Bicycling Australia 2014-11-12.bak.pdf

BICYCLING AUSTRALIA

FITTER AND

FASTERPolarise yourTraining3 Month Plan

FootCorrection

IncreaseStability

and Power

Team BossThe Men

Behind Cycling

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2 Bicycling Australia November • December 2014

Issue No. 190 | November • December | 2014

REGULARS

6 Editorial

10 Mailbag

12 Local Hero – Dunc GrayA tribute to another Top Gun from

Down Under.

16 Top Gear

127 On the Rivet, with Endo Fartlek

SPECIAL FEATURES

30 Game of TrainsMixing it with the powerhouse speedsters

as they charge for the finish line takes a

good dose of fast twitch fibres and a lot

of nerve. Steve Thomas spoke with some

of the WorldTour sprinters to see what on

earth they are thinking as they’re smashing

those big gears for the win.

36 Handicappers AnonymousThere’s a special kind of person who puts

themselves in the unenviable position of

giving some riders a head start where

money and sometimes, more pointedly,

reputations and pride are at stake. Grab the

form guide and walk a mile in their shoes

with Peter Maniaty.

44 A Welcome in the HillsideSteve Thomas doesn’t get home often but

he’s spent many waking hours dreaming

about riding those picturesque hills and

country lanes of his native Wales. Take a

look at why it’s his favourite place to ride.

50 Team BossWith WorldTour teams folding, doping

allegations flying and sponsorship deals

evaporating at alarming speed, owning a

cycling team must surely be one of the most

expensive lessons in patience. Peter Maniaty

looks at what it is that has seemingly astute

and successful businessmen lining up to

own a cycling team.

44

Cover: Adam Hansen revelling in another grand tour stage win, this time stage 19 of the Tour of Spain, into Cangas Do Morrazo. Hans-en broke away in final kilometres and held on to win when the peloton failed to organise and chase him down. Photo: Tim de Waele

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56 Liv Ladies LaunchNicole Grimm-Hewitt spent some time

with the recently ‘spun off’ Liv team, riding

their new model Avail and finding out

about what makes Liv tick.

60 Eurobike 2014Once again the zeppelin hangers of

Friedrichshafen were packed with all

that is new and shiny in cycling, and bike

businesses and media from across the

globe flocked to ogle. We too, dropped in to

see what is turning heads this year.

68 2015 Fashion FeatureNew season gear from Assos, Castelli,

Capo, Bellwether, Giordana, Sidi, Santini,

Netti, and Cinetticca.

EXTRA EDGE

MASTER CLASS78 Foot Correction; Sitting Pretty Part 4The three points of contact with the bike

are vital in providing a comfortable and

efficient union with your machine. In

this instalment Steve Hogg explains the

importance of optimising your connection

at the pedals.

82 She RidesCycling burns lots of calories and eating

the right food at the right time is very

important for cyclists. Nicola Rutzou looks

at fuelling for women.

84 Polarise Your TrainingThe race goes to the swift, and whether

you race in a club or just ride with your

mates you won’t perform well if you don’t

‘put in’ beforehand. So prepare for 2015

with the Speed Doctor’s fast and furious

workout. It may be quick, but it’s not easy.

No one said it would be easy.

FUEL88 Improve Your PerformanceA lifetime of eating may have left you with

some less than optimal eating habits if you

are looking to perform at your peak. Susie

Burrell looks at common habits that might

be undermining your improvement and

gives us some strategies to take control.

68

60

WORKSHOP90 Cockpit SetupMichael Hanslip explains the basics of

setting up your stem, bars levers and tape

for a comfortable and efficient position.

TEST LAB

92 Jaggad Kit

94 Novatec R5 Carbon Wheelset

96 Giro Vest and Jacket

98 Scott Solace

102 Trek Emonda

106 Norco Valence

110 Ritchey Road Logic

RACE

116 Julian Dean looks back on 2014

118 National Race Series Team Profile

— Jayco VIS – Karen Forman Thornton

120 A Life Behind Bars: Jade Colligan

and Joe Cooper — Karen Forman Thornton

OPINION

124 Spin Cycle – Origin of Tour Species – Anthony Tan

126 Bike Shop Buzz, Power Play and Disc Jockeys – Jack Lynch

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S INGLYLO EHY I


PO Box 218, Port Kembla NSW 2505 Australia

Editorial Phone: (02) 4274 4884

Editorial Fax: (02) 4274 0988

Editorial Email: [email protected]

Publisher Yaffa Publishing Group Pty Ltd

Editor Gary Hunt - [email protected]

Production Coordinator Joanne Anstee

[email protected]

Graphic Designers

Editorial: Amber Hardwick - [email protected]

Advertising: Tim Nightingale- [email protected]

Photography Tim De Waele, Steve Thomas, Mark Gunter,

Peter Maniaty, Phil Latz, Meg Patey, Ernie Smith,

Chris Cummings, Markus Enno, Nicole Grimm-Hewitt

Illustrator Matt Bryant - www.brypro.blogspot.com

Contributors Anthony Tan, Steve Thomas, Pat Howard, Susie

Burrell, Peter Maniaty, Marcus Speed, Nicola Rutzou, Karen

Forman Thornton, Steve Hogg, Luke Meers, Michael Dewall,

Julian Dean, Nicole Grimm-Hewitt, Michael Hanslip, Peter Rox,

Mark Jewell, Jack Lynch

Proof Reader Nigel Tunnell-Jones, Jody David.

Advertising Sales Manager Ben Chand

[email protected]

Subscriptions [email protected]

Online subscriptions www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au

Freecall 1800 061 577

Phone (02) 4274 4884 Fax (02) 4274 0988

Distribution Australia: Gordon and Gotch

New Zealand: Gordon & Gotch

Bicycling Australia is published six times a year in

January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August,

September/October, November/December.

Copyright © 2014

ISSN No 1034-8085

Editorial contributions are welcome.

Please send it to: [email protected]

Publisher’s Note

This magazine is dedicated to the glory of God.

If God has given you money, be generous in helping others with it.

Romans 12:8

Living Translation

TM*

Material in this publication may not be reproduced without permission. While the publishers have takenall reasonable precautions and made all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of material containedin this publication, it is a condition of purchase of this magazine that the publisher does not assume anyresponsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in thispublication, or from the use of the information contained herein and the publishers make no warranties,express or implied, with respect to any of the material contained herein.

Bicycling Australia is a Supporter of the

Cycling Promotion Fund

www.acfonline.org.auBicycling Australia/Mountain Biking Australia are proud to be a member of the Australian Conservation Foundation

Another Vuelta has been run and won and even though I‘ve only seen it on the small screen, it’s such a vibrant spectacle to wind up the calen-dar. Contador’s assertive performance and the brilliant finishes of the featherweight Fabian

Aru were the standouts for me. Good to see Matthews and Hansen flying the Aussie flag with their stage three and 19 wins, too. Hopefully we’ll get to see more of the action, if not live on the ground, at least live on SBS in coming years.

Another reason to be upbeat is the onset of spring and warmer weather. Bring on the daylight and sunshine, I say. Just brilliant! Makes me think it’s time to plan some cycling getaways, and there are plenty of events you can get into like the iconic Sydney to Gong, Around the Bay, Fitz’s Challenge, the Bass Coast Challenge, or the Brisbane to Gold Coast ride. Google them, then get out and have a go; it’s great to be surrounded by so many cyclists once in a while. Or if you prefer a little solitude, seize the day and plan a trip with just you or a small group of friends; just do it!

Check out our destinations article on North Wales for a little motivation. Or for those of you with a performance bent, we have a training plan that will really get your mo-tor running—‘no time’ is no excuse with this results-prov-en, high intensity, polarized regime from the Speed Doctor. Plus there’s more in our series on getting your position on the bike right from Steve Hogg. Or if that’s not enough, maybe you’d prefer to sit back and relax—we have some engaging articles about team owners, sprint kings of pro cycling and those back room blokes who can make or break you, the handicappers.

We’ll be starting a series of coaching articles in coming issues with expert advice from experienced professionals. There’ll be room for some Q&A so send in your questions and we’ll get the guru to give us some solutions.

Thanks for reading Bicycling Australia, we hope you enjoy it. Please, feel free to email me at [email protected] with any feedback or thoughts about cycling.

I hope you’re getting some time on the bike. See you on the road.

Gary

WIN WITHTHE WIND

Weight 1720g

Profile 42mm

Rim Type Clincher

Rim Size 700C

Hubs Bearing Sealed Bearing

Finish 3K Weave

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OFFICIAL SUPPLIER TO:

When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark,

when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly

seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out

for a spin down the road, without thought on anything

but the ride you are taking. ~Arthur Conan Doyle

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MAILBAG AND NEWS


The Best a Man can Get!

To shave or not to shave? A 1987 wind-tunnel trial by Chester Kyle established that leg-shaving pro-

vided essentially no advantage in terms of speed or power saving in cycling. Kyle’s experiment was methodologically flawed however, using just a miniature model of a leg, with hair glued on — and not, which left considerable room for error. Still, his results were published, and so cyclists were not able to claim pursuit of victory as valid reason to clear fell their lower limbs.

So fans of the clean-leg look came up with a few alternative justifications for this apparently socially aberrant behav-iour. These included arguments like “it’s easier for my masseuse”, or “it prevents infected follicles in the event of a crash and road rash” and “the chicks dig it”.

Now nearly three decades later a new study has revealed the inaccuracy of the earlier findings and vindicated the action of shavers, purely on the more acceptable grounds of velocity optimisation.

Cyclist Jesse Thomas re-ran the 1987 experiment at Specialized’s wind tunnel facility in the US this year and posted his results in Triathlete.

The results were quite astonishing. Thomas’ ran the tests with full growth (a relatively hirsute chap, he was rated a nine out of 10 on the Chewbacca scale) and then with freshly shaven legs. The results surprised everyone in the room. It had been thought there would be some marginal benefit in shaving but no one expected to see the number of watts saved to be more than one or two, let alone reach double digits. It turns out that shaved legs create between seven and 13 watts less drag than unshaven legs, depending on the relative hairiness of the individual. Given the average punter will produce somewhere around 200 watts on average the performance gains available in terms of power and therefore speed are quite appreciable.

The Specialized techs followed through on Thomas’ tests, repeating the process with five more cyclists, attaining the same results, and so confirming the findings.

So by all means buy your aero bits and pieces but if you’re serious about reducing drag and increasing speed, a close shave is ef-fective and pretty good value for money.

piece of gear, tidy and comprehensively stocked, well laid out, and with a place for everything and everything in its place you can always find just what you need.

The lucky winner of the autographed Cadel Evans poster set is Nic Seater of Ea-glemont Vic. These stunning images were taken by renowned pro cycling photogra-pher Tim de Waele during the 2011 Tour de France which Cadel of course went on to win, becoming the first Australian ever to do so. Cadel signed the posters for us earlier this year, so they are quite an impressive piece of memorabilia.

CONGRATULATIONS!

In our Tour issue we ran several promo-tions with some brilliant prizes up for grabs.Congrats to the winner of Look 675

package valued at $11,300 Matt Cox of Upper Coomera QLD. It’s a fantastic bike; we hope you enjoy the ride Matt. Thanks very much to the team at Groupe Sportif and Look for providing such a fantastic prize package.

The winner of Topeak PrepStation val-ued at $800 is Shayne Pickles of Palmyra WA. We use a Prepstation here in the magazines’ workshop. It is a very handy

Hello Gary, Just a quick note to follow up our conversation this morning re the

article Growing Up Fast in your Bicycling Australia Sept Oct issue. As the father of one of these types of cyclists, I found it an exceptional read, with balanced, and well expressed opinions. I have already dropped Nash Kent an email and thanked him for his contribution as Anna-Leeza has had some interaction with him. Please if you are able, also pass on both my thanks, and Anna-Leeza’s for the contributions to Peter Maniaty, and Dr David Martin.

Anna-Leeza is presently in Belgium as part of the Australian U19 Women’s Team, and heads across to Spain later this week to get ready for the World Championships next week. I did actu-ally send a copy of the magazine over by mail for her to read, and I know she also really enjoyed it. If I may I would like over the next week or so drop you a note from a parent’s perspective. We are what I guess you

could call the other stakeholder in the process, except we carry the emotional attachment. I certainly everyday ques-tion what is best to do for Anna-Leeza. I use the rule that I need to assist in being the conduit for her to get her the best outcomes in every component of her life, and get her as many opportunities as we can to interact with the people like those above who have contributed to your article. This gives both us, and Anna-Leeza the best basis to make deci-sions and set future directions. Thanks again. Russell Hull

Thanks for your letter Russell. I can only imagine the number of people who would be throwing their two bob’s worth in about how your daughter is too young, or how they think she’s being pushed too hard. We wish you wisdom and good luck with the journey you and Anna-Leeza are on, and good luck to her as she chases her dreams. Ed.

ALARM

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SANTOS DOWN UNDERADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA 17-25 JANUARY 2O15

THIS TIME THE WORLD WATCHES US

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Track cycling has always had its champions. But whilst many iconic names have graced the boards in the past century and a quarter, only a handful has ever had an indoor velo-drome named after them.

WORDS BY PETER MANIATY

Several years before the Flemish Cycling Centre Eddy Merckx was christened in Gent in 2006 and more than a decade before Britain’s four-time Olympian Sir

Chris Hoy was immortalised in concrete and Siberian pine in Glasgow, the same prestigious honour was bestowed upon a Goulburn rider called Edgar Laurence Gray, otherwise known as ‘Dunc’.

Given his moniker has adorned the Sydney Olympic velodrome since it was officially opened in November 1999, it’s likely most Australian cycling fans are at least vaguely aware of the name Dunc Gray. But if my informal canvass-ing is anything to go by, remarkably few seem to know much about a man whose exploits between the two world wars will forever hold a defining place in Australian cycling history.

Dunc Gray was born on 17 July 1906 in Goulburn, 200km south-west of Syd-ney. Like most boys of his generation he learned to ride from an early age but didn’t start cycling competitively until his teens when, after watching the scratchmen strut their stuff at the Goulburn showground, he decided to join the local Goulburn Ama-teur Cycling Club. Like many naturally gifted sportsmen it didn’t take long for him to make an impression. He won his firstmajor title in 1926 when he took out theNSW five-mile championship. More suc-cess was to come. And quickly.

Between 1926 to 1941 Gray recorded aremarkable 20 Australasian titles (including13 on the track) and 36 NSW titles, not tomention a cavalcade of club championshipsat home in Goulburn. Whilst his trophycabinet boasted the spoils from manydisciplines – including the one-mile race inwhich he was Australian Champion for fourconsecutive years from 1928 – 1,000m waswithout much doubt his pet distance. Oneight separate occasions he was either theNSW 1,000m time trial or 1,000m sprintchampion, and sometimes both.

Despite almost unprecedented domesticsuccess on the track, it was the OlympicGames that would forever secure Gray’splace in the history books. For despite

Dunc Gray

>> page 14

having no coach and only modest interna-tional experience, a fortunate sequence ofevents saw him claim bronze in the 1928Olympic Games 1000m time trial in Am-sterdam. In doing so he became Australia’sfirst-ever Olympic cycling medallist; anachievement made even more remarkablewhen it was revealed that prior to Amster-dam Gray had never ridden in a time trial.He actually gained selection on the 1928team by winning the Australian one-milechampionship, and was only thrust intothe time trial when another rider waspreferred ahead of him for the sprint.

Four years later Gray returned to theOlympic arena as the only cyclist onAustralia’s modest 12-person team inLos Angeles. What he lacked in team-mates he made up for in experience, forthis time he was no time trialling novice.


Gray was chosen to be the flag bearer for the Australian team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This was the year of the controversy with Hitler and US sprint star Jesse Owens. This wasn’t the only controversial moment of the games of course but maybe unseen by many, during the opening ceremony, each nation’s flag was adorned with an extra banner that hung from the tip of the flag bearer’s pole, next to their national flag. You can see here the eagle of the Third Reich carrying the Olympic rings, and the banner below featuring the nazi party’s swastika. Apparently Gray half-jokingly remarked that he’d like to give Hitler a taste of the brass tip of the flag pole!

The man from Goulburn wanted more than just a medal and, after withdraw-ing from the 1000m sprint event after having already qualified for the bronze medal race, he promptly piloted his Speedwell bike to a world record time of 1 minute 13 seconds to claim gold – our nation’s first visit to the top step of an Olympic cycling podium. Gray’s landmark achieve-ment saw him awarded the coveted Helms Award as the outstanding amateur Australasian athlete of 1932, an honour later to be bestowed upon such

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legendary athletes as Herb Elliot, Shirley Strickland, Dawn Fraser and Betty Cuthbert.

Having conquered the world, Gray switched his focus to the Commonwealth – an arena where he continued to enjoy rich success. He won the 1,000m time trial at the 1934 British Empire Games in England and backed up at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney where he won gold in the 1,000m sprint just days after being honoured as Australia’s flag bearer in the opening ceremony. It wasn’t the first time Gray had carried his nation’s flag into a major competition, however. As the reign-ing Olympic Champion, and the only gold medallist on the Australian team, he was also chosen to carry the flag at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. But on one of the few occasions he would return from a major international competition empty handed, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of his only event; the sprint.

Gray retired from elite cycling in 1942 to focus on his career with Bennet and Wood; the Sydney company founded in 1882 who also happened to be the manu-facturers of the beloved Speedwell bicycles on which he enjoyed most of his success. He spent his later years on the NSW south coast in Kiama where he was a passionate supporter of both Melbourne’s bid for the 1996 Olympic Games and Sydney’s suc-cessful bid for the 2000 Olympic Games. Whilst sadly it was an event he never lived to see, his name lives on through the $42 million Dunc Gray Velodrome at Bass Hill in Sydney’s western suburbs that still bears his name.

Gray was inducted into the Sport Aus-tralia Hall of Fame in 1985 and died on 30 August 1996.

DUNC GRAY – SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS1926 – NSW Champion, one-mile

1928-1931 – Australian National Champion, one-mile

1928 – Bronze, 1000m time trial, Olympic Games, Amsterdam

1932 – Gold, 1000m time trial, Olympic Games, Los Angeles

1934 – Gold, 1000m time trial, British Empire Games, Manchester

1938 – Gold, 1000m sprint, British Empire Games, Sydney


Gray received these ‘diplomas’ along with his medals at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.

Distributed by Cassons Pty Ltd - AUSTRALIAP: +61(0)2 8882 1900 F: +61(0)2 8882 1999 E: [email protected] W: www.cassons.com.au

TOP GEAR

16 Bicycling Austr

ESSENTIAL STUFF

Lights for Camera Action

The boys at Knog have deva floodlight to use with Gaction cameras and DSLR

light shooting. The [qudos] acta waterproof battery door andgrade aluminium casing enginehandle underwater descents to40m. The battery is a rechargeunit designed to match the lifebattery. Available in midnight bbulletproof silver to match thegear, the [qudos] looks very slipears set to be quite a sensatiofor GoPro users.RRP: $149Distributed by Knog

Green Brush, White Oil

Green Oil’s products are as the name suggests environmentally friendly, but take this label that’s often tokenistically applied, very seriously. For example the brushes are made from Forestry

Stewardship Council (FSC) approved timber— from aged rubber trees which have stopped producing rubber sap and so are to be cut down. The label ink on the handle is biodegradable and the bristles are plant based. The brush is designed for use in cleaning your chain and sprock-ets but once the bristles are worn in and softened they’re suitable forgeneral cleaning of the entire bike. The White Super Dry Chain Lube

i h l lution and as opposed to similar

mline Speedothose who choose to go where

ey like, and know where they’ve en, the Padrone computer with

rsized display provides clear speed me data without the cost or com-on of a GPS unit. The Padrone is s, slim and light, weighs just 32g,

ounts easily to either your bars m. The head unit and speed sensor taches to your fork both require a 2 ‘button’ battery.79.99uted by Sheppard Industries

y gwww.knog.com

Green Brush White Oil

16 Bicycling Australia Novembe • December 2014

general gis a beeswax base in a bio ethanol solution and, as oppospetrochemical based lubes, is fully o egradable, and won’t leave black chain stains on your trousers.RRP:Green Brush $24.99White Lube $19.99, 100mlChain Lube $19.99, 100mlDistributed by Kobiewww.kobie.com.au

mline Speedo

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Minimal Baggage

There is often more to carry on the bike than can be jammed into the jersey pockets. For those who don’t

want a big seat pack the Speedsleev is a neat option. These minimalist packs come in a range of shapes and sizes, but all are made of heavy gauge elastic bands along with a gripping type fabric to hold your gear tightly in as small a bundle as pos-sible. The Small Elastic Pro shown here is usually enough for road cyclists, has a snug fitting cover to keep muddy spray out of the pack and will hold a spare tube, CO2 cartridges, tyre levers and a multi-tool. RRP: $49.99Distributed by Kobiewww.kobie.com.au

velopedGoPro’sRs for lowtion hasd marineeered todepths of

able LiPoof a GoPro

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ck and ap-n, especially

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its overand timplicatiowirelessand moor stemthat attCR203RRP: $Distrib

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TOP GEAR


ESSENTIAL STUFF

Coffee to Go

Capable of producing up to four espresso shots at once the Airspressois made of anodised aluminium,

engineering plastic and brass. Using hotwater, ground coffee beans and your humble bike pump (40-100psi) making aquality espresso is a simple process—pretty much like any other espresso machine! Just load the basket with coffee, fill with hot water and pump. Airspresso claim that by using hot water rather than supercharged steam, many of the bitter extracts normally flushed out remain in the grinds, allowing a smooth almost sweet tast-ing high-crema shot to be produced. Additionally as a by-product of the production method, the final crema layer is foamed by the air pressure, just like the real deal.RRP: $199www.airspresso.com.au

Coffee to Go

Gulliver’s Toolkit

Sometimes you come across a nutor bolt that is just a little too tight,or positioned so it can’t be turned

with your fingers…maybe a bottle cagebolt obstructed by the cage itself. A miniratcheting wrench is just the thing. Whileyou should take care to use a torque

wrench for sensitive bolts like stems andseat collars, this ratchet will make quick

work of winding up a long thread. Witha phillips head, flat screwdriver, T25 torxbits plus 2.5, 3, 4, 5, and 6mm allen keysit’s a handy set for the garage toolbox.RRP: $26.95Distributed by Southcottwww.southcott.com.au

Classy Clinchers

Campagnolo have redesigned their Bora wheel lineup with new clincher versions of the Bora One and Bora Ultra wheelsets available in both

35 and 50mm profiles. The new rim profiles increase from 20.5mm to 24.mm wide and make for a stiffer and more efficient wheel. Campag says braking is also improved in both wet and dry conditions using their 3Diamant technology with stopping performance now comparable to aluminium rimmed wheels.

The Ultras weigh just 1,360 and 1,435g for the respective sizes while the Ones are a touch heavier at 1406 and 1485g for the 50mm.RRP: TBADistributed by Degrandi Cycle and Sportwww.degrandi.com.au

Cool Race Gear

This short was created for racing and riding in hot conditions based on Team Garmin-Sharp’s request for

gear to be worn in the heat of Italy in May and France in July. The design uses seven different fabrics to make it as cool as possible, yet up to the task of perform-ing for pro level riders. Incorporating titanium dioxide, the active ingredient in sunscreen, the fabrics reflect the sun’s rays for optimal thermal control. There is also an abrasion-resistant fabric on the inside of the leg, and sections knitted with wick-ing polyester on the inside to keep you dry. Castelli have also used their Progetto X2 Air seat pad in these shorts with a ventilated skin-care layer, also designed to help keep you cool.RRP: $189Distributed by Degrandi Cycle and Sportwww.degrandi.com.au

Time for Taiwan

TOP GEAR ESSENTIAL STUFF

Clever LEDs

Days are growing longer but still the need for lights remains whether commuting or training in the dark.

Cateye’s Rapid X Lights have good rear and side visibility and mount simply and securely with tough rubber bands. There are six modes (high, low, rapid, pulse, vibration and flashing) and when the battery becomes depleted it will switch itself to a flashing ‘get me home’ mode for a final hour operation. Charging is via USB in just two hours for the 50 lu-men front and 25 lumen rear light.RRP: $39.99 eachDistributed by Sheppard Industrieswww.sheppardindustriesltd.com

Nutrition dration Performance

a specialised electro-nd contains sodium evels recommended

urance events. With es per dose for en-Magnesium to help

amps and spasms and n, it is designed to

aid both refuelling and rehydration during training and racing. RRP: $39.95 800g

Endura Max is a high-strength magnesium formula, developed to assist in the maintenance of normal muscle function and help reduce the occurrence of muscle cramps and spasms. It also contains taurine, which Endura claims may protect your body against the oxidative stress of physical training. RRP $49.50 260g

Endura Optimizer contains an optimal balance of protein, high performance carbohydrates and electrolytes in a single convenient serve. Endura Optimizer is available in a 1,400g tub in three flavours; chocolate, vanilla and banana. RRP: $79.95 1440gDistributed by Health World www.endura.com.au

Cut Price Pow

Garmin has been busyreleased the Vector Ssided version of the ‘

platform which was their iforay into cycling power mThey say the single-sensordelivers reliable, accurate dmeasuring power output apedal where force is applieextrapolates total power ofrom that single side’s databig benefit of the Vector Scost ($999 vs $1,849) whiing much of the functionalthe twin pod setup. Additiriders can decide whetherto upgrade to the twin sentime after purchasing a Ve

They’ve also just announlarger pedal pod option focrank arms 15-18 mm thic44mm wide, such as manymodels. (The large Vectorscranks thinner than 15mmneed the standard-sized peto fit crank arms 12-15 mmthickness and 38mm in wiRRP: Vector S $999 00

her Mittshas a new season glove for ng and summer riding; the naco. Its three panel palm design bunching for good feel and nd there’s a 3mm layer of gel

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It can be nerve wrecking just to watch a major pro race sprint finish, let alone be in there. We caught up with some of the fastest finishers around, and their key helpers to find out what it’s all about.

WORDS BY STEVE THOMAS

PHOTOS BY TIM DE WAELE

Watching a fast moving bunch of top pro bike riders hurtling around greasy corners, dusting the verges with their pedals, grinding their elbows on the barriers, gritting their teeth and swallowing deep as they go through near impossible gaps is one of the

most thrilling spectacles you could possibly witness in sporting terms.One nanosecond of hesitation, a lapse of concentration or the

slightest wrong move will more often than not mean the end of the glorious dream for a sprinter, and on many an occasion it could also mean biting the hard stuff at 70kph. It’s a tough and risky business, which is definitely not for the feint hearted.

Finely tuned risk calculation backed with nerves of steel, powered by thighs of dynamite and lungs the size of hot air balloons sharpened with the hunger of a starving lion are basic instincts that any sprinter must have if he has any hope of achieving glory.


Well before any grand tour, or any otherrace for that matter, a team and its chosensprinter will have identified potential targetsfor victory. They will be the stages where they can use their devastating fast finishing abilities to the full. These are of course usually flat stages or races, or rolling at worst; as sprinters are not generally the best climbers; they are the thoroughbreds, it’s all logged in their DNA, as it is with a super climber. That’s not to say that there are not sprinters out there who can climb, or even climbers who can sprint – far from it; but at the sharp end of a sprint finish it’s a rough and ready battle. It’s a risk that most are not willing to take.

