Racing into Winter - 2014

Back to regular programming after this tack business on the Kew boulie... Seven races in eight days to report on. I'll try to keep the reports snappy, ain't nobody got time fo eight detailed race reports!


Cycling Victoria Open ITT - Waurn Ponds (aka Geelong) May 24th 2014.

New course for 2014. Just over 23km with 3x laps of a surprisingly hard giant hot-dog. I drove down to Geelong a few weeks prior to scope out the course. Time well spent. I rolled in with the quickest time, 26 seconds ahead of Melbourne's hardest training bearded nice guy, Nick Bensley (StayTrue).

A Grade Elite - Top 5
1     Shane MILLER     31:17.393        
2     Nick BENSLEY     31:43.945     +0:26.552    
3     Peter RISELEY    32:17.167     +0:59.774
4     Tyson CHAMBERS   32:32.832     +1:15.439
5     John CAIN        32:57.868     +1:40.475

Full Results (MyLaps)

Photos (Jo Upton Photography)

Von had a great ride in Women's A Grade, coming in 3rd! But no podium, no envelope, no mention at presentations. Only 1st place awarded.... C'mon guys, this is a little embarrassing. Any podium spot at an Open event deserves more.

We made a weekend of it down that way and stayed in Torquay for the night. Pizzas and Giro on the telly, a perfect night in. (hot tip, code 7777 will bypass LG TV security code. Just in case you need to retune SBS in a hotel.)

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Geelong Vets CC Autumn Sash Race (49km Handicap) May 25th 2014

Four riders whittled down to three off scratch after a few km. At the 20km mark I put in a solid 3km turn to catch the chopping block group. I swung out of rotation and missed a turn... yeah, I was a little tired after that effort... I was quickly and not so politely "informed" I was stronger than any of them and I should get back on the front. My legs were hurting and now thanks to this chopping block guy, so were my feelings. ;) I was working my arse off.... and about to get back to that task. Bark all you like, just hold that wheel when the shit goes down.

15km to go, 10 minutes to make up, lots of passengers in the group. A little crosswind bunch trimming took place. 15 of us, then three of us, then two, then me. Yes, shit went down. My feelings were still hurt but my legs were good.

3km to go I caught a group of 10 riders who were all watching each other. I rolled in asking the guy on the back "Is this the race?" (as in the front of the race). The reply was interesting, "Yeah mate, this is a race, we're racing..."... After pointing to my number and informing him I was also IN the race and finding out there was still one limit rider up the road, I was off in pursuit.

The solo limit rider took the win after a rock solid ride all day with no company. I picked up 2nd and fastest time. GVCC put on a great event, and in true vets style, there were plates of food to get stuck into and plenty of race tales back at the clubrooms.

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Eastern Vets CC Midweek Kew Crit. May 28th 2014

These are sneaky year-round Eastern Vets CC crits at 10am almost every Wednesday that nobody knows about. Kew loop. Same as Hawthorn CC. Entry fee is cheaper than a small coffee.

They've been threatening to send me off a lap behind Division 1 for a while, this week they did it. It took 20 minutes to catch my race, a few minutes to take someone up the road, and a lot of work to shake him on the bell lap. $17 for the win, which went straight to the Llama Book Club purchase of the new George Hincape book. I hear it is a good read.

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2014 Tour of Wangaratta (#WangTour #BigWangTour) May 31st - June 1st.

Worth doing this race for the Twitter hashtag alone. I've done the last two of these and took the overall GC last year by one second. I always enjoy racing up in Wang, so I was back this year to give it another shot.

Hanging with the locals. Such is beards.

Stage 1 - Kermesse (6x6km 36km)

Early attacks were not given any room to move. Tully Lyster and Sam Fuhrmeister pinged off the front before the 1/2 way sprint. These two were kept on a short leash and took 1st (Fuhrmeister) and 2nd (Lyster) around 9 seconds ahead of the bunch (Pascall 3rd).

Stage 2 - Road Race (Taminick Gap 56km)

There was not much aggression early on. I swung my elbow at 11km....to nobody... I had a 50m gap. Off I went solo for the next 20km. Not fully committed to a solo ride, I was hoping a few would bridge across at some point.

