There are a few races that we enjoy racing as a group. Die Burger held in Stellenbosch is a 92km road dash that allows us to get a (hopefully) decent seeding for the Argus. This year was no different. But we did experience a few notable absentees from the group, namely JayZee, Billy Bob, Wynand, Twakkie, Timmy, Mandy, and The Oracle. Why?
Twakkie is abstaining from racing until his new 2013 upgrade look and package is ready for launch. Apparently he has boycotted this race so that he can "be hungry for 2013". His agent says its good to starve oneself before a great comeback. Rumour has it he has Gav Copeland in his sights as the first target he intends to topple over. There is talk of Twakkie donning some Liberace-style diamante bibs for 2013 doing the rounds. Wilna is apparently struggling to glue and stitch all the sparkly bits onto his white bibs and has to ask advice from ice skaters and synchronised swimmers as to how they get those things stuck to lycra....Whilst these changes to the Smooth Knobblies clothing brand may be in conflict with the Marketing & Branding Committee, they (the committee) may be forced to let Twakkie ride in all the glitter and sparkle as Twakkie is, after all, one of our most successful former racing Veterans from Gauteng. That in itself deserves a sense of privilege.Watch this space.
Could these dramatic costumes be inspiring Twakkie for his 2013 comeback?
No-one is sure when and if The Oracle will ever do a race again. Apart from his iffy shoulder, all the kids are leaving home and he and Margaret have just moved into a tiny Hout Bay apartment as part of their early retirement/down-scaling plan. However, we may see The Oracle riding with some of the Fish Hoek "elderly" cycling groups in future. We trust that this too is just some smut story doing the rounds on twitter (this is just what I heard... don't shoot the messenger!)
Could this grizzled riding group feature The Oracle one day soon? We hope not.
Timmy still has his testicles resting on an ice pack after his little "V-section" from last week - although if the doctor had given him a little HTFU muti, he may well have ridden!
But enough about the Smooth Knobblies who weren't able to brave the crowds and stresses of road racing. In cool conditions with some troublesome headwinds, the group set off in their respective groups and were all comfortably home in the top half of the field. A brilliant performance by all (winning and last time included for reference):
