ATTA Winter By The Lakes - Champion Lakes August 2015

Champion Lakes is becoming my favourite TT course. What isn't to love about a smooth bike-path like 5km circuit? Apart from having to dodge duck shit here and there around the course.

Last Sunday was a few degrees warmer and we were met with a lot less wind than the July edition. Times would be quick for the 130+ riders on the start list.

Back again with the roadie dressed up as a TT bike. 

Loaner trainer from Stuart Gee coming in handy!

Power was within a few watts of last time, my time was 16 seconds faster. 26:30 and 2nd place to a flying Matt Illingworth @8.4seconds. 45.2km/h on the roadie was pretty swift. I'd still love to bring out the full TT rig, if only for that long back straight section. It'd be magic sailing along that segment in a proper aero tuck!

Top 10

1 95 Matt Illingworth 0:26:21.9 45.51

2 100 Shane Miller     0:26:30.3 45.27

3 90 Henry Pennell    0:26:30.9 45.26

4 136 Jonathan Lewis   0:26:41.2 44.97

5 113  Thomas Bruins    0:26:43.2 44.91

6 135  Lewis McCrea  0:27:27.0 43.72

7 117  John Sonego      0:27:31.4 43.60

8 80  Tom Ford         0:27:34.0 43.53

9 107 Tim Sellar       0:27:43.2 43.29

10 132 Paul Bakker  0:27:44.5 43.26

Full Results

I made use of the beaming sunshine and took the scenic route home. WA in winter isn't bad at all. :)

ATTA Winter By The Lakes - Champion Lakes July 2015

My third ATTA event this year, returning to the same 20km course as we raced in May at Champion Lakes. I'd packed the clip-on bars and TT helmet again for this trip over to WA, so it be interesting to see how much difference they'd make on this course.

Pre event... I won't say how cold it was.... #bloodyfreezing

Making what I have as fast as it can be. #clipons #proas
The Sicasso wheels came in handy! #AsSeenInRideMag

Post event, watching everyone roll in.  

The conditions were almost perfect, except for the wind. There was a slight Easterly which means crosswinds and a slow course. Brad Hall has a great explanation of why here: Time Trialing and Power Meters: When the ‘Race of Truth’ is False

Power pacing was spot on where I wanted it. Passing people on the course caused a few dip/spikes. 

Thanks to the aero add-ons and a nice pair of 55mm wheels, I knocked 48 seconds off my time and set the fastest time of the day with a 26:46. Hoping to get back on a 'fast day' to see how close I can get to 26 flat.... stay tuned!

Full Results

Post race reward - The biggest coffee I've ever had!  

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Later that day...... 


I had the privilege of sharing a few insights about 'going faster' at Women on Bikes 2015: A showcase of women's cycling in WA. I thought they were worth sharing here too.

1 - There is no shortcuts. No helmet, wheel, or new gimmick will make up for lack of preparation. There's no secrets either, just hard work and preparation.

2 - Pacing: Go hardest when you're going the slowest. Wind, hills, getting up to speed from corners.

3 - Learn how to 'be fast' on any equipment. TT bike, road bike, razor scooter! Tony Martin swapped bikes with another team mate at the Tour and ended up winning the stage solo, on someone else's bike that wasn't his size/setup. As a TT champion he applied his extensive knowledge of speed to win the stage. Low, narrow, good pacing. This ride put him in the yellow jersey.

And a shout out for the ace wheels I'm rolling around Perth on..... 

ATTA Serpentine TT 20k - Hire Cars and Clip-on Bars

Any excuse to escape Melbourne at this time of year! Von was over in Perth again for work, so I followed along for the second time in four weeks. The weekend schedule aligned and we had the chance to sneak in another race with ATTA. Being out-gunned with just a road bike last time, I'd packed some clip-on bars and my trusty old TT helmet so I wouldn't be too far off the pace this time around.

The clip-ons were a butchered pair of ski-bends that are perfect for the road bike. I've finally got the front end balance just right for a makeshift TT rig. Add in a skinsuit, TT helmet, and 55mm wheels, it was all systems go for the 20km category.

Hot Tip: The rego/parking area for the Suerpentine is 800m south of the circuit on Hopelands Rd.

Fast roads, almost pancake flat, and a stiff headwind for the first section of the course. Head down, go go go, and don't hit anything was the plan.

20km Top 10:
1 Shane Miller   0:13:03 0:13:18 0:26:20.7 44.98
2 Lee Bolden     0:13:10 0:13:37 0:26:47.7 44.22
3 Troy Coulthard 0:13:37 0:13:49 0:27:25.7 43.20
4 Luke Howe      0:14:28 0:14:36 0:29:04.0 40.77
5 Kieran Scott   0:14:46 0:14:51 0:29:37.0 40.01
6 Simon Copp     0:14:31 0:15:12 0:29:43.8 39.86
7 Julian Krohn   0:15:02 0:15:18 0:30:19.6 39.07
8 Jenny Sammons  0:15:47 0:15:24 0:31:11.1 38.00
9 Rhys Wilson    0:15:52 0:16:01 0:31:52.3 37.18
10 Myles Allen   0:16:34 0:16:32 0:33:06.4 35.79

Full Results

The team from ATTA always put on good events. No fuss registration, electronic timing, lap splits, a coffee cart on site, and results up before we had a chance to cool down. TT bike or not, I encourage anyone to roll up and 'clip' a number on if you're in Perth.

I've uploaded the full ride and data through to Kinomap so if you're keen to come along for the ride on the indoor trainer, lets go!

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Other Random Perth Stuff

Dave Kelly was born here, on this very spot. I think.  

Lunch and a very very small car driving past. #iphonepanoramadrama 

Perth hills! This was Zig Zag Road. 

Perth hills... just like Adelaide minus the Commodores.

A zig in the road. 

And the matching zag. 

Magic winters day. Bike paths that stretch on for days!