I made it over Taminick alone, but then I was closed down by the survivors of Taminick as we turned south towards Glenrowan. Sean Carruthers (Hampton Cycles) counters, but nobody chases. He goes, and goes! The chase started too late in the stage. Carruthers took the win and a huge 58 second lead on the chase bunch. Classy move, played at the right time, with an engine to get the job done. Respect!

Stringer (Kosdown) doing 'a job of work'! Good stuff!

Jo Upton Photography - Day 1

Back to Château de Reeckman for the night where it started raining... and it didn't stop for the rest of the weekend. While catching up on the Giro stage, Tony dropped a quote I didn't know. Nekminnit, The Big Lebowski DVD is out, laughs were had. Classic!

Stage 3 - Hill Climb (Taminick Gap west side)

No Gravel Pit Rd stage road due to the rain. Probably a good thing since the locals do all kinds of unwanted things to nasty pits. We would race the same loop as Stage 2 with the finish at the Taminick KOM.

With a few DNS in the rain, we all* agreed to roll turns to the climb then let loose on the climb. *All because there was a solo attack before we'd even clipped in.... met with collective groans, boos, and unity in the bunch to chase him down!

Harry Hanley (Hampton Cycles) did the work of three men on the front putting his man in the best position to hold onto GC. As we hit the hill, the young 65kg (or less) snappers hit the pedals, and the rest of us hit the red-zone and hung on, as closely as we could.

Katsonis (Charter Mason) took the stage win from Carruthers, and James Pane in 3rd. I rolled over the line 13 seconds down.

Stage 4 - Time Trial (14km)

Flat out.... just not around the corners like last time. I took the TT stage win with a 19:06. 13 seconds slower than last year, but given the conditions I was happy with that.

Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

14km and no wind wasn't enough to pull back all the time on Carruthers to snag overall GC. He had a bloody excellent TT, rolling a number of riders who've ridden TTs for a while to take 2nd on the stage.

I climbed into 2nd place on GC for the weekend. Pretty happy to be on the podium after consistent results in the previous three stages.

Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Jo Upton Photography - Day 2

Again this year Wangaratta CC and the people behind the scenes put on a great show. I said last year I'd be back to defend #1. It didn't work out as planned, but I'll be back in 2015 to proudly pin on #2.
 

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Link Frenzy!
Wang CC www site.
Wang CC Twitter
Wang CC Facebook
Jo Upton Photography Facebook / www
#wangtour Twitter Hashtag

Amy's Gran Fondo 2013 and a 'roadie showdown' TT with Geelong CC

After a very successful 2012 Gran Fondo with Team Hydralyte, we were invited back again for this year's event. Von and I were happy to be back in bright orange for the day. Entry sorted, kit supplied, the brightest of bright orange drink bottles, and 4000 other riders to share the road with. We've been looking forward to this for a while.

Like last year, Geelong CC lined up their calendar to run a TT on the day prior not too far from Lorne. This is always a good heart starter for the following day.

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Geelong CC - 23km ITT. September 14th 2013.

For something different and to save space in the car by packing only one bike, I challenged SLane to a road bike show-down. No TT bikes allowed, no clip-ons, no changes to stem height or saddle. Everything else was allowed. Fast wheels, skinsuits, TT helmets... which put us in the aero category. Just how fast could we go on a road bike dressed up?

SLane looking very serious

Which way?

Turns out pretty fast! I was only 45-50 seconds per lap (x2 laps total in the TT) off the pace from when I rode the Shiv TT rig on the same course. Even on our tricked-up roadies we managed to slice the wind faster than the others and came in with a 1-2 result!

Top 10 :
1  Shane Miller    31:42.053     15:50.045                   44.145
2  Stephen Lane    33:11.063     01:29.010     16:20.610     42.769
3  Noel Jacobs     34:41.087     02:59.034     17:17.231     40.435
4  Tony Butler     35:09.030     03:26.977     17:18.106     40.4
5  Ned VOLK        35:12.408     03:30.355     17:22.554     40.228
6  Mark Kelly      35:20.660     03:38.607     17:27.760     40.028
7  Adam Touzell    35:25.934     03:43.881     17:36.215     39.708
8  Nathan Townsend 35:53.382     04:11.329     17:32.819     39.836
9  Shaun Kinna     36:17.816     04:35.763     18:00.318     38.822
10 Matt LE MAITRE  37:20.933     05:38.880     18:34.420     37.63
Full Results (MyLaps)

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Amy's Gran Fondo 2013

We were up early on Sunday morning for the Team Hydralyte official photo at event HQ. A lot of familiar faces in orange including Ray Jarrett. Europe one week, Victoria the next, the flying mullet is living up to his namesake!

