ABSA CAPE EPIC TO IMPOSE LIFETIME BAN FOR DOPING

The Absa Cape Epic, the most televised mountain bike stage race in the world, has announced that it will tighten its rules regarding anti-doping by introducing a lifetime ban for future offenders in the wake of the first high-profile doping case in South African mountain biking.

In November, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) announced that top cyclist and Absa Cape Epic contender, David George, tested positive for the banned drug, EPO (Erythropoietin) and would face a charge of doping at an independent tribunal. George has officially been given a two-year ban, prohibiting him from cycling professionally for this time period. SAIDS indicated that only results dating back to 29 August this year can be erased, thus George’s 2012 Absa Cape Epic results will remain unaffected. With his riding partner Kevin Evans, George finished in second place overall in this year’s Absa Cape Epic, his best performance in the event to date. George has also won the Absa African Jersey at the Absa Cape Epic three times (2008, 2009, and 2012) and, together with Evans, was a strong contender to be the first all South African team to win the race next year.

Says Kevin Vermaak, founder of the race: “As of 1 January 2013, any athlete (professional or amateur) caught using performance enhancing substances, whether at another event or out of competition, will be banned for life from participating in the Absa Cape Epic. Not only will the person not be allowed to participate (as an amateur rider or UCI- licensed elite), but the individual will also be banned from being involved on any level including as a team manager. This is harsher than what is required currently by any federation, but is our considered opinion of what should be enforced even on a wider scale with regards to event participation of convicted dope cheats.”

Vermaak continues: “We’ve chosen not to apply this retrospectively because we believe that would be naive. As has been exposed in recent months, cycling has a dark past. Many riders from this previous era have rediscovered the joy of cycling as mountain bikers and participate in the Absa Cape Epic as their expression of riding clean. Previous offenders, who have served their suspension term, may ride future Absa Cape Epics. We want to be part of the new era of cleaner cycling, and therefore only future offenders will receive the lifetime bans.

“Since the Absa Cape Epic was awarded UCI HC status, we’ve invested more than R800 000 into our anti-doping programme at the race and to date have only recorded one positive in-competition test at the event by an amateur,” says Vermaak.

The Absa Cape Epic anti-doping programme is overseen by the UCI appointed Doping Control Officer who works with the South African Institute for Drugfree Sport (SAIDS) to test athletes. Vermaak adds: “With the financial help of our sponsors, we will increase our investment in this programme for 2013 by increasing the number of athletes tested. We’ll also increase the time-window classified as in-competition testing.”

The Absa Cape Epic has been the catalyst in making the sport of mountain biking more professional in South Africa over the past 10 years. “The prize monies have been increased to R1 million in 2013 which consolidates the event’s position as largest prize purse in the world of endurance mountain biking. We also provide much greater media value output for team sponsors as this year’s event received over 4 000 hours of global television coverage. We feel that our uncompromising stance on dope cheats is another step in making not only South African mountain biking more professional, but also improving this discipline on a global scale. Obviously our actions alone can’t keep the entire sport of mountain biking clean, but I want to be 100% certain that we, as one of the most competitive mountain bike stage races in the world, are doing everything possible to play our role in the quest to eradicate doping in mountain biking,” Vermaak concludes.

Dusi set for revolutionary final day start

Organisers of the country's most famous river marathon, The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon, are confident the revolutionary concept of a rearranged start procedure on the final day of the three day spectacle will come to fruition this summer edition and end the 62nd edition of the three day race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban will end in a fitting climax.

The core of the plan, which has set the South African paddling community abuzz since it was first mooted, is to allow the majority of participants to finish the final stage, and then start the title contenders later in the morning to allow the 2013 winner to reach Blue Lagoon to a hero’s welcome.

"We're very happy with how things have unfolded in recent months and feel things are very much on track for this new concept to be implemented in 2013's The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon," said Brett Austen-Smith, General Manager of Natal Canoe Club, the host organisation of the KZN based event.

"The idea has grown from a mere concept to something that is very real and a structure that the paddlers should start viewing as very likely to happen next year," he added.

As one of the major events on KZN's sporting calendar one would expect the top performers of this iconic race to be greeted by streams of excited supporters lining the banks of Durban's Blue Lagoon, the annual venue of Saturday's third and final day.

Instead though, due to the remarkably short time these world class athletes take to reach the finish, most of the local community hasn't even stirred and their fellow competitors are only setting off from the start line at Inanda Dam and hence have had to become accustomed to the relatively dull atmosphere as they complete their impressive feats.

