Adelaide Tour Stage 2

Stage 2 of the Adelaide tour was set to be aggressive beyond belief with only three stages and Budget Forklifts only 16 seconds behind on GC it was on the line for young and old. 160km around the undulating Adelaide hills, I honestly had no idea how far I could go with the bunch especially with all that has happened in the past weeks. 

The race started at a sensible pace for once and with 160km on the cards so I was happy to sit in. Constant attacks coming from Budget Forklifts and Huon Salmon Genesys the pace sat around 50kph as Euride put their whole team on the front to look after their small lead. The pace up the climbs was quite steady as Euride didn't want to blow any of their 'flatlanders' too early in the race. Milling around the front of the bunch there were a few people pushing me around the bunch because they were trying to line the team up behind me. Sitting on the back of the Euride train the touches were happening more and more often honestly making me want to hit someone. Every touch was on my hips where I had my stitches or road rash from crashing. As we headed up the climb and through the feed station for the first time the pace picked up as everyone wanted to be first onto the dirt. Euride led around the corner, no crashes but a few people dropping wheels on the unfamiliar surface. All of a sudden the ride seemed to become a little rockier, a quick look down and move straight to the left of the road, get off the bike, change all the way down the cassette, take the wheel out and wait for a replacement. I did have Budget Forklifts stop offering me a spare wheel but alas 11speed cassettes won't work on a 10speed derailleur. Eventually my team car reached me changed the wheel and I was back on my way. Chasing along the second dirt section was a dream, so many laps across that section and sitting on 60kph was what I was used to. Soon I joined the convoy, worked my way through and back into the bunch just after the finish line to begin the second lap. 

Much the same as the first lap except this time a break established so there was less surging than before. Trying to stay up the front wasn't easy work but easier than moving to the back then chasing back to the front and repeating the process over and over again. This lap for me was so much smoother and a lot less effort which was welcomed. The next lap and a half flew by and I think the first time in the race I looked down and actually read my Garmin, we had done just over 130km in just under 3 hours. 

The final time through the feed station no one really needed a bottle for the last 6km but for some reason people still took food and trying to dodge a rolling 'hand grenade' a few guys went down on the left side of the road. Everyone went everywhere trying to avoid the prang, the extra effort to get going again put my legs into cramp territory (the moment when you know you're going to cramp soon). All of a sudden the legs locked up and I put it in reverse and just tried to get over the final climb on the road before the final two dirt sections. Strava shows that the climb was only 15% except for the last lap where something went wrong, then again the climb did feel like the 34% Strava is displaying. Last section of dirt and then the race was over just rolling in about 5:45 behind the main peloton. Happy to have finished the days racing and impressed with how hard I pushed myself and still managed to hold on until so close to the end. 

Adelaide Tour Stage 1

Wow!! What a way to come back. Today saw the start of the Adelaide Tour, stage 1 was a technical teams time trial down Gorge road, starting in Cuddlee Creek and finishing at the after the roundabout at the bottom, all up a windy 21km race. Riding for my hometown sponsors of Team Lightsview we had local knowledge on our side. 

Warm ups started for each of the guys on the team at close on half past ten, with a quarter past eleven starting time we had just enough to get in a good warm up which was certainly needed. Warmed up, signed on and lined up ready to leave, as soon as we were on our way it was the first climb of the day. Not too steep but hard enough to lose time if not prepared. As we reached the top everyone was pulling good turns, I led through the winding section and with a team of locals who ride the road weekly there was no dropping wheels. Taking tight lines around every corner and keeping the hands away from the brakes we held our pace through each bend. Climb two of the day was where the legs were tested for the first time, keeping a solid pace everyone was able to stay together and roll onto the third climb. Tristan Jones, Michael Stallard and Russell Van Hout were the front three with some of the guys starting to drop the wheel as the heart rate began to rise. 