Our registration numbers meant we were starting 90 seconds behind the 'priority start' NRS guys. To make the most of the opportunity I was keen to see if we could reach the first group before the climb at 38km. I'd get a good hit-out on the front, switch off, then wait for Von to roll past and I'd do the rest of the ride with her.

After a solid chase and moving through the pack I managed to reach the front a few times to help drive the pace. It is a somewhat calm place right on the front after pushing for position among hundreds of riders. I cracked a few times, sat in, worked my way up again, before calling it a day and enjoying the ride. I made it to the 38km point/KOM start with the lead group..... and just in time to dodge a few riders and their bikes spread out across the road.

Von and I met up 1/2 way up the climb, now my day got really tough! "Up, down, steady" were the only words I heard her say for the next two hours as we weaved, picked, dropped, caught, chased anyone else we encountered on the course. Everyone we came across was having a great day out, enjoying the ride in the true spirit of the event. This isn't to say people weren't 'racing' as hard as they could mid pack, they were. Playing Sherpa for Von was different experience than the typical 'race mode' I'm used to. At one point she asked me to pull over for more water, then chase back on and give it to her. What!? Sounded like way too much hard work, so I handed her my 2nd bottle as we blasted past the final aid station.

We crossed the line together at about 3hrs30mins. Knocking only about a minute off her time from last year, and just out of the prize money in 4th for her category. It must have been Pete Simpson on the PA system on the finish line as he read out our names and knew some of our past racing exploits. The post race cake and free pasta back at the event village was some of the best food I've ever tasted. Then again, almost anything tastes good after three hours on a the bike. SLane and Von headed back to the village to collect their UCI medals. Turns out I wasn't fast enough to qualify for the World Masters in my age category. Less fondle, more fondo next time! Can't wait for 2014, we'll be back again!

June 2013 Wrap - TTs, TV, & Tweets

A lot of what we've been up to has been covered on Twitter and Facebook, but I've thrown together a summary for the site here for those who are in web-only land.

Magnetic Island - Beach holidays!

A few days with family on the island after the Wang Tour was a great break from winter in Melbourne.

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Kew TT - Blackburn CC. Zonta Group TT Round 4. June 16th 2013.

From 28°C on a beach to 2°C and a damp course in Kew. My numbers were good after six days off the bike, just not good enough to stop a stomping Dave Kelly coming in 1st place with a 29:12. 2nd place for me at 29:32. Thanks to Contour and The Peloton Cafe I captured my entire ride on film/SD card!

Full Results: http://www.bbn.org.au/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=138560  (PDF)

Photo op with Hayden Veld (BBN CC), winner of F grade!

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CV Open ITT: Harcourt / Castlemaine CC. June 23rd 2013.

This course is a sleeping gorilla. You don't realise how tough it is until you're out of the saddle grinding at full gas... only 3.8km into the race! We were sprung with an additional 5km on the start line, meaning we'd be doing 25km not 20. With still conditions and the lovely HED3 front wheel, I managed 1st place in Elite. Ace!

Photo (c) jxpphotography.com

Photo (c) jxpphotography.com

Event Photos: http://jxpphotography.com/2013-castlemaine-itt/

Cycling Victoria Event Wrap/Results: Link

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Geelong TT - 23km. June 29th 2013.

Only a 'clubby' race but when you're up against someone who is never too far behind on the results, it is game on 100%! The circuit is getting rougher every race, really sapping any rhythm you get into. Lap 2 was a bone shaker. 1st place. I didn't quite make the 1 minute catch on Nick Squillari (AWS) who had the Contour camera on for the race.

