Tour of Bright 2014 - Masters A

While there are more races on the calendar these days, to most of us Bright will always be as Wade Wallace describes it, "Australia’s amateur Tour de France." The CyclingTips post "Tour of Bright: A Legend Two Decades in the Making" is a fantastic read if you want to know about the history of the race. You'll see many familiar names in the history books from Cadel to Keeno who've pinned a number on in Bright at some point in time.

This year was my 7th ToB start since 2007. The MMAS123 GC win in 2012 has taken the pressure off in the lead up in the last two years. Last year I was team work-horse for Stephen Lane (Kosdown) who managed a top 5 in stiff competition. This year we were both TTing and climbing well and managed a good block of training after our Masters Nationals and Tour of Fiji. There was no two-man team tactics, we were just there to race as hard as we could and see where we ended up.

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Stage 1 - Time Trial

Having spent a lot of time on the course, we were getting to know it very well. The only thing we didn't train in was the rain, which came thundering in right on queue making for a damp TT and some very careful cornering.

Photo (c) Peloton Cafe

Using the same 17min30sec ergo/prep session as last year worked again for 2014. The warm conditions and low wind also made it a faster course than last year. I rolled in 1st with a 17:31, one second off my ergo session! SLane had a great TT knocking 20 seconds off his time from last year and taking 2nd with an 18:05.

Masters A - Stage 1 ITT Results

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Stage 2 - Gaps Loop

Sitting 1-2 on GC in a teams race put us in an interesting position. Somehow SLane managed to slip into a good sized break within the first few kms that would have likely stayed away if they all committed to driving the pace. The chase was only organised once the break wasn't pulling away and riders were attempting to bridge across solo from the bunch.

A few kms later a group of 6-7 riders rolled off the front containing a few sprinters looking for points. Nothing too dangerous, so we thought. And with a number of teams with a lot of fire-power not represented, they'd have to ride to pull their GC guys back into contention.

There appeared to be some confusion in the bunch when a team of 5 sent two guys up the road to collect the sprint points..... points that were already snapped up by the riders in the break. A lot of head shaking in the bunch ensued. Without any representation in the break, and lots of legs in the bunch, they should have been straight on the front and driving the pace.... but it wasn't the case.

With the break out of sight and hovering around four minutes, the chase was still less than organised. I had a shot at lifting the pace up Rosewhite that was marked by Michael Gallagher (The Hurt Box) with the rest of the field on his wheel.

SLane and Adam Versteege (Charter Mason) had a few attempts at lifting the pace of the bunch after the descent with little luck. So we rolled along and watched more than one team ride their GC contenders out of the race by not committing to the chase.

Luckily the group up the road had broken up and our chase up Tawonga was swift. With 3km to go the climbing group was down to 12 riders with only two riders up the road. The best result would be a 3rd on the stage. I channelled my inner Cadel (complete with matching bum-chin) and rode the front to limit the GC time gap.

Post by Cycling Victoria.

The rain soon started belting down and I couldn't see a thing. 300m to go, five riders kicked to the line for 3rd on the stage.  One rider on my wheel was yelling at me to close the gap. I was cooked! Words were spoken.

Local rider Aaron Knight (Fitzroy Revolution) took the win solo. Thankfully the effort to limit my GC losses up the climb was worth it and I was still leading GC, by 2 seconds. With most of the GC contenders still within 90 seconds, Mount Hotham was going to be a showdown!

Masters A - Stage 2 Results

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Stage 3 - Mount Hotham

The rain that started falling on Tawonga didn't stop overnight. 70mm had fell on the area and conditions at the top of Mount Hotham were not suitable to send 600+ riders up. The call was made to cut the stage short. Taking out the steep climbs suited me perfectly. I'd managed a 3rd on the short Hotham stage back in 2011 so if I could make the selection in the climbing group over the Meg I'd be confident of my chances of holding on to a good GC position.

The twist this year was they added my old nemesis to the shorter Hotham stage, the Toll Booth climb. 1.5km ~8%.

The race to Harrietville was brisk. The teams/riders going for the sprint points were doing something, we weren't sure what... although it was keeping the pace high and the group intact so that was a good thing.

The climb started at the standard pace, flat out. Knight who needed to make up only 2 seconds on me hadn't made the front group, having paid the price for his monster effort up Tawonga during Stage 2. I didn't do a lot of homework on the other riders, the only plan was not to let Gallagher too far out of sight.

Gallagher knows his craft well and put in a number of surges towards the toll booth that put the pressure on the 6-7 of us at the head of the race. The roads were saturated as we hit the false flat section, the ruts in the road were hard to see and almost caught us out a few times. There was a lot of one-eye-closed head-tilted riding going on just so we could see.

