Madmac

I haven't been following this whole thread but I must say that I'm starting to feel bad about coming down for the cycle tour given the water shortages. I am not sure what percentage of the field are locals and what percentage are out of towners but surely they should cancel these events in order to look after resources which are critical. The knock on effect is also huge for tourism, airlines, etc. But still, it's reached a point that the Cape is going to run out of water, period! That should be enough reason to go into self preservation mode at whatever the cost of the economy on a short term basis.

Nothing is impossible for Martin! We will probably not see anyone in our lifetime be as determined and tough as him.... a true living legend of adventure!

I can't speak of the performance of either bikes but looking at the spec difference, definitely worth spending the extra for the GT.

I ride MTB 99% of the time and was fortunate to land up with a D batch start time on Sunday having started previous 94.7 races in much later batches (because of not having a seeding) and was interesting to see how batches stay and pace together. I am still having to change my riding style to road because i want to bomb it most the time which is what i do on a mtb. Unfortunately for me, i punctured twice, coming down Jan Smuts and on Malibongwe. This caused me to fall back so i noticed when i picked up a new bunch, the pace would be according to riding a sub 3 for them so i had to work on my own to break the sub 3 time. What i am learning with road is that it's important to A: get a good seeding, B: ride in a bunch and C. Have decent tyres!! Riding smart and not necessarily riding hard is the key to road riding. I am not saying it's easier, it's just a different style of riding and as people say, individual time trialing shows the true measure of a rider.

I have ridden a couple of stage races now and B&B was my first on a carbon hardtail. It's easy riding a hardtail on the downhills like puffadder, it's the sections of track where you are riding on rough terrain like grassroots and lots of bumps that kill you on a hardtail. Unfortunately for me, i went into B&B trying to get over the flu, needless to say, i feel terrible this week. It was an amazing race and i grinded it out. My strategy was to stop as little as possible so i i kept those wheels turning all the time and managed to maintain D batch for the race.

I'm glad to hear, i was a little disappointed with S2c this year compared to last year. Not the ride, but the riders that rode. I can't wait for Day 1, i was super excited about it from when they introduced it a few years back and some say the best day on the saddle in SA!!

I'll be doing my first one and also the Descent. I can't wait, i am really expecting good things. This will be my third stage race this year, i have been really fortunate to have done the Lowveld Quest as well as another Sani2c.

I bought a Flash last week from Jules with a 1x10 on (11-36 with 32 upfront). I have done 3 rides on it so far and i am loving the 1x10. I have done a lot of hills training on those rides and i don't think i will look back. It's all about knowing your riding style and what works for you. I do also think that gears are a mental thing and you work with what you have but that's a whole new discussion. Definitely go 11-36 on rear cassette or bigger, but don't go smaller. I am not sure how flexible the front chainring is in terms of sizing but perhaps get 3 different sizes for different terrains you ride.

I don't know about cheering Derek, we were starring on!! i had to wipe the drible from my lip...

What an amazing experience, i was sitting ringside in Pmb and there were some foreigners around me, i think they were blown away by how loud it got. Incredible, Incredible, Incredible!!!!!

What is often forgotten and is much as we beg to differ, cycling / mtb'ing in SA is not a mainstream sport in school which is the root of any sports development. Instead, most kids who get into the sport is because they inherit it from their parents. Most kids don't grow up on bikes because there are security concerns for their safety, etc. Take Europe on the other hand, their mainstream sports are football, sking and cycling. They are also first world countries where governments are not having to throw money into educating the masses, building houses for the poor, etc so a lot of money can be poured into sports development. SA is a sports mad country and sometimes our downfall because of our beautiful climate is that we just have too many options and not enough resources. In a world where world economies are under stress and sponsors are dwindling, professional cycling in SA is under imense pressure and hopefully talented individuals like Greg Minnaar, the great and late Burry, Robbie Hunter, Daryl Impey, etc will get through the cracks and keep raising the profile so that more SA contendors will come through and fly our flag at the top of the international arena.

Does it really matter?? Get on your bike and ride it, tar, grass, snow, dirt.... who the hell cares!! Riding is a lifestyle and it's all our idealogies and perceptions that get in the way and cause segregation. As Niner like to say, Pedal Damn it!

I'm doing Berg & Bush descent that weekend so no Amashova for me this year. I would have to agree with the bunch, better than 94.7 but not nearly as good as Argus. It would be nice if the race organisers could fit a bit more of Durban in, it's a beautiful city and would be nice for out of towners.

Marc, i got a nice training ride for you off Kloof road, Bedfordview. 5km which includes mountains, technical climbing, descending and heart thumping riding. Ride that a couple of times and you could become the best master!

Omnico are the Fox agents in SA, give them a shout, Address: 18 Induland Crescent Lansdowne Cape Town South Africa Telephone: +27 21 691 0110