We moved through the rolling hills keeping the pace pretty high, knowing that soon there would be some respite everyone pushed well into the red to maintain contact. Next section of the course was the descent, it's fast, winding and a bit intimidating if you haven't seen much of the road before. Pushing speeds into the mid 80's, there's not a lot faster to rev. Across the bridge and the road starts to flatten out and so begin the hairpins, all of the guys held single file so well that no one lost any ground around the corners. The 'km to go' signs started to fly by pretty quickly. As I saw 1km to go, I put myself on the front and pushed until there was nothing left with the simple hope that we had saved some time. Turn right around the outside of the roundabout and sprint for the line. 

You could tell by everyone's faces that they had put everything into the ride. Sitting 2nd out of 3 teams the results could have gone any way, team after team came through some faster some slower. Slowly we were pushed down the order to 6th place in the end. A hugely impressive ride by a team where 7 of the 8 riders have a full time job, 50% of the team being eligible to ride masters and many with wives and families. A massive congratulations to all of the guys for an awesome ride today. We beat some good teams today and can only go up from here with more horsepower to joining the team. On behalf of the whole team I'd like to thank Michele Primaro, Steve Nash, Duncan Lock and Alan Miller for all of the time and support they have put into the team. Also thanks must go to Lightsview, Corsa Cycle Centre and Cervelo for helping the team and getting us to where we are today. 

Congratulations to SA locals Euride Racing for taking the win ahead of Budget Forklifts and Huon Salmon - Genesys for filling the podium respectively. The next two days are going to be good so stay tuned.

No one ever wants to be forced to miss a race

We packed everything into bags just roughly enough to fit everything in the car, as we arrived at Brisbane airport to swap from our 8-seat van to a 12-seat bus and a trailer. At the same time we picked up Chris and Melinda Harper as well as Travis Frisby who all joined the team as we planned to head west. Two and a half hours of 'getting to know you' and a bit of sleeping later we had arrived in Toowoomba for our next tour. For most of us this was to be our second NRS tour, so not quite used to everything that goes on and with no real support team around us, the experience was slightly different than racing for any of the bigger teams.

Again we had to unpack the bikes from our bike bags, put them back together and then get out for a ride to help the legs recover from the previous tour. Just out following our senses until it was time to use google maps to get ourselves back to the house, I could say for myself that I was really hoping to get the legs started was tough. Heading home and with only one kilometre to go we had a slight problem, I had a car pull out in front of me. Lots of yelling and pain later the ambulance arrived later to find me laying on the ground. Everything was happening so quick with paramedics testing me and asking questions before loading me into the back of the ambulance and rushing me into the hospital. I Thought I'd still be fine to race, feeling bruised with the usual gravel rash on one hip it seemed that everything could be alright, until all the news came at once and I knew racing wasn't an option. My bike had been snapped in three places so there was no bike to ride, then the doctor came in and had a look at what I thought was a corky on my left leg only to tell me I had taken a twenty cent piece size chunk out of my leg and I would need stitches. After that it was obvious, no racing for me. Arriving back to the house everyone was a massive help, juiced up on pain killers and barely being able to walk the guys really helped out with everything I needed.

The race started on Thursday with a rolling stage with William Walker taking a very good win and most of the guys finishing in the lead bunch. Except for Dave Parsons who was unfortunately a casualty from the days racing, coming off early in the race and being taken to hospital to be patched up and also have stitches put in his lip. Stage two was set to be a day that helps decide GC, with the final climb taking place up Bunya mountain. Going to the second KOM then racing to get to the finish before the riders got there, I had to give Melinda a crash course in convoy driving as we were two cars off the back. We then left the peloton as they headed west and we went straight to the finish. The stage came down to a sprint finish, with Nathan Earle taking the win ahead of young talent Matt Clarke. Another early stage crash saw Veneziano Blefari rider Andrew Clarkson come down and he was third rider out of the race from our team, at this rate we weren't going to have anyone finish the tour.

Stage three was a team time trial and with no real time trialling prowess in the team the decision was made to take the ride as a recovery spin in preparation for the afternoon's stage four. The profile painted relatively flat picture, with no such thing as an easy NRS race reports told us that the whole day was spent in the gutter with only a group of forty forming the front bunch. As the peloton entered the final lap of Toowoomba's specially built crit course every single rider looked ruined but it was Team Polygon's Ben Grenda who had enough left in the tank to take the win. Luckily no one came off but we did have Travis Frisby retire from the race due to fatigue. The final stage of the tour was set on the edge of town around a 2.4km circuit. an attacking race but no one was allowed to get out of sight. In the end it was Neil Van De Ploeg taking the win.