Photo (c) Jo Upton Photography

1.5km to go we hit the final climb. Gallagher went hard with a few others trying to match his pace. I knew it'd be a tough ask for him to pull back 60 seconds on the final climb although he gave it everything trying!

Thankfully the Garmin was so wet I couldn't see the numbers. This was a good thing. The first minute of the climb was 482W. The next four minutes were an eternity.

The water was streaming down in rivers on the climb as we pushed toward the Dargo turn off. 500m to go and Gallagher and a few others had a 10 second gap. This was fine with me, I was only thinking of GC position.

An evil twist from the event organisers was to add a final kick to the race just past the Dargo road.

200m to go I could see the finish and I got out of the saddle for the final push. I saw Davey and Gallagher take 1-2 and I rolled over the line at +11sec for 3rd on the stage.

Photo (c) Peloton Cafe

Masters A - Stage 3 Results

I found the nearest ditch and collapsed off the bike for a lie down. As I posted on Twitter, I've never had to dig so deep in any race before. I'd started with a 2 second lead and managed to defend the lead and everything that Gallagher threw down. I didn't believe it for a few minutes. I'd won my second Masters Tour of Bright Yellow Jersey. The first one meant a lot. The second one will go on the wall right next to it.

Masters A-Grade GC Top 10
 
1. Shane MILLER       4:29:33.71
2. Michael GALLAGHER  4:30:27.08 +53.3
3. Matthew RIZZUTO    4:30:27.67 +53.9
4. Stephen LANE       4:30:37.40 +1:03.6
5. Alexander DAVEY    4:30:38.24 +1:04.5
6. Michael TOLHURST   4:30:48.64 +1:14.9
7. Mark CRAWFORD      4:31:17.93 +1:44.2
8. Cameron CLAMP      4:31:34.40 +2:00.6
9. Aaron KNIGHT       4:32:09.00 +2:35.2
10.Brett KINGSTON     4:32:21.49 +2:47.7

Masters A - Overall GC

As fans of the sport we daydream of winning bike races on beautiful roads, with the sun beaming, everyone cheering. Here I was yesterday, laying in a muddy ditch, soaking wet head to toe, totally numb, completely exhausted, and loving every second of it.

Experiences like this money can't buy.

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Always a privilege sharing a podium with MickyG.

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Links List: -

Event / Cycling Victoria:
Full Results (All Grades)
http://www.vic.cycling.org.au/News/hotham-provides-testing-tour-of-bright-finale-117274

Jo Upton Photography:
http://www.jouptonphotography.com.au/tour-of-bright-2014---time-trial.html
http://www.jouptonphotography.com.au/tour-of-bright-2014---stage-2-tawonga-gap.html
http://www.jouptonphotography.com.au/tour-of-bright-2014---stage-3-mt-hotham.html

Peloton Cafe:
http://pelotoncafe.com.au/2014-tour-bright-stage-2-photo-gallery-con-chronis/
http://pelotoncafe.com.au/2014-tour-bright-stage-2-photo-gallery-jxpphotography/
http://pelotoncafe.com.au/2014-tour-bright-stage-3-photo-gallery-con-chronis/
http://pelotoncafe.com.au/2014-tour-bright-stage-3-photo-gallery-jxpphotography/

Tour of Bright 2013 - Masters A ITT

After not being 100% for the Masters Nationals TT, the Tour of Bright TT was where I set my sights. A new goal, a new course, and a new group of riders to compete against in Masters A. In the last few months we mapped the the course, raced it with the Alpine CC, broke it down into sections, and trained my arse off back home specifically for it. More 18 minute intervals were consumed than full meals.

Today was race day. Everything went to plan. Prep, equipment, and execution. Everything in my control was at 100%. It was the only TT I've started with a huge smile on my face for the first 500m knowing everything had fallen into place. No falling off TT bike jokes! I'm still tender. The smile was soon replaced with a grimace for the remaining kilometres.

Photo (c) jxpphotography.com

Having the perfect ride today was the win for me. Locking in 1st place was a bonus that made it just that much sweeter.

To the minority who've been giving me shit like "Race Elite you mug" or not supporting what I do, thanks, you're just fuel on the fire.

To those who know me, who've spoken to me about my passion for the discipline of time trials, and who've supported me. Thank you. It means a lot. Right now, this crazy game of TT bikes is my world. Today I'm on top.

2013 Tour of Bright - Time Trial Course (Now official!)

(Update Nov 13th 2pm) Word just in - This will be the new TT course at the Tour of Bright 2013.

