mtbrider

At least cycling is doing something about it and catching the cheats even the big name stars. If you think that they are clean in ball sports you are kidding yourself. You can guarantee that they are in it in a big way because they have little chance of getting caught. If a cyclist had a drip put in his arm like the Brisbane Lions were doing in full view at half time they would have been kicked out for two years. You can look at it in two ways. Cycling is bad they are catching drug cheats all the time or you can say cyling is trying to clean up the sport and catching the cheats what a good job they are doing. What about the AFL player who went into rehab in the states. Was he ever picked up for having it in him by the AFL - If he was a cyclist he would have gone straight up. The testing cycling gets would be equivilent to the man of the match and every try scorer in rules or league getting drug tested after each match. That is personally escorted off the field by a drug tester and never left alone until the test was taken. Yes that means peeing in front of them. Other sports don't come close to the cycling testing. Please don't say you have no respect for a sport that is actually airing its dirty laundry in public and doing some thing.

Bit of Sportivo ballet there. Nice shots.

Just agreeing with you. I think the rest of the peleton would work for Cadel Evans if they thought Discovery were trying to do something in the rest of the stages to beat him. So looks like it is down to the time trial. I will be sitting up late Saturday night. That is for sure.

It is a sad state of affairs but in the long run if they are catching them it might make them think twice before doing it. Hopefully eventually stop them all together. I had boycoted watching the tour since Rasmussen did such a good time trial them blew them away in the mountains the next day.I didn't think that was humanly possible for him. I'm on a bicycle forum and put up a post saying I though he was a cheat. Got flamed like hell but who's laughing now. I will watch it again now that the biggest cheat is gone. I hope Contadour is clean but they are starting to say stuff about him now. Did you know that on one of the recent stages the two of them were 1 and a half minutes faster up a mountain than Lances fastest time up (how can you belive that was done naturally). Anyway Cadel could win but still will be very hard (looks like a podium for sure but)

Cadel is back to 3rd after being 2nd. He still has a good podium chance but was beaten last night. I am suss about the leader Rasmussen as he is surrounded in controversy (again about drugs) He is doing things he is not supposed to be doing. He has been penalised by his countries ruling body for missing 4 drug controls and has been ruled out of the next World titles and the Olympic games (yet he is still riding the tour). Another rider has said he caught him trying to trick him into bring drugs over from the US for him. Man this is yet another sad day for cycling. I wish they had a wand like a metal detector at the airport which they could rum over the cyclists and it beeped at the drug cheats.

Have you seen the "rat" with no shirt on. Scary scary he makes Nicole Ritchie look fat.

I need to sand bag so I'm not faster than everyone else. Try asking my dad if he wants his tow bar still I have not seen your dad for ages. I had an operation and so far have been off the bike for over a month. Think I'll go to Wynnum Towbars had 2 Camrys and a previous Corolla done by them and they do a good job and I have not been able to get better prices then them. Just liked the look of the Toyota one.

Who is watching the Tour. Friday night up to 2.15 AM and last night up to 1.30 AM. So cool to have it live every night on SBS. Really tired now and just started watching tonight. But work tomorrow so will only watch until midnight tonight which will give me about 5 - 6 hours sleep. By the end of three weeks I will be really stu ffed but worth it. Watching those guys they are nuts. Jumping traffic islands at 55 kph and going down the Alps at 60+ kph around hair pin bends with 100 metre drops over the side. They are faster than the motor bikes. But then they have two people and some heavy camera gear to get around those fast corners. No amount of drugs can make you good at that. Even if you are not a cyclist you should check it out to see some amazing bike handlers.

The quote was for $300 for the towbar, $66 for wiring harness $18 ball and rest for fitting. Superdave sure you don't want to sell yours. All that extra weight is slowing you down and stuffing up the handling. The cars weight distribution would be way out. ;) . You are right I don't think I will be getting it wired up.

Finally sick of putting my back seats up and down to carry my bike around. And its getting difficult now the son comes riding with me. When I take the Camry with the tow bar the wife drives the Sportivo which is not good. She has scratched the silver trim with a ring already. So had a quote at $504 fitted (wired) by Toyota. Anyone got one or an aftermarket they can recommend that would be cheaper.