Full Results: MyLaps

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GreenWedge Photochop

After 7,500 Tweets one of them has hit the mark. The photo I 'shopped after seeing the GreenEDGE bus get wedged under the Stage 1 finish line at the tour did the rounds on Le Tour Prologue (Fox Sports), Cycling Central, GreenEDGE's own Backstage Pass, CyclingTips Facebook, even a few GreenEDGE riders re-tweeting it. Only a few gave credit to where the photo came from. Interesting to see how the popularity game works on social media with the 'big players'. (I watermarked the image so I could see who ripped it)

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Le Tour Prologue - Fox Sports / YouTube

Von and I were a part of the Strava segment on Fox Sports' "Le Tour Prologue" last week. We had a blast filming up Yarra St, then going into the studio to talk about Strava with the panel. Despite what I said on the show, it was 'made for television'. I'm no Strava addict, not any more. I must have come across pretty convincing as I've had to explain to a few people that it was a bit of a piss take. 

Behind the scenes - Von!

Behind the scenes - My own fluffer!

Control room - Busy place!

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I AM Specialized!

Yep! I've been on a Shiv and SL4 Tarmac for the last 12 months and loved them, so I was keen to get on board with Specialized. A few phone calls and emails later and I'll be throwing my leg over these machines for a while yet!

Cycling Victoria - Geelong IRTT. May 25th 2013

With a funeral in Ballarat at 10am I was only a 50/50 chance of making the start line on Saturday. After the church service I was able to point the car towards Geelong to make it there. 64 riders across all grades, slightly up on last year which is good to see. A little confusion about the actual course with three different maps online. Just prior to the start we found out it was a true out-and-back. In the last few years we've never raced back on the main road.

The lead up week was a crack-up. Cycling Victoria were on board creating a bit of a rivalry discussion on Twitter....

Then I whipped up something to add to the event promotion....

That got a few re-Tweets and likes. Great to see the interest in TT growing! With the amount of Kask Bambino helmets getting around at $500 a pop, the local bike shops have to be pleased at the uptake of the discipline too. As for the actual benefits of Bambino over any other helmet, I'm not sold.

Back to the race - A 30km/h westerly wind and the true out-and-back course meant a quick game change from what I was expecting. The Zipp 404 once again got a run due to the cross winds. The course was good, no traffic to contend with at the intersections. A quick time calculation at the turn showed I was about 15 seconds up on Kelly. Back home into the head wind and I had to use a bit of course knowledge to dodge the rough sections of road. The final 2km with the wind was a blast! 53/11 mashing away at 55-60km/h, wheels whistling away, leaving it all out on the road.


A Grade Top 10
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1     Shane MILLER        32:23.667                46.304
2     David KELLY         32:56.538  00:32.871     45.534
3     Nick BENSLEY        32:59.217  00:35.550     45.473
4     Nicholas SQUILLARI  33:20.763  00:57.096     44.983
5     Oscar STEVENSON     33:28.639  01:04.972     44.806
6     Zac SHAW            34:12.674  01:49.007     43.845
7     John CAIN           34:14.254  01:50.587     43.812
8     Stephen LANE        34:23.171  01:59.504     43.622
9     Mark FAGG           34:28.758  02:05.091     43.504
10    Stuart Cameron      34:36.968  02:13.301     43.332 

A Grade Podium

I've had a few club TT wins recently, this A Grade Open Elite win was an awesome bonus for nailing the ride.

Full Results: MyLaps
Cycling Victoria Event wrap up
Jo Upton's Photos
Mandy Hosking's Photos (maybe locked down on FB) 

Helping Dave shave off a few more seconds.

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Amy's Gran Fondo 2012 with a Geelong CC TT as warm-up.

Another weekend in country Victoria, another two days of pinning on a number and pushing the pedals in two very different events. Saturday was the 23km Geelong CC ITT at Paraparap (square course) followed up with the 120km Amy Gillett Gran Fondo the next day. Mass participation events aren't usually on my calendar. This year I was invited to join Team Hydralyte Sports for the Gran Fondo on and around the Great Ocean Rd, something I couldn't turn down.

Geelong CC ITT - Paraparap. 23.3km - September 15th.