Why the change? The old TT course on Wandiligong Rd would prove difficult to manage traffic and 500+ riders on a Friday afternoon. The decision was made by the local team who run the TOB. They know the roads, they have to keep the locals happy, and they have to ensure the riders are safe. Initially I was disappointed to hear the Wandi course was no longer going to be used, but the team who run the show are in the know. There is also a possibility we'll have a closed road for this TT too. Fingers crossed!

So where it it? Back Porepunkah Rd incorporating Roberts Creek Rd. An out and back T-ish shape course starting at the Bright town end.

13.5km in length, split up into a few sections, on pretty fast roads. We're not sure if the course will incorporate the roundabout itself or a U-turn just before it.

The U-turn at the top of the course is at 7.3km course which isn't marked on the road. There is a dirt road on the left, you can't miss it.

Is it flat? No. The hills are nowhere near as brutal as the Wandi course but they're still there. Expect at least a 4-5 minute drag that kicks up near the top. Below is an analysis of the current Strava KOM holder for the course, who we'll call "Fully Lyster" to protect his real identity:

"Fully" had a great ride at the Apline CC Monday night TT last week with spot-on pacing. This allows us to see the real demands of the course looking at the average speeds in each section. Note the drop to ~25km/h on the hill, ouch. Great ride, Fully! 

The only danger on the course will be the left hand turn at 10.2km back onto Old Porepunkah Rd. If conditions are good, riders will hit 70km/h+ just before having to jam on the brakes. Speaking from recent experience in TT cornering errors, I'd advise to use caution! :)

Looking south: The Roberts Creek Rd intersection.

Alpine CC hold regular Monday night TTs starting at 6pm on the new course. For more information see their Facebook page linked to below.

Strava Segment Link

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Official Tour of Bright links/info: 

Web: 
http://www.vic.cycling.org.au/
http://tourofbright.com.au

Facebook:
Official ToB Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACCToB1
Alpine Cycling Club: https://www.facebook.com/AlpineCyclingClub

Twitter:
#TOB13

Tour of Bright 2012 MMAS123 - My Journey

The first weekend in December comes around way too quickly every year. The plan is always the same in the lead up to the Tour of Bright: Drop a few kgs, ride more hills, do more kms on the TT bike. A pretty simple formula that I'm sure sounds familiar to everyone from C Grade to Masters 6+. Before you know it you're half way through November and it's all too late. I've never had any issues getting plenty of race time on the TT bike, that is where my true love for the sport lies. It has always been dropping the weight and hitting the long hills that I've never been happy with prior to race day. This year was different. A lot of things went to plan in the lead up. A lot of things went even better in the race. My good friend, team mate, eventual 2nd on GC, and my very own 'Froome', Stephen Lane has penned a great write up of the MMAS123 race here. I wanted to write this report from another angle. The journey leading up to pulling on the MMAS123 yellow jersey after the final stage after six years of trying.

Wade Wallace summed up perfectly what the ToB means to club level cyclists - "It’s Australia’s amateur Tour de France." It is a race that cyclists of any calibre can live out their dreams of being in a stage race with feed zones, timing systems, online results, and those epic mountains! It is the first stage race I heard about when I took up the sport. It doesn't have any UCI points, it isn't NRS, it isn't a championship, it it simply the Tour of Bright, or just "Bright" to most of us. It is the event on the road racing calendar that stands apart from the rest.

My ToB history is pretty varied. I'm not a lightweight climber who'll limit their losses in the TT. I'm more of a TTer who'll try to limit losses on the climbs. The biggest issue for me is trying to limit my losses on the biggest hill, Mount Hotham!

2006 - Entered B Grade. Death in family, unable to race that weekend.
2007 - MMAS123. 9th GC. Stage 2 TT win.
2008 - MMAS123. In break. Crash on Tawonga. DNF. Photos (awesome gore warning!).
2009 - B Grade. 5th GC @40sec. Stage 2 TT win.
2010 - Missed entry cut.
2011 - MMAS123. 17th GC. Missed break Stage 1. Stage 2 TT win. 3rd Stage 3.

I've always targeted and done well in the TT, just never been able to crack a podium spot on final GC. The closest was B Grade in 2009 where I was leading after day 1. After being dropped up the final climbs I lost all fight to the top of Hotham thinking my GC chance was well over, it was only 40 seconds off! I've always regretted not riding harder that day in the final kms. Last year might have been different if I didn't miss the early break on Stage 1..... the shortened Hotham stage in 2011 was really to my liking too. All "what could have been" scenarios. Time to start focusing on the "what will be" ones!