Can anyone advise what they think of this model and how much different it would be to my current Camry a 2001 base model (the very last release of the model before the previous model i.e with the larger crystal rear lights) . Looking for the safety aspects of the new one family and all. If I wasn't buying this for the wife. I would trade my Corolla Sportivo in for Sportivo Aurion. So don't go recommending the Aurion for the missus sticking to the Ateva. I'm keeping my Sportivo. What price has anyone paid for a new Camry compared to RRP. Anything of help or you think I need to know would be appreciated.

In that case I'll be "The Aussie Stig" but it will be totally like last Mondays show. The car into the tyre barrier every time. Anyone putting their hand up to be the Fat Stig (like in the Top Gear America show in Alabama)

Heather Graham (Felicity Shagwell - Austin Powers).

Don't buy a $150 bike they are $hite and you could probably hurt yourself. Parts are really expensive and one minor part could cost as much as the bike to replace. If you are going to ride it for a year I would recommend someting in the $500 to $700 range. Now is a good time to buy as most of the shops are starting to get in their 2008 range. So you can pick up a 2006 / 2007 model cheaper. As you will need to ride in all weather I would try to get something with disk brakes (cable at these price ranges). The well known brands are good in this price range but I would stick with Trek or Giant. If you want you can try cell bikes an Aus coy that sells on line. They have one that is not too bad reduced from $950 to $649 Look at the site and compare with bike shop prices. The only problem is you don't get any after sales service so if you are not handy with bikes buy from your local bike shop. Cell bikes All-purpose, all-mountain dirt bike for riders who like being more off-road, than on. Features Shimano 27 speed Deore group gears Shimano Deore Dual Control shifter Shimano Disc Brakes, All weather stopping RST GILA PLUS-SL 4 inch travel lock out adjustable fork ALEX DP20 Light weight, double-wall, off-road rims Over size seat post Great handling

Two priests decided to go to A Hawaiian vacation. They were determined to make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy. As soon as the plane landed they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, sandals, sunglasses, etc. The next morning they went to the beach dressed in their "tourist" garb. They were sitting on beach chairs, enjoying a drink, the sunshine and the scenery when a "drop-dead gorgeous" blonde in a topless bikini came walking straight towards them. They couldn't help but stare. As the blonde passed them she smiled and said "Good Morning, Father ~ Good Morning, Father," nodding and addressing each of them individually, then she passed on by. They were both stunned. How in the world did she know they were priests?? So the next day, they went back to the store and bought even more outrageous outfits. These were so loud you could hear them before you even saw them! Once again, in their new attire, they settled down in their chairs to enjoy the sunshine. After a little while, the same gorgeous blonde, wearing a different colored topless bikini, taking her sweet time, came walking toward them. Again she nodded at each of them, said "Good morning, Father ~ Good morning, Father," and started to walk away. One of the priests couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Just a minute, young lady." "Yes, Father?"? "We are priests and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world do you know we are priests, dressed as we are?" She replied, "Father, it's me, Sister Kathleen."

Part 2 a

The man who walks into his bedroom and sees his wife packing a suitcase. He asks, "What are you doing?" She answers, "I'm moving to Sydney.I heard prostitutes there get paid $400 for doing what I do for you for free." Later that night, on her way out, the wife walks into the bedroom and sees her husband packing his suitcase. When she asks him where he's going, he replies, "I'm coming too, I want to see how you live on $800 a year".

Site now says Voting Closed. Would have voted for you.

Two Mexicans are stuck in the desert, wandering aimlessly and close to death. They are close to just lying down and waiting for the inevitable, when all of a sudden....... "Hey Pepe, do you smell what I smell? Ees bacon I ahm sure of eet." "Si, Luis eet smells like bacon to meee". So, with renewed strength, they struggle up the next sand dune, and there, in the distance, is a tree loaded with bacon. There's raw bacon, dripping with moisture. There's fried bacon, back bacon, double smoked bacon...everyimaginable kind of cured pig meat. "Pepe, Pepe, we ees saved! Eet EES a bacon tree!" "Luis, are you sure ees not a meerage?; We ees in the Desert don't forget." "Pepe when deed you ever hear of a meerage that smeell like bacon...ees no meerage, ees a bacon tree". And with that ...Luis races toward the tree. He gets to within 5 meters, with Pepe following closely behind, when all of a sudden a machine gun opens up and Luis is cut down in his tracks. It is clear he is mortally wounded but, true friend that he is, he manages to warn Pepe with his dying breath. "Pepe...go back man,you was right...ees not a bacon tree." "Luis Luis, mi amigo...what ees it? "Pepe...ees not a bacon tree... Ees.......... Ees... Ees......... Ees.... ... Eees a Ham Bush!"