A final tune-up before the Cycling Australia Masters Nationals TT in Goulburn in two weeks. Sorting everything from the equipment, warm up, music, and mind set. There is always something to improve on. The HED3 tri-spoke finally got a run in the still conditions. How'd it go? Same as every other front wheel, it just looked better. The electronic timing that Geelong CC have is magic. The start line strip is 10m from the 'hold' point which takes the stress out of everything for the starters. As soon as you roll over it, the clock starts ticking. Team mate Stephen Lane was my minute-man, and he had a flyer first lap. I had only pegged him back 30 seconds with 8km to go. His goal was for me not to make the catch, my goal was to make the catch. I won that battle, coming past with just 1km to go. SLane was delighted that I'd made the catch, and he let me now it. ;) Fingers crossed they put us off a minute apart at the Nationals, it pushes us both to ride a lot harder.

Men Aero Top 5:
1 Shane Miller   30:20.900        
2 Stephen Lane   31:26.479  +1:05.579    
3 Jose Areta     32:54.080  +2:33.180    
4 Peter QUIBEL   33:31.508  +3:10.608    
5 Mark Bellew    34:14.241  +3:53.341    
Full Results

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Amy's Gran Fondo 2012 - September 16th.

After a last minute speed bump with my team entry for Hydralyte Sports, I was assigned #1001 and lining up with the front group at 8am. The reason I usually say clear of mass-participation events is that the mix of abilities is a little too chaotic. I really didn't know what to expect.

There was a diverse range of riders in the first 'speedy' group. I was wedged between riders from Genesys and the VIS, all who ran clinchers, huge saddle bags, pumps, and had plenty of food on board. Some of these guys and gals ride for a living. They 'got it', with a thousand times more class than some others. This might have been a UCI World Masters race qualifier for us age-challenged riders, still no reason to forget why the event exists: To promote, educate, and allow people to participate in 'Safe bicycling in Australia'. This wasn't an Open, a championship, or a 'sheep stations' weekly club crit. I had to remind myself of this a few times before, during, and after the race. That was my perspective leveller and made for a much better reflection on the event.

Having a full road closure meant there was plenty of room to give those less familiar with 'holding a line' a wide berth. From the start I kept within the lead 50 riders. The pace was ON. 10+ riders from one of the major event sponsor were on the front and DRILLING IT. A good photo opportunity, I guess? String it out and keep it safe? We all hung on and dodged bad wheels. Although the pace was high it was still safer than any half-road large bunch I've ridden in before.

We all waited for the inevitable drop in pace..... 23km along the Great Ocean Rd it happened. Team DRILL IT had done their thing and had only a few guys left on the front. At the same time a number of riders made the 'Catch of the Day', joining the lead group after starting 90 seconds behind in the second wave (next group of 200 riders to start). Tom Leaper and David Kelly from the second wave were the notable riders now in the lead group. Since the event timing was based on each rider passing timing points, anyone wanting to come in first overall would have to put almost minutes into these two. No chance!

A few riders trying to ping off the front brought the pace back up again, allowing us to take nice lines through the twisty roads. 38km in we hit the 9km climb to the KOM. 400W+ wasn't enough to keep with the leaders and I watched 35 or so riders pull away...... temporarily. My climbing legs soon engaged I started to weave my way up towards the leaders. By the top I collected 5-6 riders and we only had 6-7 leaders up the road. The gentlemanly agreement was for me to cross the KOM first as I was setting the tempo for the group... I was in the box stomping and hearing the guys behind me discussing this was good motivation to take them all the way up and over the top. KOM complete, legs cooked, I swung over and let the others set the pace.

55km into the event I'd burnt a few matches. As I sat near the back trying to recover, drink, and eat, Nick Mitchell and Joel Pearson kept the pace up and closed the gap to the leaders.

Status check at this point - The good: I was with the lead group! The bad: I just dropped half my fruitcake! Bugger.

40km to go. Into the rolling hills and flat roads. 12-14 of us well clear of any chasers with a reported 2 minute gap (thanks moto scout!). The pace was always at a solid tempo. A few attacks here and there, David 'Quadzilla' Kelly was always attentive, pulling them back, keen to keep the advantage he had by bridging to the leaders from the second start group. Tom Leaper and Rhys Gillett were never shy to drive the pace. We got waves, cheers, claps from the locals who came out to support the event. The TV motorbike was zipping past capturing us. All very pro.