Every year after the Masters Nationals TT in early October I switch to 'ToB' training mode. More kms, more hills, less food, same old TT intervals. The preparation this year started with the 100km Grampians Audax (2600m climbing) a few days after our trip to NSW. The first 20 minutes up Mt William felt good. The rest of the day I was in the hurt box trying to convince myself that slogging up hills in 2.6°C foggy weather was all part of the building blocks for Bright. The power numbers were nothing special, I was 'heavy' at 74kgs, but this was just the beginning. I was much happier rolling out of bed the next day and racing a 46km flat handicap with the Grampians Vets... which turned into one long time trial for the final 34km. The first of many back-to-back training days on the bike over the next two months.

Eight weeks from the ToB I stepped up the weekly kms, rode a few hilly races, and started eating the right kind of foods (at the right times of day!). My weight was dropping, power numbers were good, and my times up hills were getting faster. A twilight attempt at Tony Reeckman's Mt Buffalo Challenge resulted in knocking 2 minutes off the time I set prior to the ToB last year. A solo climb is a lot different to a bunch race up a hill, still, always a good confidence booster knowing I wouldn't be losing as much time on the hills if I didn't make it into the front climbing groups.

Back home for more kms, more hills, less food. Strava KOM hunting was the new diet plan during the week. Find a segment a few minutes long and ride it as hard as possible. KOM hunting is only fun for about two weeks. Having your eyeballs go lactic and almost falling off your bike loses its shine very quickly. This kind of training puts race day pain into perspective..... it is never that hard in a race!

Mid November is ToB training camp time. Anyone who has an entry is up in Bright for a weekend riding the course, checking their form, testing their legs against their mates. My weekend was spent with SLane and José the Argentinian ox. We rode each stage, smashing each other to bits on the climbs and hoping afterwards that the racing wasn't going to be anywhere near as hard as the training was. Abby from Coburg CC held a TT on the Saturday night on the Wandi TT course so it really was a pre-tour tour weekend. We stayed up in Bright for the Alpine CC Monday night TT to clock up another TT dress rehearsal. I rode the 16km course around 7 times that weekend. I can recall every bump on the course and the smoothest line around it. I was almost on a first-name basis with the cat that kept running across the road near the Wandi Pub, I called him "TwoCat" for obvious reasons....

Back home again. Two weeks to go. I raced a crit with Coburg CC to get some bunch time prior to race day. Turning the legs over with a different goal in mind meant I wasn't out on the attack. More Strava KOMs targeted. More loops around Smiths Gully. More TT intervals that were now course specific. More kgs dropped. This was finally the year I'd nailed my ToB preparation. I don't take a lot of notice of my WKO Performance Management Chart - however all the lines and numbers were exactly where they needed to be if I was to over analyse my power data.

Race day(s). With the MMAS123 race now being controlled by a handful of teams we were lucky enough to close the time gaps at the end of each stage. I also had a great ride in the TT taking the MMAS123 stage win. As mentioned above, Stephen Lane has covered the racing here in good detail. I won't re-hash it. In short, we achieved the best result possible - 1st and 2nd on GC after the final stage on Mt Hotham.

It is too cliché to say hard work pays off, bike racing isn't that kind. What I had was the best lead up, the best support, the best training partner, and the best luck anyone could have possibly asked for. In a race that I've trained 100s of hours for, only to be been dropped in. A race I've broken bikes, broken bones, and bleed all over an ambulance in. A race I've got too many scars from.... Standing there in the 2012 MMAS123 Yellow Jersey took a lot more than just those three stages last weekend.

2012 MMAS123 GC Yellow Jersey
Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Masters 1/2/3 GC Results
Full Results - All Grades

Photography:
http://jxpphotography.com/2012-tour-of-bright-stage-1-2/
http://jxpphotography.com/2012-tour-of-bright-stage-3/
http://www.jouptonphotography.com.au/tour-of-bright-2012-stage-1-tawonga-gap.html
http://www.jouptonphotography.com.au/tour-of-bright-2012-stage-2-wandiligong-tt.html
http://www.jouptonphotography.com.au/tour-of-bright-2012-stage-3-mt-hotham-climb.html
Kosdown Performance Cycling shots by Michael McRitchie.
Tony Reeckman's Race Report (and some great shots)

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Special Mentions List....

Kos Samaras / Kosdown Performance Cycling / Bike'n'Bean: Making sure we're able to train and race at 100% One SMS saying I had 4 gears up Mt Buffalo after my old DuraAce lever dies and my bike had SRAM Red installed in no time flat. Support doesn't get any better than that. I'm so proud to be a part of KPC and to be wearing their colours.

Stephen Lane: Froome. From a triathlete to podium spot at ToB, who'd have thought? What a year we've had on and off the bike.