Text of a letter from a kid from Eromanga to Mum and Dad. (For Those of you not in the know, Eromanga is a smalltown, west of Quilpie in the far south west of Queensland ) Dear Mum & Dad, I am well. Hope youse are too. Tell me big brothers Doug and Phil that the Army is better than workin' on the farm - tell them to get in bloody quick smart before the jobs are all gone! I wuz a bit slow in settling down at first, because ya don't hafta get outta bed until 6am. But I like sleeping in now, cuz all yagotta do before brekky is make ya bed and shine ya boots and clean ya uniform. No bloody cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to stack - nothin'!! Ya haz gotta shower though, but its not so bad, coz there's lotsa hot water and even a light to see what ya doing! At brekky ya get cereal, fruit and eggs but there's no kangaroo steaks or possum stew like wot Mum makes. You don't get fed again until noon and by that time all the city boys are buggered because we've been on a 'route march' - geez its only just like walking to the windmill in the back paddock!! This one will kill me brothers Doug and Phil with laughter. I keep getting medals for shootin' - dunno why. The bullseye is as big as a bloody possum's bum and it don't move and it's not firing back at ya like the Johnsons did when our big scrubber bull got into their prize cows before the Ekka last year! All ya gotta do is make yourself comfortable and hit the target - it's a piece of *****!! You don't even load your own cartridges they comes in little boxes and ya don't have to steady yourself against the rollbar of the roo shooting truck when you reload! Sometimes ya gotta wrestle with the city boys and I gotta be real careful coz they break easy - it's not like fighting with Doug and Phil and Jack and Boori and Steve and Muzza all at once like we do at home after the muster. Turns out I'm not a bad boxer either and it looks like I'm the best the platoon's got, and I've only been beaten by this one bloke from the Engineers - he's 6 foot 5 and 15 stone and three pick handles across the shoulders and as ya know I'm only 5 foot 7 and eight stone wringin' wet,but I fought him till the other blokes carried me off to the boozer. I can't complain about the Army - tell the boys to get in quick before word gets around how bloody good it is. Your loving daughter, Sheila

Go through your insurance. If he is looking to get his panel beater to do the work then chances are he has no insurance. You may find they do the work and you can not get your car back until it is paid for. So you end up out of pocket and your insurance company not then not want to know about it. Let the insurance company do the work. Just ignore him and tell him to phone your insurance company as you can not talk on their behalf. Had a similar accident just a little bit softer I think as my rear floor was only slightly pushed in. Cost $2k to get fixed. Parts $901 and labour the rest. Rear bumber $250, Beaver Panel $465, beaver panel trim $162 Your costs will be higher than this. If someone is quoting less than $2k I would be worried. Mine was fixed Sept 2006