Earlier this season we caught up with a number of top sprinters along with their lead-out men and managers to delve a little deeper into their approaches to sprinting. On this occasion each and every one of them had a target firmly embedded in their minds, perhaps the biggest target of them all – Cav.

As he fine-tuned his form for the upcoming and ultimately ill fated Tour de France everybody was out to take a part in a scalping of the Manxman, and some did just that, while others would bide their time for a bigger and better opportunity.

The Tour of Turkey was also one of a growing band of ‘wireless’ races; race radios were banned here, which made for a less predictable and less controlled style of racing, meaning that teams and their trains had to ride a lot more on intuition than they normally do.

Andre Greipel, Lotto-BelisolAt 33 years of age the big and burly

German national champion is still one of the fastest sprinters in the pro peloton, as he demonstrated with great effect in this year’s Tour de France.

The ‘Gorilla’ as he’s fondly known as has won multiple stages in all three grand tours; and that’s despite having served a large slice of his early career as a semi-enforced lead out man for the man he now considers his arch-rival - Mark Cavendish.

“On this

occasion each and every one of them had a target firmly embedded in their minds, perhaps the biggest target of them all – Cav.

”

Peter Sagan took the

sprinter’s green jersey at this year’s TDF but didn’t win

a stage.

With ProTour sprinters reaching speeds of 70km and more depending on the lie of the land, there is little room for error.

• www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au 33

His approach to a wet and difficult race finish changes depending on its location; “It depends on which country you are in; if it’s Italy or Spain you know that you cannot go around the corners like you would usually (because of the painting and other markings on the road), you must be aware of the conditions and surroundings.”

Having ridden as a reluctant wingman to Cav, you must know his moves and strategy inside out? “Every sprint is different. I never really take notice of any of the other sprinters. I rely a lot on my team and just concentrate on my lead-out guys and my sprint only; that’s how it is.”

Elia Viviani, Team CannondaleHe may be just 25 years of age, yet Elia

Viviani is a man with a potentially very bright future ahead of him—should he be given a little more opportunity that is.

Elia came from a mixed track and road background, and he first made his mark on the world road stage in this very race back in 2010, when he scored an impressive stage victory. This time around he was to have a firm hold on the teams sprinting reins; and duly repaid the favour by scoring two very impressive stage victories; “It’s my first big race of the year, so I wasn’t 100% sure of my form; but I can feel my legs getting stronger every day,” he told us.

In his own right he is a superb all-rounder, and a prolific winner, who has somewhat been put at the beck and call of his teammate Peter Sagan so far. But it was Cav he outgunned in the two sprints; “He (Cav) was strong at first, and then I could see that he was not quite as powerful, or he was tiring, so took the opportunity, and I went longer than usual, which takes more out of a rider in these circumstances.”

Although he has a strong team around him, he is also a rider who likes to improvise and make his own way to the line on occasion; “I rely a lot on the team to control things and keep the race together, and to figure it out on the road – this time it was without radios. For me it’s better if the sprint is wide open; I like to go long.”

With heavy racing schedules and varied demands, do sprinters get much chance to hone and focus their skills for a specific race? “Not really; well, not the sprint

Greipel has been known to push upwards of 1,500 watts for the final eight seconds of a sprint.


they change the way the team sprints? “Ican take them or leave them; but I really dothink that they should be utilised. We havethe technology, so why hold things back. Weshould embrace that. Sure, at times it doesmake the racing a little more predictable,but I prefer to have radios.”

Henk Vogels, Drapac PorscheVogels served out a long and distinguished

career as a pro rider; and spent much of hiscompetitive time racing between Europeanand American teams. In his own right hewas a great sprinter, with a distinct likingfor the northern classics, although he was toride much of his time in the service of others– including Stuart O’Grady and then RobbieMcEwan. He was instrumental in the manyof the greatest victories achieved by theseriders, and others.

In recent years he’s moved on to becomea respected team manager, and is currentlybehind the wheel and the tactics of theDrapac team.

Drapac were racing as comparativeunderdogs in Turkey, with the young flyingDutchman Wouter Wippert strutting hissprint against the best in the world; “It’sa great race for us, a big opportunity –although we are not expecting big results,we’re riding against some of the best inthe world, it’s more about experience anddevelopment, and the riders are learningvery well, and without pressure.”

Despite their domination on the homefront of the NRS it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re up against the likes ofCav and Greipel; “In the NRS we do havesprint trains; there are some very goodand strong teams out there. But, of coursewe’re here in Turkey to learn and progressmore than anything. If Wouter or any of the

others can get the attention of a big team or make a breakthrough, that would be a great result for us.”

Unfortunately it hadn’t all been sweet for the team, and Henk lamented slightly the lack of radios; “Riders do need communication during the race; for example, we had a really wet day here, and the descent was treacherous, I had riders on the ground because the rain came suddenly and I couldn’t warn them how bad the situation was ahead, a lot of riders went down – with radios that could have been avoided.”

Adam Hansen, Lotto-BelisolOne of the great under-sung heroes of the

peloton is Adam Hansen, a rider of huge strength and great class, and one who has been instrumental in the fulfilment of many of team leader Andre Greipel’s successes over the years.

With Greipel not quite on fighting form in Turkey, Hansen and his teammates were given much more of an open hand when it came to playing their own race cards. He duly responded by showing great climbing form, which earned him a fine seventh place overall in the race; “I’m usually the guy that starts it all and then takes the lead-out train to the front. I must wait as long as possible and get the whole train in front of the peloton.”

As we can see from the outside that doesn’t always work out; “It’s difficult sometimes, because in some situations I must go early to get them out of trouble or to hold our position. But too early is also not good, so timing is often difficult to get spot on.”

In an ideal situation that train should have its carriages in perfect order; “I should

specifically. All sprints are different and there are so many races, so it’s not easy to focus on one specific sprint, just to work on your form, and that high end form comes mostly from racing.”

Graeme Brown – BelkinBrown is a rider with a very long and

impressive palmares listed behind him. His biggest successes have arguably been on the track, where he’s scored both Olympic and World Championships wins.

On the road he’s put his track racing skills to good use, and has scored many single day victories and stage wins in races all over the world; predominantly is short-medium length stage races.

As a sprinter he has always been a rider who has pretty well found his own way to the line. He has a great tactical acumen, and an elbows out and aggressive sprinting style; “I don’t really sprint anymore; I just lead-out. At one time I would look for gaps and opportunities and take risks, but not anymore,” he mused.

Somehow he has never managed to cut it fine enough to score a grand tour stage victory, and in recent years his skills have been put at the service of another former track ace; Theo Bos, for whom he acts as a key lead-out rider; “Theo is a totally different type of sprinter to how I was. He likes a wide open and straight road (I used to like this too, but not now) and a good lead-out train, he’s very powerful.”

Being a part of one in later years was not something he was accustomed to at first, having ridden for smaller Italian teams during his early pro career; “It took a bit to get used to riding a train, but I do like it.”

Race radios also seem to play a huge part in the final of a sprint stage these days; do

The Manx Missile and arch rival the Gorilla shake hands in 2014.


put Sibi (Marcel Sieberg) in first place with 1km to go (meaning he should be right behind me), and in this case we should win every time... Sounds easy; but of course others have different ideas.”

Belief in your leader is vital; “If our train is right Greipel can will most times. We believe in him 100%.”

Hansen and Greipel also previously rode as teammates with their now arch rival Cav’. Does this help in the process? “Experience is gained every time you sprint, you do learn things…”

Cameron Wurf, CannondaleFormer Olympic rower Wurf is a

latecomer to competitive cycling, and yet within just a few years of starting out he is already a pro in Europe; and cutting his teeth in the grand tours.

Wurf is a strong all-rounder, and a rider who can be seen throttling away on the front of the peloton in the closing stages of a race, pulling things together tightly for his team leader and sprinter Elia Viviani; “Elia is going great right now, and my job (and the rest of the team) is to try to control the pace and limit the gaps on the breaks, and then to try and pull them in at the right time and to lead him out,” he told us of his role.

It was also one of the first times that he’d ever raced without a radio, which was refreshing change for him; “I really enjoyed racing without the radios. It was a whole lot more relaxed in the peloton too; there was nobody screaming in your ear, the whole thing felt a lot more intuitive. It also made the racing better, we could allow a move to go and just hold it at two to three minutes without needing to hear about it all of the time, and that worked out much more relaxed for us when it came to controlling the race for Elia.”

Bouhanni is a rising sprint star with

three stage wins in the 2014 Giro and two in the Vuelta.

Giant Shimano have a powerful pair in John Degenkolb seen here taking stage

four of the Vuelta, and Marcel Kittel.

Victory by mere millimetres. Matteo Trentin pips Peter Sagan in stage seven of the 2014 Tour de France.


HANDICAPPERSANONYMOUS

Typically we have little idea of what they look like and would probably walk straight past them in the street. But they’re still the officials we love to hate. Either too soft on rivals, or too hard on us. Peter Maniaty asks what is it really like to be a handicapper?

About eight years ago former track champion and current NSWIS coach Ben Kersten took one of the all-time great swipes at a handicapper. “I’d like to put

my 10-speed cassette in a footy sock and flog him with it, he hasn’t been helping us much,” suggested the flying New South Welshman to the awaiting media. The two-time Australian Track Cyclist of the Year was only joking, of course. But the scratchman’s frustration couldn’t have been clearer during the lucrative Tasmanian Christmas Carnival series of 2006.

Half a century earlier a slightly more restrained but equally memorable spray came from 1950 National Road Champion Keith Rowley after a limit rider from Coburg, Bill Anderson, won the 1952 Tour of Midlands solo off a whopping 80-minute limit. “What’s the sense of racing if we haven’t a dog’s chance of winning?” Rowley bemoaned to The Argus after starting from scratch. “They’re driving the scratchmen out of the business. We put all our time into the sport and then these chaps, who just have a ride now and again, come along and take all the plums.”

The plums may have been juicy for the winners. But, just as it is today, the vanquished are often left with a sour taste indeed, and the finger of blame frequently points squarely at handicappers, those with surely the most enigmatic and thankless task in cycling.


Mar

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Not sure about your club. But every time a big race rolls around you can be fairly certain the members of mine will expend almost as much energy debating the handicapping as they do turning the pedals. Yet whilst we all love a good whinge, few of us will ever raise our hands to help improve the situation for next time. As one rider confessed, “I don’t know why anyone would voluntarily become a handicapper, someone always ends up hating you, and I get shouted at enough already by my wife and daughters at home!”

Fortunately not everyone feels this way, of course; so what type of person does put their hand up? An insightful chap by the name of Eddie Barkla from the Bendigo Bicycle User Group explained it as follows in a blog post back in 2010, “The humble handicapper has to have skin thick as that of a rhinoceros, the hardness of the head of that of marble or granite and the mind like a steel trap and recall of an elephant that never forgets.” Never

have truer words been spoken.Rarely paid and often criticised, theirs is

at best a fickle art; a notoriously subjective undertaking for even the most experienced of exponents. Trying to make sense of obscure form lines, riders you’ve often never heard of (let alone seen race) and the vagaries of club results which may or may not be current, is no mean feat – all in an attempt to level out what is a decidedly un-level playing field. Such an egalitarian act may be very Australian. But it’s also very bloody difficult.

Clearly they don’t always get it right. Like the time one of my club’s well-performed A-Graders was somewhat embarrassingly thrust into E-Grade for an Open race in Newcastle. (As it turned out he broke his collarbone the weekend before and never had to confront officials at the start line). But name any sport whose officials are on the money all the time? Even with the very latest seven-figure technology the video referees in footy and third umpires in cricket still cock things up on a reasonably regular basis. And let’s not forget why we have handicappers in the first place. As the long since defunct newspaper The Empire explained in the lead-up to the Sydney Cup horse race in 1870, “The handicap is a time-honoured institution … without it, how frequently we should see all the most valuable stakes falling into the hands of one person.”

Continuing the equine theme it’s worth noting Racing Victoria – custodian of the grandest Australian handicap of them all, the Melbourne Cup – reminds owners, trainers and punters that handicapping is anything but black and white. “There are no right or wrong answers,” it suggests in its official racing guidelines with words surely as apt for the cyclist as they are the thoroughbred. “Hindsight is a wonderful tool. Handicapping is about personal and professional judgments.”

Some suggest much of the angst shown towards handicappers might actually stem from a misunderstanding of their role. The Footscray Cycling Club in Melbourne provides a reasonably good definition on its website: “Handicapping should enable strong, competitive, and fair racing, and should challenge and stretch riders …

I was often being asked for opinions of where people should be in terms of grades and handicaps. I also noticed many races weren’t that well handicapped, so I decided to put my hand up.

”

Peter Tomlinson of SouthernHi hlands Cycling Club NSW.

Meg Patey

Max Tonkin in action. Ernie Smith


riders promoted may expect to have a period of struggle before acclimatising to the new pace … the handicapper has to assume you are fully fit to race … it is not the handicapper’s role to aid riders back to fitness.” In other words, suck it up princess and take a cement pill.

Commissaire to Handicapper and BackPeter Tomlinson hails from the Southern

Highlands Cycling Club, just over an hour’s drive south-west of Sydney. Recently returned from a commissairing role at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Tomlinson has been a familiar face on the club racing scene in NSW for over two decades and prior to handing over the reins after the Cootamundra Haycarters weekend earlier this year, spent six years as the Chief Handicapper for Cycling NSW and two more as Assistant Handicapper.

“I always loved the tradition of handicaps,” reflects Tomlinson, who from behind his neatly cropped grey beard

explains it was his role as a commissaire that actually brought him into the handicapping fold. “Attending so much racing in the 1990s and 2000s as a commissaire, I developed a real feel for what was happening. I was often being asked for opinions of where people should be in terms of grades and handicaps. I also noticed many races weren’t that well handicapped, so I decided to put my hand up.”

Since raising that hand almost a decade ago Tomlinson has gone on to seed races everywhere from club level right up to national championships and World Cups, not to mention overseeing graded scratch races and handicaps in virtually every corner of NSW from Wagga and Albury to Gunnedah and Cootamundra.

If anyone knows what it takes to be a successful handicapper, surely it’s Tomlinson. Perhaps unsurprisingly he suggests a love and passion for the sport is essential, along with a healthy amount of first-hand racing experience. Beyond that it

comes down to having a “feel and synergy for the riders and the history of the races.”

The other key requirement is time. “It takes a lot of hard work to do the job properly. You have to attend races and be willing to chase information that doesn’t always come freely to you,” he explains of his time handicapping for Cycling NSW. “I’d spend an average of 10-12 hours a week for around 40-45 weeks a year. That’s why I only ever intended on doing the job for two or three years. Between my work time, my wife’s time, my riding time, my sleep time – I have way too many other things to do as well!”

Tomlinson stresses it’s also essential to communicate well with race organisers, clubs and other relevant associations. As he suggested when stepping down from the Cycling NSW role, it’s something he feels could be done better. “Grading has become very difficult with only a small percentage of clubs providing consistent information, so I’ve relied heavily on email or even

Effectively now all scratchmen, NRS riders have the benefit of a level field.

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using Google to gain information.forward, hopefully a better grading databasecan be developed, rather than the ad hocmethod at present.”

There was one notable exception, however.Tomlinson singled out a Sydney club forspecial praise.“Waratah CC and the MastersCommission have done a great job withMasters racing,” he said, suggesting thelevel of rider information provided helpedconsiderably with the seeding of Mastersriders racing in Track and Road Opens.

Somewhat ironically, it turns out the clubwith one of the oldest member bases inAustralia has embraced modern technologylike few others to streamline the process ofgrading and handicapping, removing much ofthe subjectivity and associated time demands.

“When the Waratah Masters CyclingClub was formed back in 1994, a consciousdecision was made to implement amanagement system,” explains the club’s VicePresident, Max Tonkin.“The club was luckyenough to have Alban McGuinness, an ITprofessional; he set up the initial system inLotus Notes. Then in 2007 Alban changed usover to the current web-based system addingmany ‘bells and whistles’. The daughter ofone of our regular competitors is now paid to

John Smith’s “ratherexpensive puncture”

He may have been the lone

scratchman. But that didn’t

stop Western Australian

handicapper John Smith from nearly

claiming the Collie to Donnybrook and

Return Classic in 1947 – a handicap his

father won in 1932. When leading by

a clear margin in the closing stages of

the 104km event, Smith punctured and

was ultimately caught by the chasers.

“I punctured three mile from the

finish,” he recalls, before explaining he

was far from alone in counting the cost

of the fateful flat which saw the 100

pound first prize slip from his grasp

– a considerable sum in the post-war

times. “My father had me coming up

to win over 1,000 pounds that day. My

coach had me coming up to win about

500, as did my dad’s brother and a

chap they used to train with, he had

500 as well.”

Were there a lot of grown men crying

that evening in Collie?

“I certainly was,” he laments. “A

rather expensive puncture, that one.”

manage data input for each event, including race registration and results.”

Over a post-ride coffee Tonkin rattles off an impressive list of functionality sure to have time-poor club handicappers salivating all over Australia. A key feature is an efficient and fair race registration process, ensuring riders must obtain approval to ride in a lower grade. The system also generates the yearly race program, provides weekly results reports and accumulates points earned for each rider towards an annual points competition. Competitors can obtain a performance report showing his or her race results in the current year. Reports are also generated automatically for the handicapper listing riders in line for promotion. “All the functionality is available to the club’s administrators at the click of a mouse, pretty much anywhere with an internet connection,” adds Tonkin. Not bad for a bunch of old blokes, huh?

“You name it, we have race data going all the way back to the very beginning of the club including about 1,700 riders currently classified as ‘active’,” he continues. “I know some clubs struggle a bit with the time it takes, but for us race management and handicapping takes hardly any time at all.”

With more than a hint of science fiction Tonkin reveals they’ve even trialled thumbprint scanners at the entry desk to speed up registration on race days. “I bought a couple of units cheap from China a while back, but they didn’t work very well,’ he confesses. “That led us to develop a fast new user interface for the entry desk laptop instead. Now we can – and regularly do – register more than 200 riders across six grades in about 40 minutes!”

Whether it is a fully automated database or a more intuitive manual system, it’s also worth remembering what our much-maligned handicappers are actually trying to achieve when we roll up to race each weekend. Is nirvana having a race come together in the final stages as the bunch swamps the breakaway or limit riders on the line?

“That’s it pretty much!” nods Peter Tomlinson. “I was happy to achieve that a few times. But also to have the majority of the field there at the end of a race or at least having a good ride is important. I always enjoyed the satisfaction of a well-run race and working with good organisers. I still do.”

The conversation drifts to the issue of sandbaggers (aka. burglars), a type of rider who, for most, belongs in the same bracket as a serial wheelsucker. Tomlinson assures there’s no clandestine surveillance network monitoring our every ride or Strava accounts to catch us out. “I always found riders tend to self-regulate if you’re willing to listen,” he says. “Of course good communication with others in the know is always quite useful. Knowing the records

Of course it’s the big handicaps each year where Smith gets to flex his handicapping muscle, headlined by the rich two-day Goldfields Cyclassic held in late May/early June and the Collie to Donnybrook and Return Handicap in mid-August. And flex it he typically does.

>> page 42Sour grapes are not new; this clipping is from the Argus 18 Aug 1952.

and history of races also plays a big part.”How about the criticism that’s inevitably

part of the job? “Happily with experience that usually decreases. Over time you earn some respect,” he explains, before admitting it did still frustrates him on occasion. “Sometimes I felt quite annoyed that it didn’t matter how much time and effort you put in – and how correct you often were – people still criticised. In fact, a chronic complainer was the last straw for me. I just thought ‘I’ve got a busy job and other opportunities to worry about, time to step back.’ So that’s what I did.”

Best in the westOn the other side of the country

resides one of Australia’s longest-serving handicappers, an 86-year-old former scratch marker by the name of John Smith. A life member of Cycling Australia, Cycling WA (now CycleSport WA) and the Midlands Cycling Club, Smith came late into cycling at the age of 17, and fell into handicapping even later at a local track meet in the early 1990s. He and his wife Betty – his loyal assistant and also a life member of Cycling WA – have been involved ever since.

“We first got involved with a tour run by a fellow called Ken Benson,” explains the endearingly candid Smith, who you suspect has enough stories to fill this entire magazine several times over. “He was the father of Darryl Benson of course (former WAIS head cycling coach). But it was out at the Midland track, the SpeedDome, where it

really started. I was there one night and an official was feeling a bit ill so I went down and offered my services – that was 22 years ago and I’m still doing it!”

Smith explains most of the grading for open events is left to the state association who liaise with clubs and their interstate counterparts when entries are received from eastern based riders. “Over here they all want to ride A-grade,” he says with a wry chuckle. “Mind you, a lot of them are not A-grade riders. When they go to the east coast many find out they’re actually only B-grade riders.”

Of course it’s the big handicaps each year where Smith gets to flex his handicapping muscle, headlined by the rich two-day Goldfields Cyclassic held in late May/early June and the Collie to Donnybrook and Return Handicap in mid-August. And flex it he typically does.

“Back in the 1950s I used to ride off scratch on my own,” he reveals with more than a hint of nostalgia. But he can’t resist the temptation to twist the knife on today’s riders. “It’s funny, nowadays they don’t like riding on their own, or even with less than 10 in a bunch. They don’t like gravel either. Oh, they’re soft.”

The anecdotes flow freely across the Nullabor as Smith explains it’s common for riders and coaches to seek him out before a big race, cap in hand with their hard-luck stories in the hope of receiving a friendlier grading or perhaps a move out after the starting groups have been released.

“They even try it on the day, down on their hands and knees!” Smith chuckles.

And does he ever succumb? “No,” he adds bluntly. “You need to be

thick skinned, stick to your guns.”It’s precisely this attitude, an equal blend

of defiance and pride, that’s seen Smith gain a firm reputation over the years; something you get the impression he wears as a badge of considerable honour. He may be getting on in years, but he’s still a rhino – albeit a somewhat sneaky one when he needs to be. “Often they’ll come up and say ‘look John, I’ve been off the bike for a while’ or ‘I’ve been really sick.’ But on quite a few occasions I’ve actually seen the very same riders out training,” he laughs. “They don’t see me, of course!” Orwell may have warned us that Big Brother is watching. Well so is the handicapper, at least in WA.

Major surgery several years back means Smith is unable to ride himself these days. But don’t feel sorry for him. He explains handicapping is the perfect substitute: a way to stay connected with the sport that’s shaped the course of his adult life. “I got new knees when I was 72 and one of them doesn’t want to come right up, so I can’t ride. But I’m still involved. I love it.”

As for any plans to retire, Smith laughs again. “Well not that long ago I did say to Murray Hall (CycleSport WA board member), ‘Listen, when do I get long service leave?’ He said, ‘Oh, another five years, and if you’re not fit enough by then we’ll just come and get you in a wheelchair.’ I guess that means I’m doing it for a while longer yet.”

I guess it does. Which is surely good news for Australian cycling. Even if we still have little idea what he looks like.

<< page 40

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in the

HillsideReturning home to North Wales

reminds Steve Thomas just how great the riding there is.

The mid slopes of Bwlych y Groes.


WORDS AND PHOTOS BY STEVE THOMAS

Over the years (way too many of them, yet strangely still not enough) I’ve ridden and raced all over the world; more than 50 countries in all, and lived in

a fair few too. Bikes and riding have been my life, or at least they have since I hit double figures in age terms. Consequently I frequently get asked by fellow cyclists and travellers; “So, where’s your favourite place in the world for cycling?” They all anticipate some remote Nepalese trail, a twisted Alpine mountain or a secret rolling South American paradise to be the answer; but no. Without any question, every single time I stump them with my clear cut and direct answer; “Wales, North Wales.” Although I do pause and then add, “When the sun shines, that is”.

Eyebrows are raised, questions are asked and a sense of surprise abounds – every time; well, unless there happens to be another man of the motherland around that is. Okay, so it may sound a tad biased, but no, not really. In fact not at all – it’s simply that so very few people actually take the time to find out just how bike-perfect this tiny slice of the dark island is.

There are plenty of places that the one-off cycling visitor to the UK knows of and visits, and often raves about. The Lake District in Scotland jumps out, and I have little doubt that Yorkshire will soon be featuring on that list following its great Tour de France showing, which shocked many an unsuspecting viewer. People simply did not believe that such amazing countryside

and riding could exist on the over-crowded and rain cursed island, yet it does, and in abundance.

So what does the North of Wales have that’s so special, and that these other honeypots don’t have? It’s what it doesn’t have that is a prime factor in making it such a great place to ride; traffic and notoriety.

The east and central area of North Wales is the least populated area in all of England and Wales, and it doesn’t even register on the regular weekend warrior or sightseeing tourist’s radar. They all head for the jewel in the crown of Wales; the Snowdonia National Park, and as such completely bypass this region, which is perfect for cyclists.

Hometown pride is a great thing; but this is not actually my hometown, it was where I chose to live for a huge chunk of my life, and where I’d still be now if it wasn’t for the dreaded rain that curses the British Isles – in particular the mountainous areas, such as Wales. That said, even on a rainy day this place is special. It has its own unique and dramatic sense of epic, which is great now and then, but not year round – when the sun shines there are few places to rival this area for cycling.

Take a Google Maps tour of the region and you’ll see the reason why this, and indeed other remote regions of the UK, are so good for road riding. There are just so many of them – roads that is; all narrow and twisted and often hundreds of years old, something that just doesn’t exist to

The historic Barmouth railway bridge.


WHEN TO GOThe weather in Wales can be pretty fickle to

say the least. By far the best time to visit and

ride is between April and October, although it

can rain at any time.

At the end of August the hills come alive for a

couple of weeks as the heather blooms – which

is amazing. Springtime (April-May) also sees

varying wildflower, and the Welsh daffodils are

also briefly in bloom, while October is simply

amazing for autumnal colours.

Bank Holiday weekends (first and last

weekend in May, Easter and the last weekend

in August) are crazy weekends for travel and

rooming in the UK – avoid them, and go mid-

week for the best conditions and deals.

EAT, SLEEP AND DRINKOverall you should expect to pay around the

same as at home for rooms and consumables

in the UK, although in the more remote areas

of Wales (such as the Berwyns) things will

be cheaper; while in Snowdonia they will be

slightly more.

There is a distinct shortage of lodging options

in the Berwyns, as so few people visit. There

are many small pubs and B&Bs dotted around,

and the best areas to stay are Llanrhaedr ym

Mochnant, Llangynog, and the well facilitated

lakeside town of Bala – which also has a number

of bunk houses and campsites.

For the northern reaches Llangollen is a

great base, with plenty of sleeping, eating

and drinking options.

Camping is a great option during the

summer, and even when it’s wet if you’re

kitted out. There are some great sites with

amazing views and facilities, and they cost

around $12-$20 per night.

Snowdonia can get very busy during July

and August, especially Betws y Coed. The

Welsh ‘low-key outdoor capital’ of Llanberis

has some decent options at cheaper prices,

while campsites and Youth Hostels can be

found all over.

The Welsh coastal regions are quite

dramatic, and have some great riding too.

The Llyn Peninsula, and also around Towyn-

Barmouth are amazing, and well facilitated.

THE WELSH BITIt has to be admitted that overall the Welsh

and the English are not too fond of each other

– extremely so in certain remote pockets such

as Bethesda and Bala; where you would not

want to be English on a late weekend pub night

– Aussies are all good though.