"The reasoning behind the change is to try bring the finish of the Dusi into the public eye far more and if this does happen, as it looks very likely to at the moment, then everyone will benefit immensely," said Austen-Smith.

"The only major issue left us to overcome is to try come to an arrangement which will see Umgeni Water give us an additional three hours of a water release so that water levels for the top guys, who will start at 11h00, are very similar to the one's the guys who started at 05h30 in B batch had."

"If we're able to sort this all out and this new concept takes place then not only will the paddlers benefit but so too the race, our sponsors and the entire sport of canoeing too as there will be a far greater interest in not only the Dusi itself but paddling as a whole because of this," he added.

Having regularly finished in the top five of the three day paddling spectacle from Pietermaritzburg to Durban Team Best 4 Kayak Centre's captain, Hank McGregor, knows all too well the somewhat bitter sweet emotion associated with crossing the line in front of a handful of supporters.

McGregor has been one of the particularly vocal elite paddling voices supporting the event organisers' push to revolutionise the format of the race's final day.

"I think it will be absolutely fantastic for everyone concerned if the rearranged start procedure does happen at next year's The Unlimited Dusi," said McGregor.

"It will be a huge benefit not only for us guys at the top who will be able to cross the line with hundreds, maybe even thousands of supporters lining the banks, but the rest of the field I'm sure would also really like to be able to watch the elapsed time guys battle it out to the finish line, especially if it’s been as tight as it has in some recent years."

"The paddlers, the local communities and the whole media will all be able to be a part of the hype which can only be a good thing!" he added.

A final decision on the matter will be made closer to the race's start date, 14 February 2013.

The Unlimited Dusi starts in Pietermaritzburg on 14 February 2013 and ends in Durban on 16 February 2013. More information can be found at www.dusi.co.za 

CROWE TORCHES BLAZER OVER CAPTAIN SACKING

Batting great Martin Crowe has burned his New Zealand Cricket (NZC) blazer in protest at Ross Taylor's sacking as the team captain, reports said Thursday.

Crowe, widely hailed as New Zealand's best ever batsman, has been fiercely critical of last week's decision to drop Taylor in favour of Brendon McCullum in an effort to reinvigorate the misfiring Black Caps.

The New Zealand Herald reported that Crowe torched his prized blazer last Friday, when news of Taylor's demotion was made public.

It said he tweeted "Burnt NZ cricket blazer Dec 7, 2012. RIP", adding that both the tweet and the account it was sent from had since been deleted.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying Crowe destroyed the blazer "so he would never be tempted to wear it again".

It reported the gesture was "the ultimate sign of disgust" from Crowe, a long-time Taylor supporter.
Crowe declined to comment, the Herald reported.

The 50-year-old blasted NZC over the ousted skipper's treatment over the weekend in a column on cricketing website Cricinfo, saying it had "destroyed the soul of Ross Taylor".

"They have amputated his spirit and there is no prosthetic for that," Crowe wrote.

NZC publicly apologised to Taylor on Wednesday over the way his demotion was handled but stood by the decision to replace him with McCullum after a string of disappointing results.

Taylor opted to sit out New Zealand's upcoming tour of South Africa after being dumped as captain.

ARMSTRONG RESISTED SUBPOENA, THEN WANTED SECRECY

Lance Armstrong resisted turning over records sought by U.S Postal Service investigators, and then tried to keep the inquiry under seal and out of the public eye, according to recently released court documents.

In 2011, Postal Service officials investigating Armstrong and his teams for doping wanted records from his team management groups, financial statements, training journals and correspondence with former training consultant Michele Ferrari. He eventually complied with the subpoena but as recently as October was still asking the courts to keep the inquiry private.

"They've been given everything they wanted and that they asked for ... months ago," Armstrong attorney Tim Herman said Tuesday.

The Postal Service was Armstrong's main sponsor when he won the Tour de France from 1999-2004. The team was sponsored by the Discovery Channel for Armstrong's seventh victory in 2005. Armstrong was stripped of those titles this year.

Last week, federal Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson in Washington ordered the subpoena and Armstrong's efforts to keep it private released to the public. The judge rejected Armstrong's arguments that releasing the subpoena would violate the secrecy of the grand jury process or a pending whistleblower lawsuit filed against Armstrong by former teammate Floyd Landis.