Tony Reeckman, Tully Lyster, Rhys Lyster, Marty Tobin, and all the Wangaratta crew: Thanks for the hospitality, the support, the rides, the racing, and the event sponsorship up that way. Von and I love it up there. Feels more like home to me than Melbourne.

Aaron Smith (Alpine CC. Race Director): For sneaking an extra Violet Crumble in my rego bag and having a laugh about it with me on the start line. See KitKatGate here for the back story. What a champion!

Cycling Victoria: For putting on the racing. How often does an official hug you after your TT? Mr Pink is awesome! Also for their great work on the Tweets/Facebook updates that help bring the event to life online. Families, friends, supporters can now follow the racing all in real-time. Great use of technology to promote the sport!

Raoul Luescher: Luescher Teknik

Richard Sekesan: Boost Your Performance

Everyone who reads these write ups, follows my Twitter, Facebook, etc. I hope what I bang out on the computer is entertaining and gives a unique view of things.

and

Von: aka Mrs Llama in a few weeks. Can I wear the yellow jersey at the wedding?

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Everyone Loves Photos!

Christmas comes early at the TOB! How good is this!

Perfect race number application... takes YEARS to perfect.

SLane's room.

In the box.
Photo by Jo Upton Photography

This is my idea of a fun day out!
Photo by Michael McRitchie

TT warm up. Right in front of the aircon.

Post TT cool down. Result checking.....

Post TT lolly session.

MMAS123 Stage 2 TT Podium.

MMAS123 GC Podium.

Interview!

Article in the Wimmera Mail-Times.

SLane and I have one last race for the weekend.
Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Shane & Von's Excellent Adventures - October/November 2012.

Von looking cute, me looking like a crazy.
Bright TT course - Post Alpine CC TT.

A lack of updates hasn't stopped the traffic hitting this blog. The CyclingNews article about my oceaniacycling.com domain ownership and people snooping past race results prior to the Tour of Bright is keeping the traffic up..... So here is a mixed update of things with a lot of photos. People love photos!

After the Masters Nationals TT SuperVon (my fiancé) and I have done lots of riding, lots of travelling, and a bit of racing. Von has done the Goldfields Tour, women's crits, and more training than me. Here is the rundown of my past eight weeks:

• Grampians Audax. Our yearly return to the hills after the Masters Nationals TT. 100kms, 2600m of climbing. From 30deg in NSW a few days prior to 2.6deg, it was a tough day! Strava Linky.
• Grampians Vets 46km Handicap: Off scratch. Almost taken out by a rider falling on the 12km corner. Lost 5mins helping him change. TTed like mad on the front for 34km. We caught nobody. Great to finally race with this club after years of following their races/results. Von and I will be racing with them whenever we get back to Horsham. 
• The Brackenbury @ Creswick. Eureka Vets. Technical crit in the center of town for the festival. Was great to meet a few new faces and scoot around town with them on bikes! 
• Seymour-Broadford CC 2012 Mountain Goat Classic. We missed the winners by 45 sec. Close! I managed FT with a little finish line kick. SBCC run road races and handicaps in summer. Keep an eye on their calendar if you want to race something other than crits! 
• Eastern Vets Wednesday Crits - Kew. Snuck in an early morning race. I let someone else make the move at about 20mins in, I bridged, worked with them to stay away, rolled in 2nd.
• Had a good crack at Tony Reeckman's Mt Buffalo Challenge. PB and 2 mins faster than this time last year. The not-so-secret diet of eating less is working. It just takes time and lots and lots of kms.
• Kelly Country Classic at Sam Miranda. 105kms with the Wangaratta locals and a few others to support Northeast Health. Marty Tobin once again leading the way in running cycling events in North East. Great day out.
• Coburg CC 'FlashMob TT' in Bright. Wandi 16km TT course. Great prep for the Tour of Bright after 130km in the morning. 1st place, with SLane in 2nd.
• Alpine CC Monday Night TT. The awesome 16km Wandi TT. Headwind out. Lightening fast home. 1st and a new PB on the course. Bring on ToB!

Somewhere in all the mix the wedding planning is happening. I've also been working with a few people to improve their time trialling too. Can't wait to see their improvements in 2013.

It will be a pretty busy few months coming up. As always, keep an eye on my Twitter feed and Facebook for other shorter, and sometimes more emotionally charged updates.....

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Heather Mills has her own public loo in St Arnaud.

Jimmy the dog.... trying to open his own Facebook account.

SBCC Mountain Goat 2012 - Fastest Time.
Photo by Jo Upton Photography

Snake Valley main street. Fully sick.

Von warming up at Snake Valley. Goldfields Tour stage 4.