The Welsh language has almost nothing

in common with English, and is widely used

and also now heavily taught in schools. Most

road signs have place names in both Welsh

and English, but everybody speaks English

(except when they choose not to).

GETTING THERE

Getting to North Wales is surprisingly

easy, and although it is quite an

expansive region to get around it’s

unlikely to take more than two hours by car

to get from one extreme to the other here.

The best international gateway airport is

Manchester, which is just 1.5 hours by road

from the Berwyns, while Birmingham is

12-20 minutes further, and London is around

3-4 hours away by road.

The easiest option by far is to rent a car, as

public transport is sporadic here. Most major

rental companies have outlets at the airports,

and you can expect to pay around $30+ a

day for a car.

Bikes and trains don’t always mix in the

UK, and there are not many stations in this

region either. If you do decide to go on the

rails you must bag your bike and check out

availability in advance. Gobowen is the best

gateway for the Berwyns (you’re into the

mountains within about 10km, and 30km

from their heart).

For Snowdonia you can get to Llandudno

Junction and then hop a connection to

Betws y Coed. There are also stations all

along the coastline.

For details check out www.nationalrail.co.uk

It’s a long and winding road over the Berwyn Mountains.

The long pass out of the Tanat Valley, Berwyn’s.


You could easily ride superb routes for a

number of days in each corner of North

Wales – here are the prime rib cuts;

BERWYNS – Llanrhaedr ym Mochnant,

Lake Vyrnwy, Llangynog. The quietest, and

probably the best riding.

Between Llanrhaedr, Llanarmon DC and

Oswestry there is a maze of superb roads to

ride, all hilly, narrow, quiet and tough.

Llangynog, over the Berwyns to Bala, over the

Bwylch y Groes or Hirnant Pass to Vyrnwy and

back through Penybontfawr – absolute classic

wild mountain riding and scenery.

CLWYDIANS – from Llangollen over the

Horseshoe Pass, around Llandegla and through

the back roads right over to the Sportsman’s

Pass; superb big long climbing days.

SNOWDONIA – the most dramatic, and

also the busiest area. Best to ride mid-week.

The Pen y Pas – Llanberis – Caernarvon-

Bedgellert – Nant Gwynant Pass loop of

Mount Snowdon is amazing, but can see

some traffic in places.

THE COAST – there is superb close to

coast riding to be had all over, just be sure to

avoid the main roads. The Llyn Peninsula is

particularly pretty.

It’s essential to avoid the busy main

roads; they are very dangerous, especially

the main A5.

Get hold of the relevant Ordnance Survey

Landranger maps and head to the hills. Try

and stick to the minor and B roads and you

can’t go far wrong.

WHERE TO RIDE

Summertime on the Lake Vyrnwy loop road.

A balmy afternoon at Barmouth estuary.


Bike shops etcBike shops and facilities are

a little sparse in most rural

areas, although with the growing

number of mountain bike trails

things are improving.

In Oswestry there is a decent shop

on the main car park (Stuart Barkley

Cycles). In Bala is RH Roberts Cycles

(basic), in Betws y Coed is Beics

Betws (behind the Post Office), and

in Porthmadog is KK Cycles.

...swirlingclouds gapped oneanother and allowedthe sun to appear,illuminating the greenand grey camouflage-like hillside in all itsglory, and it was evenmore dramatic thanI’d remembered, aswas the riding.

anywhere near this extent in the new and developing world. Here you can ride on sweet and skinny roads for hours, and hardly see more than a passing tractor.

On sleepless nights my mind often wonders to the best rides I’ve ever done; rating and ranking them. That top ten is always headlined with a bunch of wild Welsh rides, and even more specifically rides around the remotest area of all – the Berwyn Mountains, a land of dramatic small mountains, lakes, and isolation.

Just a few weeks before the Tour de France made its first appearance in ‘real-Britain’, that huge percentage of the country which is to be found north of London, I made my first visit back to the land that keeps me awake at night; Wales. I’d armed myself for a few days of self-reward; riding those rides I lay awake lusting after, both to satisfy the urge, and also to see whether or not I was actually just romanticising over a lost era, one where I was younger and much fitter and the days were somehow brighter.

My first hit was to be the biggest; my regular old training ride, and one that is now used as the base for a couple of Britain’s best sportive events. It’s always been a tough cookie, with only a very short stretch of flat riding in its three-hour girth. This is common in this part of Wales – the only flat riding here is around the lakes, and to get to them you usually have to grunt over some huge and wild mountain pass.

It was a moody and heavy morning as I panted out of Llangynog, my old hometown; which is a typical Welsh mountain village with two pubs, a few houses and absolutely nothing else. It’s maybe four kilometres uphill to start the day, which is always tough, although the ride out of the Tanat Valley is one of the most spectacular around, and that certainly hadn’t changed.

My chosen ride crosses the Berwyn Mountain range on a wide-open and windswept high moorland road, which has

huge and daunting views right over towards neighbouring Snowdonia.

The odd car was all I saw that morning. The ‘easy’ side of the Bwylch y Groes was the major challenge for the day. A narrow road dips and dives through a remote valley before climbing along a rock-strewn hillside and on towards its summit. It’s quite long and steep from this northern approach, and the views are simply top draw stuff.

Approaching the summit and the wind brewed up, as it often does here. In with it the swirling clouds gapped one another and allowed the sun to appear, illuminating the green and grey camouflage-like hillside in all its glory, and it was even more dramatic than I’d remembered, as was the riding.

I’d first clambered up to this summit as a teenager, riding out to watch the Milk Race – the original Tour of Britain. We’d underestimated the ride and arrived just as the race had passed. As is often the case many a foreign rider had underestimated the climb of the Bwylch, assuming that in a country where the highest peak is just a slap over 1,000-metres tall that there could be nothing to worry about. The result was that a fair proportion of the peloton were forced to their feet on the last part of the seven-kilometre ultra-steep clamber to the summit; a Welsh lesson that few would forget.

Drawn out and mostly downhill, that’s the next section of the ride – my favourite part. The road winds out like a box kite on a windless day, swooping through remote high moorland before reaching the shores of Lake Vyrnwy, perhaps the most picturesque lake in Wales.

It was early summertime and the wild wooded banks around the lake were alive with vibrantly deep purple wildflower, beside the sun dappled route ahead. Come rain or snow I’ve ridden this route so many times, and it always has something seasonal on the specials board; but on this occasion it couldn’t possibly have been more appealing. It was almost as if it had missed me and was trying to lure me back for good, and it came damn close too – despite the fading memoirs of those wild and wet winter days. The weather didn’t really seem to matter in the grand scheme of things anymore; maybe it is time to go home and revive the dream that continues to haunt me.

Passing the wooden cross beneath the summit of the Bwlych y Groes.

Vacansoleil rode off into the sunset.


PHOTOS BY TIM DE WAELE

Back in July the New York Timesasked Gerry Ryan why he ownsa professional cycling team.“That’s what my therapist alwaysasks,” was the splendid reply of

the Orica-GreenEDGE boss. Around thesame time Bicycling Australia asked thesame question of Leigh Parsons from theCharterMason-Giant NRS squad. Parsonsconfessed team ownership has probablysliced several years off his life. It’s a safe bethe’s not alone.

In an environment where one of the fewcertainties is uncertainty the fragile existenceof cycling teams is well documented. Yet stillthey come. Otherwise astute businesspeople– not to mention the occasional FormulaOne driver – continue to be wooed eachyear. The obvious question is, why?

Just 12 months ago two jewels in theWorldTour crown folded due to the lossof key sponsors: Euskaltel Euskadi andValconsoleil-DCM. Barely a year earlierRabobank also teetered on life support,racing ominously as ‘Team Blanco’ untilrescued by Belkin Electronics who will,in turn, end their sponsorship after 2014.By the time the Dutch team arrives atthe 2015 Tour Down Under it will haveraced under four different guises in just24 months. It’s a similar tale of instabilityat Cannondale Pro Cycling (nee Liquigas)which recently confirmed it would belinking with Slipstream Sports from 2015– leaving Lampre-Merida as the sole Italianrepresentative on the sport’s greatest stage.

Far from a modern phenomenon, ghostsof seasons past show the average lifespan ofa pro team has never been especially long.Perhaps with the exception of the enduringPeugeot squad, the record books are litteredwith once-iconic names such as Molteni,Brooklyn, KAS, La Vie Claire, Renault-Elf, Carrera, Mercatone Uno, Festina andT-Mobile. Countless others never get off theground at all.

Team BossThe Men Behind Pro Racing

Yet still they come.Despite the noblest of intentions history

suggests sooner or later most teams without a deep-pocketed benefactor, a hugely malleable sponsor or in the case of Astana virtually an entire government behind them, simply run out of cash and, as a result, steam. Even on-road success is no guarantee of survival. One shambolic Grand Tour, several key injuries, a global financial crisis or an embarrassing doping scandal can wreak no end of havoc.

It’s a situation perhaps no better illustrated than by the revered Italian squad, Mapei. Resplendent in their cube-patterned jerseys Mapei was a beacon of success for much of the 1990s and home to many of the era’s greatest names such as Museeuw, Rominger and Bartoli. It was also where a young Cadel Evans spent the formative years of his road career, as did Fabian Cancellara and Michael Rogers.

Between 1994 and 2002 Mapei was the number one UCI-ranked team for all but one season, claiming an extraordinary 653 races including no less than five Paris-Roubaix cobblestones (and three trifectas in four years). But at the end of 2002 Mapei boss Giorgio Squinzi ended the sponsorship – prompted through growing dissatisfaction with the doping culture in cycling – and, just like that, they were gone; disbanded with remnants of staff and riders picked up by Patrick Lefever’s fledgling Quick Step-Davitamon squad in Belgium.

“Circumstances forced me to make such a dramatic decision,” Squinzi explained to newspaper, Het Laaste Niews. “The uncertainty over the future of cycling is way too big. The doping problem is getting bigger, and there’s no real solution in sight”. Sadly he wouldn’t be the last sponsor to feel this way; just ask Barloworld and Rabobank.

Jonathan on the spotFormer pro and founder of Slipstream

Sports, Jonathan Vaughters, has poured his life into cycling. Whilst at the helm of his

Pro cycling has never been short of riders. But given there are infinitely less stressful ways to invest one’s time and money, Peter Maniaty asks why would anyone in their right mind become a team owner?

argyle-wearing squad alongside chairman and principal shareholder Doug Ellis, the 41-year-old has often lamented the uncertainty that shadows the sport.

When it became clear the Pro-Continental team Geox-TMC would fold barely a month after winning the 2011 Vuelta a España, Vaughters penned a lengthy piece for Cyclingnews: “Geox are considering ending their sponsorship as a result of not being guaranteed entry into the top events on the World Calendar. Could you blame them?” he wrote. “Maybe instead of fighting on a year-to-year basis, 15 teams are given a 10-year contract with all the top events? Giving contractual participation provides guarantees to the teams and allows for them to cease the ‘hand to mouth’ year-to-year fight for sponsor dollars.”

It’s debatable if much has really changed. The annual game of WorldTour musical chairs has been in full swing for many months, with increasingly desperate teams, riders and support staff still scrambling for seats in 2015. As always, many will miss out.

Yet still they come.Even for the sport’s wealthiest benefactors

plotting a secure course can be as treacherous as riding the Arenberg Forest in slashing wind and rain. Regardless of how many dollars, euros or rubles you have stashed under the mattress, you wouldn’t bother without an almost insatiable enthusiasm for the sport; something certainly reinforced by the proliferation of phrases such as “a long-term fan of cycling” and “an avid cyclist himself” on pro team websites and Wiki pages.

Caravan of courageIn the case of Orica-GreenEDGE owner

and Jayco boss Gerry Ryan, his love for cycling can be traced back to childhood in Bendigo. “I grew up pushing a bike around,” Ryan explained in a 2012 interview with the ABC’s Richard Aedy. “I had lots of ambition but very little ability.”

“My original involvement was in 1992


sponsoring Kathy Watt. The next year weformed the Jayco team (Australia’s firstprofessional cycling squad), recruiting DeanWoods out of Europe as captain. We alsohad a stint with the Victorian Institute ofSport and the AIS. Then a few years later Iwas again involved at the AIS with ShayneBannan,” Ryan explains. “All the while I’dbeen going to the Tour de France, watchingAussies turn professional, and I thought itwas about time we had an Australian team.”

“Shayne had also been thinking about it,so we sat down and started doing budgetsand business plans,” he reflects. “Initially Iwas looking at a Continental team to get itgoing quickly. But in the end we decided togo the long road.”

Around the same time Ryan had alsobeen in discussions with the ill-fatedPegasus Sports project. But stepping intosomeone else’s shoes held limited appealfor the respected Victorian businessman.“I did help them financially to try and staytogether,” Ryan explains. “Chris Whiteeven offered for me to buy into the team.But I didn’t like the structure. I wanted aclean sheet of paper.”

The sheet may have been clean. But theprocess was anything but easy. “It was veryhard,” Ryan recalls of the 18-month processthat culminated in GreenEDGE beingawarded Australia’s first UCI WorldTourlicence. “You need the riders, the abilityto pay your way and the management toactually run a team. Going across to frontthe Board, the lawyers, the accountants– it was like being in front of the schoolheadmaster again!”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s cycling, football,whatever,” he adds, drawing upon decadesof success across industries as varied asmanufacturing, sport and entertainment.“You need the right group of people whoshare the same vision and passion. You alsoneed the financial means to do it. That’s ahard one where people get into trouble –they over-commit.”

Of course being one of your nation’swealthiest individuals certainly helps.But Ryan knows the ultimate success ofGreenEDGE will be measured by the team’sability to stand on its own, irrespective ofwho is involved.

“That’s the aim,” he confirms. “We’re allworking towards that.”

Russian revolution?With a self-made fortune exceeding

US$700 million – not to mention a Twitter

“With a self-made fortune exceeding

US$700 million – not to mention a Twitter fol-lowing nearly triple that of his own team – OlegTinkov, 46, is one of world cycling’s most col-ourful owners.

”

>> page 54

Sponsor and stakeholder negotiations are often quite volatile. Jonathon Vaughters’ Garmin Sharp team will change name in 2015, with Garmin scaling back their involvement. And Cervelo will move on to support another team. Cannondale which is winding up at the end of 2014, will step in to supply bikes and take a large shareholding in the Slipstream Sports owned team, plus they’ll bring eight riders with them and possibly several members of staff!

Formula One race car driver Fernando Alonso has registered his interest in owning a WorldTour team though is taking things slowly and looks unlikely to get a result in 2015.


following nearly triple that of his own team – Oleg Tinkov, 46, is one of world cycling’s most colourful owners. In typical candour, the son of a Siberian miner is said to have explained during this year’s Tour de France: “I would rather spend my money this way than lose it in a casino or with prostitutes or on a stupid yacht.”

Whilst acknowledging the licence holders of UCI teams own little more than risk and liability, 2014 nevertheless saw the Russian transition from sponsor to outright team owner following his off-season purchase of Saxo-Tinkoff for a reported six million euros. But as with Gerry Ryan, Tinkov’s passion for cycling far predates his wealth.

“I took my first pedal stroke when I was 12 years old in Siberia,” he told the media on announcement of his acquisition from Bjarne Riis in December 2013. “I’m so happy. Cycling is my passion. Finally I have my WorldTour team.”

While Tinkov was undeniably delighted, the vendor, Riis, was a relieved man. “This is a day I have been dreaming of for a very long time,” revealed the Dane. “In the last four or five years I spent a lot of time searching for sponsors. For me it has been very stressful…with Oleg this gives us that stability, it gives me time to do what I am best at.”

The optimism of Riis was echoed by star rider, Alberto Contador. “When there is a dearth of new sponsors, it can only be a good thing when a man of the stature and wealth of Oleg comes in,” said the Spaniard. “It brings stability to the existing

structure…and something especially important to me is that Riis will be much more involved.”

Contador was no doubt further thrilled when Tinkov suggested he has little intention of getting in Riis’ way. “It would be stupid to have the best directeur sportif in the world and not listen to him. I won’t run this team, I don’t have time. I am a businessman and will be in my office.”

One thing the Russian may be doing in his office involves the increasingly overt dealings of Project Avignon. With more than a hint of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, Tinkov is amongst a group of prominent figures from WorldTour teams which continues to explore ways to reform the current revenue and management structures in pro cycling.

“It’s very real,” assures Gerry Ryan of the project he hopes will create greater stability at the sport’s highest levels. “Cycling is on the wave of a new era and, no different to football and basketball franchises, it’s the teams who have the IP. Look at how we utilise on-bike cameras, different media platforms, bringing new money into the sport through technology. Certainly teams should be sharing in more of that pie.”

As for the UCI’s views on the project?“Well, you’d have to ask them that,”

Ryan offers candidly. “But the feedback I get is, yes, they are open to it. Certainly they

understand it’s not good that every year we seem to drop a couple of teams; everyone wants more consistency.”

The Parsons ProjectWhilst not on the global scale of Ryan

or Tinkov, Leigh Parsons, 44, can still relate to many of their struggles in his own role as team boss of Melbourne-based CharterMason-Giant, which began as a development squad four seasons ago and has graduated to be one of the revelations of the Subaru National Road Series in 2014.

“Building a cycling team is no simple thing,” explains Parsons, a passionate and accomplished rider in his own right, having claimed a sprint jersey at the 2013 Tour of Bright. “The main challenge stems from continuously having to balance your aspirations and what can be achieved with the available funding. We work very hard at making every dollar go a long way.”

“We also know our sponsors need to see a return on their investment,” he continues, suggesting the pressures described by Bjarne Riis are just as prevalent in domestic cycling. “It’s why we take a very commercial approach to how we manage these relationships to ensure we achieve their objectives.”

Coming from a strong business background, Parsons understands the perils of sponsorship better than most. “Businesses go well one minute and not so well the next, often through no fault of their own,” he acknowledges. “Sometimes it simply doesn’t make sense to continue with sponsorships. That’s just the reality of the business world. You need to deal with it and make adjustments accordingly.”

He then offers a word of caution. “Starting from zero is tough no matter how much money or time you have. Plugging into a well-sorted operation is a far better bet in my mind. We have plenty of teams in the NRS, I’d love to see some consolidation now to make it a more even playing field.”

Despite the constant obstacles and pressures, Parsons has few regrets, instead revealing his team is considering upping the ante in 2015 by seeking UCI Continental status. “It’s been an excellent experience, I’ve learned a great deal. By far the best thing is seeing the positive impact you have on the riders,” he beams. “But, yeah, it probably does slice a few years off your life!”

And still they come.

<< page 52

Use pull quote from previous page.

Oleg and Bjarne ‘just chatting’ with Fabian… making an offer perhaps?

NRS team boss, Leigh Parsons of CharterMason-Giant is considering UCI Continental status for his team in 2015.

Blue Motion

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Liv What Women Want

An Irish, Dutch, American and Australian woman walked into a pub. They all had one thing in common. They loved cycling. It was July 2014, and they had been called to Pitlochry, Scotland for the unveiling of something very exciting in women’s cycling.

WORDS BY NICOLE GRIMM-HEWITT

Over the past few years, attention to the female cyclist has been ever increasing. This has been brought about by the efforts of some amazing people involved

in the industry. One of the biggest land-mark moments to date would have to be ‘Le Course’. For those of you who have been living under a rock, this was a circuit race contested by just under 100 of the top international female cyclists. Racing 13 laps of the final 6.85km section of the Tour de France course in the heart of Paris, it was scheduled on the last day of this year’s Tour. Having it prior to the men’s event presented the perfect opportunity to showcase the tal-ents of top international cyclists. The winner of this inaugural event and key player in its existence was Rabobank Liv rider Marianne Vos. Her timing could not have been better!

Stepping up to the LineWith a stand-alone brand 100% com-

mitted to female cyclists of all levels, Liv is now independent from Giant. Originally marketed as LivGiant just on two years ago, all Giant branding has now been completely removed from bicycles, apparel and packag-ing. Such a bold move only shows that the passion to involve more women in cycling is great. Besides, there aren’t many women out there who would like the word ‘Giant’ emblazoned across their behind.

So now Liv and Giant are brother/sister companies. Everyone associated within the Liv brand is female – from engineers to marketing and all the way down the line. The bicycles are even built by women, which in most cases is also true of men’s bikes and components

Liv’s ethos is to grow the sport and give women the confidence to continue their interest in cycling for the rest of their lives.

The latest range of Liv apparelis stylish and comfortable.

Chris Cummings


By offering a bike for every woman at every level, along with an attractive range of ap-parel, they have covered all the bases. What woman (or man for that matter) doesn’t want to look good on the bike? Liv’s range includes several options of matching bike and gear choices. With the equation that looking good equals feeling good, the out-come can only mean an increased number of women riding bicycles, keeping fit and having fun.

Inspiring AmbassadorsThe Liv brand is made stronger by a sup-

portive community of ambassadors. And they range from the big names all the way to everyday people. At age 27 Marianne Vos already has 13 world titles to her name, along with two Olympic Gold medals, and her aforementioned LeCourse win. This cy-cling superstar has worked closely with Liv to develop the Envie Advanced, a bike that has brought her across the line first many times over.

Then we have 21-year-old Jolanda Neff. Already donning a rainbow jersey she is a three-time under 23-year old world cham-pion. Riding a Liv Obsess Advanced, she is inspiring young women in the XC mountain bike scene.

A champion of a different kind is Shan-non Galpin. An avid mountain biker, her bravery and determination can only be admired in her endeavour to break down gender barriers in Afghanistan, a country where the culture doesn’t allow women to

ride bikes. In 2009 Shannon became the first woman to mountain bike in Afghanistan. She now leads a non profit organisation sup-ported by Liv, called Mountain2Mountain, and aims to improve the lives of women and girls in regions of conflict. Shannon recently made a delivery of bicycles and gear to help the Afghanistan National Road Cycling Team realise their Olympic Dreams.

Liv BeyondAs corny as it sounds, cycling allows us

to discover something new in everyday life, no matter what your gender. Whether it be your first 20km, your first race or even the commitment to make cycling part of your fitness regime, cycling can help you discover who you are and what’s impor-tant. Members of the cycling community are regularly organising group rides of all levels. The best place to start is at your local bike shop. Or if you’re into instagram you can check out #livbeyond

About the BikesFemale specific lines have been on the

scene for quite a few years now and several prominent brands are pushing ahead with high-end choices for the cycling enthusiast as well as apparel and gear choices to suit all levels. There is some dispute as to wheth-er female specific geometry in cycling is nec-essary. I guess it’s a case of one bike not suit-ing all. And given the extensive research that has been conducted by Liv and Giant, and feedback from elite female cyclists, there are several valid points for having the option to ride a female specific bicycle if you choose. There are probably a few men out there who would be better suited to this geometry given their body type. It is a known fact that most women carry their weight lower than men and draw most of their strength from the lower body. So it makes sense that modi-fications in frame design can optimise your performance. Without going into specific figures, it’s about a head angle that delivers an agile response. Steering is precise, but not twitchy. The seat angle takes into account a woman’s lower centre of gravity over the bottom bracket and allows for more ef-ficient pedalling. On a more superficial level the design range is very appealing, and no one wants to ride an ugly bike.

Avail Advanced SL SeriesIn conjunction with the launch of the Liv

brand, the 2015 range of all-new endurance road bikes was put in the spotlight. A totally revamped Avail collection was up for test-ing and the testing grounds could not have been more suitable. Along with ‘Wilderness Scotland’ and the combined launch of the men’s 2015 Defy range, a solid two days of testing was scheduled in the Scottish region of Perthshire.

To test an endurance bike properly, you really need a long hard ride on rough roads in challenging conditions. Tick, tick and tick. The bike I tested was the top of the line Avail Advanced SL 0.

“A totally revamped Avail collection was

up for testing and the testing grounds could not have been more suitable.

”

Nicole Grimm-Hewitt

Nicole Grimm-Hewitt


The Proof is in the PuddingAt less than 900grams, the Avail Ad-

vanced SL 0 is the lightest road frame in the Liv 2015 range. But contrary to what a lot of people think, weight isn’t the be-all and end-all of a bike’s worth. It’s really about a balance of weight to power transfer. And a lot of work goes into getting this recipe right. Combine this with the need for an endurance bike to ride comfortably for an extensive length of time, and you have the Avail Advanced SL.

I found the women’s-specific endurance geometry of the Avail Advanced SL 0 made for a very comfortable ride. But most im-portantly the comfort factor doesn’t come at the cost of performance.

The roads this bike was tested on were varied, but it was on the first long and fast desent that it showed its true colours. The road was scarred with potholes. Sections had been freshly resurfaced which made for loose gravel. Then throw in a couple of blind corners and bicycle bombing sheep. At the base of the descent I had to pinch myself to realise that this bike had handled as well as it had.

Quite often you hear the word ‘compli-ance’ in a bike’s description or design features. The Avail Advanced SL 0 frame absorbs vibration well, so the harshness of bumps encountered along the way isn't transferred up through the frame to your hands or lower back. The addition of the D-Fuse integrated seat post and ultrathin seat stays is largely responsible for this. They flex slightly on rough ter-rain, which absorbs the bulk of vibration so you can ride for longer more comfort-ably and use your energy efficiently over longer distances.

Not being a big fan of hills, I’m reminded

of something a fellow cyclist once said to make me feel better. ‘What goes down must first go up’. So as much as I love descents, there’s only one way to get there. So up I went. This is where the overall bike weight is most important in my books – it means I can eat that extra pastry. Being one that has more of a turtle than hare approach to climbing, I found the Avail Advanced SL 0 was my friend on the hills. Having said this, I also witnessed my media colleagues sprint-ing up the hills like their bums were on fire. This is a bike for everyone.

What’s on it?The addition of Shimano hydraulic disc

brakes made for efficient and more comfort-able braking. There was no gritting of teeth or grip-of-death braking required in the rain. I’m a big fan of this.

Having not ridden electronic gears for some time, I was a bit rusty. But after a few gumby gear changes, I was soon reminded of the precision of Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and was buzzing through the gears like a pro.

The Avail Advanced SL 0 comes with a Fizik Vesta saddle. Most of us are pretty fussy when it comes to saddle choice, but I found this one quite comfortable. And given that both days were of reasonable distance, it says a lot that I had no post ride issues. Hallelujah!

Last WordThe introduction of Liv into the cycle

scene is very exciting. As is the increased options for female cyclists at all levels. More and more we are seeing the balance of atten-tion shifting. And even though it’s taken a lot of baby steps to get to where we are, I feelthat this has been a giant leap forward.

SPECIFICATIONS

Compliments of Liv

Model Name 2015 Liv Avail Advanced SL 0

Sizes XS, S, M

Colour Carbon

ForkAdvanced SL grade composite, full

composite Overdrive 2 steerer

HandlebarGiant Contact SLR Composite,

31.8mm

StemGiant Contact SLR Composite,

8 degree

Saddle Fi’zi:k Vesta

Seat Post D-Fuse ISP

Shift Levers Shimano RS785 Di2

Brakes Shimano RS785 disc, 140mm

Brake Levers Shimano RS785, hydraulic

F Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

R Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

Cassette Shimano Dura-Ace, 11-28T, 11sp

Chain KMC X11 SL

Crankset Shimano Dura-Ace, 34-50T

Bottom Bracket Shimano press fit

WheelsetGiant P-SLR0 disc carbon

WheelSystem, Fr: 20H, Rr: 24H

TyresGiant P-SLR1, front & rear

specific, 700 x 25c

Price $6,999


Euro

bike

2014

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY STEVE THOMAS

The annual Eurobike trade show seems to get bigger and busier every year, and it’s defi-nitely at the fore when it comes to the major bike shows. Its enormity can be stifling, not only for visitors but for brands too – and many major and minor names now skip the crammed German halls be-cause of this, preferring to take their own shows on the road or simply sit out the food fight of Friedrichshafen.