With all riders having coloured numbers indicating their age category, I could see only one other MMAS1 (30-34yo) rider in the break, Daniel Strauss (Bike Gallery). If we held our 2 minute gap to any MMAS1 chasers, and we both passed the timing start point at the same time then it would just be a race to the line between us two. $500 up for grabs for fastest in each age category too! Leaper and Kelly had overall tied up. With the attacks by the three African Wildlife Safari boys in the break and the firepower of Kelly, Leaper, Gillett and a few others covering them. Strauss and I had an almost arm-chair ride for the final kms. 'Almost' as it was uphill we had to keep our front wheels away from Squeaky McDrychain who was fading and throwing in inadvertent hooks as we were having a bit of a laugh about which body part could most do with a post-race massage.

The final kms ticked over very fast with the attacks being thrown in by those aiming for line honours. I was aiming for 1) survival and 2) trying to get a few seconds on Strauss for a shot at MMAS1 fastest. Strauss even threw in an attack aiming to be the first wheel over the line. I wasn't game enough to give that a stab. He was closed down by the pack, then we were both dagged in the final few 100m. I wasn't sure what Strauss had left in the tank, it is impossible to tell when his face is hidden behind a Ned Kelly-esque beard. We went head to head to the line. No late attacks in my legs meant I got there a few bike lengths clear of him and a few seconds down on the leaders. 

Tom Leaper took overall honours and our lead group took out a number of age category wins. An SMS from the Amy Gillett organisers confirmed I'd done just enough to be fastest MMAS1! Strauss locked in 2nd fastest for MMAS1 and $300 too. Ace! An awesome bonus after a good day spent on the bike with great company in the front group.

Thanks:
- Amy Gillett Foundation and everyone involved for the event. Bring on 2013!
- The riders I shared the day with. A few laughs mixed with a few efforts, perfect.
- Hydralyte Sports for the opportunity to represent their team. (We got 2nd overall in men's teams).
- Kosdown, THULE Australia, and my other personal sponsors for their support.
- Everyone who reads these babbling race reports, random Tweets, and who only know me as 'The Lama'. I'm always amazed at how many people read my reports and come up for a chat at TTs and other events. Makes punching the keys on my 'rest days' all worth while. Thanks!

Links:
Full Results (Raceresult.com)
Official AGF website
AGF 2012 Photos (Epsom Rd Studios)

Pics:

You have to line up for at least 5 minutes.

No question mark about it! Fastest MMAS1, do collect $500!

Miranda and I losing the height battle with the Amazons.
Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Epic awkward handshake miss in front of 100s.... proof that I tried!

SuperVon was part of the #1 Women's Team!
Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Mwwwwaaaaaaaa!
Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Dave Kelly and I losing the 'who has the most hair' KOM.
Photo (c) www.tonyreeckmanphotography.com

Von packing the car... Pro style!

Dave Kelly performing the Gran Fondle on my stuck zipper.
My favourite photo of the day. Teamwork and laughs.

Powering Pedals to Prime Podium Position at Paraparap (CV Open IRTT June 30th 2012)

Presented with a pretty painful 28km parcours and with the threat of possible precipitation, Shane Miller (Kosdown) prevailed this past Saturday at Paraparap, peddling into top place in a packed field of participants. Waking on Saturday morning with signs of potential pig flu didn't prevent the perpetual time trialist pulling out a proficient performance. After proceedings, at presentations Miller was quoted saying, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.", leaving people perplexed.

ok, I give up... I was going to Dr Seuss the whole race report with 'p' words but it was promptly pushing me to psychosis... so no more 'p' words. Promise. Penis.

58 entries, 10 or more than last year at the same event in similar conditions. Cold. Windy. Winter. After acquiring a head flu from my lovely nephews I was contemplating a DNS and staying home.... but it was only 40 minutes of head-down-bum-up.... after a coffee or two I would be right(ish) to go. I decided to let the numbers on the Garmin tell me how I was going, they never lie.

I've raced this TT about five or six times before but still did a quick recon in the car before the race. Crosswinds, sweeping corners, some bumps to avoid. Same as last time. Always good to go over the key sections though. Back to the start line and to my now familiar 'set up and warm up away from everyone else' routine. Time ticks away twice as quick before a TT. Getting tied up chatting to everyone means no time to warm up and get everything ready. Give me sounds of croaking frogs over hearing someone inflating their disc wheel to 160 PSI for a road event.... There is a lot less stress when your equipment is set out ready to use, nailing a warm-up plan, and just rolling to the start line with a few minutes to spare.

