I followed closely on Twitter and from what I could tell, most people were complaining about the wild south easterly, which was blowing up to and over 50km/hour!

Most people are obviously wondering where Lance Armstrong came, well, he did finish in the lead group – towards the final stretch, Lance gave way to his team mate, Daryl Impey, who is apparently an excellent sprinter; Daryl ended up finishing 3rd behind Christoff van Heerden.

Photos thanks to @sampaddock

Here are the official results:

Elite Men

1. Malcolm Lange (2.39.55)
2. Christoff van Heerden
3. Daryl Impey
4. Burry Stander
5. Rene Haselbacher
6. Dean Edwards
7. Bjorn Glasner
8. Johan Rabie
9. Lance Armstrong (+6 sec)
10. Nic White (+24 sec)

Elite Ladies

1. Anriette Schoeman (3.06.11)
2. Robyn de Groot
3. Catherine Williamson
4. Cherise Taylor
5. Jo van der Winkel
6. Jennie Stenerhag
7. Marissa van der Merwe
8. Chrissie Viljoen
9. Mariske Strauss
10. Fabiana Lupevini

Congratulations to all my friends who took part, I have maximum respect for all of you!

Not too shabby!

When you get a custom plate, you can have 7 digits, so “success” could have been used. I’ve googled for “Succes” but can’t find much, except this retail shop – not sure if there’s a connection.

As you can see, it’s just a corner, I think I need to get something bigger behind it to give that area some height. I have two suggestions so far, either a Cypres tree or a Yakkas, anyone else got a cool idea? I also wondered about putting the pots on top of something to give them some more height, but I can’t quite figure out what would be good to use as a stand, apart from a table and I’m not too sure that a table is the best idea.

Oh, and I’d just like to state that potting cacti is probably one of the biggest missions I’ve ever experienced!

Because of this it only made sense for Brazen to arrange a competition where one of you can win a name necklace! The competition is really easy to enter, all you need to do is click here and follow the instructions.

Here’s what the name necklaces look like:

Let’s look at a specific example: An entry level 13.3” Macbook Pro is 46.8% more expensive than its equivalent in the USA. Using information correct as of the 2nd of January 2010, the customer converted the South
African recommend retail price of R12,999 and arrived at a US$ price of $1760.79 by applying the spot exchange rate on that day. There are however, a number of factors that distort this perception.

1. It is incorrect to compare RSA pricing directly to that of the US Online store as prices are quoted without any sales tax or VAT ( which is applicable, but varies from State to State). Prices in South Africa are quoted including a VAT rate of 14%.
2. The customer used a spot rate of approximately 7.38 ZAR/USD, whereas our forward cover contract rate at this time was 8.10 ZAR/USD.

It is these 2 factors that lead South Africans to believe that they are being overcharged. Take a look at the table below to see that the actual premium over the US online store price is only 17.41%

From this, there are 4 points that must be raised:

1. Price differences are to be expected between South Africa and the United States due to the high cost of inbound logistics into South Africa and substantially different supply chain costs. As a result, we expect to see price levels that are higher in South Africa.
2. Prices are often perceived to be much higher in South Africa because one does not take RSA VAT, or USA sales taxes into account (which is not shown on price lists in the US).
3. A further effect that can distort price perceptions is the difference between forward cover rates and spot exchange rates. When the exchange rate slowly but steadily improves ( as is the case during 2009), the forward cover rates will be higher than spot rates, making products look artificially more expensive in South Africa. Equally, when the exchange ratio deteriorates, prices will look more favorable in South Africa because of better forward cover rates (although we have not seen this scenario in South Africa for over a year).
4. A final point to be observed (but not applicable to the aforementioned example) is the negative effect of South African ad valorum and import duties.

I hope that paints a good picture for everyone; I know it sounds like a fail deal and all, but it’s how things work and there isn’t really anything we can do about it.

What do you think?

Black lace has always been around, but for a long time it had been mostly reserved for underwear, funerals and gothic chicks. Recently that has changed, as black lace outerwear has made its way back to being “trendy” again (considering the world’s dark romantic, vampire obsession, its not surprising, is it?)

Personally, I have not owned anything lacey, black and suitable to wear outside of the bedroom since the 90’s – but after a little trot around YDE the other day I am now the proud owner of a fabulous black lace shift dress by Vida (for R425).