Sure enough there’s lots to see, but overall it’s become a game of minor gains and tweaks, with the odd major advancement.

This year e-bikes were once again big news, and things have come a long way on the development side, with smaller and more power-ful motors rapidly evolving.

When it comes to true pedal power it would very much seem like a case of just about every-body and anybody chasing each other around the great velodrome of trend rather than think-ing outside of the track centre.

Disc brakes and gravel bikes were the scratch markers, with power meter systems and internal wiring following them to the line.

After several well documented, though ‘unof-ficial’ appearances at race events in the US and Europe, we were wondering if there’d be a surprise launch of SRAM’s highly anticipated wireless electronic groupset. It was not to be and the word is that it’s still a little way off plugging into the market – maybe 2016.

FOCUSL

ooking very much to the future all new Focusdisc brake bikes will now come with dedicatedfront forks and rear dropouts, which are de-

signed to work specifically with their new RAT dischub and quick release system.

As bike sponsors of the World Tour AG2R teamFocus have been looking for a faster and more uni-fied disc brake and hub combination, so that whenthe UCI finally clear disc usage for road races theywill be ahead of the game.

The new system is based around a hollow axle(similar to those used in downhill and freeridemountain biking) that is secured by a seven-positionratchet skewer.

This combines to make disc alignment virtuallyimmediate, and thus makes disc wheel changes muchfaster than they are currently.

There were several other similar systems at theshow, although Focus seems to be leading the stand-ardisation charge.


CANYONI

t’s been a huge year for the Germanbrand Canyon, largely thanks to thepint-sized Colombian Nairo Quin-

tana, who won the Giro d’Italia on oneof their bikes.

Hogging a large slice of the limelightwas their full suspension concept road bike.At the moment it is just that – a concept,but the technology based around it couldwell be a game changer in the years to come.

The suspension is based around amagnetic fluid system, which completelylocks out when it comes into contactwith a tiny magnet.

LITESPEEDT

itanium maestro’s Litespeedhave been producing disc brakedcyclo cross bikes for a few years

now, and for 2015 they’ve swerved thegravel bike trend and put out a solidand industrial strength road bike aimed

at the sportive and endurance mar-ket, which is really quite retro-chic,

and has a bombproof triangular reardisc mounting system.

CERVELOI

nternal wiring and battery mounting features on the new Cervelo S5 for 2015,which has also been produced with a different carbon layering system, which theybelieve will make for a lighter and stiffer ride.Discs are not on the agenda for Cervelo, they’re sitting on the sideline until it

becomes unavoidable.


Eurobike 2014SRAMAfter several well documented, though ‘unofficial’ ap-

pearances at race events in the US and Europe, one

of the notable absences from Eurobike was the highly

anticipated and all new SRAM Red wireless electronic

groupset. The word is that it’s still a little way off plug-

ging into the market – maybe 2016.

Mavic’s new road

shoe and clothing

range is as innovative

and pleasing as ever.

LOOKL

ook’s internal braking system willstill be a prominent feature in 2015,and several bike models have been

slightly updated, with lots of internalwiring going on, and an all new slightlysuspended seat post, which featureselastomer inserts.


ORBEAB

asque manufacturer Orbea released their road disc bike a few months ago, and they’ve just announced

an updated version of their ever-popular Orca frame.

A slightly beefed up down tube and lightened upper frame have made for what they say will be the lightest and stiffest Orca ever, and the Cofidis team will ride them in 2015.

Orbea have also launched a new ultra-light road helmet, the R10, which comes with an aero and visor attachment, mak-ing for a nice budget TT option.

BIANCHIT

he celeste doyens at Bianchi have come up with a rather attractive new TT/Aero bike for 2015 – the

Aquila CV, which was first launched at the end of the Tour de France.

Showing a keen interest in the bike was former Paris-Roubaix winner Mag-nus Backstedt, who will be riding one in his Ironman triathlon campaign.

http://www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au


Eurobike 2014

AXALKOW

ooden bikes were prominent atthe show; although many weremore aimed at the novelty mar-

ket there were also some feasible and veryappealing options out there.

Perhaps the most interesting of thesewas the Basque built Axalko fame, whichas a fully built bike topped the scales atjust 7.4kg.

The frames are made by a very smallco-operative and have been ridden insemi-anger by a couple of ex Euskatel rid-ers, who took them to the Paris-Roubaixsportive event and sung high praises oftheir comfortable race like ride.

The custom made frames will retailat around $4005-$5000. You can checkthem out at

www.axalko.com

RITCHEYRitchey’s Swiss Cross bike is a

thoroughbred and very desirable.

GIROM

IPS helmets are taking off; Giro hasa range that uses the innovativesafety feature to reduce brain and

neck injuries.

Phi

l Lat

z

http://www.axalko.com


New GT gravel bikes

LIVL

iv had a strong presence at Eurobike promoting their new model bikes and clothing range, distinctly separate from their parent company, Giant.

Phi

l Lat

z



Eurobike 2014

Con troltech’s new Af-filado saddle with its integrated seatpost

weighs just 285g. It has 25mm fore /aft adjust-ment and +/- 2degrees of tilt available.

VELOCITET

he new Velocite bike from Lightweight is a fully working500 watt ebike prototype. The battery is hidden withinthe down tube. That’s been done before by others, but

the magnetic flux engine is a first for bicycles. It uses the sametechnology as magnetic levitation trains.

The rear wheel rim is coated with a series of magnets, whichpass within 1mm of a series of copper coils that are housedwithin the curved section of the seat tube.

Thomas Lenchik pictured here holding the 14 kg prototypebike is Managing Director of CarboFibretec, the parent com-pany of Lightweight. Between his company and the GermanGovernment, five million Euros (about $7.1 million Aus) hasbeen invested into this fully rideable prototype, which he sayshas so much torque that it can spin the rear wheel.

Thomas predicts that they can reduce the weight to 10 kgfor future production models.

KCNCF

or better or worse anodised compo-nents are making a comeback; these edgy looking brakes, rings and jockey

wheels are from KCNC.

Phi

l Lat

z

Phi

l Lat

z

Phi

l Lat

z

SUMMER C LOTH ING

WJ-1306

S-922-C7

J-730-1S-123-B5

everestsports.com.au03 5755 [email protected]

http://everestsports.com.au


2015CYCLINGFASHION

Photographer: Marcus Enno of Studio Commercial, Liverpool Street, Sydney • Models: Alex Wessling, Ella Scanlan-Bloor,

Shahrzad Shahnia, Tom Norris, Sam Burston, Cam Harrison • Props: Sidi Shoes supplied by Cassons • Make up and Hair: Rafal Gaweda

From Left to Right -

Tom is wearing:Vincente Jersey .................................. rrp: $139.00Free Aero Bibshort ............................. rrp: $199.00S Rosso Corsa Glove ............................rrp: $59.00Giro Cap .................................................rrp: $29.00Rosso Corsa 9 Sock .............................rrp: $29.00

Sam is wearing:Volata Jersey....................................... rrp: $139.00Velocissimo Short............................... rrp: $129.00Rosso Corsa Classic Glove ...................rrp: $59.00Summer Headband ..............................rrp: $29.00Rosso corsa 13 Sock.............................rrp: $29.00

CASTELLLIphone: 03 5225 3898

email: [email protected]

Ella is wearing:Fortuna Jersey ......................................rrp: $99.00Principessa Short ............................... rrp: $139.00Rosso Corsa Light Bra in Black ..........rrp: $99.00Dolce Sock.............................................rrp: $25.00Giro Cap .................................................rrp: $29.00

Alex is wearing:Tesoro Jersey ...................................... rrp: $115.00Bodypaint Bibshort ........................... rrp: $289.00Rosso Corsa Bra in White ....................rrp: $99.00Dolce Sock.............................................rrp: $25.00


PISSEI AND DMTphone: 1300 765 633


www.comobike.com.au


Sam is wearing:Pissei Limited Editon Jersey ............ rrp: $229.00Pissei Limited Editon Bibshort......... rrp: $235.00Pissei Cotton Cap ................................. rrp: $19.00DMT Sock..............................................rrp: $25.00DMT Vega Shoe.................................. rrp $399.00

Shaz is wearing:MYN CATY Jersey.............................. rrp: $159.00MYN FIT Bibshort ............................. rrp: $235.00Pissei Sock ............................................. rrp: $17.50DMT Pegasus Womens Shoe ........... rrp: $215.00

Tom is wearing:Pissei Camouflage Jersey.................. rrp: $159.00Pissei Camouflage Bibshort ............. rrp: $199.00DMT Sock..............................................rrp: $25.00DMT Vega Shoe................................. rrp: $399.00


http://www.comobike.com.au

ASSOSphone: 07 3902 1155


www.echelonsports.com.au


Cam is wearing:SS.cape_epicXCJersey_evo7 ..............rrp: $219.95T.rallyShorts_s7 ................................. rrp: $444.95equipeSock_G1 ...................................... rrp: $29.95summerGloves_S7 ............................... rrp: $74.95Zegho Eyewear....................................rrp: $394.95

Alex is wearing:SS.suissefedJersey_evo7................... rrp: $234.95H.laalalaiShorts_s7 Lady .....................rrp:$219.95yankeeSock_G1...................................... rrp: $29.95Zegho Eyewear....................................rrp: $394.95

Ella is wearing:SS.lady..................................................rrp: $194.95T.lady_S5............................................. rrp: $279.95equipeSock_G1 ...................................... rrp: $29.95

Tom is wearing:SS.milleJersey_evo7............................ rrp: $174.95H.milleShorts_s7 .................................rrp: $199.95milleSocks_evo7, 2 pairs in a pack......... rrp: $49.95summerCap Uno................................... rrp: $29.95summerGloves_S7 ............................... rrp: $74.95


http://www.echelonsports.com.au


Tom is wearing:Cruze Jersey.......................................... rrp: $39.95Pro Bibshort.......................................... rrp: $79.95

Shaz is wearing:Siren Jersey........................................... rrp: $69.95Performance Bibshort.......................... rrp: $89.95

Ella is wearing:Riverine Jersey...................................... rrp: $59.95Performance Bibshort.......................... rrp: $89.95

Cam is wearing:Performance Bibshort.......................... rrp: $99.95

NETTIphone: (02) 9550 1655


www.solasport.com.au


http://www.solasport.com.au


Cam is wearing:Olympia Jersey .....................................rrp: $89.95Cinettica Bibshort................................rrp: $179.95

Sam is wearing:Triton Jersey ........................................rrp: $139.95Edge Vest ..............................................rrp: $99.95Cinettica Short.....................................rrp: $129.95

Alex is wearing:Triton Jersey ........................................rrp: $139.95Cinettica Short.....................................rrp: $129.95

Shaz is wearing:Olympia Jersey .....................................rrp: $89.95Cinettica Capri Short ...........................rrp: $139.95

CINETTICAphone: (02) 9550 1655


www.solasport.com.au


http://www.solasport.com.au

BELLWETHER AND GIORDANAphone: (02) 9700 7977


www.velovita.net.au


Cam is wearing:Giordana Exo Jersey...................................rrp: $269.99Giordana Exo Bibshort ...............................rrp: $269.99Bellwether Chase Sock ................................. rrp: $14.99

Alex is wearing:Bellwether Optime Womens Jersey ..........rrp: $149.99Bellwether Optime Womens Short............rrp: $189.99Bellwether Supreme Womens Glove .......... rrp: $29.99Bellwether Pave Sock.................................... rrp: $14.99

Shaz is wearing:Giordana FRC Trade Maestro Womens Jersey......................................................................rrp: $189.99Giordana FRC Womens Bibshort ..............rrp: $229.99Roeckl SG #067 Ladies Glove ..................... rrp: $79.99Bellwether Icon Sock..................................... rrp: $14.99

Sam is wearing:Bellwether Edge Jersey...............................rrp: $129.99Bellwether Edge Bibshort ...........................rrp: $149.99Bellwether Aero Glove.................................. rrp: $49.99Bellwether Circuit Sock................................. rrp: $14.99


http://www.velovita.net.au


Tom is wearing:Super Corsa Custom Skinsuit .......... rrp: $250.00GS Capo Cap .........................................rrp: $25.00Crono Lycra Gloves .............................. rrp: $49.00Crono Lycra Shoe Covers .....................rrp: $59.00

Cam is wearing:SC Jersey Black/Fluro ........................ rrp: $179.00SC Bibshort ....................................... rrp: $249.00GS Capo Cap ........................................rrp: $25.00Active Compression 15cm Socks ........rrp: $35.00

Sam is wearing:GS Jersey Orange.............................. rrp: $249.00GS Bibshort........................................ rrp: $299.00MSR Pittards Gloves........................... rrp: $69.00Active Compression 15cm Socks ........rrp: $35.00

Shaz is wearing:SC Donna Jersey ................................ rrp: $159.00SC Donna Bibshort............................. rrp: $199.00Pursuit Glove........................................ rrp: $49.00Active Compression 6cm Socks..........rrp: $35.00

CAPO CYCLING APPARELphone: (02) 9388 1129


www.capocycling.com.au


http://www.capocycling.com.au

SANTINIphone: 1800 808 181

email: sales@bikesportz .com.au

www.bikesportz.com.au


Ella is wearing:33 Aero Jersey.....................................rrp: $199.9533 Aero Bibshort ................................rrp: $239.95

Alex is wearing:Velo Jacket ...........................................rrp: $189.95Racer Short .........................................rrp: $249.95

Sam is wearing:Mimetic Jersey.....................................rrp: $149.95B-Rob Bibshort....................................rrp $299.95

Tom is wearing:2BCool Aero Light Jersey ..................rrp: $229.95Union Bibshort ....................................rrp: $199.95

http://www.bikesportz.com.au

www.bicyclingaustralia.com

No wonder more and more cyclists every monthare buying and selling their bikes and accessories through Bicycling Classifieds. We’ve seen moreads every month since we relaunched the improved Bicycling Classifieds in 2008.

Why don’t you see for yourself just how easy Bicycling Classif eds are to use?

Simply visit www.bicyclingaustralia.com today and click on the ‘classifieds’ menu.

http://www.bicyclingaustralia.com

http://www.bicyclingaustralia.com


Sitting Pretty DIY Bike Fit Part 4

Foot CorrectionFoot Correction is the term I use to describe the process of ensuring that proprioceptive feedback from the feet is prioritised by the cerebellum for pro-cessing. Before continuing I had best explain what that means, as it has significant implications for cycling performance and injury reduction. Bear with me as the explanation is lengthy and I know that many readers who ‘just want to ride my bike’ may find it eye glazing. Persevere though, as it is necessary if you are to understand the importance of what fol-lows for your performance.

When we perform any sequence of actions, like walking across a room or riding a bike, it is usually a conscious

thought that triggers what follows. What is unconscious is the muscle firing sequence (motor pattern) that allows the coordinated actions for the task. No one pedals a bike thinking ‘I’m going to activate Muscle X and relax Muscle Y’; we just ride. The part of the brain that plays the major part in determining the muscle firing sequence is called the cerebellum. Proprioception is the name given to the cerebellum’s awareness of what the body is doing in space.

It gains that awareness from the output of hundreds of millions of sensory nerves named proprioceptors that are distributed throughout the body. These are not distributed evenly; 50% of them are in and around the upper and lower jaw. Another 25–30% are located in and around the two sacroiliac joints where the

lower spine butts up against the pelvis on each side. The remaining 20–25% are in every bone, muscle, ligament, tendon and joint. Between them they convey a constant flow of information; something like three-billion signals per second to the cerebellum informing it of the load each body part is experiencing, where each body part is in space and how each body part relates to gravity. So every second, 3,000,000,000 signals are generated by the body and all arrive at the cerebellum which has a maximum processing capacity of 2,000 signals per second. This means that the cerebellum can only process something like 0.00005% of the total proprioceptive feedback it receives. Another way to frame this is that the cerebellum can only process one proprioceptive signal out of every 1.5 million that it receives.

When I first read those numbers, my initial thought was that there had to be a hierarchy of priorities dictated by evolution as to what the cerebellum chooses to prioritise for processing and what it chooses to ignore. And if that hierarchy could be determined, there was potential for increased cycling performance as well as a decreased risk of incurring overuse injuries from cycling, through optimal neuromuscular coordination. Crashes aside, all cycling injuries are overuse injuries.

To analogise, think of yourself and a friend being in the crowd at a sporting match. The two of you are intent upon a conversation with each other and are focused on that conversation. Even so, you are still aware in a background sense

of the noise made by 150,000 murmuring spectators; you’re just not paying attention. Multiply that situation by an order of magnitude and you get a glimpse of the situation of the cerebellum.

The cerebellum will always prioritise two classes of stimuli for processing. The first is the generation of force, because in an evolutionary sense, this has clear survival value. By that I mean that if you are running for your life or fighting for your life, you are literally betting your life that you will coordinate those activities as well as is humanly possible as like every other organism on the planet, your fundamental priority is survival. Everything else is secondary.

Within this category of force generation, we automatically allot a higher priority to force exerted anywhere below the top of the pelvis than we do force exerted anywhere above the top of the pelvis. Again an evolutionary imperative is at work.

We have evolved to be upright creatures who primarily contact planet Earth through our feet. From the top of the pelvis down is our postural foundation. In turn that means that given the disparity between proprioceptive signal reception by the cerebellum and its ability to process only a tiny fraction of that signal traffic, there is no evolutionary mileage in only being able to use your arms, bend your torso or nod your head, if at the same time you are forced to collapse at the hips, knees or ankles. So the lower body gets first priority; the upper body gets second priority for processing in matters of force exertion.

MASTERCLASS STEVE HOGG

Three wedges under a cleat to assist thisrider in optimising proprioceptive response.

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The second category of stimulus that will always be prioritised by the cerebellum is any changes in the quality of feedback from any area of the body. A metaphorical whisper that is being ignored can quickly be elevated in to a metaphorical shout that is being processed if there is sufficient change. A simple example is that if someone tugs on your cycling jersey, you become more aware of the part of the body that felt that tug than you were previously. The increased awareness only lasts a few seconds before your unconscious attention drifts off on to other matters as it always does.

The key thing to understand about what follows is that nobody has a clear proprioceptive awareness of the feet while cycling. This can be demonstrated and I do so daily with clients. I won’t explain the procedure now because the testing regime forms part of a patent application that has been granted in the UK, USA and New Zealand but is ongoing in Australia. In the near future I will be able to be more frank.

I mentioned in Part 2 of this series that any ‘challenge’ to a rider’s position in space will evoke an immediate and unconscious compensatory response and that all compensatory responses tend to increase the disparity between how the left and right sides of the body function. Given that a bike is a symmetrical apparatus in a positional sense a high degree of functional symmetry is desirable for best performance and lowest chance of injury.

Lack of proprioceptive clarity from the part of the body that you use to transfer the power you produce to the pedals, the feet, is a ‘challenge’ (with consequent increase in asymmetric function) that every rider faces. So for optimal performance we need to have the proprioceptive output from the feet prioritised for processing by the cerebellum at all times while cycling.

The Need for Arch SupportThis all comes down to the alignment of the feet. Optimal

alignment is achieved by a combination of arch support and when necessary, as it often is, further canting of the feet. Of the two things, arch support is fundamental for the following reason.

When we fire the muscles of the leg while cycling, walking or running, the cerebellum oversees the task but does not directly control it. The basic pattern of ‘extensors on / flexors off’ on the pedal down stroke and ‘flexors on / extensors off’ on the pedal upstroke is controlled by a bundle of neurons in the lumbar spine called the central pattern generator (or CPG). The CPG relies on force feedback from the feet for its informational input, of which a primary component is plantar fascia tension (the plantar fascia is under the arch of each foot and connects the MTP joints—the base knuckles of thejtoes—to the rear of the foot).

When we walk and run, activities that we have evolved to do, thefoot changes shape constantly and plantar fascia tension also changes

Wedges are available to suit different cleat shapes and vary from around .3mm on the thin edge to 1.3 on the thicker edge.


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constantly as a consequence. This constant change in tension stands out from the background ‘chatter’ engulfing the cerebellum and is given priority for processing.

In contrast we have not evolved to cycle and while exerting force on a rigid cycling shoe sole, for most people, plantar fascia tension changes little if at all. Because of the largely unvarying quality to the proprioceptive output of the plantar fascia while cycling, the central nervous system tends to ignore the feedback from that area and not prioritise it for processing.

The better the informational input to the CPG the better and more accurately it will control the muscle firing sequence that allows us to propel the bike and the more symmetrically the rider will relate to their bike. So we need to create some tension in the plantar fascia.

On a three level scale of Not Intrusive, Mildly Intrusive and Very Intrusive, arch support inserts for cycling need to be

Level 2 (Mildly Intrusive). The simplest way to determine this is that when off the bike and standing in cycling shoes, the degree of intrusiveness of arch supports should not feel painful, but should certainly feel like one level higher than would be comfortable in a walking shoe. Once you get back on the bike and ride for five to 10 minutes you should not be consciously aware of the arch support unless you focus particularly on it. There should be no discomfort while cycling.

Sadly, it is rare rider who will achieve this desirable Level 2 degree of arch support because most cycling shoe insoles are a bit of an afterthought. Some manufacturers like Shimano, Fizik and Specialized have standard insoles or options that are much better than most, but even then, the highest level of arch support they make available is too low for most riders.

The easiest to use and most adaptable option available is the aftermarket G8 Arch Tech 2600s which are packaged with five different arch height inserts that can be adjusted forward / back and in /out in seconds for best individual result. If you try the G8s or anything similar, the arch insert height doesn’t have to be the same on each side. What you are trying to achieve is the same feeling of ‘mildly intrusive when standing’ on both sides. For most, this will be the same height on each side. For some it will not.

Wedging of the FeetOnce there is enough tension created in

the plantar fascia, fine tuning is necessary.

In-shoe wedges take up a lot of vertical space in the toe and more than one is impractical for most riders over the long-term because they compromise foot comfort.

”

These arch supports are from the G8 brand. Full insoles are also available.

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This is where wedging comes in. Wedges are available in three forms; in-shoe wedges, cleat wedges and heel wedges. In-shoe wedges have a direct effect on the forefoot, but because they are placed underneath a shoe insole and over the point of contact with the pedal, they also have an indirect effect on the rear foot. Cleat wedges are placed between the cleat and the sole of the shoe and cant the entire foot. Overall they have the same effect as an in-shoe wedge. Heel wedges fit underneath the heel of the shoe insole and affect only the rear foot. Both cleat and heel wedges have a one degree taper.

Which to Use?In-shoe wedges take up a lot of vertical

space in the toe and more than one is impractical for most riders over the long-term because they compromise foot comfort. What they are best for is as a bike fitting diagnostic tool because they can quickly be added to or removed from a shoe without need for tools.

Cleat wedges perform the same function as in-shoe wedges and because they are placed underneath the cleat, they don’t compromise shoe fit.

Heel wedges have their place; in fact 70% of people need a heel wedge or wedges, either alone or in combination with cleat wedges.

The key to ensuring proprioceptive clarity is firstly, the correct degree of arch support inside the shoe and secondly, the correct amount and location of wedging. While I have a method to determine what is required based on quantifying the proprioceptive response from the feet, until

the patent application is granted, I can’t talk about it publicly. Still there is a relatively simple way to determine ideal wedging numbers or very close to it. It is time consuming but well worth the effort and is outlined below.

The Dustin Dumbbell MethodBelow is an edited cut and paste of

correspondence I’ve had with Dustin, a US rider from Texas.

“After fitting level two arch support as you suggested, I have been all over the place with different combos of heel and cleat wedging until September, when I put my bike in a trainer and tried lifting a 15-pound dumbbell in front of me one side at a time with arm at full extension (being careful not to destroy my brake hoods) trialling every combo of heel and cleat wedges between zero and three wedges in total. I found that on each side I could lift the weight eight or nine times with every combo but one, which allowed me to lift the weight 14 times. This happened to be one cleat wedge on the right and one cleat wedge and one heel wedge on the left. With this combination I immediately felt better and stronger on the bike. My knees are tracking straight, my right foot no longer feels unstable and slippery on the pedal, and both feet are uniform (as opposed to left heel out, right heel in). I went from having significant medial right knee pain after a 50-mile ride one week, to riding 75 miles with 1,500ft elevation gain the next week (I live in a flat area and my largest elevation gain prior to that was around 50ft), and 180 miles in two

days the week after that without knee pain.What Dustin has done is clever and I’ll

explain why it worked so well. He has fitted his bike to a trainer and pedalled under load (exerting force with the lower body ie highest priority task from a motor control point of view) while at the same time lifting a dumbbell with each arm in turn at full extension of the arm (ie exerting force with his upper body which is a lower priority motor control task). The reason that he could complete more repetitions of the dumbbell lift on each side was his foot wedging was optimal is as follows.

Because we don’t have optimal proprioceptive awareness of what the feet are doing while applying load to the pedals, the cerebellum is using a proportion of its capacity constantly chasing information about the task and not getting it. That wasted capacity is not available for lifting the dumbbells because lower body effort, pedalling; is higher priority than upper body effort; lifting the dumbbell with each arm.

Once Dustin had found the optimal degree and placement of wedging for each foot, the wasted capacity is made available for any other task at hand, which in this case was lifting the dumbbells.

I encourage you to give Dustin’s method a try. Dustin used up to a maximum of three wedges in his testing. While not unknown, it is an uncommon rider who needs more than three wedges on one side with the average per rider being a total of between two and three for both feet combined.

Next issue I’ll deal with setting seat height and seat setback.


MASTERCLASSBY NICOLA RUTZOU

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According to sports dietician Rebecca Hay, a cyclist herself, nutrition is often an afterthought with any training program and is only considered when things

like fatigue becomes a problem or riders are not seeing the results they want, particularly with weight loss.

“In my experience women are very weight conscious and therefore there is an aspect of weight management when I’m working with female cyclists. They are inclined not to recover properly because they have weight loss in their minds. However it’s like not putting petrol in your car and not servicing it, and expecting it to keep running.

“I’ve heard of women cyclists who restrict themselves to 1,200 calories. This isn’t enough for most active women, let alone a cyclist in training. Often these diets are based on low carbs in the false belief that they will burn fat. It is true

that at higher intensities you will burn fat but you will also burn carbs so you need to eat them, preferably straight after exercise,” added Rebecca.

Coach Donna Meehan also stresses the importance of nutrition in any training program and says if you don’t fuel your body with a balanced diet then it won’t perform at its best. “I always stress the need for a holistic approach to nutrition. Supplements and things like gels can play a role but nothing replaces a diet of unprocessed ‘real’ food. When I work with a client I ensure that they are eating the right food in order to get the results they seek. I also make sure they stay hydrated because this is often overlooked,” said Donna.

Rebecca Hay says that there are a number of dietary areas where women particularly need to focus including their intake of iron and calcium. “There’s a trend away from red meat so women need

to look for other iron rich foods like leafy green vegetables. In short, low iron equals poor performance.