Armstrong was still the target of a federal criminal grand jury investigation into allegations of doping on the Postal Service teams when the subpoena was issued. That investigation was closed in February with no charges filed.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigated Armstrong for doping and in August ordered him stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. In October, the agency released a massive report detailing performance-enhancing drug use by Armstrong and his teammates. The report included sworn statements from 11 former teammates, including Landis.

Armstrong denies doping and insists he never cheated, but chose not to fight the USADA charges.

Normal entry deadline looming for 40th Midmar Mile

With a huge entry anticipated for the 40th anniversary edition of the aQuellé Midmar Mile, eager swimmers have less than a week to take advantage of the discounted early entry to secure their place on the start line for the milestone event on 9 and 10 February.

Swimmers have until 16 December to take advantage of the second stage of the  early bird entry fees. After that, the cost will go up incrementally as the event draws nearer.

Entering at Midmar Dam over the weekend of the race will cost R250. Enter before 17 December and the cost will be R100 less, at R150.

Besides saving competitors some money, early entries are also good for the administration of the Midmar Mile, said race organiser Wayne Riddin on Friday. “It helps us plan a bit better,” he explained.

Registration will again take place at Sportsman's Warehouse at the Cascades Lifestyle Centre in the three days preceding the Midmar Mile. “People can do late entries there, but it is more expensive,” Riddin said.

He also indicated that entering online is the surest way of ensuring participation in the world’s largest open water swimming event. “We prefer the people to make use of the lower entry fee and get their entries in before the closing date. It’s also online and the more people that enter online the better for us because they capture their own data.”

Riddin said two Midmar Mile seeding events held at Heia Safari Ranch in Gauteng in November and earlier in December produced fields up by 10 and 15 percent respectively on 2012. Based on that, he reckoned: “We could be looking at a 20 percent increase, and that could be closer to the 20 000 entry mark that we would like to achieve for a Guinness Book of World Records attempt”.

The Midmar Mile already holds the record for the world’s largest open water swimming event, but the goal has for a long time been 20 000 swimmers, and the 40th anniversary of the race would be an ideal time to achieve that feat.

The next seeding event is the aQuellé KZN Open Water Swimming Championships on 16 December at Albert Falls. After that there are no more seeding swims in the province. However, the Elgin Country Club in Grabouw in the Western Cape will host the Brian Curtis Mile on Sunday, 6 January, which would be an ideal time for holiday makers to set a seeding time.

More seeding events will follow at Heia Safari Ranch and the Rynfield Dam in Gauteng, where fields of over 1 000 are expected at each. Bloemfontein will also host a qualifier on Saturday, 12 January.

Talking about the addition of the Brian Curtis Mile as a qualifying event, Riddin said: “We’re working with an event that has a tradition already. Our costs to get down there and help them and have it properly done as a seeding event are a bit high, so we’re thankful to Time Freight too, who have supported our seeding events in a big way.

“We’re trying to grow the numbers down in Cape Town. At this stage, from Cape Town, there are only about 70 entries, so hopefully we can encourage more people to swim on the 40th anniversary of the race.

“Gail Bristow, who has done the most number of swims by a woman in the Midmar Mile, is from that area.”

Event founder Mike “Buthy” Arbuthnot holds the record as the only swimmer to have officially swum in every Midmar Mile. Mike Pengelly had one unofficial swim because he was representing South Africa abroad in lifesaving on the weekend of the event one year, but has otherwise also swum every year.

Gail Bristow missed only the first year of the Midmar Mile because women were not allowed to swim it back in 1974! The first female entrants were allowed in 1975 which Bristow took part in and has not missed a Mile since.

Times and attitudes have changed a lot since 1975. So, too, has the size of the Midmar Mile. The total entry in 1975 was 315, more than doubling 1974’s 153 swimmers, thanks to 105 female entrants taking part. The goal for next year’s event is 20 000 swimmers, an increase of 63.5 times over 1975.

For more information on the aQuellé Midmar Mile, visit www.midmarmile.co.za 

COMMISSION CALLS FOR WITNESSES IN ARMSTRONG PROBE

An independent commission set up to probe the International Cycling Union's (UCI) handling of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal on Tuesday called for witnesses to get in touch.

The panel, headed by former England and Wales appeals court judge Philip Otton, will look into the allegations contained in the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) decision to charge Armstrong over the affair.

The commission also includes Britain's multiple Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson, now a lawmaker in the country's upper chamber of parliament, and Australian lawyer Malcolm Holmes.

