Where are you from,what do you do?

Guest

Hi, I am not new to the site but have only registered today. Live in Pretoria, South Africa and work in IT as a Disaster Recovery specialist I started cycling in 86 and cycled seriously till about 93 when bad arthritis caused me to stop. I started again two years ago but did not take it seriously. At this stage I cycle to work and back about 45km three times a week and also do some races over weekends. I have found that if I don't push to hard the arthritus actually gets better. I did the Argus last year in a time of 4:04 after a training program of 100 km over two months. Hoping to do much better this year.

Vo2

Hi Sugarman, welcome to the forum!
It's amazing how many members are in IT. 8)

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

EPO

Hi, I am 25 years old TODAY. I stay in Johannesburg and I am a Senior Programmer/Systems Architect. I'm married to a beautiful wife for nearly 2 years now with no children yet. I started Cycling in April 2000 when I tilted the scale at 112 Kg. I finished my first 94.7 in 4:10 and my first Argus in 4:30 both on a mountain bike. I have been training hard since then and bought myself a racer 2 months ago. I have raced in as many races as I could afford and will be starting in the C bunch in this year's Argus weighing now 94Kg (and still loosing  ). Hoping for a Sub 3 but will be happy with anything less than 3:15. I am a big fan of Lance Armstrong and Robert Hunter. I take cycling very serious and train 10-14 hours a week (spinning and road).

I joined this forum to learn as much as possible about this sport so that I can apply it in my own training and help others who do not know.

I love the vibe of this forum and the people here seems to know a lot. Hope to chat a lot to you guys ;D

Cheers

__________________
"It's not whether you win or lose; it's how you place the blame."

Vo2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CADENCE!
Wow, only your 2nd Argus and your'e gunning for a sub3! Well done!

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Eldron

Cadence - welcome to the site! Great to have a 'loser' on board  ;D

Had a similar experience with an ex team mate - gave up his bike for 5years and balooned to 113kg. He's down to 91kg and hitting sub 3s regularly.

Guest

So thats the answer to a sub3 ? lose a few kgs to make the hills easier!!

I am a Vet, working for Hill's pet nutrition. Living in Midrand,GP (Gauteng) South Africa . (Yes very close to the new gravy train!!) Got into cycling as a silly bet with a client who challenged me to do the 94.7 (2000) because I had got a bit podgy working for a corporate. Droped from 100 kg to 92, but still need to lose a few.

My company sponsors shirts to all Vets (Thats Veterinarians, no older cyclists !) and we do the after party thing at the argus. So if you see someone with a dog and cat on their shirt DON'T ask for a free consult. ;D  

The bug bit hard and I now own a racer as well as my original MTB.

Did 3hr for 94.7 and am hoping for a 3h15 argus with luck and good weather.

Vo2

Welcome to the forum, cycleguy!

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

Greetings all.

I live on the Gold Coast if anybody cares. *I just started a new job with an accounting firm that gives me a 48km (round trip) commute on the bike every day. *I also like doing longer rides on weekends (most of which are solo because instead of trying to avoid hills, I go looking for them).

I've also done some cycle touring around South East Queensland and am hoping to ride around Tasmania later this year.

Guest

Welcome Chris_L.  Good to see a Gold Coast cyclist up and about. ;D

Guest

Yeah, we've had a few incidents around here recently, but nobody really seems to have stopped riding.  In any case, I never seriously believed the motoring primate was human anyway.  ;D

Guest

I am from Manchester, MD an hour north east of Washington DC.  I am getting my degree in Physical Education and hopefully teaching by August.

Guest

Gday all
I'm from Brisbane Australia.

I ride MTB mainly but I'm getting a roadie for the K's.
I ride 3-4 times a week in the mountains.

Road riding in queensland is life threatening!!
(you can die trying!)

Happy days are on a bike!

roKeMS

Guest

Hi I'm from Pretoria, South Africa - ex Durbanite but still a strong Sharks supporter.
I've been cycling since Jan '02 after my twin brother entered me for the Argus 'cause he wanted a new bike. His wife wouldn't let him get a new bike so he entered me and told her that I want to buy his old bike if he gets a new bike.
We started training together averaging about 200 k's per week, and we did 3 races before the "Argus" (Hyper to Hyper; 94.2 and Ride for Sight)
I'm hooked and we want to enter the "Vasbyt cycle chalange"
I did my first Argus and suffered like hell -WHY didn't antbody warn me against the bloody heat??? I finished in 4:52 but was aiming for something closer to 4 but I will be back!!!
I realy enjoy this sight -keep up the great work!

Guest

Been here for a few days and never let anyone know about myself. So let me wipe the chain lube off the face and give the low down.