“Likewise women should be having three to four serves of dairy per day and if they are avoiding dairy they need to look at other calcium-rich foods like grains, legumes, leafy greens and nuts.”

Tips for Recovery“With my clients I often start with

recovery because it’s frequently where people go wrong. Coming home from a morning ride they need to consume something quick and easy like a smoothie or even a glass of Sustagen Sport,” said Rebecca.

Here are a few recovery tips from Rebecca Hay:

Carbohydrate should make up the bulk of what you consume. It is used to fill muscles up again with glycogen – this is muscle fuel. You will empty almost all

So far in this series we’ve discussed your training program,what gear you will need and how to find a cycling clubthat meets your needs. Nicola Rutzou gives us somethoughts around what and when to eat for best results.

Fuelling to Step Up to the Next Level

Image courtesy of Fondo.com

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Nicola writes a cycling blog called

Women Who Cycle (http://

womenwhocycle.com) and works in

the cycling industry in Sydney.

Nicola Rutzou

your muscle glycogen after an intense 60-minute exercise session or after 90 to 120 minutes of a moderate session.

A small amount of good quality protein must also be consumed in recovery to repairany muscle damage done while exercising. While fat is not important specifically for recovery, a small amount will definitely make your recovery meal taste better.

On a practical level most bike rides are done first thing in the morning, so breakfast is typically the recovery meal. In this situation I recommend choosing a food based meal for recovery rather than a shake or meal replacement.

Some examples which would suit a female around 60 to 65 kilograms:

Wholegrain toast with baked beans and a tub of low fat yoghurt.

Porridge (made with low fat milk) with sliced banana, walnuts and a dash of honey

Wholegrain toast with two poached eggs and a tub of low fat yoghurt

Commercial cereal with low fat milk and some low fat yoghurt plus a piece of fruit.

The timing of a recovery meal is also important. If you plan to train again within eight to 12 hours then you need to consume the recovery meal within 30 minutes of getting off your bike. The window for recovery is wider if training is not for another 24 hours or longer – getting the recovery meal in within two hours is sufficient in this situation.

A carton of chocolate milk or a commercial recovery drink can be used as the recovery meal if you are pressed for time.

Should I eat before a training ride?This is another area where cyclists are

not sure which way to go. Here are a few simple guidelines from Rebecca Hay:

Even if you are exercising with weight reduction as one of your goals, you will find you train better if you have a little fuel on board before an intense session.

For safety reasons on a bike, I also advise that if you are riding first thing in the morning you do consume something so that you are able to concentrate and react quickly if necessary.

Thirty to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour will meet most ride needs. For those going at a high intensity, for over 2.5 hours, up to 90 grams per hour can be beneficial.

Hydration is really important. You are far more likely to be under hydrated than over. You should have your bike set up to carry two water bottles.

Try packaged foods like gels and bars, but also make your own food like simple sandwiches. If you plan further in advance you can cook great ride food like those featured in The Feed Zone by Thomas & Lim.

Even for riders like Belinda Diprose who’s been racing for many years, getting race nutrition right can be challenging, “In terms of racing it is something I often struggle with. Pre race I find porridge a good start as I often can't stomach toast. I try and eat about 1.5 hours before a race and have a gel 15 minutes prior. I usually race with water and also electrolyte. I drink a lot of water on the bike, more than most people I know. I use gels while racing every 40 minutes or so, plus lollies as I find gels a bit hard to stomach in longer races. If I am doing a mountain

It’s important to practise eating and drinking on training rides so that you feel confident during a race.

You may need to try a few different ways to get the energy in – solid vs. liquid form. Eating early in the morning can be very challenging so using a liquid may be the easiest option all round. Making sure that there is not too much fibre or too much protein is also important to speed up absorption time because you want the liquid or food to leave your belly pretty quickly if you are working with a short time frame between eating/drinking and riding.

Some of the easiest options are the pre-packaged breakfast drinks like ‘Up and Go’ or Sustagen. If you don’t mind eating solid food then the humble banana is a great choice or some toast with jam or honey.

What should I eat and drink during a ride or race?

“The length and intensity of a ride dictates how much and what you might decide to take with you on a bike ride. Many cyclists choose to consume water only on their rides and for a short, moderate paced ride this may be enough. When the intensity kicks up though it is time to start thinking about adding some carbohydrate to top up muscle fuel,” said Rebecca.

Rebecca has a few tips for eating and drinking during a ride or race:

Muscles use glycogen for fuel which is stored in our muscles and liver. We have enough stored in our muscles for about 90 minutes of moderate intensity activity.

bike team event I eat pikelets and jam or rice cream between laps. Post hard session training or a race I always have Sustagen.

Practice, practice, practice

Rebecca Hay also stresses the importance of practising eating and drinking before a big race. “It’s important to practise eating and drinking on training rides so that you feel confident during a race. So you need to practise the practical issues of pulling your drink bottle out and putting it back, as well as opening packets of food and eating while riding. You also need to practise what works for your body in terms of food and drink. Don’t wait until race day to find out what fuels your body best,” concluded Rebecca Hay.

It’s important to practise and plan your nutrition well in advance and not leave it until a couple of days before an important event. If you’re really serious about stepping up to the next level, nutrition must play a role in your plans.

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MASTERCLASS MARCUS SPEED


PolariseYour Training

To recap, there is published data (Boston University, 2012-13) looking at world champion runners and cyclists that suggests that the athletes

in these sports are engaging in what is referred to as polarised training – training at relatively easy aerobic intensities at one end of the spectrum, and at gut-busting high intensities at the other end, but spending very little in the anaerobic threshold zone where the two extremes overlap. The evidence suggests that, for elite athletes at least, undertaking Goldilocks training (not too hard, not too easy) is not the best way to train for optimum performance. With some minor modification we can apply this training system to the club racer, and get great results with minimal time investment.

For the sake of simplicity, we can divide training into three distinct zones:

1. A low lactate zone (low intensity endurance training, where very little lactate is produced [lactate <2 mmol/L]);

2. A lactate accommodation zone (no man’s land – significant lactate is produced but is rapidly removed [lactate 2-4 mmol/L]);

3. A lactate accumulation zone (high intensity interval training – lactate is produced more quickly than it can be removed [lactate >4mmol/L]).

You guessed it – we’re going to completely avoid Zone 2, spending about 80% of our time in Zone 1 and 20% in Zone 3.

Zone 2 workouts provide the feeling of having worked hard, but expose the rider to too much stress per unit gain (Matheny, 1995). This means you have worked hard enough to need to recover, but not really hard enough to have produced any discernable training result.

Zone 1 rides are ridiculously easy – just rolling the legs over, not really getting out

of breath, never ever venturing into thedreaded red zone.

Zone 3 is where the hard workhappens – these sessions are very brief, and are conducted at or near maximum effort. These efforts shouldn’t be ‘kind of hard’; they should be cripplingly, devastatingly hard.

OK, so we’ve established that we’re going to give polarised training a try. We now need to divide up the training month,distributing our workload between Zone 1 and Zone 3. If you have, say, 25 hours per month to dedicate to training on the bike, 20 of these hours will be spent riding at ultra-slow speeds, recovering from your Zone 3 training sessions and enjoying being out on your bike. That leaves just five hours per month for training in Zone 3, but those five hours are really going to count!

Within the protocol of high intensity training there are two types:

The low-volume supra-maximal HIT (High Intensity Training), which involves four to six repetitions of up to 30 seconds of all-out exercise (approximately four times greater than maximum aerobic exercise intensity) with recovery periods of around four minutes, and the low-volume maximal HIT, which encompasses eight to 10 efforts of between 30 seconds and one minute performed at maximal aerobic exercise capacity, interspersed

with 60-75 seconds of light recovery.We're going to use a combination of

these two methods to deliver the most diverse and effective high intensity training plan possible.

THE WORKOUTS

HILL CHARGESOn a moderate incline, stand out of

the saddle and charge up the hill as fast as possible for 30 seconds. Coast back to your starting point. Repeat six to eight times. Recover 10 minutes, then do another set.

40/20SBuild power and train your body

to recover quickly between efforts for events that demand repeated surges. In a medium to large gear, push as hard as you can for 40 seconds; recover 20 seconds. Repeat 10 times. That’s one set. Do up to four, resting five minutes between sets.

40 ON – 50 OFFImprove your power and recovery by

smashing a 40-second effort as hard as you can, then spinning the legs for 50 seconds to recover. Do five 40-second max efforts, then reverse the order by going all-out for 50 seconds, with a 40-second recovery. Do another five efforts.

“Zone 3…These efforts shouldn’t be

‘kind of hard’; they should be cripplingly, devastatingly hard.

“

We had some great feedback about ‘The Time-Poor Cyclist’ article in our last issue, so this time around we’re going to put together a structured, time-efficient real-life polarised training plan.


ONE-MINUTE BREAKDOWNSGo as hard as you can for 60 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Go as

hard as you can for 50 seconds, recover for 25 seconds. Go all-out for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds. Go all-out for 30 seconds, rest for 15 seconds then repeat the workout.

ONE-MINUTE MURDERThis doesn’t sound too hard, but it will leave you gasping. Go

all-out, absolutely 100% for one minute, then rest for one minute. Repeat four times. What, that’s it? That’s right, it’s a workout that’s over in seven minutes, but if you genuinely go as hard as you can you’ll reap enormous fitness and strength benefits, improve your pedalling efficiency and increase your ability to recover between efforts.

TABATANamed after the Japanese exercise physiologist, these efforts will

massively improve your leg strength and lung capacity. Go all-out for 20 seconds, coast for 10 seconds. Keep repeating for eight minutes, then build it up to 10 minutes if you can.

Turn to page 86 to see the program of how to use the six workouts above.

THE PITFALLSJust as we all know a local club or café rider who suffers from

chronic cardio, going ‘kinda hard’ all the time, imagining somehow that every ride is a race and never improving, most of us can also identify with those riders who take high intensity training to a whole new level and smash themselves day after day, week after week, digging themselves deeper and deeper into a lactic-drenched hole. These people, whilst perhaps reaping some early benefits, are likely to have cooked their autonomic nervous systems and are simply seeing the downstream consequences of this.

This is the most common error made during HIT training – to think, ‘Hey, I have all this time to train now – why not do an extra two or even three sessions this week? I’ll improve even faster!’

Wrong, wrong, wrong. This will destroy you – it will make you tired and slow and grumpy, so don’t do it!

WAYS TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUThe most important factor within this type of training regimen

is the recovery. Make sure at least 80% of your dedicated training time is spent in Zone 1, just cruising along at a pace that you can comfortably speak at. If you can’t hold an animated conversation you’re going too fast!

HIT training works a whole lot better when you have a solid foundation of fitness behind you. It doesn’t really work as a short-cut to victory and glory, so if you’re doubtful about your current fitness level take a month or two of steady base-building mileage before you launch into HIT.

Prepare yourself mentally to suffer (albeit briefly) during your HIT efforts. Going into a session knowing you’re going to give it everything makes you much more likely to follow up on your commitment and go all-out for those brief blazing efforts. And during these efforts, go hard! Forty seconds at 100% means exactly that – a burst of pure energy that will just, maybe, get you to the 40-second mark. If you know that you could have gone for a minute at the same pace you didn't go hard enough. If you don’t make it to the end – if you fail after 30 seconds or whatever – that’s OK. What’s not OK is to get to the end knowing you could have gone harder.

At some stage there will come a time when my recommendation is to ignore everything I’ve just written, and undertake some well-planned longer intervals (with even longer recoveries) plus some sub-threshold rides of three or four hours and long steady hill climbs. It might be that you’re just tired of smashing yourself, or it might be that you want to spend a month or two rebuilding your base fitness or undertake some cross-training. Either way, some time away from high intensity training feels nice, allows you to rebuild and regroup and tends to leave you feeling ready and pumped to go hard once again.

IN SUMMARYIf you are mentally strong enough to go hard when you need to

and slow when you should, this type of training plan has some solid merit. It’s time efficient, wind trainer-friendly and interesting (to a point) – I would definitely recommend it to those riders with a solid riding background looking to spice up their current training trends or save some time.

>> page 86


TRAINING SCHEDULETRAINING WEEK

1 2 3 4

Mon Day off Day off Day off Day off Approx totalmonthlytraining time:25 hrsTue 40 on/50 off Easy Zone 1 recovery

ride - 30 minutes1 Minute Breakdowns Easy Zone 1 recovery

ride - 30 minutes

Wed Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

1 Minute Breakdowns Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

1 Minute Murder

Thu Day off Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

Day off Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

Fri Hill Charges - 2 X setsof 6, 10 minute recoverybetween sets

Day off Hill Charges - 2 X setsof 8, 10 minute recoverybetween sets

Day off

Sat Day off 40/20s X 2 sets,5 minute recoverybetween sets

Day off Tabata 8 minutes

Sun Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 2 hours

Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 3 hours



TRAINING WEEK

5 6 7 8

Mon Day off Day off Day off Day off Approx totalmonthlytraining time:25 hrsTue Tabata 9 minutes Easy Zone 1 recovery

ride - 30 minutes1 Minute Murder Easy Zone 1 recovery

ride - 30 minutes

Wed Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

1 Minute Murder Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

Day off

Thu Day off Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

Day off Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 90 minutes

Fri 40/20s X 3 sets,5 minute recoverybetween sets

Day off Hill Charges - 2 X setsof 8, 10 minute recoverybetween sets

Day off

Sat Day off Day off Day off Tabata 9 minutes

Sun Easy Zone 1 recoveryride - 2 hours




TRAINING WEEK

9 10 11 12

Mon Day off Day off Day off Day off Approx total monthly training time: 25 hrs

Tue 40 on/50 off Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 30 minutes

Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 90 minutes

1 Minute Breakdowns

Wed Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 90 minutes

40 on/50 off 1 Minute Murder Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 30 minutes

Thu Day off Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 90 minutes

Day off Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 90 minutes

Fri Tabata 10 minutes Day off 40/20s X 4 sets, 5 minute recovery between sets

Tabata 10 minutes

Sat Day off Day off Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 30 minutes

Day off

Sun Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 2 hours

Easy Zone 1 recovery ride - 4 hours



High Intensity Training Plan<< page 85



THE FEEDZONE SUSIE BURRELL

While we spend much time talking of the specific foods that can benefit health and sports performance, we tend to spend far less time

talking about the daily habits that are as conducive to eating well and reaping the benefits. These habits, the daily rituals that become so deeply entrenched in our lives that we do not even realise we are doing them, help form the platform for good nutrition practices long term.

No fuel pre-rideI know that you have been a regular

Saturday or Sunday morning rider for as long as you can remember, and to date you have had no issue with not eating before a long ride. But what if I told you that you could burn a greater amount of fat, feel and recover better after your long ride if you simply consumed a small amount of carbohydrate and protein before your ride? After an overnight fast, the liver has depleted some of its stores of glycogen and embarking on a ride prior to refuelling means that you will deplete these stores of fuel much more quickly than you would if you had refuelled. Once these stores are depleted, metabolism will slow to continue to fuel the exercising muscle whilst preserving some liver stores of glycogen. Overall this metabolic process is reduced in efficiency leading to reduced performance and a reduction in both carbohydrate and fat metabolism.

Stay on top of the scenario by grabbing a small snack that contains just 10-20g of total carbohydrate and five to 10g of protein 30-60 minutes before any long ride that is estimated to go for longer than 60 minutes. Nutritionally balanced options include an energy bar, 1 slice of bread with cheese or nut spread or some low fat milk or yoghurt. Not only will you feel better on your ride in general but long term your recovery and metabolism will also benefit.

Lack of fuel during the dayIt is not uncommon to see a cyclist who

eats a quick breakfast on the run, and a light lunch before binging on snacks, large portions of the evening meal and late night snacks. While this habit may not see you gain weight, chances are you are not losing it either and if you have a bit of a belly, it is this night eating habit and high calorie load at the end of the day that is not doing you any favours.

Generally speaking, the lighter your calorie consumption during the day, the more likely it is that you will crave and overeat at night. This can be especially true for late afternoon or evening trainers who arrive home after a big session absolutely ravenous. To avoid this common scenario, take control by prioritising eating at least three meals by mid afternoon each day. Whether this equates to breakfast and then a mid-morning snack or an early and late lunch, adding in an extra meal before your late afternoon session will ensure you avoid the intense hunger and overeating that occurs when you have consumed insufficient calories during the day.

Relying on sugarWhile you may burn it off, relying

on sugary sports drinks, banana bread, lollies and snack bars to fuel your rides does not do your health any favours long term. Whilst concentrated sugars may offer you an energy boost on long rides or get you over the line in event racing, fluctuating blood glucose levels also leaves you vulnerable to varying energy levels, cravings and potentially long term issues with blood glucose control.

So rather than using sugars as a pick me up at the end of longer sessions or before training, plan regular carbohydrate and protein snacks every two to three hours to keep your energy and blood glucose levels tightly regulated. And if you must resort

Food Habits that Impair Your Cycling Performance

Susie Burrellis one of

Australia’s leading dieticians with degrees in both nutrition and psychology. She has written three books including Losing the last 5kg and Lose Weight Fast, and has a nutrition practice in Sydney. When she is not writing or blogging, Susie spends her time thinking about eyelashes, Hawaii or her beloved Burmese cat Charlie. For more information see www.susieburrell.com.au.

Susie Burrell

Susie Burell looks at some of the most common food habits that could be doing more harm than good for your cycling overall and the easy way to help change them for the better.

http://www.susieburrell.com.au


to sugars every now and again, save them for the end of events rather than relying on them as your primary energy source.

Eating junk because you trainYou know the drill, you think you

deserve the extra chocolate or few beers because you train regularly. All too often we give ourselves permission to eat high calorie foods in much higher volumes than we usually would, just because we train. While you may be burning a good number of calories regularly, it is also important to remember that the body gets used to what we do regularly very, very quickly. This means that the muscles become exceptionally efficient at burning calories when they have been doing the same thing for a while, and a workout which may have once burnt 600-800 calories may now only be burning 400-500.

So, if you do enjoy a little treat at the end of a long day, before you rush out and demolish an entire block of chocolate,keep in mind that a treat should always bea small treat no matter how many times a week you train. This means one to two drinks, a row or two of chocolate or a couple of bickies, not the packet.

Not enough nutritionIt is easy for busy people to get into

the habit of eating quick and easy mealsthat they are familiar with, but that are not necessarily giving them the nutritionthey need to be at their best. It can always be a useful reminder that even the most active, fit individuals still need two to three cups of brightly coloured salad and vegies each day; meat eaters, lean red meat three to four times each week, three to four serves of calcium for healthy bones and enough dietary

It is easy for busy people to get into the habit of eating quick and easy meals that they are familiar with, but that are not necessarily giving them the nutrition they need to be at their best.

Meatball FettuccineServes four

350g fettuccine pasta½ cup shredded parmesan cheese500g peppercorn extra lean beefmeatballs1 tbsp. olive oil1 punnet of cherry tomatoes2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Method1) Cook pasta in boiling water for

10-12 minutes. Drain. Drizzle witholive oil.

2) Heat frypan with olive. Addmeatballs and cook until browned.

3) Add chopped cherry tomatoes.4) Toss with cooked pasta. Stir

through parsley and parmesan.

fibre for regular bowel function. While banana bread, toast, sports drinks and snack bars may provide easy to grab fuel when you are busy, it does not change the fact that you still need at least two nutritious meals every single day.

If you find that time is the issue, plan ahead and prepare meals in bulk in advance. Pasta dishes, stir fries and soups all freeze extremely well. Alternatively order your fresh food or even groceries online so that you always have a supply of key ingredients to cook quick meals with, even when you are tired. There is also a growing number of home delivery, healthy meal services including Dietlicious (http://www.dietlicious.com.au/), Eat Fit Food (http://www.eatfitfood.com.au/) and Muscle Meals Direct (http://www.musclemealsdirect.com.au/) that candeliver nutritious meals to your door if youhave no interest in meal preparation.

y

http://www.dietlicious.com.au/

http://www.eatfitfood.com.au/

http://www.musclemealsdirect.com.au/

http://www.musclemealsdirect.com.au/


MASTERCLASS MICHAEL HANSLIP


Setting up the front end of your bike is not difficult but there a several points you should bear in mind when adjusting bars stem and levers. Apart from the

sage advice to always use a torque wrench when tightening stem bolts, here are my other tips for your cockpit set-up.

Most new bikes (as opposed to a bare frame and fork) are shipped with three to five centimetres of spacers on the pre-cut steerer tube. Most of you will be aware that the spacers can be placed above or below the stem to alter the stem height. I proclaim that an average rider should have no more than three centimetres of spacers under the stem – any more suggests that the frame is too small (the corollary for this is that many carbon forkmanufacturers insist on no more than three or four centimetres of spacers).

Before you install that stem, remember that most stems can be flipped. In fact, themajority of stems have two-sided graphicsso that they look correct either way up. With the built-in angle of the stem (which does vary a lot from model to model) the height of the stem can be raised by severalcentimetres just by flipping the stem over from its lower position. With a carbon fork I always like to put one thin spacer on top of the stem to ensure that the entire stem is clamping on solid tube.

The ‘tops’ of the bars should be in a comfortable position for climbing. Low enough that you can control the front wheel, and high enough that you can stay there all day. The ‘drops’ of the bars should then fall into a position which is not so low that you can’t ride on the drops for at least one hour without back pain. If you cannot get your current bars in both a good tops and a good drops position, then try a bar with a different amount of drop (see figure 1).

Rotate the bar in the stem so that the back of the drop section points directly at the rear wheel axle. This position puts yourwrist at a comfortable angle when riding inthe drops and with many bars also places the top of the bar in a dead flat position (this applies to both aero-section bars where the top is not round but also to the forward projection just behind the brake hoods that changes angle as you rotate the bar in the stem). From an aesthetic as well as a functional point of view, a small variation from this ideal is permissible,

Being mechanically able to build a bike cockpit is one thing, knowing how to align all the parts for optimum function and comfortable control is quite another. Michael Hanslip sets us straight on handlebar and lever positioning.

Cockpit

DROP CENTRE - CENTRE

but if you feel a need to make it radically different then try a different bar.

Slide the brake levers onto the bars and position them near the top of the bend so that the hood is horizontal and thus continues the extension of the bars without an angle change (see figure 2). This maximises your possible hand positions rather than isolating the hood from the bar. It only works with modern bar bends; if you have bars with the word ‘classic’ in their name then they cannot be set up this way. Placing a long builder’s level or straight dowel e.g. a broom handle, across the hoods will accentuate any slight misalignment and help you find a straight and balanced position.

If necessary, now is the time to install the cables. I always try to put the shift cables onto the ‘wrong’ side of the frame – the rear derailleur cable goes to the left side of the head tube and the front cable

to the right. They then have to cross over somewhere before the bottom bracket guide to get to their correct derailleur. This keeps the cable housing away from the head tube. It is not always possible to install this way. Don’t cut those housings too short – you can trim them later. Fix the cables to the bars in two places with tape. I don’t like electrical tape for this as it stretches too much and lets the cables migrate. If everything is tight, now you can go for a test ride to see how you like your new position.

Once you have decided it is good (and that the brake hoods are even with each other!) then tape the bars. There is a plethora of ways to wrap the tape, but really, some practice is the most important thing to achieving an even wrap. Pro teams wrap their bars ‘inwards’ while most shops wrap their bars ‘outwards’ (defined by the direction of the first wrap at the bottom – and you really should

Figure 1


start at the bottom – whether it pointsoutwards or inwards). Having tried bothI don’t think it makes much differencewith most bar tapes. The last few bars I’vewrapped I have even mixed the direction –both sides wrapped to the left, and unlessyou look closely you can’t tell.

Begin your taping with an entire widthof tape hanging off the end of the bars.This provides sufficient tape to stuff insidethe bar to retain the bar plug and ensurethe full circumference of the bar has tapetucked in (looks better, retains the plugbetter). Overlap about 1/3 of the width ofthe tape as you go – that is, lay down thenew tape wrap to cover 1/3 of the tapealready on the bar. In corners you needmore overlap on the inside of the bendand less on the outside to keep it lookinggood and to prevent wrinkles.

Pay particular attention to how the tapepasses the brake hood. You’ll want to

roll up the hoods to make space and thegoal is to have no gaps where the bar isvisible. Most tape includes a short sectionto place over the lever clamp, a tightwrap under and then over theshould provide complete

The tape requiresbut you don’tbreak it. AgainAt the top, cut aremaining tape soa perfect square edwith some adhesiveI like to use electricalin coordinating colourjob with the finishing tathe bar tape. It looks reathe end of the finishing tawhere you can’t see it.

Down the road you mighsomething is not quite right.the brake hoods a few millime

FLAT FROM BAR ONTO HOODSruining the bar tape job. Rotating the bars in the stem is super-easy. On most bikes you can get the stem off the steerer tube in order to shuffle spacers around without loosening the bars (and here is where a bit of slack in the cables will help). Swapping to a shorter stem is always possible, but depending on the cables a longer stem might not fit. This can also be true of moving the bars up very much – small changes will always work but a large upwards shift often causes over-tight cables.

After a few weeks of happiness, then it is time to trim the cables to their permanent length. The cables are trapped under the tape so you must trim the other end. To successfully do this, remember to remove the inner wire from the outer housing before you cut – I’ve seen this step forgotten in store workshops more often than you might believe. I like to replace the cables annually (or more often if required) which means that the bar tape naturally comes up for replacement just as often. Use the old cable housing as a guide to cut the new pieces exactly the same (unless you weren’t happy with the old length, obviously).

After finishing with the tape you need to worry about the accessories. Lights, computer, GPS – there are many things we place on our bike these days. Out front mounts have become de rigueur for a reason – this is the most visible and effective position for your computer/GPSdevice. It also uses up the least amountof bar space. Even if you are doing thisin the middle of summer, don’t forget thelighting system you are going to use nextwinter. This is a balancing act furthercomplicated by the narrow centre sectionthat many bars sport today (back in theold days the bulged part of the bars wasat least 10cm wide – now it can be barelywider than the stem). If you are desperatefor more accessory space there are severalbars-space enhancers that make room formultiple devices.

Because of the length of time even acasual rider spends on their bike, smallalterations in the cockpit can add up tobig differences in comfort. Don’t be afrto experiment if your bike isn’t penow, but remember to makeeach time (if you makechangwhat)chan

er bodyrage.

ir bit of tensionnt to pull enough toactice comes into play.

allow angle across theat it wraps on itself ine. Wrap the bar ta

e – here is whereape (and it comes

and then tidy thesupplied with

y pro if you getunder the bar

decidehave movedres withou

angeor more

hat necessort can be

want

Figure 2

K Edge out front Garmin mount

Preset torque wrenches like this 5Nn one supplied with Trek bicycles

are very handy.


TEST LAB


BY GARY HUNT

Jaggad Giro Spray Jacket

This jacket has been created to repel wet and wintery conditions while maintaining comfort and looking

good into the bargain. The Jaggad gear has a high end feel and appealing style with good colour palette and some nice features like the tabs sewn into the seams and graphical features printed on the fabric.

The hem around the waist is nicely shaped to fit well while riding, shorter in the front and longer in the back and has silicone elastic built in to prevents the jacket from riding up. Along with this, the taped seams and deep cuffs help keep out wind and water. The fabric feels very nice to touch and moves well with your body. It’s a soft and stretchy micro fibre fabric with an 8:5 membrane bonded on both sides.