Toyota’s Gen X Corolla breaks the $20,000 base mark for the first time TOYOTA has priced its completely redesigned Corolla from $20,990, positioning it against premium small cars such as the Holden Astra, Ford Focus and Mazda3. However, while this represents a $1000 increase over the outgoing model, the latest Corolla – now longer, wider and taller than ever – packs in more features, space and performance. Now in its 10th generation, Toyota’s venerable small car finally matches every opponent (except the current Focus) in offering ABS brakes on every model. The system includes electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. A safety pack featuring front side and curtain airbags and a class-first driver’s knee airbag is a $750 option on the Ascent and Levin SX, and standard on all other models. However, no stability control is available for now. In Europe, where it is known as the Auris, the Corolla (with safety pack) has scored a five-star NCAP crash-test rating. Other new-to-Corolla features include reach adjustment on the steering wheel, electric power steering, an MP30-compatible CD/radio audio system and a revised U341 four-speed automatic gearbox with driver-adaptive shift points. On manual cars, six forward speeds replace five, which was the standard gearbox in the Corolla since the four-speed manual models vanished in 1989. Dubbed C66, this six-speed manual gearbox is paired to a smoother, quieter and more durable clutch. The Corolla also regains the 100kW power rating it held for four years from December 2001, but lost when the old model’s 1794cc ZZE122R 1.8-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine dropped to 93kW and 161Nm (the latter from 171Nm) in late 2005 to meet the 2006 Euro III-equivalent ADR 79/01 emissions requirements. Today’s engine is an all-new 1798cc 2ZR-FE 1.8-litre twin-cam four-cylinder unit compliant with the Euro IV emissions standard and delivering 100kW at 6000rpm and 174Nm at 4400rpm. It runs on 91 RON normal unleaded fuel. As before, Toyota’s VVT-i variable valve timing technology is utilised to plump out both low- and high-rev performance, but this time it features a segment-first infinite adjustment on both the inlet and exhaust camshafts, rather than on just the former. The result helps the Corolla manual hatch to hit the 100km/h mark from standstill in 9.7 seconds (11.0 sec for the auto/11.1 sec for the auto sedan), on its way to a 200km/h top speed (auto: 190km/h). Interestingly, while the manual sedan is 5km/h slower than the hatch, the auto sedan is 2km/h faster. Compared to before, Toyota says the latest Corolla’s carbon emissions fall to 174g/km (auto: 180g/km), while the average combined fuel consumption eases in the sedan (by 0.1L/100km to 7.3L/100km and 7.4L/100km respectively in the manual and auto), remains steady in the manual hatch (7.4L/100km), and increases in the auto hatch (from 7.5L to 7.7L/100km). One reason for the fuel-use disparity between bodystyles is that the hatch is heavier by around 10kg, coming in between 1275kg and 1330kg against the sedan’s 1255kg to 1320kg range. It is worth noting that Toyota more-or-less maintained the previous Corolla’s fuel economy fi gures despite weight increases in excess of 200kg. There is no word on whether any future Corollas will receive a Ford Focus-style independent multi-link rear suspension set-up that racier versions of the Auris/Corolla cars have in some markets. Instead, Corolla Version 10.0 continues with a variation of the old car’s MacPherson strut front and torsion beam and trailing arm rear suspension set-up, which brings cost and space-saving benefits. Among the changes are new dampers, redesigned coil springs and a revised front anti-roll bar, to improve steering, handling and ride quality. Toyota has deemed the rear suspension design strong enough not to require a rear anti-roll bar. Also aiding dynamics are a more rigid body, brought about through the use of high-strength steels (particularly in the roof and A-pillar areas), a fl at rear fl oor and extra body bracing. This in turn makes the Corolla safer in an accident, and more durable and refi ned. Helping out the latter are improved aerodynamics – 0.29Cd for the hatch and 0.30Cd for the sedan – and more extensive use of sound deadening. Sitting on the same 2600mm wheelbase, the front and rear tracks grow from 1480mm and 1460mm respectively to 1525mm (Ascent: 1535mm) at each end for the hatchbacks, and 1525mm (Ascent 1535mm) and 1520mm front and rear respectively for the sedans. In the hatchback models, length/width/ height are 4220/1760/1515mm, representing increases of 45/65/45mm respectively, while the sedan’s of 4540/1760/1475mm make it 150/65/5mm longer, wider and taller than the outgoing version. Hatchback luggage space is rated at 283 litres. The sedan’s boot space of 450 litres puts it within 10 per cent of a VE Commodore’s (with the added benefi t of a split/fold rear seatback), the fuel tank holds 55 litres and the Corolla’s braked towing capacity is 1300kg. Bolt-on front and rear panels reportedly make crash repairs easier and cheaper, while Toyota has worked hard to make the nose more pedestrian impact friendly and the overall vehicle more recyclable. Real-world fuel consumption savings is the upshot of Corolla going for electric (rather than hydraulic) for its powered rack and pinion steering system, according to Toyota, since it only consumes energy when assistance is needed, whereas hydraulics add to the engine load, weight, and complexity. Employing electricity also allows Toyota to better tailor steering weight and feel as per each market’s requirements. Brakes are 275mm (up 20mm) x 22mm ventilated front discs and 259mm (down 10mm) x 9mm rear discs. Both employ single piston sliding callipers. With the demise of the wagon, only the hatchback and Japanese-designed four-door sedan remain. All Australian-bound Corollas are built in Japan. Toyota is offering a fi xed servicing plan of $120 for six services over three years or 60,000km. Last year was the Corolla’s second-best year on record, with 46,256 units sold. Toyota expects the sedan’s sales to rise from almost 40 per cent in the outgoing Corolla to almost parity with the hatchback, now that the wagon has gone. For drive impressions, go to www.goauto.com.au from this Friday.

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really pis$ed She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in less than 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!" The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.