"Anyone with evidence which they believe to be relevant to the Terms of Reference should submit documents and/or a written summary of evidence they will be able to give to the Commission ..." the UCI Independent Commission said in a statement.

"The Commission has written to some potential witnesses identified by it and is in the process of contacting others, but invites witnesses to contact the Commission direct."

Witnesses have been given until the end of the year to submit evidence to the commission, with current and former UCI employees expected to provide documents to the panel by the end of January.

A hearing is scheduled to be held in London from April 9 to 26 next year, and the commission is expected to submit its report to the UCI by June 1.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life in October after the USADA produced evidence of widespread doping by him and his former team-mates.

LeMond to Rule them all?

Three times Tour de France champion Greg LeMond said on Monday (December 3) he is willing to run for president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) after a series of doping scandals in the sport.

Change Cycling Now, a lobby group campaigning to clean up cycling, has called for Pat McQuaid to quit as head of the UCI, the sport's governing body, accusing him of failing to root out doping.

Asked if he was ready to run for UCI president in 2013, LeMond, who won the Tour in 1986, 89 and 90, said: "I would love to be part of the process to change and if that means an interim presidency I would be willing to do that, yes."

McQuaid has said he is seeking a third term.

LeMond is part of Change Cycling Now, which has been set up by former riders, journalists and a sponsor who look to radically change the way the sport is ruled in the wake of the Lance Armstrong scandal.

The American has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after the United States Anti-Doping Agency(USADA) accused him of being at the centre of an organised doping conspiracy.

Change Cycling Now have invited riders to back a plan it says could remove doping suspicions undermining the sport after the Armstrong affair.

"The assistance we are seeking from the riders will be to put in place a system that will guarantee that the winner of the major tours has not blood doped," said doctor Michael Ashenden, a leading anti-doping campaigner.

"It's a short-term intensive approach that will restore public confidence in the riders and the race outcome," Ashenden, an expert on combating blood doping, told a news conference organised by "Change Cycling Now".

Ashenden gave no further details of his proposal but said he had briefed Gianni Bugno, president of the riders association, with a view to its swift implementation for next season.

Bradley Wiggins, who rides for Team Sky, became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in 2012.

Team Sky has a zero tolerance policy towards staff members with a doping history and Wiggins angrily dismissed doping-related questions en route to his Tour triumph in the summer.

Ashenden said he was not accusing Wiggins of any wrongdoing but underlining the credibility issue the sport faces.

"That would be a remarkable day, when a rider can stand up and say "I won and you know that I didn't dope", blood dope, I need to be specific there," he said.

"The unfortunate reality is that everything that a rider can say today, Lance Armstrong already said. The reality is, no matter what a rider says, there is going to be doubt," he added g 1 .

Change Cycling Now, comprising former riders, journalists and anti-doping campaigners, has been put together by Jaimie Fuller, an Australian who is chairman of the SKINS sportswear company, a cycling sponsor.

Fuller said he had approached more than 10 current cyclists about the campaign but they were afraid to speak out.

"The vast majority were intimidated about what could happen to them if they stuck their head above the parapet and were critical of the UCI," he said.

LeMond praised USADA's investigation which brought the issues to light but said the UCI had to take responsibility for it taking 13 years since Armstrong tested positive for the truth to come out.

"There was a huge amount of political pressure to put all of this under the rug and they (USADA) did an amazing job. The sad thing (is) it took that long to do. The fact was Armstrong was positive in 1999, they were under investigation in 2000. It's all been there. That's why the UCI needs to be held accountable."

LeMond, who had long been critical of Armstrong and admitted he had also been the victim of intimidation, said he would shake the disgraced cyclist's hand if he were to cooperate in the process.

"That (telling the truth) would be the best thing that he (Armstrong) could ever do," LeMond added. "I would shake his hand because I think he didn't act alone, he's not the only person. The problem existed long before Lance so the issues we're talking about were there before Armstrong won the Tour. He had the best team to exploit it."

Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson latest SA entries in Dakar Rally

Johan van Staden and Mike Lawrenson, who finished second in the special vehicle category of the 2012 Absa South African Off Road Car Championship, are the latest South Africans to announce their participation in the 2013 Dakar Rally in South America in January.

They will tackle the world’s longest and toughest off road race in a McRae MC-4RS in the top T1 class for 4x4 cars. Built in the Netherlands and entered by the experienced ProDakar team, it has a space frame chassis, 3-litre BMW turbo diesel engine and six-speed sequential gearbox.