Von and Emma - B Grade Goldfields Tour Superheroes!

Mt Buffalo Challenge - 1/2 way.

Mt Buffalo

Trainer-ception. Twice the resistance?

Post ride story telling at the Kelly Country Classic.

SLane at the top of Hotham.

Eurobin Falls - Mt Buffalo. Magic!
I had to take my bike shoes off and rock-hop up here for this shot.

Artsy shot of my 'Wiggo' front wheel on the TT course.

Support during the Alpine CC TT was awesome!

Post TT warm-down with Von.

Yeah, I got arty. Saw this somewhere and made my own.

Tour of Bright 2012 Online Entry Lists

As expected, entries exploded from the second they opened entry at 11:57am..... Links to each category below. Email/manual/fax/smoke signal entries won't be listed, but enjoy snooping who's who and who's sandbagging......

Update #2: CV have published entry lists here: http://www.vic.cycling.org.au/?Page=47607 Use this link to check your entry status.

I've also been quoted on a popular cycling blog regarding my "KitKat quote" below. They've attempted to spin it into something very negative. I think most people took it for its intent, a light quip about a $22 entry fee increase (previous years has been $10 jump). Think of it like a "shit, fuel has gone up again" scenario. We moan, we fill up, pay, drive on.

People who read this blog know I'm a huge supporter of country clubs such as the Alpine CC, the ToB, the people behind it. I'm disappointed someone has taken the time to sensationalise what I've said into what I clearly didn't.

Update: CV have taken all entry lists offline as of 5:20pm. The lists below are what were published  as of 1:32pm. If you entered after this and got in, you won't be on the list. They're yet to do the "Elite->MAS" shuffle for a lot of Elite riders so expect MMAS123/45/etc to expand and C/B to slim down. A Grade Teams are partial lists. They've reserved spots for teams to enter at a later date.


Race: 2858 / Tour of Bright - A Grade Men Teams
Race: 2859 / Tour of Bright - A Grade Women Teams
Race: 2851 / Tour of Bright - Men B Grade
Race: 2852 / Tour of Bright - Men C Grade
Race: 2853 / Tour of Bright - Women B Grade
Race: 2854 / Tour of Bright - Women C Grade
Race: 2855 / Tour of Bright - Masters 1,2,3
Race: 2856 / Tour of Bright - Masters 4-5
Race: 2857 / Tour of Bright - Masters 6+


More Information: 

• Official Tour of Bright website 
• Alpine Cycling Club Facebook
• Tour of Bright 2012 Apline CC Facebook 'Event'
• Cycling Victoria

At $142 a pop let's hope we get two KitKats in the showbag this year!

2011 Tour of Bright MMAS123

The Tour of Bright is 'the tour of the year' for most club riders, it is a great event, a lot of riders put in months of preparation. It is an award winning event, literally. I'll be honest and say this year wasn't up to the high standards we've come to expect from previous years. The standard massive MMAS123 bunch meant riders crossing to the wrong side of the road to gain bunch position (none DSQ for this), non certified TT helmets across the grades, time penalties for riders being released too early for their TT, the meat of the race (the final 12kms of Mt Hotham) being excluded due to adverse conditions, then a MMAS123 GC contender being DSQ for accepting a wheel after getting a flat. Rules are rules, and taking care of rider well-being is understandable, but consistency of enforcement would be handy. How A Grade (60 riders) get neutral spares and MMAS123 (110 riders) do not doesn't make sense to me. Also ask someone who raced B Grade about their lead car not taking the correct road, causing a crash in bunch.......500m into the neutral zone....! Is the event too big? 500+ riders too many for them to organise? With all respect to the volunteers, things just were not up to scratch this year and I hope they take on board rider feedback.

The Rapha race numbers were a clear winner. Rego was straight forward and the same as all the other years, sign in, head up the back to get your showbag full of lollies, then grab an apple or two on the way out. The weather was spot on for racing all weekend, apart from being ball freezing cold at the top of Hotham. The timing system and instant results were as magic as always, as long as you knew where to put the timing chip on your bike (no instructions), and you cross referenced the number on the chip against your race number (both different) on the TT timing sheet. TT times were correct, so of course that was the most important thing for the weekend for me... :)

Showbag!

Stage 1 - Rosewhite loop.

One exploding wheel heard 2kms into the race, every move being chased down, riders scrambling for position on the wrong side of the road - a typical start of the race towards the first sprint point. The first 30kms were fast. Nothing was getting away from a 100+ strong bunch that had 4-5 well represented teams. With no wind it should have been in everyones interest to stay together, never to dropping a wheel until the race really started at Tawonga, 86km. Not the case.

