, I obviously left my climbing legs at home.

 

[Trubie]

Trubes' date=' the route was very much up and down. Some long pulls that hurt and very few flat sections.

 

Some of those hills were steep enough to get 70 kph on the way back to give you an idea of gradient.

 

The wind also didn't help much.  And to top it all, I obviously left my climbing legs at home.

 

[/quote']

 

Just think of the nice deposit into that savings (training) acc.

You will be able to draw on it in 30 days.

 

 

[Slave]

Hope so. Yesterday it felt like my training account got seriously overdrawn.

 

Still 125 k's for the days ride is not bad. At least I can consider that I did some hill training during the TDS.

 

I did not have to many issues with pedestrians during the race. Yes there were a few that dashed across the road every now and then a created some heart stopping moments, but overall it was a pretty good race.

 

There were a lot of spectators along the roads shouting and cheering us on, so the atmosphere was really great.

 

The kids particularly loved the race and lined the street wanting to "touch" (bascically high - five) the riders as we went passed. Only one or two actually went into the road and got in the way. Not enough to slow me down.

 

When they kids got "touched" they loved it and squealed with glee. 

 

I was appalled by the roads though. Loads of pot holes and I hit one of them but fortunately, no puncture. It happened when I was chasing down one of the medical rescue vehicles around Orland Stadium. Man that place is huge.

 

Saw some of the kids playing soccer with empty coke bottles.

 

But yeah, the route was not an easy one and compared to fountains, I did not have a fast moving wind shield. Had to tough this one out on my own.

[Slave]

PS. there were even a lot of loons blowing those damned Vuvzelas. I was seriously tempted to do some of them some grivous bodily harm.

 

Given that I was alone, I considered it wise to just swallow the frustration and say nothing. It gave me heaps of reasons to get away as fast as possible.

 

I can't say why I hate those  things so much. The sound really gets me all tense.

[Trubie]

maybe its because you cant blow it yourself?

jealousy makes one nasty they tell me!!

 

[Slave]

Dude, as a freshman at high school, I was a bugler in the cadet band. I can blow a tune on a vuvu, not just the same monotonous note they drone out at the soccer. Maybe that is the thing I have against them.

Perchance yesterday, or last night, there was such crud on TV I was playing flip it. Got to one of the local soccer matches and the noise of the vuvus drove me away after ten seconds. Turned the TV off and went to bed.

 

 

[Slave]

I was just checking the reults of TDS on the racetch website.

 

The last oke to finish the 80 k circuit (two laps) finished his race in 4 hr 30. That's two hours longer than I took. By the time he finished riding, I had done the race and ridden 35 k's home as well.

 

 

[Trubie]

I was just checking the reults of TDS on the racetch website.

 

The last oke to finish the 80 k circuit (two laps) finished his race in 4 hr 30. That's two hours longer than I took. By the time he finished riding' date=' I had done the race and ridden 35 k's home as well.

 

 

[/quote']

that is the type of people that keeps the cycle industry alive.

they spend R 1000's on their bikes to make them faster, athey enter races, which helps get the numbers up, and they make sure the marshalls gets a proper workout! they are the darlings of the spectators.

everyone just loves them

 

[Slave]

At leat he entered and finished the race. So many people that sit on their couches and drive the remote and that is about all the exercise they get the whole weekend.

 

It was more a comment about observation than anything else.

 

When I finished riding the race, I chatted to Spas09 for a but, then went off on my way. I started some time after a batch so the road was pretty much clear of cyclists. For a short time. I caught up with the 20km ride back markers in no time flat. Cops and marshalls kept telling me I wanted to got the wrong way. I had to show them my "medal" to prove I had done my race and was now going home. It was not long when I caught up with the back markers of the 40 k race.

 

Who knows, I may even have passed the last 80 km dude. By the time I got to Nasrec (Rand Show) road, I was passng them by the dozens.

 

Like I said, he rode and he finished. I respect him for that.

 

 

 

 

[Andyr249]

Seems like Slave is getting stronger then!

Next year the ASGR Team should do the Nandos Magalies Adventure. 145km in total but extremely fun! Got some good km's in the training account with this one!

[Slave]

Andy, bud, I feel anything but stronger. In fact, today I feel more than a little weak. My legs feel like the train missed them and the station fell on them instead.