“Mike and I are very excited about competing in our first Dakar,” said Van Staden, the 41-year-old owner of a Centurion-based electrical construction business and a former class P champion. “Dakar is the ultimate challenge for an off road racer. Like Mt Everest for a mountain climber or Tour de France for a cyclist. I’ve been watching the Dakar on television for many years and dreaming about competing. Now my dream is to become a reality.”

For Lawrenson, a 53-year-old furniture and home décor manufacturer from Edenvale who was the class P national champion co-driver in 2011, going to the Dakar is a chance of a lifetime. “Johan and I have enjoyed a successful first year together in the national championship (they enjoyed a win and a couple of second places and were in contention for the title right up to the final round) and it has been a good build-up to the Dakar. I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Van Staden paid tribute to his Dakar sponsors. “We would not be able to do this without the generous support of a number of sponsors, including Kusokhanya Electrical Construction, Lebohang Project Management, Versalec Cables, Atlas Copco, Sizanani Plastics, ICare optometrists, IPM, JHB101 Group and Solason.”

Apart from competing in all eight rounds of the South African championship, regarded as the toughest national championship in the world, Van Staden and Lawrenson’s Dakar preparation has included a week honing their sand driving and navigation skills in the dunes of Walvis Bay in Namibia. They also spent a week in the Netherlands setting up the car before it was loaded on to a ship in the French port of Le Havre last Friday for the long voyage to Lima in Peru.

Top off road racer Chris Visser, who is one of a number of local competitors who aim to compete in the 2014 Dakar Rally, lent them his 2010 championship-winning Toyota Hilux to test in Namibia.

“This is the kind of camaraderie and support that is typical of off road racing and we’re very grateful to Chris for his generosity for allowing us to play with his racing bakkie in the sand dunes. It was invaluable experience and we were fortunate to have instruction from a sand dune driving expert in the form of well-known Namibian desert guide Don Niewoudt,” said Van Staden.

The 35th running of the Dakar Rally has attracted a total entry of 471 vehicles consisting of 195 motorcycles, 160 cars, 76 trucks and 40 quads. Some 53 nationalities are represented among the competitors, whose progress over the 14 days and 14 stages (4 200 kilometres) of competition – there is a rest day in San Miguel de Tucuman in Argentina on January 13 - will be reported on by an army of journalists and photographers and will be televised daily to more than 190 countries and an estimated five million-plus viewers around the world, including South Africa.

The rally will start in the Peruvian capital of Lima on the Pacific coast of South America and will finish in Santiago, Chile on January 19 with a podium ceremony on January 20.

The Cape Rouleur

So...
I have enetred a bicycle race that I am not sure is in my talent range.
I have a few months to become a real cyclist. Follow the link below to find out more about the Cape Rouleur. It's a stage ride over many days including many kilometres, both horizontally and vertically.
Any help fro you would be appreciated.

Stage Routes | The Cape Rouleur | HotChillee:

Decemeber Training for your Children

In conjunction with the National Cycling Academy, local bike shops, the Maties Cycling Club, and, as venue partner, Laerskool Stellenbosch, your kids are invited to attend:

A cycling clinic, focusing on safety, awareness, balance, fun, fixing punctures : ) etc.

5 Sessions from Monday to Friday: 10 - 15 December, and then again 17 - 21st. (Each day offers two sessions, your kids may attend either: 0900 - 1100 and 16:00 - JUST CHOOSE ONE OF THOSE, NOT BOTH, UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY FOR BOTH. THEY'RE REPEATS.

•  - BMX's AND MTBikes preferred - we'll organise a bike if child doesn't have one
•  - Helmets preferred
•  - Local cycle shops will be in attendance
•  - Two hours per session - so not too tiring for kids - first hour is 'lectures' in small groups, and 2nd hour is just fun stuff like cycle soccer, polo, races, bunnyhopping, etc.
•  - All primary school kids welcome
•  - Hosted at Stellenbosch Primary School.

 Sessions:

•  Monday: Road Safety + short fun races on grass surface, by age, etc
•  Tuesday: Bicycle maintenance and repair + slightly longer fun races
•  Wednesday: More formal coaching - known as Long Term Cyclist Development - creating a love of cycling, for life!
• Thursday: Racing tactics, such as slipstreaming, teamwork, pacing
•  Friday: Specialized will bring a few bikes to demo - so bring your parents too! We are also talking to some top riders to join us on that day.
•  Cost R60 pp/session, payable in advance - - More info@cyclingacademy.co.za