The 8:5 rating indicates the fabric’s water resistance capacity and its breathability level. The 8 means that the material can support a water column of 8000 mm before gravity will pull the water through, and the 5 indicates this fabric will wick 5,000 grams of water per square metre of fabric per 24 hour period (g/m2/24hrs). Typical mid-range fabrics tend to have values of 5,000mm of water resistance and 5,000g of breathability, while the best materials have 20,000mm and 20,000g. Breathability is variable dependent on humidity and temperature.

The zip is a two hand affair, but it is full length and the toggle hides away at the collar to prevent scratching and discomfort. Sleeves and the rear hem are long enough to keep your wrists and

Jaggad Giro Spray Jacket and Bastia Bib Tights

After running aground in the GFC,

Jaggad has had a serious makeover. In

2012 the business which had made a

name in triathlon clothing over many

years, was bought by a group of high

profile business operators and sporting

identities who have refloated the

business and developed new ranges

of clothing for the burgeoning cycling

market. We have been wearing their

winter gear for a couple of months for

review, and while Spring has sprung

and you may be thinking more of new

season gear, if the Giro Jacket and

Bastia tights are indicative of their 2015

range it should be something to look

out for. Word is it will be available from

October this year.

lower back covered and warm whenstretching out on the bike.

I like the look of this jacket, itscomfortable, conforming fit and its level of rain protection. There are no vents for cooling airflow however, so it tended to get a little steamy on milder days, but it was certainly a good choice for riding in very cold and wet weather. RRP: $199Distributed by Jaggadwww.jaggad.com

lower back covered and warm when

Jaggad Bastia Bib Tights

Bastia is a region on the island of Corsica which is now governed by France, though prior to WW2

when it changed hands, it was ruled by Italy. These tights use a moulded Italian chamois and a matte black lycra fabric for the legs to create a comfortable cool weather clothing choice. The lycra in these tights is not fleeced at all, just a straight stretch fabric so they’re not ideal for really cold weather. While different people feel the cold differently, I found these a good choice for morning rides over winter or on overcast days where the temperatures started just above zero.

The styling is somewhat reminiscent of Rapha gear with assymetric positioning of logos and pink highlights although Jaggad uses a light green colour as well. The fabric is very comfortable and quality of finishing is good, with no loose threads and nice attention to detail around the labels and feature tabs.

The pad in the Bastia tights is ergonomically shaped and comfortable, if a little softer than I am used to, especially for longer rides, though this does make them not too bulky and so they fit well. The shoulder straps are a mesh fabric wide enough to be very comfortable, remaining flat and in place under my jersey. I like a firm fit in knicks and would recommend going one size down on your usual when selecting sizes.RRP: $240Distributed by Jaggadwww.jaggad.com

http://www.jaggad.com

http://www.jaggad.com

TEST LAB


BY PETER ROX

Novatec is a brand that many ofus may have come into contactwith without even knowingit, they have been producingquality hubs used in many

wheels for a number of years but havenow decided to go the whole hog andproduce their own branded wheels.

The Novatec R5 is a 50mm deepcarbon clincher rim that has followed therecent trend of using a wider rim profile. The 24mm wide “Hypertoroid” profile is said to improve the aerodynamics of the tyre/ wheel combination by smoothing out the interface between the tyre and the rim. When used in conjunction with all black tyres they also look pretty slick.

The wheel obviously utilises Novatec's own hub which spins fantastically smoothly. The black of the hub is highlighted with red end caps, and nicely for me, perfectly matched my bikes colour scheme. The rim is a matte carbon with bold white decals, which while certainly not subtle aren’t garish. The front wheel runs 20 spokes radially laced and the rear runs 24 spokes with a single cross pattern on the non-drive side and a two crosspattern on the drive side. If youclosely at the spokes you will noon each wheel, among the blackare two silver spokes, these areeither side of the valve hole, toeasier locating of the valve, presfor those who choose to flauntprotocols and do not match thelabels with their valves. In any care kind enough to provide youspare spokes in black in case yolike this odd spoke look.

While on spare parts, the whecome complete with a set of lightitanium skewers, also the recombrake pads and a pair of valve eThe skewers I found, unlike somlightweight skewers, to be goodjob however the thread I foundlittle short. This meant care neetaken when loosening off the skget it past the “lawyer tab” on twheel, as it was very easy to hacome right off the thread, and done of those on the side of the rgrass could be a nightmare. It wnice not to encounter any tickinthe valve extenders protruding tthe rim as can sometimes annoythe case.

The wheels weighed in at 752the front and 960 grams for the

included the rim tape that was alreadyinstalled. That doesn’t put them in thesuper exotic category of lightweightwheels, but then again the price alsoreflects this. The R5 is a noticeably stiffwheel; with brake blocks set tight out ofthe saddle climbing efforts did not resultin any brake rub at all. They wouldcertainly make a great criterium or racewheel and are also good on all but theharshest roads but if you were after a super comfortable ride then maybe the shallower profile R3 should be in your sights. The R5’s spin up to speed quickly and seem to hold speed well. The profile is quite stable under crosswinds with only a slight buffeting being noticed on the blusterier days. The braking on the Novatec's was a pleasant surprise. I have steered away from full carbon clinchers for a few years as I wasn’t happy with the braking of my last set, but these have come a long way. The braking is only marginally compromised when compared to an aluminium rim, both in the wet and in the dry. The brakes do stillcarry that slight carbon squeal, but it is

t h li i lik b

bike look like a race machine every day then the rate per km isn’t much at all and makes a more compelling argument than a pair of fancy wheels that only gets used once a month.RRP: $1,999Distributor: Bicycle Parts Wholesalerswww.bicyclepartswholesale.com.au

Novatec R5 Carbon Clinchers

cember 2014

o crossu lookotice thatk spokesset atallow forsumablyold school

eir tyrecase they

u withou don’t

eelshtweightmmendedextenders.med at their

to be aded to be

kewer tothe frontve the nut

droppingroad inwas alsong fromthroughyingly be

2 grams fore rear, this

not a howling noise like years gone by,just enough to let others know you arelucky enough to be riding carbon rims. There was no hint of the wheelsoverheating at all, howeverI didn’t do any super longdescents nor was I keento actually push theseto failure. There wasno recommendedmaximum tyrepressure noted onthe rims that I couldfind, so with that Ipumped my tyresup to 120psi andthere were noissues at all.

Of course goodcarbon clincherwheels come ata cost, but the$2,000 asking pricefor the Novatec R5is not exorbitant,especially comparedto some other brandsabout. When youfactor in the ability forthis wheel to handle mostconditions and thereforebe used more often alongwith their ability to make your

Not the widest available but at 24mm these are following the trend toward wider rims.

http://www.bicyclepartswholesale.com.au

TEST LAB


BY PAT HOWARD

Giro Wind Jacket

brand instantly s with stylish, de helmets. We’ve tching Giro’s to the apparel arkets recently, opportunity to hing. It makes cyclist from clothing and e very different!apparel has

tinct casual, ter-retro style. intended to be h performance, not look racy ary like typical

ra kit. Their nding focuses their Californian tage to leverage aid back, beach-asual persona.

Wind Jacket and t are constructed ntically, from

rials: an ultra ht ripstop nylon sleeves, with polyester back

ventilation. Both ve a soft feel rs on luxurious, -black materials

neutral and style. The Vest has unning parallel on the front, but that it’s basically cket with the ped off. To keep e (which Giro’s ould appreciate) ut the two items

re from YKK, with iro pulls for ease ally with gloves on. nice little polyester neck to prevent or scratching. The neck includes a ective piping, but aylight this piping k to the eye to rve the casual style.e fit is relaxed.

medium samples ous without

being potato sacks. We were

wearing the right size, and without doubt the fit intentionally allows space to wear over the top of heavier street garments such as a t-shirt, rather than a euro fit race jersey. Accordingly, there are no pockets on the back of the garments to stow epic ride essentials.

In keeping with Giro’s metropolitan cyclist outlook, I rode the garments on my daily work commute, as well as longer rides. I felt that the understated look was a nicer fit for my 25 minute suburban trip than my standard roadie apparel, which regularly inspires insightful observations, such as ‘it’s not the Tooar dee Fraance mate!’.

Western Sydney winter mornings can be pretty cold (sub zero), and I was concerned about the insulation that I could expect. I was fine from about 5-7 degrees up, as the garments were surprisingly windproof when layered over a regular jersey and winter bib knicks. I encountered a couple of light showers, and I was kept dry too. This definitely surpassed my expectations.

On the technical front, the most obvious feature of these goodies is their lack of weight and bulk. Each has a small drawstring bag stitched inside: turn the garment inside out and stuff it in the bag. Even the jacket stows down to the size of a squishy, full term orange. The jacket weighed 86 grams, the vest 60 grams!

On the down side, the zip is hard to pull on the fly as the light material gives little support when combined with the loose fit. It would also be nice to see some more reflective features integrated. After all, these are entirely black garments targeted at city cyclists, for use in cold weather months.

I do my best to avoid reading about any item before I review it, but will always check the manufacturer website after I feel confident in the opinion I have formed. Giro asserts you should carry one of these on pretty much every ride, and I cannot disagree. Outside of summer riding at low altitudes, it’s a no brainer to stash one of these in your pocket before you hit the road or start with it on, and stash it later. You’ll look stylish too, be it on the road, at the coffee stop or arriving at the office.

RRP: $119.95 vestRRP:$139.95 jacketDistributed by Sheppard Industrieswww.sheppardindustriesltd.com

he Giroresonatewell-madbeen watmove in

and footwear mabut not had thesample their cloth

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helmets arGiroa disthipstIt’s ihighbutor llycrbranon therithe l

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http://www.sheppardindustriesltd.com

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Scott Solace 30

BY PAT HOWARD

TEST LAB


WEIGHT: 8.34kg, 56cm RRP: $2,798

Scott Solace 30


Solace is not a word that features frequently in the day to day vocabulary. Sol-ace is a reference to com-fort, specifically in a time of distress or hardship. The Scott team must have been chuffed when they came across such a fitting name for their new comfort fo-cused bike. The comfort segment is a new one for Scott, and their soft rider is up against some metaphori-cally stiff competition.

The Solace debuted as a 2014 model at the same time as the reborn Addict line. The Scott premium line now boasts the aerodynamic Foil (used by most

of the Orica Green Edge team), the feather light Addict, and the comfy cobbler Solace. It’s a broad arsenal of bikes that allows each to pursue it’s own distinct personality, and echoes the multi-platform approach of many of Scott’s competitors.

From day one the Solace is up against very well established and well known com-petitors, such as the Giant Defy, Specialized Roubaix, Trek Domane and Cannondale Synapse. Almost every major player has a comfort-oriented machine on offer. The reg-ular Joe has never been so spoilt for choice, or quality. Fittingly Scott sent us their Solace 30. This is the entry level Solace. They could have sent us the spanky Solace 10, decked out with Dura Ace no less, but the 30 is the Solace that talks directly to the recreational rider. The spec is solid, the fit is relaxed, and the asking price is very reasonable. A lot of people should find this machine appealing.

Regardless of the parts, the main event is the Solace frame and fork. As noted, this is Scott’s first foray into the comfort bike segment. The Solace is new from top to tail. Comfort bikes are typically characterized by taller head tubes and shorter top tubes than their racier siblings, and the Solace is no dif-ferent. These geometry changes put the rider in a more upright position compared with the Foil or Addict. For the given size, the Solace is 5mm shorter in the top tube and 20mm taller in the head tube. Unlike most of its competitors, the Solace maintains a short 405mm chainstay length. The wheel-base of the Solace is slightly shorter than a Foil or Addict.

Scott refers to the Solace as having two ‘zones’; Power and Comfort. The Power zone is the lower portion of the frame, the down tube, bottom bracket and chain stays. It’s the solid foundation that the rider is separated from, and it is solid. The downtube is a large rectangle where it meets the bottom bracket, looking no different to any high stiffness race bike, and the chain stays are quite chunky. The Power Zone of the bike makes the Comfort Zone look comparatively malnourished, espe-


Scott Solace 30

BIKE

Frame HMF Carbon

Fork HMF Carbon, 1 1/8 steerer

Stem Syncros FL2.0

Headset Ritchey Pro Drop-In

Handlebars Syncros RR2.0 Anatomic bend

Saddle Syncros FL2.5

Seat Post Syncros Carbon FL1.2, 27.2mm

Shift Levers Shimano 105 5800

BrakesF: Shimano 105 5800 R:Tektro

740 direct mount

F Derailleur Shimano 105 5800

R Derailleur Shimano 105 5800

Cassette Shimano 105 5800 11-32

Chain Shimano HG600

Crank Shimano RS 500 50-34

Bottom Bracket Shimano internal

Wheels Shimano RS11

Tyres Schwalbe Durano 25mm

Pedals NA

Weight 8.34kg

Price $2,798

Distributor Sheppard Industrieswww.sheppardindustriesltd.com

SPECIFICATIONS


cially the slender seat stays.The seat stays are not much bigger than a

pencil in diameter at their narrowest point, and meet the top tube and side of the seat tube, rather than ramming into the back of the seat tube as per most bikes. They have a slight arc, and the seat tube length of the Solace is longer than most. These features contribute to the generous overall length of the stays, which Scott has designed to absorb vibrations and bumps from the road. The longer the stay, the more stay available to do the comfort work. It’s a similar idea to the Volagi Liscio that we had for test a few issues back. The rear brake is the other re-ally noticeable piece of work, hidden under the chain stays. This is usually associated with aero bikes but Scott has located the brake here to allow the seat stays to be su-per skinny, and bridgeless. Again, all in the name of comfort.

The top tube has also been designed to further the plush ride. Its flat shape should be stiff side to side, but allow some amount of vertical deflection. The carbon Syncros (Scott’s in house component brand) seat post is 27.2mm in diameter and designed to flex a little to isolate your behind from coarse road buzz. Naturally, the fork is also optimized to smooth the ride. The blades have a reasonable curve which is appar-ently better at absorbing bumps than a straight blade fork. The dropouts are set back slightly from the end of the curve to compensate for the additional rake of the fork. The steerer is not tapered, an inten-tional compromise between stiffness and ride quality.

The word comfort keeps coming up, but it’s important to note that comfort is relative to the rider. The goal of making the rider happy on the bike is twofold: first, a happy rider will want to ride more. Secondly, a fresh and happy rider will be far more effi-cient than a sore and grumpy one, regardless of how aerodynamic they are. The Solace is instantly relaxed and easy; the bars come to hand without too much hip rotation, even with all the spacers removed from under the stem. The nice Shimano 105 hood shape and short reach Syncros bar greet your hands with a warm smile, and off you go.

Rolling out is smooth due to the gener-ous gearing range of the Solace. A compact Shimano crank turns an 11-32 cassette (I remember riding one of those on my moun-tain bike!). There is almost always an easier gear to shift down to via the fantastic 105 level derailleurs and shifters, and the ratios encourage you to spin fluidly rather than mash a hard gear. The tall head tube means that the bars sit high. The drops are just a touch away, and you find yourself using all the positions available without a second thought. A flow-on from this is that you’re likely to spend a lot of time in the saddle on the Solace. The Syncros saddle looks hard and small, but the padding is deceptively good and to my surprise I really enjoyed it!

Scott’s engineers have most certainly hit their target, as the Solace really takes the edge off the road. The stenciled concrete Mc Pavé’ of my suburbia is always a reference point for road feel: the Solace took on the stenciled cobbles and raised them a hot mix. The Solace has a pronounced effect in

The rear aero brake is tuckedout of the way so there’s a camadjuster in the cable at the han-dlebar level for easy access.

http://www.sheppardindustriesltd.com


QUALITY

Scott consistently produces lovely carbon frames. The Solace is beautifully finished, and a quick peek inside the frame reveals a finish that is equally nice. There are no dud parts on the Solace, although the frame is the real standout.

PERFORMANCE

A lot of time and effort has gone into designing this frame, and it shows on the road. The Solace is super smooth, and equipped with bomb proof parts that will work day after day, although they are heavy which slows the Solace down a touch.

VALUE

The Syncros parts are all very nice, they may be perceived as inferior, but they’re easily the measure of many aftermarket items. The investment is the frame and fork, which are excellent, and a prime candidate for upgrades over time.

OVERALL

The Solace is a real mile muncher. It’s efficient because it’s smooth and provides the rider with the correct tools to ride in comfort all day long. The Solace is a great machine for weekend warriors all the way through to seven days a week, big mileage riders. It’s a serious contender in the comfort segment.

SUMMING UP

separating the rider from road surface buzz. Riders that spend lots of time on chip mix country roads will appreciate the qualities of the ride, especially after a few hours. Some bikes take the leading edge off the chatter, but still manage to give the rider significant feedback about the road surface. The Solace doesn’t fit this category; it really smothers the whole lot out.

It’s not perfect (but the rider won’t be ei-ther, let’s be honest!) though. Forks are still the toughest part to engineer for comfort. A fork has two blades which attach to a long skinny steerer, and has to support a wheel, deal with steering forces, and do most of the braking. The fork isn’t as plush as the rear end of the Solace, or as stiff. In big sweeping corners you can lean the Solace in, the fork budges a little and then finds its line. Chat-

tery corners are beautiful, as you can choose the best line and let the bike glide through without being pinballed off track. Every cloud has a sliver lining.

When you get out of the saddle and get excited the Solace lacks the real snappy, tap dancing feel that a genuine thoroughbred has, although the heavy entry level Shimano RS11 wheels and Schwalbe Durano tyres don’t aid matters. Climbing is best in the saddle, and heavy or aggressive riders might prefer one of Scott’s stiffer models. The short wheelbase and upright handlebar position make for awkward sprinting aboard the Solace. The bike wants to twitch around, but lacks the long and low handlebar position to mellow the excitable front wheel. Again, the best option is to get down in the drops and gradually wind up the speed from the saddle.

The Solace is about fluidity. Smooth cadence, light gears, sweeping corners and consistent, measured efforts on long climbs. In every obvious facet of technique which relates to efficient long distance riding, the Solace plays the rider to the optimal execu-tion. Even though this is the entry level Sol-ace, there aren’t many epic rides that couldn’t be taken on in the stock format. Some lighter wheels would be nice for those big climbs, but the huge gearing spread and ability to use all the positions on the handle bar would handle the rest. For short and sharp efforts the Solace is the pool noodle at the sword fight, so look elsewhere, but remove sharp from the equation and the Solace will go as short or long as you ask.

Rear brake and cable exit below asturdy bottom bracket.

The seat stays on the Solace seem longer than usual,probably due t the lack of a bridge, and quite thin.Squeezing the two together reveals a fair degree of flex.


BY GARY HUNT

TEST LAB


WEIGHT: 7.08kg, 58cm RRP: $ $4,999


One of Trek’s impressive new Émonda range, the SL8 promises cycling refinement and performance at reason-able price. We took one rid-ing for a couple of months to see how it stacks up.

The Trek brand has been around for 38 years now, founded in 1976 by Richard Bourke in Waterloo, Wisconsin. You might think a US based bike company is something

of an outlier given cycling’s rich European heritage, but there are several big names based in the States (including Cannondale and Fuji) and Trek has forged a name for quality and performance, and sits amongst the top global brands owning a pro team in the WorldTour.

Their latest road racing machine the Émonda caused quite a splash when it launched in July this year with a top shelf model weighing just 4.65kg (that’s just 10 pounds and four ounces in the old money) making it the lightest production road bicy-cle in the world.

The Émonda is Trek’s latest concept frame – a newcomer to the stable to go with the Madone (the aerodynamic race-ready frame) and the Domane (their endurance/aero frameset). Domane in Italian means ‘tomorrow’; as in it’s comfortable enough that you’ll be able to ride again after today’s effort. Émonda is again an Italian word meaning ‘pared back’ or ‘trimmed down’ – suiting the lightweight Émonda range to a T. Quirkily, Trek has devised names of their bikes using the same set of six let-ters—Émonda, Madone and Domane, and speculation about the next possible name abounds with demona or daemon attracting the smart money, perhaps it’ll be an electric bike called the enomad?

One of the pioneers of carbon fibre technology in cycling, Trek was producing their OCLV (optimum compaction low void) frames from as far back as 1992. The OCLV process continues still today with several grades of carbon fibre em-ployed across different models according to weight, performance and cost require-ments. The base level Tiagra equipped Émonda S4 uses 300 series OCLV carbon and costs just $1,899 (and Trek claims weighs a reasonable 8.74kg) while the ethereal SL10 is a breathtaking $15,999.

The SL8 uses OCLV 500 for its light weight and good stiffness response. The frame itself is a fairly traditional shape as carbon frames go, painted a gleaming glossy black which does attract finger-prints, though when polished looks quite immaculate. I do have a problem with


Trek SL 8

BIKE

SPECIFICATIONS


white tape and saddles; they were com-fortable enough but no matter how ‘pro’white may look, it looks old and shabbytoo soon for my liking.

The SL 8 reviewed here is indeed paredback. It has no vibration damping inserts,no cables are to be seen along the tubes,there are no concessions to aero shaping orsuspension— it’s a frame that is strippedback to the essentials. It’s a climber’s ma-chine, with singular focus, light and stiff,designed to transfer power efficiently and goup. A couple of additional features that areworth noting here are the DuoTrap S sensorin the non-drive chainstay. You can purchasethe optional sensor kit that mates with yourAnt+ or Bluetooth computer but remainshidden within the stay minimising drag andmaintaining the clean visual lines. There’salso a built-in chain catcher to keep you on

Frame OCLV 500 Carbon Fibre

Fork Émonda full carbon, E2

StemBontrager Race X Lite, 31.8mm,

7 degree

HeadsetIntegrated, cartridge bearings,

sealed, 1-1/8” x 1.5”

Handlebars Bontrager Race Lite, VR, 31.8mm

SaddleBontrager Paradigm RL, hollow

titanium rails

Seat PostBontrager Ride Tuned Carbon

seatmast

Shift Levers Shimano Dura-Ace 11-25, 11 spd

Brakes Shimano Dura-Ace

F Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace, braze-on

R Derailleur Shimano Dura-Ace

Cassette Shimano Dura-Ace 11-28, 11 spd

Chain Shimano Dura-Ace

CrankShimano Dura-Ace, 50/34

(compact)

Bottom Bracket BB90

Wheels Bontrager Race Tubeless Ready

TyresBontrager R3 Hard-Case Lite,

700x23c

Pedals NA

Weight 7.08kg

Price $4,999

Distributor Trek Bicycle Corporation

the move.Trek manufactures the Émonda frame

in two formats; H1 and H2. The H1 is the racier version, the longer top tube / shorter head tube variant for exceptionally flexible riders who can cope with lower handlebars and a more aero riding position, and want the lower drag they can achieve with such geometry. The H2 frameset is aimed at the other 99% of riders.

A 11/8 by 11/2 headset holds the fork in the asymmetric headtube—it’s wider than it is long for increased lateral stiffness and steering precision. The result is a bike that is neither twitchy nor slow, but direct and predictable when cornering at speed. Leaning into turns the bike rails through as you hope it will, tracking nicely, holding its line without deviation. It’s stable at speed, a comfortable and confidence inspiring ride

“The BB90 allows the widest possible

bearing placement for a stiffer drivetrain and less chance of axle deflection.

“

A tapered headset and the broad headtube helpthe Emonda achieve good steering control.

Bontrager wheelsstand ready for sometubeless tyres toreplace the standard23mm clinchers.

The seatstays / seatpost junction iseffectively quite broad continuing thetheme of wide, shallow tubes.


on the downhill, suitably matching the ef-ficient climbing it gives on the way up.

Looking at a side-on shot of the Émonda you see quite slender tubes, even around the bottom bracket which is different to the way many bikes have moved recently, with some using bulky box sections around the BB. Then when you look down from above, you see the significant width of the frame tubes in this area. The BB90 allows the wid-est possible bearing placement for a stiffer drivetrain and less chance of axle deflection. Seat stays are slim, as is the seat tube to bring some comfort to the austerity of the frame. It has a partially integrated seatpost with the saddle attached to a half-length seat tube that slides over the frame’s mast; a solution that means it doesn’t need to be cut. This allows you to have a wider range of saddle heights and removes some uncer-tainty around resale. The sleeved seat tube doesn’t result in as harsh a ride as I thought it might, though there is some road feedback coming through the frame.

The Émonda SL is spec’d with a full ar-ray of Bontrager parts; stem, bars, saddle, wheels, tyres, tubes and bar tape all emanate from Trek’s house-brand factories. The full complement of consistent branding looks planned and intentional. Bontrager has succeeded in creating a brand that stands in its own right as suitable for aftermarket purchase for riders of brands other than Trek; quite remarkable as many other house branded ranges seem a mismatch on other branded frames.

The Bontrager wheels on the SL8 are tubeless-ready alloy clinchers, with a rim

23mm wide at the brake track. Across the review period I rode about 800km on this bike and from the outset these wheels were quiet, straight and dependable, delivering a reasonably lively feel uphill and provid-ing a solid brake track for the Dura Ace pads to squeeze. They come with 18/24 spoke pattern, radial and two crossed on the drive side. The rear hub is a fairly quiet three pawl unit, spinning on very smooth bearings. The wheels register 730g front and 1,066g rear for an uninspiring 1,780g total weight, but the tubes (76g) and R3 hard case lite tyres (195g) are light enough to shoulder some of the wheels’ burden. Bon-trager has large range of wheels like the full carbon Aeolus 3 D3 (1,440g, circa $3,100) or the alloy Race Lite TLR (1,518g, circa $850) either of which would make a reason-able upgrade for your bike down the track.

The titanium railed Paradigm saddle was too narrow for my liking but I was able to switch it for their widest size, the ‘blue dot’ sized carbon rail version of the same unit which I quite like. See your Bontrager dealer for saddle sizing options.

Shimano’s mechanical Dura-Ace groupset is quite exceptional, easy to set up and adjust, smooth quiet and efficient. It is much like the Émonda itself, refined, unassuming, getting the job done without great fanfare. Compact cranks 50/34 and the 11-28 cas-sette suit the style of this climbing machine to a T, especially in this H2 configuration.

I enjoyed riding the Émonda. It’s more suited to climbers than rouleurs, but it’s a classy understated machine that performs as well as its pedigree suggests it should.

QUALITY

Trek are known for their precision and quality. This frame is very well finished, with good attention to detail. The frame is light and stiff and component spec from Bontrager is very high quality. Shimano’s mechanical Dura Ace tops off a high quality bike.

PERFORMANCE

Trek set themselves the goal of producing the lightest production road racing bike on the planet and they fulfilled their brief. A few rungs down the ladder from the featherweight SLR 10 the Émonda SL 8 is a light and stiff bike, spec’d well to succeed as a capable performer in the hills. The frame and components are a good match, though the wheelset seems a little heavy for a bike with a climbing reputation to build and uphold.

VALUE

A light, high-quality carbon frame with tubeless ready wheels and Dura Ace components…at $4,999 the Émonda is good value for your money.

OVERALL

The Émonda looks good but isn’t overtly flashy. There are no ostentatious features to this bike, no exotic frame shapes or garish paintjob screaming ‘look at me’. It doesn’t demand attention as soon as you roll up to the bunch. It is however very well spec’d, well designed, comfortable and efficient, a refined and dependable quiet achiever… I’d suggest even a high achiever.