The whole experience was one that I certainly won't go forgetting ever, the trip away was my first NRS race, my first big crash and one of the first times my horoscope has applied to life. I spent two weeks away with some great guys and I'll certainly be back to race NRS soon.

Lost to the Battle

Upon arriving in Brisbane, picking up the hire car, driving to our accommodation and putting our bikes together, I saw on channel 7's 'Morning Show' my horoscope for the week. As a cancerian, it was predicted that I would spend time and create bonds with people who I did not know and endure experiences that would leave me hungry for more.

I was to be guest riding with the Adelaide based Veneziano Blefari Cycling Team, a group of guys who I had never really met until the airport, and never really talked to besides organisation of the trip. We were first travelling south of Brisbane to race the 'Battle on the Border' before heading back to the airport to pick up two other riders and a parent to help drive the team bus for us, then heading inland to race the 'Tour of Toowoomba'.

Going in to The 'Battle on the Border' I knew that I was going alright seeing as only the week before I had finished 7th on GC at the 'Tour of the South West', but as this was my first race at an NRS level I planned to take baby steps to start with. We arrived at our beautiful accommodation organised by acting team manager Lachlan Ambrose, bikes were the first order of business. Beds were claimed by riders and bikes unpacked we began to have a look around the masterpiece that we would call home for the next week. A beachside, three story townhouse only 250m from the beach. A massive chapeau to Lachlan for booking the house without blowing the budget.

Every stage of Battle on the Border was flat out, no one was being allowed to get away whether on the flat or uphill the pace was on. Despite knowing this on the second stage I attempted to break away, successful for around ten minutes I was caught just before the base of the days first K.O.M., this is when I knew I made a mistake. The rest of the day was spent solo and stuck in 'Struggletown' and despite my best efforts, I was forced to DNF. Not quite the way I wanted to ride my first NRS tour but every event has a reason a moment to learn from. The rest of the tour I spent look out for the rest of the guys on the Veneziano Blefari team, making everything as easy as possible for the guys. A really good showing by every one in the team, very impressed with all the guys that rode especially seeing as this is the very first race ridden by the Veneziano Blefari team.

Battle on the Border Stage 1

Oh wow, that was a hard day in the saddle. The day started slowly with a 10 o'clock race start. As we were riding down the Pacific Hwy under neutral no cars were allowed to stop to service riders therefore the race was stopped so everyone was able to start together. 

As the race restarted I moved straight to the front hoping for a break to go away, after 10km of attacking and being bought back I started to feel like I was struggling so I made the conscious decision to move to the back and relax. As this is my first tour I decided to make sure that I actually finish. After around 30km there was shouting and screeching I looked up the road and headed for the grass, a motorbike that was trying to move through to the front of the peloton had apparently stalled collecting a few riders before falling over and taking down even more. I followed the wheel of William Walker through the thick grass and back on to the road to begin chasing the front group back. Soon after the race was neutralised so that everyone was able to rejoin the peloton. For around 10km the race rolled through town after town with people parked on the side of the road taking photos as we passed by. Up and over the KOM was very quick the pace was touching on 30kph as we climbed up and over the hill towards the turn around. The pace seemed to steady as the road flattened out sitting on close to 45kph until we headed back over the KOM in the reverse direction. Second time over the KOM was in fact the steeper side yet the pace was no different. With a break of twelve establishing themselves over the top of the climb and that was the break for the day. As we descended towards the finishing climb the peloton stretched into a single file and just try to hold on. The road started to climb skywards and everyone started to slow. As this sort of terrain isn't really my cup of tea I decided to back off and climb a steady tempo to the top. This in turn played into my favour, towards the end of the climb I found myself creeping past person after person. As I reached the top I put in just a little dig to get myself past another four riders, overall it may not seem like much but it is a small person win. 

All in all the first day of racing of my first NRS tour was a seriously hard day. Time to recover and get ready for the next three days of racing.