I live in Nuke @$$hole (Newcastle) South Africa. Been riding since who knows when. Was when I was still in school. Then it was BMX that was the craze and I was heavily undergeared when I entered my first race. I was 4th in every heat that I rode. Sounds good until you realise I was the last one on each heat. I rode in denims, flannel shirt and a MX helmet and died in the heat. That was not for me, so I went into trick riding. I eventually went on to become known as the guy on the back wheel. I did the longest Wheelies in town.

Anyway I went to do my national service and left the bike for a while till I started studying in Durban. I got back on the BMX to ride to studies but it took too log so I borrowed a cruiser to get around. Cool I had gears to change. Then I got a job in Newcastle in '89. Bought a cheap racer to get to work. Was expensive at the time as I had to pay it off over a few months but I enjoyed it anyway. R900 I think it was.

Time went on and I joined the local club. I enjoyed the monthly Kermesse and a weekly time-trial but lacked any race experience except for the mad rush round the local Midas Block for the Kermesse. I ended the year in second place on the senior kermesse series. The guy who beat me had ridden the Rapport Tour 3 times..... ;D But was close to retirement from the sport anyway.

Then came my first big race. The Jock Tour in Eastern Transvaal. Whoo did I suffer!!! But I had basically given it my all in training and did quite well considering. My position 94th. PMB to Durban was next and I rode in 92nd place. This was fun I thought.

For the next few years I did some good races in Natal. Never really in the top finishers but mostly among the top 30 to 60. On one occasion on a very hilly ride I managed to get a 4th place but it was a small race. I liked them better. Then came the great day that I broke a long standing time trial record set by non other than our Rapport Tour Rider. I was happier than a pig in s***. The next week I won another hilly race in the last 200 meters after a rider broke away 5 kilos in to the race. I caught him after an attack I put in at the turnaround when they told me the other guy had gained a lot of time on us. I then went on the next weekend to win a kermesse by two laps after a break from the start.

My best performances on the longer races had to in the 180km Tour de Merino which I rode 3 times having a 44th the first time, 27th the second and 19th place the last time I rode. I also won (Lucky draw) a bicycle in the last one. Rode that bike up and down the passage and sold it cause it was too heavy. The same year (94) I was invited to ride in the Netherlands with 3 other guys in our club. One of them a Natal Junior champ.

I rode two big tours over there mainly in the area that the Tour of Holland is ridden and can say that this was a highlight of my time on the bike. South Africans had a lot to learn as far as riding was concerned. I was given a wakeup call to my level of fitness there. The first tour I was involved in a crash in a hairpin bend after going down a mountain pass at 110 kph. I crashed at round 60kph after drifting into a barrier.

The next tour was very hard. We had around 125 - 130 starters and only 52 finished. I think it was 65 riders that were dropped on the last day. I was one of the ones that missed the gap along with one of my team mates but we made a last ditch attack and grabbed back onto the front group. The rest resigned. I was last on GC but at least I finished. I was impressed with my form on the mountains though cause I was always amongst the first 5 - 10 over the top. Not easy with an average of around 40 at the end of the tour. Time trialing was also great with me making the first 30 and that in slippery as snot rain conditions. I left there with a lot of regret as I felt I could really do well if I had stayed and got better training. I picked up hayfever while I was there and even rode like that. I was sneezing throughout the stage but I was adament to finish. I went to England and did a race there but punctured on a very hilly but fast course so I retired from that as I had no backup. Then I came back to SA and ended up taking a bit of a rest. Something that I never should have done as I ended up resting till the next year. I rode a short local race which I won. The shorter of two been the one I rode. The other longer race was taken by some Robert Hunter guy... :-/ Whoever he was?

Since then I got hitched and got two sons to keep me away from my bike for a few years. Still pulled it out for our local races a week before they happened just to do some training, race and then let it gather dust again.

Then came last years Argus. About 20 years of riding and I had yet to try out this race. So I dusted the bike took a substitution and off I went. Did a bit of light training doing about 3 or 4 long distance rides and tackled the Argus. I didn't know the route so I didn't know what to expect. I struggled a little on Smitswinkel and Ou Kaapse Weg but from the top of Ou Kaapse Weg I let rip and that was it TT to the end with riders stringing out behind me. What fun to watch bunches wittle down as I went. Flew up the hill at Hospital Bend and cruised to the finish. 3:19. Not too bad for the first outing I thought. I wish I had known the course a bit better. Time would have been much closer to 3:10 if I had ridden hills a little harder.

This year was different. Same distance training but only in 2 weeks but the heat got me quite bad. But happy to say I have sent the kids to school the wife is working and I have my bike to keep me company. Looking forward to getting back up to a high level of fitness again. Maybe give the pro's some competition. ;D

Oh did I mention I work in IT?  ;D

Mmmm I should have set up a website just for that.... :