Away from everybody!
(this was actually the cool down and me getting out of the rain)

Warm up... Nose plugs were Vicks soaked cotton wool to stop the nose-flow.....
(Yes I did remember to remove them, unlike a Chris Froome at the TDF last night, hah!)

The only shots I have of the event were from Stephen "Banana Man" Lane, who was juggling warming up and taking random shots with his new camera. I'll include others if they surface elsewhere.

#1 ranked rider, Blake Hose (Genesys) was a DNS so as #2 I was the final rider to start. #3 David 'Quadzilla' Kelly (Total Rush) was my minute man and undoubtedly the rider to watch. The start line is at a give-way intersection meaning your actual start time contains some element of luck... The luck of having no cars to give way to when the clock starts. "5-4-3-2-1......wait... wait... ok, now go". I was held two seconds longer for two cars. I asked the starters if I'd get my two seconds back at the end. This was agreed to as I rolled off into the headwind.

I didn't look up the road until about 10kms in. The Garmin was telling me all I needed to know, also what I didn't want to know, about 4% down... not good but still enough to keep cranking along. I could just see Quadzilla Kelly in the distance as we were enjoying a catch-and-release session with a few riders out to the turn around at 16km. Targeting other riders, getting around them safely, and keeping in front of them is a mind-game that breaks up the effort on an otherwise long lifeless road. I had gained 10 seconds on Kelly at the turn (12 seconds taking into account my start line discount). In the 12km back to the finish I could see I'd doubled that advantage, I just hoped my calculations were right.

Not my best ride, lucky the best I could do was good enough. Win by ~25 seconds (carry the 2!) over Quadzilla Kelly. In the mix Nick Squillari (South Coast Cycling) used all his local knowledge to keep the rubber side down this weekend coming in for 3rd place. John Cain (Giant Celtic) stomping home only a few seconds shy of a top 3 spot.

A Grade Open Men Top 10:
1  Shane MILLER        37:54.742
2  David KELLY         +0:22.902
3  Nicholas SQUILLARI  +1:35.131
4  John CAIN           +1:38.199
5  Stephen LANE        +2:27.059
6  James HENRY         +3:34.519
7  Gerard DONNELLY     +3:41.141
8  Luke KNOX           +5:28.912
9  Matthew JONES       +6:03.373
10 Mark FACEY          +6:03.458

Full Results


A minor shuffling of times from the initial raw electronic results was required for the final results to be correct. Times all had to be discounted 1 minute to get the final results, a small admin issue that was no drama..... However my already adjusted time of 37:52 became 37:54, I missed out on my two seconds in the bulk-adjustment...... lucky it wasn't a decider! Splitting hairs, sure, but this is what electronic timing should eliminate or correctly account for. I did a double take when signing for my prize money, $200 for the win last year so when I needed to sign next to "$70" I was a little surprised. Prize money isn't why we ride, but changed from last year? Same entry fee, more riders, 1/3rd of the prize pool. An A Grade Elite Open event win and I don't break even with entry fee and travel costs (only 100km from home too).

Geelong CC always do a great job, be it a club TT or Open event, but is it time we get event sponsors on board to boost the resources behind these events? This was a State Open! We need to promote the event to more competitors, more supporters, convert the interest in the sport to improve the racing side of things. Something as simple as someone taking a few photos of the riders in full flight goes a long way for showcasing events like this. Events that otherwise only exist in results archives. (side note, this is also why I bang out these reports. They're far from official, but I want to show people what we get up to... and maybe even encourage people sign up and race, or stop past a race and cheer us on.)

Why not Company X IRTT presented by CV and Geelong CC? Why don't companies want to get on board these events? It'd help make them bigger and better in all aspects. A TT on the same day the Tour de France starts for 2012..... in the middle of our road season...  Ivan Milat could sell the naming rights to that at a backpackers hostel, too easy, he'd at least give it a stab.

Hey Ivan, where is the TT mate?
"Down Forest Rd, jump in, I'll give you a lift there"