Somewhere around the 36km mark a bunch of 15 or so riders were allowed off the front, I was sitting not too far back from the front keeping an eye on the move. One or two riders pinged off the front and bridged across. The gap was soon out to 200-300m, a few strong turns by a handful of riders could have closed this, but didn't. I launched from the bunch with Andy Van Slobbe (HCC) - we were set upon by the 6amers team, they pulled us back and didn't roll through to keep the pace up. I had another go at getting across to the break, chased again, sat on again. A rider in Giant kit tried to encourage the bunch to roll turns but not enough riders were willing to assist the cause. With the TT in the afternoon, I wasn't going to spend all my energy pulling the bunch along if nobody else was helping, nor was I going to keep attacking those on my heels hoping I'd get clear. At this point I was fair pissed off, so went back to the bunch and sat in. Yep, I missed the move, I tried to do something about it, and failed. I had the same shit luck as ~85 other riders who watched the race for Tour GC slip away at only 36kms into the race.

A few minutes later we were slowed down by the commissars as we passed the B Grade bunch before the Rosewhite climb. With the break being a much smaller group they would have sailed straight past them at speed. They were now out of sight. Two or three crashes were heard up the climb. There is no reason these should happen, I can only put it down to the large numbers and wide ranging abilities that get crammed into the single MMAS123 race. "4 Minutes" was the call at the top of Rosewhite. With a number of big GC hitters in the break and no organised chase this was the nail in the coffin for any GC aspirations, for all of us. 

So a change of race plans from there, I sat back in the bunch to the base of Tawonga and then shut off the legs to save them for the TT. I rolled across the finish 8 minutes down on GC but a lot higher up than I expected. I rode up Tawonga chatting to a few others and still came in 35th! This really isn't fair on those who were honestly racing up that final climb and came in lower - I think it is time ToB Masters racing to progress to Masters A/B/C categories, exactly what they have for Elite/U19, for future races. This will also help spread out the bunch sizes and keep things a little safer on the open roads we're on.

Up the front in the battle for GC, Ciaran Jones (Giant) took a well deserved win. Good to see a rider like Ciaran with his arms in the air.

Stage 2 - Wandiligong ITT.

With fresh legs after Stage 1, I wasn't aiming to climb back up the GC ladder. I wanted to win the TT. 34th ITT for the year and everything went to plan. 20:42. Fastest time in MMAS123 by 32 seconds. Alex Morgan (VIS) in A Grade pipped me for the unspoken race for time of the day by 4 seconds, I won't mention his Giro Selector helmet giving him a slight non AUS/NZ certified advantage. :)

Naylor (O2) had a good ride, also sporting a Giro Selector TT helmet (and how?), with 21:14 for 2nd place and Seiper (Elders) in 3rd with 21:20.

Top 10 MMAS123 TT Results

1  425 MILLER Shane      20:42.72 - 45.49 Hawthorn Cycling Club

2  497 NAYLOR Andrew     21:14.96 0:32.24 44.34 St Kilda Cycling Club Inc

3  467 SIEPER Allan      21:20.15 0:37.43 44.16 Canberra Cycling Club

4  402 GALLAGHER Michael 21:30.36 0:47.64 43.81 Carnegie Caulfield CC

5  487 MASON Damian      21:44.03 1:01.31 43.35 Nowra Velo Club

6  406 BLACKBURN Stephen 21:45.12 1:02.40 43.31 Canberra Cycling Club

7  404 JONES Ciaran      21:48.21 1:05.49 43.21 Carnegie Caulfield CC

8  407 LYSTER Tully      21:49.57 1:06.85 43.16 Wangaratta Cycling Club Inc

9  443 GARDNER Alex   21:57.54 1:14.82 42.90 Manly Warringah CC

10 403 KAH Danny         22:10.78 1:28.06 42.48 Carnegie Caulfield CC

I was told after Stage 3 that due to the TT start holder, Mr Butterfingers, letting riders jump their start by 1 second, 8 riders were given +10seconds to their TT times. Michael Gallagher being one of them. Unlucky, he missed the break on stage 1 and this cost him a podium position for stage 2.

MMAS123 Stage 2 Podium. Naylor (2nd) was MIA.

Stage 3 - Mt Hotham, or, 3/4 of it.

Blue skies, sunshine, but a way too early start in the day meant the Hotham summit was still a refrigerator from an overnight cold blast (adverse conditions!). We were told the finish was now at the toll booth (46kms in), then we were told it was at the chain bay (not 46kms in!). A few people missed that second update, but I wasn't going to help spread the message - a flat run to the line should be an advantage for me.

