rattlesnake

I hope Nicolas takes this further as he should. Excessive force has been used - Donovan is a credible witness.

For optimal performance I would say no less than a 10MB line Data wise - 720p, probably 1GB an hour (ballpark).

R699 20MB uncapped Fibre with Axxess.... most people have an internet line as well as Dstv - so I don't see the full internet cost as relevant as I would have incurred this anyway. In my case I had a 20GB, LTE contract with helkom for R400pm. So I'm paying an extra R300pm. So all in all R600 per month; (vs Dstv Premium of R900pm) -R300 line upgrade, -R160 Netflix and R60 per month for Eurosport cycling (you need software that can change the location of your IP address for this - R1000 per year - so R83 per month). - R83 VPN AND I watch what I want when I want it and no longer suffer the ignominy of throwing my toys when the brains trust at Multichoice decide to air NASCAR instead of MTB World Cup

Cancelled my Dstv 2 months back..... will never look back. They are increasingly showing more and more garbage..... Series - netflix, R160 per month Subscription to Eurosport cycling less than R500 for the entire season. XCO and DH, free on Red Bull tv in HD.

carbon29er, on 09 May 2017 - 6:23 PM, said: I'm not sure this is a Froome thread. As someone that has been knocked off my bike in a hit and run type fashion I assure that when you're victim to it you won't be able to find anything to say in jest. It's actually a really crap thing to have happen to you for various reasons.... 1. the realisation that it was nearly the end of you... 2. The injustice of it all, knowing that you most likely will never be able to confront the person and right the wrong done to you.... 3. the lingering psychological damage.... for 2 years after being hit my heart froze every time a car whizzed past me.. bracing for the impact. Most folk who haven't been hit will see the picture of the bike and read that he is physically unhurt and think that all is well that ends well. I'll tell you that it isn't. I guess what I'm trying to say is that when I read stories like this I find it very difficult to be lighthearted.... perhaps some other guys here feel the same way.

Got lost (er sidetracked) in those trails up on the mountain behind Clarens a few weeks ago.... some of the trails built for the Asburton race are sick.... eventually ended up on hiking trails and hiking our way down the mountain on the other side... best day on (and off) the bike in a long long time. Highly recommend it to anyone.... entry to trails is at the back of Clarens next to water reservoir, follow the signs and then follow your nose... if you get lost its not hard to find your way back.

What probably didn't come across clearly enough in my argument, was that it is so unlikely that the issue of doping will ever be adequately addressed, quite simply because the structure of the sport and society is such that the doping doctors will always be one step ahead of the ones trying to catch the dopers. I don't approve of it, I don't think its right, but I have a level of acceptance because its one of those facts of life. My hypothesis is that the level of equality is probably higher in a doped pro peloton then in a field of amateurs with varying natural abilities and tendencies towards drugs, even though athletes respond differently. - Firstly because the entry criteria into the pro peloton is narrower i.e having the requisite engine, and - Secondly because competitive forces will drive the pro's towards using similar methods of achieving gains (i.e. there will be less differences in the substances used). Compare this to an amateur field where there is no minimum required entry point, and a multitude of drugs used unsupervised and without the input of top doctors.

I have a conflicted view on this, probably an incorrect one but a view nonetheless. As a starting point my assumption is that most riders at the very top end of the sport are or probably have been doped as competing at the very highest level against dopers requires it... How else would you explain convicted dopers getting beaten in races right? I'm afraid I just don't believe in fairy tales, magicians and natural FTP's anything north of 6ish watts per kg. If I am right and most of pro cycling is doped, Is that status ok? No. But is it something that can likely ever be addressed? I don't think so. This would mean that pro cyclists with international ambitions have a choice to make, dope and be competitive or don't dope and get washed out trying. What is also interesting to me is that any pro, doped or not, would need a particularly big engine to start with to make the cut.... Which kind of makes me feel more ok about it, because these are superior athletes anyway right... a battle between equals!? And this is where my view gets controversial I think... believing what I believe above, that to cut it at the top end as a pro, you have to dope - I don't feel hard done by when I think that ex pro dopers are racing epic, because I'm not certain that the current crop are clean to start. But perhaps more hypocritically I have a huge issue with amateurs doping... particularly because the driver behind it is pure ego... guys who seek to patch their athletic ability or lazyness in training with money and to drugs to become something they're not. My perception is that fewer amateurs dope and as a result you get guys buying race results with drugs.... Whereas in the pro peloton I think that drugs without a superior engine gets you squat. Anyways I'd love to be able to reduce this argument to black and white... but life ain't always like that... sometimes its an uncomfortable grey. NB (OPINION PIECE).

As far as I'm concerned the event organisers should reach into their pockets and fund these costs, they chose to launch the 'business venture', they were going to be the beneficiaries of any profits and hence they should bear the risk of losses. Moreover this situation arose due to their incompetence. That's how business works. Now #paybackthemoney in full!

I tagged in Andy Schleck.... for what it's worth. The heat is on.

It's the principle. Someone has to stand up against people who exploit others. Stuff like this happens in SA because people let it. I know a few attorneys involved here who think the same.

That's my suspicion too... easy money. Probably didn't bank on some of the victims being attorneys though.

I think pitch forks are in order now. All I can say is that these guys best refund race entry fees post haste. For me it's a matter of principle, you don't take people's money when you aren't certain you can deliver the product that was contracted. I for one will not take this lying down.

Thanks for (hugely important) clarification. My mind is made up. Question is, will be successful in claiming refunds.