SUMMING UP

This shot gives a clear view of the width of that stiffdown tube which extends fully to the edge of the BB90.

A semi integratedsleeved seatpostwith the clamp athalf mast.


Norco Valence

BY LUKE MEERS

TEST LAB




New season models are be-ing launched across the bike industry with many brands still updating bikes for each new year. Norco has several new designs that are draw-ing attention of the market including road and cyclocross models. The Valence is one of their sportif styled endurance models; Luke Meers took one out for review.

Leonardo Di Vinci said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. I was reminded of this when riding the Norco Valence. We live in an age when the ‘best’ bikes must be

super light, super stiff, aerodynamic ultra-engineered masterpieces, fitted with power meters, tracked by GPS, logged on Strava, and admired leaning against the cafe wall. The Valence ticks some of these boxes, but they soon became irrelevant when riding it, as I was taken back to the pure enjoyment of riding a bike. I simply embraced the feel of pushing against the wind, battling the gradient, and the sweet sense of efficiency on the way back when these elements work in your favour. Just a kid and his bike.

When reviewing a bike I like to fit my power meter to it, to get a sense of the ef-ficiency and especially the climbing procliv-ity of the rig in question. With the Norco Valence, however, I felt this was unnecessary because that is not what this bike is about. The valence is not the lightest, sexiest, or fastest, nor indeed is it the most expensive bike. It measures ok in these metrics, but instead it prompted me to assess it on the fun factor; and it passed with flying colours. In the Valence, Norco has delivered a bike which gets on with the job without fuss and lets you enjoy the ride. The Ultegra Di2 shifting components go unnoticed, which is generally a sign of good performance. The Ultegra Di2 group set continues to impress in terms of performance to price ratio.

When riding the Valence, the frame geom-etry put me quickly at ease, with predict-able smooth handling, assured cornering and a reasonable level of compliance to nullify the rougher roads. The marketing pitch from Norco about the Valence claims that: comfort and high performance coexist in a single package. This sort of claim is common, but I felt that in this case it was a fitting description. The Valence is not a race machine. The geometry and componentry mean the rider sits in a more relaxed posi-tion, but I didn’t feel that this slowed me particularly, but rather put me at ease in the saddle, and as I took to the hills I could just enjoy the journey.


Norco Valence

BIKE

Frame Valence Mid-Modulus Carbon

Fork Valence Mid-Modulus Full Carbon

HeadsetCane Creek 40-Series w/9mm

Top Cover

Stem Norco - Black w/Green

Handlebars Ritchey Comp Curve - Black

Saddle Fizik Strada Mg - Black w/White

Seat PostNorco Di2 Composite 27.2mm -

UD w/Green

Shift LeversShimano Ultegra Di2 SL-6870

11spd

Brakes Shimano BR-R561 - Black

F Derailleur Shimano Ultegra Di2 FD-6870

R Derailleur Shimano Ultegra Di2 RD-6870

CassetteShimano 105 CS-5800 11-32T

11 speed

Chain Shimano CN-HG600-11 11speed

CrankShimano 105 FC-5800

11spd - 50/34T

Bottom Bracket Shimano SM-BB71 Pressfit BB86

Wheels Fulcrum Racing 7 Wide - Black

TyresContinental Grand Sport Race w/

NyTech - 25c

Weight 7.8kg 56cm

Price $3,199

Distributor Advance Traderswww.advancetraders.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS


Visually the bike is pleasing, but not particularly noteworthy. The ‘movistar’ style colouring works well and is a welcome variation to the mass of black or white bikes around. The reasonably upright style frame geometry is visually apparent, which I find less appealing compared to an aggressive looking frame with a slammed stem, but I guess the Valence is not pretending to be something other than the bike that it is.

When I saw the bike was fitted with Fulcrum 7 wheels, the entry point wheels from the Fulcrum range, I was expecting a less than scintillating ride. I was however, pleasantly surprised to find that the 7s offer a responsiveness and ride that belie their weight on the scales. Fitted with some 25mm Continental Grand Sport tyres, the wheel package performed admi-rably. The wider tyres definitely aided in the absorption of road vibrations—as did the saddle. The Fizik Strada saddle was quite comfortable; sometimes saddles with this amount of paddling can seem bulky and not engage directly with the sit bones. The Strada saddle was quite comfortable and is a good match for a bike like this, targeted at long hours of riding, with an emphasis on comfort.

The Valence frameset tips the scales, impressively, at less than 1000g, while including some good features such as an oversized headtube junction, large BB shell and internal cable routing.

“

Note how the forks curveforward and the dropoutsare positioned slightlyrearward to add a little flexand increase ride comfort.

The winged Fizik strada saddleagreed with our reviewer.

Mudguard mounting screws arediscrete but may be welcome forthose who live in rainy regions.

http://www.advancetraders.com.au


QUALITY

A high quality machine with little touches like an integrated chain keeper and chain stay guards. The bike exhibits an overall sense of care and quality beyond the price tag’s suggestion.

PERFORMANCE

A bike definitely aimed at the endurance market in terms of frame geometry. A stiff bottom bracket area compliments the compliant areas of the frame to deliver a bike which actually performs well across the board. Gear ratios could be a little too generous for those not tackling super steep hills on a weekly basis, but the componentry overall is well matched the overall intent of the bike.

VALUE

A Di2 equipped bike with a thoughtfully designed frameset, which performs very well across a range of terrain. At an asking price of $3,199 the Valence is a very high value prospect, enough to be very tempting in a competitive area of the market. Compromises on crankset and wheels selection were cleverly done to allow the price to be lower than you might expect when first casting an eye over the bike.

OVERALL

A good value bike which delivers well across the board. The Valence offers a very good mix of performance and comfort which should suit many riders in the market for a rock solid training or sportif style bike.

SUMMING UP

While the Valence comes with Ultegra Di2 shifting componentry, it is fitted with a 105 crankset and cassette and is stopped via Shimano BR-R561 brakes. I was impressed by the power and the quality of the modula-tion the brakes delivered. Braking power was immediate and effective, quite impres-sive from the lower end Shimano range. The 105 crankset is not as aesthetically pleasing as the higher spec units, but is obviously a compromise to help reduce the overall cost. The gearing spec would allow for even the steepest gradients to be attacked at 90rpm. A compact front crank (50/34 tooth combination) is coupled with an 11-32 tooth cassette to give what is really quite an astonishing range of gears. I never got close to using the lowest gears. I think that the 11-32 tooth cassette coupled with a regular 39/53 chainset would give a better range, but in the end this depends highly on individual’s preference and the steepness of their local gradients.

The Valence frameset tips the scales, impressively, at less than 1000g, while including some good features such as an oversized headtube junction, large BB shell and internal cable routing. There are some specific design functions included in the

fork and chain-stays, aiming to give extra absorption of road vibration. The seat stays feature a concave curve towards the bottom bracket in order to aid flexion and increase comfort. The forks utilise a similar curve which is accentuated by having the lugs drop down vertically right at the fork tip. It is difficult to tell during test rides whether these features are the source of the compli-ance, but the bike certainly delivered a very comfortable ride.

The Norco Valence retails at $3,199, which is very competitive for a quality 11 speed Di2 equipped bike. The hard core racer will not find the spec sheet overly alluring, but for someone who wants to sim-ply jump on their bike and spend anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours on the road simply enjoying the ride, the Valence is a great prospect.

Whilst my encounter with the Norco Va-lence was brief, it has reminded me that rid-ing my bike is about more than data, power, segment chasing, or even the sweet feeling of inflicting hurt on your mates up the hills. The Valence brought me back to that simple enjoyment of turning the pedals over andnot thinking much at all, but just being, onthe bike and in the moment. It is bliss.

g,

Ultegra Di2 is a nice bonus ona bike in this price bracket.

The Valence is a fun and comfortable ridebut doesn’t skimp on performance factor.


Ritchey Road Logic

BY MARK JEWELL

TEST LAB




Well folks, it’s time to stand as one and raise your glasses for a huge shout out and cheer for the Ritchey Bicycle Company. Tom Ritchey has managed to develop a heat treated, triple butted full steel frame that could bring steel frame making back into the world of competitive bike frame construction. Mark Jewell gives us a run down on the Ritchey Road Logic.

Over time, steel frame bikes were replaced by aluminium to lighten their weight and increase rigidity. Then came the ‘be all and end all’ of frame building materials

with the arrival and introduction of carbon frames, giving cyclists the enjoyment of stiffness and lightness, and the bonus of customisable comfort. Since its inception carbon has been virtually unquestioned as the ultimate frame building material. Ritchey has totally bucked this trend with this steel frame combined with a number of carbon components to give carbon frames a run for their money in every department.

As soon as I laid eyes on this amazing looking bike I could not help but become fond of it. With a full race setup of superbly fitted carbon componentry, the best of 11 speed mechanical components and a pair of high end deep carbon clincher wheels, I dare say anyone who chose to jump on it and en-joy all its pleasures would feel the same way.

Tom Ritchey has been building and devel-oping steel framed road bikes for more than 40 years. All the homework needed, research and studies on this bike have clearly been done. From top to bottom, there has been nothing left out and nothing I could fault.

After spending the majority of my full time cycling life in the early 1990’s on a steel-framed bike, the return to steel on this bike was an absolute pleasure. With the complete bike coming in just on 8kg’s, I reckon it could mix it with the best carbon bikes on the market, but still gives the pleas-ure of that steel framed feel.

I began to grow more impressed with this bike as the review went on, and spent more time on this bike than I have during any other test. At the risk of overstating how this bike performs, I think it coped superbly with any kind of conditions I rode in.

Ritchey has developed their own forged and machined integrated head tube that uses standard drop-in bearings and saves 80 grams over a standard head tube de-sign. This, combined with the full carbon fork allows this bike to handle and corner with precision and ease, and giving the front end of the bike a real feel of comfort and confidence.


Ritchey Road Logic

BIKE

Frame Ritchey Road Logic

Fork Ritchey WCS Carbon

Headset Ritchey WSC Drop-in 1 1/8-inch

Stem Super Logic C260 Full-Carbon

Handlebars Super Logic Evo-Curve O/S 42cm

Saddle Ritchey WSC Trail Black

Seat Post Ritchey WSC Carbon Link Trail

Shift Levers Shimano Dura Ace

Brakes Shimano Dura Ace

F Derailleur Shimano Dura Ace

R Derailleur Shimano Dura Ace

Cassette Shimano Dura Ace 11 Speed 28-11

Chain Shimano Dura Ace

Crank Shimano Dura Ace 170mm

Bottom Bracket Token TK 878 EX

Wheels Ritchey Apex 11 wheels

TyresRitchey Road Slick WSC

700x25mm

Pedals WSC Echelon V2 BB Black

Weight 8.08kg

Price $8,928 as tested

DistributorKobie International

www.kobie.com.au

SPECIFICATIONS


The carbon fork and steel framtion made this bike rigid but still smoothand very responsive. Whether cornering,climbing or sprinting, this bike has every an-swer to any challenge. After spending some time racing this machine and even motor pacing with it, there was not a single requestI made of this bike that it couldn’t complete.

Ritchey has developed their Logic Road Frame to come in at just 1.77kg at the 55cm size. They then added almost a complete range of Ritchey components to this bike (that can also be purchased individually) along with a Dura-Ace 11 speed mechanical groupset.

In the absence of the suitable road version at the time of review, the bike was fitted with a Ritchey Trail saddle and a Ritchey Trail carbon seat post that are both usually found on a mountain bike, however both were more than comfortable for this test. Another great feature of this seat post is the ability to reverse the seat clamp enabling greater adjustment, giving the user every chance to get that perfect bike fit.

The handle bar and stem combination on this bike were very good too. Ritchey has developed their new super logic oversized carbon stem that has an increased boom

diameter and a wider clamp. Gram for gram, it is the stiffest and most advanced stem Ritchey has ever developed. Coming in at just 125g, this stem has the looks and strength to make it one of the best stems on the market. And combined with the Ritchey super logic 42cm evo-curved carbon bars, comfort and stability in this area is well in hand. The bars have a shallow drop which suits this bike well keeping the front end tight for a good road feel.

The only very small downfall with the bars and stem is the bar tape needs to be removed back to the levers to be able to remove or change the stem. Once this small obstacle has been overcome the benefits of this stem-bar combination far outweigh the disadvantages of this. Ritchey Pro cork tape also added to the comfort level of these bars.

Along with these Ritchey components, is in my opinion the best and lightest 11 speed mechanical group set on the market. With Dura-Ace brakes, levers and front and rear derailleurs, every gear change and braking requirement was second to none. A clever addition to the front derailleur was a Token frame clamp fitted with an anti-drop chain bracket allowing you peace of mind when-

“Undoubtedly the best addition to this

quality road-racing machine is the outstanding choice of wheels.

Ornate perhaps but these27g carbon cages fit rightin with this modern takeon old school style.

Some tricky engineering at theseatpost clamp let Ritchey usethinner wall tubes to save weight.

Welding on the Road Logicframeset is a class above.

http://www.kobie.com.au


ever changing from the large to small chain ring. Ritchey also chose Token to supply the bottom bracket for this bike, which blended in well with the Dura-Ace cranks.

Undoubtedly the best addition to this quality road-racing machine is the outstand-ing choice of wheels. Ritchey has fitted their own carbon clincher Apex II wheels along with Ritchey WSC race slick tyres. This wheel and tyre combination weighs just 1,526g has turned this bike into a true racing machine. These wheels can also be purchased separately from Ritchey at the price of $2,500. This would be money very well spent to anyone serious about their racing and chasing a good clincher wheel. The wheels are 20 hole radial front, and 24 hole radial / two cross rear, laced to Phantom flange hubs. Combining the effi-ciency of straight pull spokes and the superior

strength and durability of J-bend spokes, these wheels are constructed with the latest technol-ogy to produce a quality race wheel option.

Ritchey also included a pair of WCS Ech-elon V2 BB Black pedals. These Look KEO compatible pedals complement the other Ritchey components nicely. I thought anoth-er nice touch on this bike was the inclusion of Ritchey carbon bottle cages coming in at just 27g each. These lightweight designed cages will not only fit any size bottle, but hand on tightly to your bottles so you won’t lose them on rough roads.

Ritchey has not only given everyone an attractive option in the Road Logic which you can buy as a bare frame, but has bundled up a package here that is near impossible to resist, creating a bike that is a compelling mix of new age bling and classic ‘old school cool’.

QUALITY

This bike has quality from head-to-toe. It has the latest technology, full steel frame with superbly fitted carbon components from Ritchey. When you combine this with the latest Dura-Ace 11 speed ensemble, quality on this bike is just brilliant.

PERFORMANCE

This bike performed well and accomplished any task it was required to do. It was stiff and rigid, whilst still being comfortable and handled all road conditions, whether cruising along or under full racing pressures.

VALUE

With the total value of this bike coming in at $8,928 you could possibly think it could be a little overpriced for a steel framed bike. However, given its performance and the superb carbon fittings, Dura Ace ensemble and carbon wheels, this bike could easily match any other bike within this price range.

OVERALL

I became extremely fond of this bike, and it was hard not to give it a great overall rating. It has outstanding looks, all of the latest carbon technology and the best mechanical group set on the market. This machine would make almost any user a very happy and satisfied person.

SUMMING UP

A clever in line cable tension adjusterhas been included on this build. Seethe clever work on the headset seats.

Even the skewers have been styled to suit.

Full carbon clinchers are a standout feature of the build.


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RACE BY JULIAN DEAN

Some might wonder what the attraction of sport is, or more specifically in our case, what the attraction of the Tour de France is. Why the stress and why the

strain when for all the training time and preparation put in by everyone, they may come away empty-handed.

I have often asked myself the same questions many times over the years, firstly as a rider and now as a member of Orica-GreenEDGE management. What keeps us going when things aren’t going good and why do we continue fighting only to come away empty-handed?

As well as within the team, what keeps the fans engaged? Especially when we probably had our worst Grand Tour in terms of results at this year’s Tour. What keeps the fans going, following the team through social media and getting up at all sorts of crazy hours to watch the race live?

The one common dominator in our sport and across all sports through the good and the bad is the extreme emotion it brings along with it. It’s an addictive ingredient and there is not a sport in the world that can draw it out as well as cycling. Par-

Maintaining the RageThe Orica GreenEdge team had a bag of mixed success in this year’s Tour de France, with pre-race injury and riders crashing out early. A philosophical Julian Dean ponders the hand of fate and the measure of success.

ticularly the Tour de France. As a team in the 2014 Tour de France we weren’t taken to the heights of the 2013 Tour where we achieved 2 stage wins and 4 days in the leader’s jersey nor to the level of the more recent Giro success. Instead, we felt hollow with the disappointment of near misses and were left reminiscing how good the previous 12 months had been.

The difficulties we faced in this year’s Tour were very frustrating, brought in part by Impey not being able to take the start, Matthews writing himself off in a training crash two days before the race started and Gerrans kissing the pavement 50m from the finish of the first stage in Harrogate. So essentially we were off the back before we even started.

When you start any three week tour, teams prepare to deal with adversity and setbacks but when it hits a team to the extent it did for Orica-GreenEdge, before the race had even really begun, it’s difficult to readjust the psyche to accom-modate those upsets.

One factor remains key in keeping the team focused on pushing through and try-ing to overcome and that is the unrelent-

ing commitment made by the team in the buildup to the Tour. There is no way that the riders, mechanics, soignuers and man-agement want to give up everything when so much has gone in to the preparation. Even if things haven’t gone according to plan in the final phase. No one who has put in that amount of work to prepare for a three week stage race would be willing to give it up before it has even started without at least giving it a damn good go.

Beyond this commitment however, I think what is also important is the profound sense of appreciation of success that difficult times in racing gives us and how those challenging moments actually intensify the affinity that one has for a team.

If nothing else, the success we didn’t experience this year made us appreciate the success of the previous 12 months. For it is absolutely certain that there was no less effort in the preparation and in fact the focus was more on improving on what we did last time. Even though we saw the 2013 Tour as highly successful there were places for improvement and that was what drove our 2014 campaign. As it turned out though we were not blessed with the luck we’d had in other races, which meant things didn’t turn out as we had hoped they would and due to elements largely out of our control. It’s a frustrating and demoralizing experience for all involved but without a doubt it plays a role in evolving the team.

It’s easy to question the benefits of this year’s Tour but from experience I know the benefits are real and invaluable. As with success, lack of success plays an important role in deepening the emotional attachment team members and fans alike have for the team. The roller coaster ride through success and disappointment that teams, athletes and fans get taken on intensify and personalise the connection, committing all those involved even more to the team.

Fundamentally, this is a primary driver for an entity to grow a following and generate continued success after difficulties. Difficulties themselves not only enhance the appreciation for the past successes but they also humanize the riders to where fans are able to feel utter compassion. Compassion is a powerful emotion and plays a massive part in keeping the fans engaged.

It is often said that success breeds suc-cess but it can also be said that adversity breeds success. Either way, both are closely entwined and continually strength-en the framework of camaraderie, which in this sport is paramount in the mental and physical battles the riders are forever thrown in to.

Tim

De

Wae

le

Simon Gerrans was forced to quit the Tour de France after a stage

one collision with a fired up Cavendish.


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NRS TEAM PROFILE BY KAREN FORMAN THORNTON

That rider went on to win Aus-tralia’s first gold medal in the women’s road race. Her name was Kathy Watt and the diminu-tive `pocket rocket’ became a

household name.Later that year, Jayco – best known for

its affordable range of caravans - formed Australia’s first professional cycling team, and included riders such as Olympic gold medallist Dean Woods and Scott McGrory.

And so began one of the great partner-ships of Australian cycling . . . between the caravan maker and the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS), which had formed in 1990 to develop Victorian athletes across a vast range of sports.

Known as the Jayco VIS Cycling Team, the new team set out to support the best

JAYCOJohn WestVIS

young riders in the state of Victoria - and to say it succeeded would be an under-statement.

As manager Dave Sanders says, almost all of Australian’s top riders have ridden for `Jayco’ at some point.

“Jayco is credited for having helped the sport of cycling grow in Australia during the past two decades and has supported numerous races throughout the country,” he said, speaking down the line from Italy, where the team was racing at the time of our interview.

“That included both men and women in the Elite and junior categories. We are extremely grateful for what the company has done for our team and our sport.”

Currently, the JAYCO/John WEST/VIS team is contesting – among other events

around the state, country and world - the Subaru Cycling Australia National Road Series (NRS) with riders drawn from the VIS cycling program.

The team was sitting ninth out of 32 on the overall ladder after the Tour of Gippsland, as Bicycling Australia headed for the printer.

As well as training and competition support, the program provides athletes with medical, sport science, physiotherapy, psychology, nutritional and Athlete Career and Education (ACE) services.

The team’s earliest national road cham-pions included Robert Crowe (Road and ITT), Steven Drake, Alan Lacuone, Jamie Drew, David McKenzie and Will Walker.

The 2010/11 period saw particularly outstanding results at state, national

Once upon a time, way back in 1992, Australian recreational vehicle manufacturer Jayco financed an unknown female cyclist to go the Barcelona Olympics.

The Jayco VIS squad includes a women’s team which also has produced world class riders.

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and international level, with the greatest cycling export of the VIS, Cadel Evans, finally achieving the ultimate success in international road cycling - overall victoryin the 2011 Tour De France, to add to his already illustrious career.

At the UCI Track World Championshipsin the Netherlands that year, Shane Per-kins and Leigh Howard shone the bright-est, with Shane winning his maiden WorldChampionship title in the men’s keirin and Leigh taking his second consecutive Madison title (and third senior World Championship overall).

The Jayco VIS team and its riders have gone on to win almost every major classicevent in Australia including Melbourne toWarrnambool, Grafton to Inverell, Tour of Tasmania, Sunraysia Tour (now Mur-ray Tour) the Bay Crits, Canberra Tour, Midlands Tour and the Herald Sun Tour in 2012 with Calvin Watson.

“Our team/ program has produced many Junior National and World Junior Champions on both track and road,” Sanders said.

“Lucas Hamilton recently won both the2014 Oceania and National Junior Road Championships and was selected for the Australian team at the Junior Road WorldChampionships in September.”

Hamilton, from Ararat, has been using the NRS events to prepare for his debut for Australia at the Junior Road World Championships in Spain on September 20.

The 18 year old received his maiden Australian selection following a stellar 2014season including claiming the under 19 national and Oceania road race crowns.

“It’s really exciting to go overseas and fly the colours of Australia, I’ve never worn an Aussie kit so I’m looking forward

March 26 - 29

Woodside Tour de Perth WA April 3- 6

Jarvis Subaru Adelaide Tour SA

May 15 - 18 Battle on the Border NSW

May 22 - 25 FKG Tour of Toowoomba QLD

July 29 - August 3 Tour of the Murray River VIC

August 13 - 17 Tour of the Great South Coast VIC

September 3- 7 Lakes Oil Tour of Gippsland VIC

September 19 - 21 National Capital Tour ACT

September 30 - 5 October Tour of Tasmania TAS

October 11 Melbourne to Warrnambool VIC

October 25 Grafton to Inverell NSW

THE NRS 2014Alex Morgan VIC Blackburn Team Pursuit World Champion

Thomas Hamilton VIC Ararat

Oscar Stevenson VIC Hawthorn

Lucas Hamilton VIC Ararat

Jordan Stannus VIC Caulfield Carnegie

Freddy Ovett VIC Caulfield Carnegie

Matthew Ross VIC Caulfield Carnegie

Lachlan Holliday VIC Caulfield Carnegie

Ryan Cavanagh QLD Sunshine Coast

Michael Gallagher VIC Caulfield Carnegie

Team sponsors:Jayco, John West, Apollo Bikes, Lazer

Helmets, Santini race clothing.

Team win highlights:Melbourne to Warrnambool, Grafton

to Inverell, Tour of Tasmania, Sunraysia

Tour (now Murray Tour) the Bay Crits,

Canberra Tour, Midlands Tour and the

Herald Sun Tour

2011 Women’s National Road Series

overall winner

Biggest export:Cadel Evans. Winner 2011 Tour de France

Other great names:Simon Gerrans, Simon Clarke, Brett

Lancaster, Alex Morgan, Leigh Howard,

Glen O’Shea, Matt Lloyd.

Website: www.vis.org.au/

AT A GLANCE:

THE BOYS

to it,” he said. “I might be a bit green to the National

Series, but that’s the aim, to get back to racing in those bigger bunches where you’re fighting for position all the time.”

Hamilton took a step back from elite racing while completing year 12 studies.

He said he was looking forward to spend-ing four weeks racing and training with the Australian junior road team ahead of the world titles in Spain in late September.

While the focus is often on the men, the Jayco VIS Women’s team has produced many world class female athletes as well, including world number one Anna Wil-son, world number three Tracey Gaudry, world women’s road Silver medallist Liz Tadich and recently Kendelle Hodges who won the 2014 Tour of the Murray.

These days, the Jayco/John West/VIS team caters predominantly for young riders developing into national team and international riders.

“We have a philosophy that if you have been with us too long then we have failed in your development,” Sanders said.

“But with that said, we respect the na-tional and state events as a vital part of a young rider’s education and development.

“Also, some of our former young cham-pions re-visit and do some events with the team when home from their European adventures.”

The riders are offered assistance with coaching plus the other vitals including strength training, nutritional advice, sports psychology, and physiotherapy and so on.

“Plus we have our ACE program to assist in furthering the young athletes life outside of cycling,” said Sanders.

“We have recently taken on a new group of young under 17 riders who we

hope/ believe will be the new Evans/ Ger-rans names of the future.

“We have a dedicated group of coaches and mechanics who put in as much commitment as the athletes and that is very important to the continuity of the program and the team.”

Today the team races most of the NRS and VRS events around the country.

“We would like to express our ongoing gratitude to our cherished sponsors Jayco, John West, Apollo, Lazer, and Santini. And of course the VIS,” Sanders said. “All of them combine to make up this dynamic and successful cycling family.”

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http://www.vis.org.au/



Bicycling Australia (on the phone):Where are you now, Jade?Jade Colligan: In Canberra, where I amstudying at the Australian National Uni-versity. I am in my first year of Bachelorof Visual Arts. It’s cold here today. In fact,it’s always cold, every day.

So you come from somewhere warmer?Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast.

I was born there and live in St GeorgesBasin with my family. It’s a beautifulspot. A small coastal town, surroundedby beaches. There are some great placesto ride, I love living there, it’s always beenhome. I live with Mum; Sally-ann, Dad;Ian and my 10 minutes older twin sisterDanielle. She’s bossy like all big sisters!

A LIFE BEHIND BARS BY KAREN FORMAN THORNTON

Bicycling Australia has been talking to National Road Series riders to get an idea of how we might all be able to ride smarter, faster, better. This edition we catch up with Jade Colligan from the Bicycle Superstore team, who has gone from club C grader on a chain store bike to the NRS in just over a year!

So three years ago you were riding 20km a day and now you are riding NRS?

Yeah. Amazing eh. I went riding one afternoon and I saw a crit happening on a circuit and some people there said I should have a go. I started rolling around on my road bike and Dad said he would get me a road bike, so I got a women’s road bike, an Orbea, in late January 2012. Then Mum sort of said `there is actually a velo club in Nowra’ and I said, `there is no way I am joining a velo club, Mum’. But she talked me into doing my first race, a D grade scratch race over I think 30km and I actually won that one, so that was pretty good. I had no idea of tactics or anything like that. I had toe clips. I

stayed with them on the first lap, then on the second lap I broke away on the hill and held it to the end for 2km. They almost caught me but didn’t.