I think the only thing to be careful of when wearing lace is to not overdo the trend or wear too much see-through lace (or you may end up looking as ridiculous as Lady Gaga at the 2009 VMA’s)

Will you be wearing black lace out this year?

On the local front, I jetted off to P.E. on Wednesday morning for the launch of the new Volkswagen Polo Vivo. Essentially a budget version of the previous generation Polo, the Polo Vivo is now the entry-level car for the Volkswagen brand and arrives a couple of months after the legendary Citi Golf was retired in January. Not surprising is the way the new Polo Vivo drives – exactly like the Mk4 Polo it’s based on. This is not a bad thing and in terms of a Citi Golf replacement, the Polo Vivo is leaps and bounds ahead in safety and build quality, whilst still offering value for money (prices start from R101 500). The Polo Vivo’s story is as much about the car itself, as it is about the steps VWSA have taken to source parts and produce the car locally. Polo Vivo is a proudly South African product, with a R1.1 billion investment in a new supplier park and 700 jobs having been created as a result of the new car.

Ford’s answer to the Polo Vivo is their Figo, that was recently launched to the world’s media in India. In a similar story to VW, Ford have used the previous generation Fiesta as the base upon which to build the new Figo. 85 percent of parts are reportedly new for the Figo, but the Fiesta was a good car to begin with so the Ford Figo comes with a solid reputation regardless. The Figo will be launched here in SA within the next month or two, with pricing expected to be in the R100k to R130k range.

As mentioned, BMW Chairman, Norbert Reithofe, has confirmed this week that a rival to the Audi A1 is in the works – dubbed the BMW 0-Series at this point. Perhaps most surprising though is the announcement that it will be based on a front-wheel-drive platform, in contrast to BMW’s rear-wheel drive tradition. Reithofer said “For these new vehicles, we are developing a common architecture for both front and four-wheel-drive”. With an all-new MINI Cooper expected to arrive in 2014, the new models would likely utilise the same front-wheel-drive layout. Worrying for BMW purists is the fact that the use of the same platform for a new BMW 1-Series can’t be ruled out. Hopefully BMW is not about to make a u-turn on their rear-wheel-drive philosophy. There is no news on when the 0-Series is expected to make an appearance, but with the A1 heading to showrooms, expect to hear a lot more in the near future.

A small car of a different kind, is Honda’s recently launched CR-Z hybrid hatchback. Hybrid cars are still in their infancy relative to the age of the motor industry. The Toyota Prius was the first model to bring hybrid technology to the mass market but other manufacturers are beginning to joining the party. Running alongside the motor industry is the business of tuning or modifying. As one can imagine, tuning and modifying of electric and hybrid vehicles is something very new. Brabus has done it with the Tesla Roadster and with the launch of the Honda CR-Z a few weeks back, Honda’s in-house tuning division, Mugen, released a few cosmetic updates for the new hybrid. However, tuning legend Spoon Racing hit the headlines this week with news of the beginnings of their tuning package for the new CR-Z. Among the parts being tested are new coilover suspension components (lowering the car by 50 mm), N1 exhaust, ECU, ‘twin-block’ calliper and slit rotor brake upgrade. There’s no information on the ECU at this stage, but the N1 exhaust has reportedly given the CR-Z a more sportscar-like note, in contrast to the near-silent stock exhaust system. A set of blue Spoon CR93 alloys finish off the car and compliment the new ride height.

I’ve also had the Nissan Qashqai n-tec on test for the week. In short, one of the best looking cars in its class, with 18-inch wheels and chrome accents setting it apart from the rest of the range. It’s comfortable, rides well and the 2,0-litre engine provides enough oomph for running around town and cruising on the open road. An optional accessories package adds leather seats and an infotainment system, which we had an argument with. You can read the full report here.

Next week Toyota will be launching a facelifted version of their Toyota Auris and Hyundai will be introducing a new model. If you’re in Cape Town this weekend, why not head down to Killarney for some serious excitement with the Wesbank Super Series on Saturday. In contrast to all the speed, don’t forget it’s the Argus Cycle Tour on Sunday in the Cape, so choose your Sunday drive route wisely.

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• BMW Planning Front-Wheel-Drive A1 Rival