Same as Stage 1 - Too many riders of all abilities taking it to the commissars and ripping up to the front on the wrong side of the road. In 2009 they were onto these jokers, Leigh 'Hollywood' being ejected from the race for only one infringement - This year riders had a get-out-of-jail-free pass all weekend...... The offenders were repeat offenders too, in team kit, sponsors kit, in kit representing a government sporting body, everyone saw them, everyone knew who they were. It really pissed off the rest of the bunch who were doing the right thing moving up only when gaps opened. Where the hell was the moto scout with his red card? If you're nudged over double whites for a few seconds, sure, this happens, but this wasn't the case.

At 10kms in, the O2 boys who were riding for Naylor (sitting 2nd on GC) all pulled over. Naylor had a flat. His shot at GC was looking to be over. The bunch speed dropped to 32km/h. O2 were back to the front in no time, minus one rider who'd given him a rear wheel since we didn't have the privilege of the SRAM motorbike or a spares car. Had he changed the tube himself it would have been his tour over.

At the fish farm 3km from Harrietville I rolled up to the front, rolled a turn or two, then put the hammer down. I was off the front and joined by the ever present Andy van Slobbe. I told him I wanted the sprint points (for shits and giggles more than anything else) so he let me roll across to collect those. In the wash up and count-back, this single sprint netted me 3rd overall in the Sprint King competition. With our 200m advantage we didn't get caught up in the bunch bottleneck as the road turned upwards. We sat up and latched onto the GC climbers as they stormed past. A select group of 15 was formed from 2kms onwards up the climb. A few popped at the Meg and a few just after it. Naylor was yo-yoing from the climbing bunch of 12 with Wade Wallace giving his all to support his team mate. The Canberra boys were setting the pace and allowed Michael Gallagher (VIS) and Alex Gardner to drift off the front. At the false flat I had a go at getting clear and across to them but after 1km the Canberra boys were on my wheel, and on a mission, taking their GC man to the line. The finish came a lot sooner than anyone really expected. With two riders up the road, and GC decided, it was a battle for the final podium position for the stage. 1km to go the pace lifted again. At 500m I jumped up towards the front. 250m to go and no sight of the finish I launched. Full gas around the corner, I was on the front and side-by-side with Ciaran Jones. We were met with a blocked road, some dodgy taped off area, and being told to go left. Chaos. We were sprinting but where the f'ck are we going!? I finally saw the timing mat and pointed towards it, just pipping Jones. There were people everywhere and no run-off area. At 50km/h+ this was crazy. People jumping everywhere out of our way telling us to slow down. How we didn't put a few people on their arses I don't know. I was both happy with the 3rd place and happy to have picked a line though the people in the madness. I hope there are finish line shots as I don't remember much of it.

Naylor had hung onto his 2nd spot on GC only to be told later someone had complained about his 'team assistance' to a race commissaire. Because of the wheel change and he was DSQ from the event. It was a shitty thing to have happen as a flat is just bad luck. The panic and chase back on was penalty enough. I saw him digging deep, I saw him crack, I saw him dig deeper and get back on. The Canberra boys were class and took the deserved win, but Naylor's ride was clearly deserving of the 2nd spot and maybe a $50 fine over getting tossed after the race?

Michael McRitchie got a nice art-sy shot of me coming into the finish of Stage 3.

Wrap Up

After a standard Stage 1 it was a pretty good weekend from then on. I've not said anything in this post that wasn't echoed by others at the post race coffee stops during race debriefs with mates. There is a general consensus that ToB MMAS should be A/B/C in the future for better racing for everyone (yep, teams too!). 

The TT win was the goal and I was happy to have nailed it. The 3rd on Stage 3, 3rd in the Sprint King, and $100 prize money all up was icing on the cake. I didn't get a chance to take it to the climbers on Stage 1 so it was good to battle with them on Stage 3 and be at the pointy end. Had the final 10kms up Hotham been in the race the GC list would have been given a real shake. 

It is no secret that road racing plays second fiddle to TTing for me. After this weekend I did come away wanting more of this style of racing. The comradery when suffering up a climb with the 'select few' is something you have to experience. Words of encouragement shared, a helpful push and a shove to help someone dropping a wheel (disguised as getting them out of your way, of course), the sighs of relief when the pace backs off just a little as you're on the limit. A friend becoming an enemy in a split second, then back to a friend once the clock stops. 

I'll add more photos as they come in over the next few days...... stay tuned.. Now I'm off to unpack the car! 

Full official results

Photos/Links/Info: https://www.facebook.com/CyclingVictoria

Photos: Tons of pro'tographers there on the weekend. Shoot me my shots and I'll link people to your site.