And from there?I was loving it, but I was so scared. I

was riding in MTB cleats for a long time, because they were easy to get in and out of. The next race they put me up to C grade and I think I came seventh in that one. I was so determined. I kept racing each week as much as I could. I don’t think I missed a race unless I was sick. Every week I would try to beat the old guys. I didn’t have a coach so I just did kays all the time for my training, like 700 kays a week. I continued the club racing from the end of year 11 and through year 12. I got helped a lot by the club president Doug Holland. It was like my main goal to stay with Doug on the bike. He taught me how to corner, how not to hit the cones in a crit and tactics. I then started training properly under local coaches Damian Mason and Mark Fenner who started me on a program and it all hap-pened really fast. One day I was racing C grade, then I was on the verge of A grade in our club.

JADE COLLIGAN

Colligan grew up and loves to train around her Jervis Bay home.

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NRS TEAM - Bicycle Superstore

GEAR SPONSORS - Liv Giant, Santini, BBB (sun)glasses, Morgan Blue, Lazer,

Torque and Osteohealth

FIRST BIKE - Really old fashioned MTB, a cheapie, like $100.

BIKE NOW - Giant Envy

BEST WIN - 12th stage two out of 80 at Battle On the Border 2014

3rd in Canberra Women’s Tour time trial

VITAL STATISTICS - 158cm tall, 19yrs old, 58kg

COACH - Damian Mason/Mark Fenner FTP Training

How did you make the step to open competition?

I thought I would love to do nationals or something. I went into Damian’s shop The Watt Factory and got testing to see where I was at to start with, doing a MAP test where you work harder every 20 sec-onds until you die to work out your maxi-mum aerobic capacity over a minute and your functional threshold (FTP) which is what you can sustain for 20 minutes and started building up from there. I wasn’t slash hot at the start. My FTP threshold for an hour was 190 watts. These days my FTP is 240-245.

And so the training began?After about four weeks of training I did

the NSW southern division championship. I got dropped by the under 17 girls which was disappointing but I thought I could be better than that and decided to keep on going. Damo gave me a solid 12 week training block for the under 19 nation-als in Noosa. The first three weeks was solid endurance, then the next three weeks threshold efforts to help with the time trial, training regularly on a TT bike I bor-rowed from my coach. The last part I was doing three times a week double sessions, a 50 minute time trial effort on the TT bike in morning, then on the trainer or on a hill doing surges, harder efforts. Every Saturday I would go riding on a mountain as I hadn’t done climbing much before.

A big learning experience then, Jade?I learnt a lot! To believe in myself,

because sometimes the training gets really intense and you question whether it’s worth it, but then you get there and see it was. I learned to take small steps at a time. I just loved it. Motivation wasn’t an issue. I looked forward to it, every day.

So from chain store bike to club A grade to nationals to the NRS in all less than a year? Apparently you also went to the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) and got to experience what life as a high level athlete is like?

I applied for a selection camp at the AIS in Canberra November last year and didn’t think I would get in, but Damo got a call from Martin Barass, women’s AIS team coach, who asked if I would be able to handle it. They had never heard of me. I was only 18 and not old enough to select for the national team anyway. But they decided I could do four of the 10 days, due to my age and still being a junior. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. On the first day we had blood tests, bike skills, trying to knock each other off bikes, pick up drink bottles while moving, head on someone’s elbow, wheel rubbing, gym work, squats and push ups, I woke up the next day and couldn’t move; I didn’t know how I would ride a bike but somehow I did. We had to race up moun-tains. At the end they gave us our testing results. They said I had a lot of work to do, but they really liked my attitude, en-thusiasm, good bike handling skills. They said I needed to get my FTP to 270 to race internationally, so that’s a benchmark for me and will get easier as I got older. Every night was a debrief, they were really tough on some of the girls, it was really intense, girls were crying. And not getting results

till the end was really hard as you never knew how you were going.

And the NRS was your next step?Yeah, I went to the NSW crit champion-

ships in under 19s and picked up a silver medal in mid-November, then applied for the Bicycle Superstore team for 2014 and was selected for the year as a new junior development rider.

What does the contract mean for you?I got a new bike, a Giant Envy, its

worth so much money I can’t believe I actually own it. Kit, glasses, helmet. Torque products. Bike maintenance, clean bikes after stages, race entries and travel. We have our own director sportif who advises us on races. All money earned in prizemoney goes back to the team. And of course, I get to ride the NRS women’s events. I don’t think they want to put a lot of pressure on me, a lot of the girls are older than me. I am not a climber, not sure if I’m a sprinter; so at the moment I am just doing what they tell me to do each race.

How has the year gone so far? I did my second nationals and got fifth

in the u/23 30km time trial. The left arm pad broke off on the TT bike, so I had nothing to rest my arm on except the brake levers for 30km. I did the Canberra Junior and Women’s Tour in April 2014 and was third in the elite women’s time trial and had a bunch finish in the road race. At the Battle on the Border in Tweed

Heads (NRS) I got 12th in the time trial. Then I did the Tour of Murray River for the second time, but didn’t do as well as last time. Then I did the Tour of the King Valley, as a worker for the team, and got 24th in the time trial.

Who are your cycling heroes?Definitely one of the girls from my

team, Felicity Wardlaw, I idolise her a fair bit, coming into the sport late and com-pletely dominating. I feel privileged to be in the same team as her. I look up to Doug Holland; he’s the reason I sort of got into cycling in the first place, because he kept pushing me to get better. My friend Mel Kilby from Nowra, a Masters time triallist, and Damian my coach, who has become a friend as well as a coach.

What do you think about women’s cy-cling right now?

When I started doing NRS there were only 30 girls in the bunch on a good day, but now there is almost 100 turning up at each NRS event, which makes it so much more exciting. It’s good to know it’s get-ting up there, really competitive and going places.

You are studying as well as riding; how do you find the balance?

It IS crazy at the moment, I am work-ing till 11pm every night making pizzas at Dominoes, spending every spare moment at uni, trying to study, train, doesn’t give you a lot of time.

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AT A GLANCE INFO

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A LIFE BEHIND BARS BY KAREN FORMAN THORNTON

Bicycling Australia has been chatting with National Road Series athletes to get some tips on how we can all ride better and smarter. This edition, we speak with Joseph Cooper, of the Avanti Pro Cycling Team.

BICYCLING AUSTRLIA: Joseph, do you have a nickname? Joe Cooper: “Coops”, “JC Driver”, “JC”, “Joe – Joseph”.

How would people describe your personality in just a few words?

Depends on how well they know me - either loud or quiet.

What’s the name of your NRS team and what role do you play in it?

Avanti Pro Cycling Team – punisher.

When did you join it and how did that come about?

I signed on in 2013 after many a years of trying to get in from the wild.

What has your NRS experience been? I.e. which events have you contested and what have been your results?

Tour of Perth winner, times two.

Do you have a favourite NRS race?The Tour of Perth.

What are your personal goals in the NRS?Try and win the NRS.

What’s it like riding in NRS events?It’s like a washing machine.

Do you think the NRS is important to Australian cyclists? Why?

The NRS is very important to me and I am a Kiwi so I guess it’s similar to the Aussies!

Any ideas on how the NRS could be better?

It could have longer stages.

Where are you now (for our interview), what are you doing (apart from reading these questions) and why?

Sitting at home chilling out.

Where do you call home? What is your home cycling club?

Home is Wellington (New Zealand) and my home cycling club is Melbourne.

Do you have a job other than ‘bike rider’?I have no other job; cycling is my life

and takes up most of the day.

Single, married or other?‘In a relationship’.

Do you consider yourself a sprinter or stayer? Or climber?

Stayer for sure!

If you have a personal coach as well as a team coach, how does that work? Who do you listen to when push comes to shove?

I have had a personal coach now for about four years and it’s great! It takes the pressure off me for sure.

Do you think it is important for a bike rider to have a coach, even juniors and masters who aren’t members of NRS or other teams but want to ride at their best?

I think it’s best to have a coach just someone there to make sure you’re not over cooking the chicken.

What’s your favourite riding discipline? Road, track, MTB?

I only ride road.

What are some of your favourite training or coffee rides?

My favourite is Kinglake loop - a loop in New Zealand.

What does a typical day of training look like for you?

Many, many long hours in the saddle.

Have you raced overseas? Yes I have raced three seasons overseas,

in Europe and the USA.

What’s your program for the year look like?Busy, very busy.

What makes you (and the rest of us) a better rider? The gear, the training?

The training. You only get out what you put in.

How do you stay motivated, especially after injury or illness?

The winning feeling.

Where do you think cycling is at in Australia, especially compared to other countries?

At a very high level.

Have you ever crashed?Yes, many times with some interesting

injuries.

Do you have any plans for after cycling, or are you going to pedal off into the sunset?

I am hoping to pedal off into the sunset.

I know you are desperate for me to ask this question: who would be on your dinner guest list?

My family and friends.

JOE COOPER

GEAR SPONSORS - Avanti, Shimano, Giro, Mavic, Ceramic Speed, SRM, Torq.

FIRST BIKE - Giant TCR (long, long time ago).

BEST WIN - Stage Four Tour of Gippsland, after coming back from a fractured pelvis.

VITALS - 168cm tall, 28 years old, 70-80kg

COACH - Sills Cullen

AT A GLANCE INFO

A man of few words Cooper likes to let his results speak

for them selves.

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THE SPIN CYCLE ANTHONY TAN

With the route of the 2015 Tour de France just announced,it’s timely to reflect on what we got this year, and what it may tell us about next July, writes Anthony Tan.

Origin ofTOUR SPECIES

Triple threat! Froome Nibali and Contador (seenhere at the Tirreno Adriatico) are never far fromthe podium in recent years. Tim De Waele


Giro; then one year and two months afterthat, being crowned champion on theChamps-Élysées.

Rather, the majority of speculationrevolved not so much around his physicalperformance per se, but whether he wouldhave won in the presence of Froome andAlberto Contador.

It's true that Froome was in fine fettlecoming into the race, as evidenced by hissixth place on the first stage to Harrogateand briefly distancing his GC companionsthe next day on the run into Sheffield,before Nibali countered two kilometresout and won, thereby assuming the maillotjaune. However he had not ridden enoughof the race to say with any real authoritywhat may have happened, and the fact isthat while Nibali avoided the opening weekmelee Froome found himself part of it onno less than three occasions, even if hisinitial spill on Stage 4 was not of his doing.

Contador lasted twice as long and formy mind looked like a man who came towin. His little test on Stage 8 to Gérard-mer La Mauselaine, where, although hegained just three seconds on Nibali, wasnevertheless a psychological success - set-ting the scene for a thrilling tenth stage toLa Planche des Belles Filles. We still don'tknow exactly what happened, though if theaccounts by some riders around him at thetime of his crash are correct, it appearedBertie was taking unnecessary risks in at-tempting to move up on the treacherousdescent of the Petit Ballon when he wasalready near the front, and reaching forthe back-pocket is never a good idea on apatchy piece of pavement.

However, again it’s impossible to sayContador would’ve done this or that. Whilea degree of luck is involved, most riderswill also tell you that one makes their ownluck - and through fate or circumstanceneither Froome nor Contador managedto do that. Their actions, in part or whole,compromised their propensity to make saidluck. Nibali, on the other hand, throughmeticulous preparation and innate racecraft,already enjoyed two-and-a-half minutes onContador after the cobblestoned fifth stageand had Froome stayed upright probablywould have had at least that on him, too.Against the imperious Sicilian, would eitherof them have got that back on the subse-quent four mountaintop finishes in the Alpsand Pyrenees?

It's worth noting Nibali conceded nota single second - not even one! - to anyof his GC rivals on any stage. I'm sure'Lo Squalo di Messina', or the Shark ofMessina as he's nicknamed, wouldn'ttake kindly to the comparison and wouldsoon show his teeth, but you have to goback to the Armstrong/Postal years to findanother Tour like it.

Also of note is that the top six placeget-ters from the stage to La Planche desBelles Filles ended up being the top sixriders in the final classification almost twoweeks later, albeit in different order. As in2012 it proved that the Vosges is worthyof its place as the third massif of Le Tour,and rather than save all the suspense orhave the race contingent on the Alps and/or Pyrenees, organisers ASO will continueto employ this series of short but sharpmountains within this verdant region ofeastern France every few years to main-

tain interest throughout the race.After the '97 Tour, most pundits, myself

included, predicted we would bear wit-ness to an era where Ullrich would domi-nate not unlike Miguel Indurain before him - but then along came Pantani and some guy called Lance...

I do wonder if Nibali will be a one-Tour wonder, since he's already talking about attempting the Giro-Tour double next year. In this highly specialised age of Grand Tour riding, I reckon two’s a bit too much; riding two, yes, winning two, no. After all, the last guy to achieve such a feat was his own compatriot Pantani, and we now all know it wasn't accom-plished on bread and water alone. To beat Froome, Contador and Nairo Quintana next July will require the same singularly focused dedication from 'Nibbles' - but here we have a man who likes to buck tradition and set new challenges for him-self even if it means finishing second, as he did last year when he rode the Vuelta on the back of his Giro win.

You may have noticed I didn't say 'to beat Péraud and Pinot', second and third in this year's Tour, nor did I mention Alejandro Valverde, Tejay van Garderen or Romain Bardet, occupants of places fourth to sixth. Seventh-placed Leopold König? He's an interesting one; put him in the right team, offer the right support, and it could be Czech-mate. Haimar Zubeldia, eighth? Nah. Did nothing except suck wheels. Laurens ten Dam and Bauke Mollema, ninth and tenth? You only need to refer to the final time trial to see it was a case of Belkin Meltin'... (My SBS Television colleague Mike Tomalaris has a better chance of making the podium than these guys.)

While it's fantastic we've seen a renais-sance in French cycling, don't expect to see them occupy the top step in Paris anytime soon. Péraud, at 37, is on his last legs, while Pinot and Bardet have a long way to go before being truly competi-tive with the likes of Nibali, Froome and Contador. Similarly, Valverde's time as a three-week stage racer is effectively over since in Quintana his Movistar team have a bona fide winner-in-waiting. As for van Garderen the young American was no better than Pinot or Bardet in the moun-tains though I did like his mental forti-tude in hanging tough after his opening week crashes, when he could easily have thrown the game away; that said, I'm still not convinced he'll one day win the Tour. Out of this year's top ten, and aside from Nibali, of course, I think Bardet's got the best chance of going all the way.

Don't forget, Nibali and Froome are still only 29 years old and have plenty of Grand Tours left in them. Contador is 31; Quintana and his Colombian counterpart Rigoberto Uran are 24 and 27 - then you have a new breed of superstars like König, Rafal Majka, Wilco Kelderman, Peter Kennaugh, the Yates twins.

You only have so many years as 'the next big thing' before you either become that person or get pushed aside. I'm sure one day a book will be written about it with the headline: 'Origin of Tour deFrance Species: Survival of the Fittest'.

@anthony_tan

Was it good for you?

No, this isn’t a When Harry Met Sally mo-ment. I’m referring to this year’s Tour de France, and

whether you felt like you got bang for your buck. Were you duly compensated for three-and-a-half weeks’ worth of sleepless nights?

With the Grand Tour triumvirate done and dusted for another season it's easy to forget, but with the route of next year's course announced just recently, it's worth revisiting Tour de France Edition 101.

The obvious talking point is the overall winner, Vincenzo Nibali. We have to go back fourteen years, the year Jan Ullrich won, to find a winner who won by so much. Ullrich, in the 1997 Tour, bested Richard Virenque and Marco Pantani by 9'09 and 14'03, respectively; similarly, Nibali trounced Frenchmen Jean-Chris-tophe Péraud and Thibaut Pinot by 7'37 and 8'15 this year.

Off the back of a stint racing in North-ern Europe, 1997 was the first year I went to see La Grande Boucle up close, and my golly, was it ever a sight to behold, bigger

and better than I imagined, and subcon-sciously or otherwise, it cemented my love affair with the sport and my desire to derive an income from it. (Though judg-ing from my results, or rather lack of, and witnessing the speeds the pro's were going up the climbs during Generation EPO, I knew it wasn't going to come from riding a bike unless I too began to dance with le diable du dopage…)

Notable was that Nibali was ques-tioned about his performances much less than his Tour-winning predecessors Christopher Froome and Bradley Wiggins. It is perhaps, though, a consequence of the steady progression he's shown over the dozen Grand Tours he's done to date: from 19th overall in his first three-week tour at the 2007 Giro d'Italia; to three years and five Grand Tours later winning the Vuelta a España; three years after that dominating his home tour at the 2013

“I do wonder if

Nibali will be a one-Tour wonder, since he’s already talking about attempting the Giro-Tour double

next year.

“



TALKING SHOP BY JACK LYNCH

Sometimes, winter feels morelike a three month periodwhere cycling enthusiasts talkabout the bike more than theyactually ride it. Reminiscing

on riding with a warm sun at their backwhilst cursing the wretched headwindsand seemingly endless ‘chance of show-ers’ forecast. Dreary Tour de France eyeshave spotted some of the latest gear andeveryone wants to get some informationon what the pros are riding.

From behind the counter, there are anumber of themes that pop up with thedozens of conversations we have eachweek. Here are a couple:

Power MetersYou have finally bought that bike you

have been saving a lifetime for, you havekitted it out with carbon wheels, elec-tronic gears, and all the bling you have everwanted…or so you had thought. All of asudden, the post-ride cafe talk is no longerabout the results of the ride’s concludingsprint or the treacherous new pothole onyour favourite descent. It has turned to FTP,max wattage, various numbered ‘zones’,and even L/R balance. When did ridingbecome so confusing and numbers based?

For better or worse, these phrases andacronyms are here to stay. The adage,“you don’t have to be a pro to train like apro,” seems to be truer now than ever asthe power meter market is booming. Thismeans that power is now user friendlyand affordable! Power numbers canprovide some extra motivation, presentmyriad new challenges for you, and willscratch your consumerism itch.

There are a range of different brandsand styles out there so, if you likenumbers and measuring your training’s

progress then take the power plunge. Dosome research and decide which systemsuits you best.

In the shop, the most popular power me-ter we have seen to date is from Stages Cy-cling. It balances accuracy with an unobtru-sive appearance and will only add around50 grams. Installation is simple as Stagespower meters are just a left hand crank arm– remove your old crank, fit a Stages, pairwith your ANT+ device and ride off.

Stages are only available on aluminiumcranks at the moment so for those run-ning SRAM, you will have to use a Rivalleft-hand crank and it is bad luck for any-one using Campagnolo cranks as Stagesare yet to come up with something to suit.

SRM, Quarq, Garmin, Rotor, are allamong a list of power meter manufactur-ers that are servicing cyclists’ needs acrossthe world. There is, however an excitingnew name that has surfaced recently.Pioneer, the Japanese electronics companyhas released its SGY-PM900H79 andSGX-CA900 – in other words, a powermeter and matching head unit.

Pioneer has developed a sleek and unas-suming meter which has the advantage ofcalculating left-right balance. There aretwo separate strain gauges that enable atwelve-point measure of pedalling efficiencyon both sides. This 30 degree efficiency isdisplayed visually on Pioneer’s specific com-puter which is a $349 add on. If such in-depth analysis when riding does not exciteyou, then do not buy the computer and pairthe Pioneer to your ANT+ computer.

The catch with Pioneer’s new designis that your crankset will need to be sentaway to an approved installation expertwhere it takes about a week to delicatelyand deliberately apply a strong epoxy tofit the strain gauges to the cranks. As withStages, if you have Campagnolo fitted toyour bike then look elsewhere and if youhave SRAM, buy another brand. Pioneerwill only fit their power meters to DuraAce 9000 or Ultegra 6800 cranksets.

The design is snug and the wifi-enabledcomputer seems to be best in class, butat $1999 for the whole set-up, provenbrands at similar price points might stillhave the edge.

Disc Brakes on RoadiesThe idea of hydraulic disc brakes on

road bikes has been around for a whilenow but we are finally starting to see the‘big’ brands confidently develop themand release them to the public. With theintroduction of Shimano’s new affordable105 hydraulic brake system, excitement isbuilding as these bikes are getting exposedto the greater cycling throng.

Like everything in cycling, there arepositives and negatives that must be

weighed up when considering buying a bike equipped with the latest stopping power. Firstly, if you want to race, then forget discs until at least 2016. There is a raft of issues that the UCI need to legislate before allowing discs in races.

It seems that the riders’ safety is at the forefront of the rule-makers’ minds. Discs are razor sharp (just ask any mechanic at your local shop who has put their finger in one when adjusting the brakes) and have the potential to be very dangerous in a bunch crash. There has also been talk that the different brake modulation between the current brands that produce hydraulic road brakes will mean riders will have to brake at different times when approaching a bend. This may not be an issue for two or three riders but could cause an issue for a big peloton of riders chasing wheels.

The potential for incompatibility in spares is also a challenge for race organisers. Rotors can be different sizes (between 140mm and 180mm for road) which would be a headache for the neutral support team when making quick roadside changes. The Service Course will have to ask more than the customary, “Shimano/SRAM or Campag” if discs are introduced. Some manufacturers have started building their frames with mountain-bike style through-axles rather than standard quick release which could also be logistically troublesome. With about 2mm clearance on each side of the rotor, even the smallest axle spacing variation could mean the difference between a free-spinning wheel and a dragging one – this could present itself as a disaster for an unlucky rider.

If you do not intend on racing, then hydraulic disc brakes will allow you to, as the advertising campaign suggested, “ride what the pros can’t”. They will provide a more consistent brake in all weather and will allow you to pull up faster. You do pay a weight penalty at this stage but as production becomes more extensive, weight reduction is a near certainty.

Maintenance wise, disc brakes should be easier to look after once they are set-up. They don’t need to be cleaned, and, contrary to what your friends have told you, they rarely need bleeding. The brake pads are quite hardy but you must be careful not to get any foreign fluids on them or else they will squeal. People often come into the shop with howling brakes after they have tried to polish them.

Disc brakes could be the biggest ‘game changer’ for road cyclists since the grad-ual eradication of down-tube shifters. In this progressive industry, performance is everything and once discs are regu-lated and manufacturers can confidently perform extensive research and develop-ment, then we will all eventually experi-ence the benefits.

Power Plays and Disc Jockeys

Zipp Firestrike 202 disc wheels.


ON THE RIVET ENDO FARTLEK

Any cunning coach committed to building his or her team of cardio athletes knows there are a thousand-and-one ways to put a cracker under the clacker

of an ambitious punter of the peloton and secure their patronage. One such way is to refer to the aforementioned punter as a ‘cardio athlete’ despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Another way is to move from that initial flattery to marketing your services on the grounds of ‘prestige’ and ‘scarcity’.

In my bunch, The Old Cranks, Miguelito “El Dingo Loco” de Pared was hooked from the beginning. At best, he is a recreational randonneur with little prospect of rising to the dizzying heights of rank amateur. But now, apparently, he is a ‘cardio athlete’.

“Our training programs cater for eve-ryone from recreational cyclists doing their first sportive through to com-petitive cyclists at the national level,” the website said. Prestige. Miguelito couldn’t help but imagine that he was leaning a little towards the competitive end of that spectrum.

“We only take on ten cardio athletes at a time to ensure that everyone gets the individual attention they need to achieve their goals.” Scarcity. Better join the pro-gram while you can.

And he did. Within days of stumbling upon this online pitch Miguelito went from a self-managed, devout follower of Greg LeMond’s Complete Book Of Cycling to a born-again-bicycling-boot-camper with cycling coach, nutritionist, core strength trainer, masseuse, Yoga instructor and acupuncturist. He’s now looking for a second job just to maintain his growing entourage.

History will judge LeMond’s 352 page cycling manifesto as a classic text from a golden era. Only the foolish would deny that it was prophetic, ahead of its time, while remaining an ode to all things ‘old school’. To the uninitiated, the three paragraphs on page 214 dedicated to breathing will be a revelation, despite one’s direct experience of the involuntary nature of the respiratory function.

Old School Training for Cardio Athletes

Nevertheless, LeMond had clearly over-engineered the whole shebang and large slabs of this epistle from one of pro-cycling’s celebrated apostles remain inaccessible to your average pedal pusher.

Chris Carmichael’s The Time Crunched Cyclist is a modern example of the genre. The promise is that you will be “fit, fast and powerful in six hours a week” – at first glance, an unnerving claim coming from someone long associated with Lance Armstrong. But to his credit Chris has de-veloped an innovative high intensity, low volume program for folks with busy lives.

Unfortunately, all of those hours you save by abandoning your low intensity, high volume program are spent trying to understand what your body does with adenosine triphosphate, calculating oxygen usage in millimetres per kilogram per minute, and interpreting graphic depictions of “steady effort powerful intervals”.

I think, when all is said and done, Dr Marco “The Maestro” Pierfederici was the best at demystifying the art and sci-ence of cycling. The Maestro worked with the great Eddy Merckx. In addition to overlooking The Cannibal’s standard stage-race diet of steaks and beer, he kept Eddy focused on the three things a cyclist should do.

"Very simply, the training that a competitive cyclist should do is based on riding a bicycle,” Marco said. Sounds a tad obvious, but eminently doable. Ride the bike. Tick.

“Once the season is over,” he went on, “there is another thing the cyclist should do -- and that is to ride a bicycle.” It’s technically the off season, but again, do-able. Ride the bike. Tick.

“When the cyclist doesn't know what else to do, he should do a third thing,” The Maestro said. “Ride a bicycle.” Tick. I think I’ve grasped the essence of his philosophy.

It’s not rocket surgery folks but, let’s face it, if it’s good enough for The Can-

nibal, it’s probably good enough for you and me.

At present, the only other training method that makes more sense to me than Pierfederici’s three pronged plan has come out of Tezza’s shed on the south side of Springwood.

Tezza is a sparky by trade who wields his soldering iron with the sensibilities of an artist and turns a screw driver with the precision of a cardiac surgeon. In a moment of inspiration, he hooked-up his old Giant roadie to a 24 volt, 200-watt electric motor.

Tezza now has an entire training regime built around his capacity to run domestic appliances. On an average morning in the shed he can run his Marantz record player and ride to the original vinyl release of Johnny Diesel and the Injectors. At the peak of his powers Tezza can run a laptop and buy Penrith Panthers footy shorts and socks from Peter Wynn’s online store.

He has high hopes for his son Matt, who he believes will one day power-up the old Panasonic television and play River Raid on his Atari 2600.

The only other technical innovation in Tezza’s approach is his unique adaptation of the Rate of Perceived Exertion: com-pletely stuffed, really stuffed, stuffed, not quite stuffed, and riding towards stuffed.

Of course, Tezza’s method won’t work for everyone. It is advisable to explore the full range of training options and there are few better ways to do so than by talking to a pro. I’m being indirectly mentored by the Australian cycling legend Amanda Spratt who comes home to Springwood for the handful of months wedged between the UCI Worlds and the Australian National Road Champion-ships. Spratty and I have never actually spoken, but last summer I lost 25 pounds and added two miles per hour to my aver-age speed trying to catch-up with her for a chat along Hawkesbury Road.



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