 

Those back markers were moving along very slowly. Just after I left the stadium / start place, I was amazed by the gearing the guys and girls were using. Granny MTB gears on a flat. (Yes, there were one or two.)

 

When you use granny gears on a flat, how do you go up a hill?

[Trubie]

Andy' date=' bud, I feel anything but stronger. In fact, today I feel more than a little weak. My legs feel like the train missed them and the station fell on them instead.

 

Those back markers were moving along very slowly. Just after I left the stadium / start place, I was amazed by the gearing the guys and girls were using. Granny MTB gears on a flat. (Yes, there were one or two.)

 

When you use granny gears on a flat, how do you go up a hill?

[/quote']

 

they ride same gear whole race, dont understand why they spin out, but too scared to change the gears, cause you have to let go of the handle bars. they stop to drink and know you cant change gears while stationary, so they dont change at all.

 

[Slave]

Ah but with the modern bike, you have rapid fire shifters right there at your fingertips. If not, you at least have STI's or some lever right there. No more downshifters.

 

Have to admit that I changed gears less when I had downshifters but that had nix to do with taking my hands off the handle bars.

 

Had to laugh some months ago. Met up with a lady who was stuck with a puncture right at the shooting range. So I stopped to help her. She tells me she just phined her hubby to fetch her and her coach to tell coach she will be missing her lesson. VEry proudly tells me she had done a previous session with the coach on how to change gears.

 

Anyway, I fixed her puncture and got her going again. Had to make two more calls to cancell previously issued instructions.

 

She was so chuffed because I showed her how to fix the puncture and she would no longer have to go to LBS to get them to "fix" her puncure. They sold her new tubes every time.

 

But yeah, it was funny watching these people spin along on a flat road in granny gears. Damn they must get tired.

 

 

[porky]

Andy' date=' bud, I feel anything but stronger. In fact, today I feel more than a little weak. My legs feel like the train missed them and the station fell on them instead.

 

Those back markers were moving along very slowly. Just after I left the stadium / start place, I was amazed by the gearing the guys and girls were using. Granny MTB gears on a flat. (Yes, there were one or two.)

 

When you use granny gears on a flat, how do you go up a hill?

[/quote']

 

Actually, you will be surprised, but they just grit it out, theres lots of courage back there. 

 

I also rode, entered on the morning so started stone last, which was not an issue at all, but was quite interesting.

 

Everyone here tends to ride on their own or in pairs, so I just turtled along on my own as well, chatting to anyone who was interested.

 

At about 20kms we had a "sort" of group of 8 going including two young ladies, was great fun, we all just ambled along at the slowest riders pace, we all stopped for a drink after the first lap and before I knew it we had done 60 odd kms and came across a lady struggeling with a flat wheel, so we all stopped and between us had it fixed in a jiffy, in return she fed me a fat slice of fruit cake from her camelback and we all finished together with a rather sedate 27kmph average.

 

So yah, I enjoyed been there at the back.

[Slave]

"Racing" at the back can be really great fun. To the back markers it is not a race, it is about going out on Sunday and riding with a few other like minded people and chatting. And like you did, help each other.

It's only the great pretenders like yours truly that goes crazy and tries to chase and pass everything in sight. Depends on the race I guess.

 

I started out with the objective of riding with my bunch on Sunday and sticking with them "no matter what". Only thing is it was a)small and B) slow. So I went after time. Not as in I want a 2hr 30. I had no idea, just the best race pace I could get out of it.

 

So it was not a social event for me. Much like my other races this year. Everything I am currently doing has been with one single goal. I have to do a 3 hr or less 94.7 this year. Nothing else matters. 

 

When I have achieved that, I might take a more social view on cycling and ride races for fun again. Who knows?

 

I think the big problem with 21st century life is we have become so goal driven and we are so suspicious of the motives of others and the need to compete, that we have forgotten how to have fun. 

 

Maybe that's what cycling is all about. Getting fit and having fun. Meeting people and being social. Humans are after all social animals. Thats why we have so much fun on the Hub. (Yeah, I know, not all the time, but mostly.)

 

 

[Cyclewizz]

I was just checking the reults of TDS on the racetch website.

 

The last oke to finish the 80 k circuit (two laps) finished his race in 4 hr 30. That's two hours longer than I took. By the time he finished riding' date=' I had done the race and ridden 35 k's home as well.

 

 

[/quote']

 

Stop making fun of me us slow riders

I know where you stay