Tour de Perth Stage 2

You bloody ripper!! Stage two of the Woodside Tour de Perth welcomed all 150 riders to Kalamunda with some stunning weather, perhaps become a little warmer than ideal as we edged closer to the end of the race. 116km’s around an undulating course saw the pace on from the start and it continued that way until the very finish. 

As soon as the neutral section had finished attacks flowed thick and fast with a lot of the smaller teams hoping to get themselves in the days move, it wasn't until the first time up the KOM climb did a move start to stick. With four riders up the road the bunch eased on the quicker parts of the course, while Drapac and Avanti hammered it up the climbs hoping to string the peloton out and the consistent attacks by Drapac popped guys lap after lap. After four of seven laps a small group of nine moved away, the break got as far as two minutes up the road and as close as 100m alas they stuck to their guns and stayed away for the win. Meanwhile back in the peloton everyone was constantly jostling for position as the road headed up and down, surges came more and more often as another attack moved up the gutter only to be bought back half a minute later. Eventually the elastic band broke on the second last climb of the day and the peloton shattered, guys were taking risks to make it back to the bunch and ended up in a ditch while others like myself sat up with the knowledge that I was happy with my performance and it was time to spin the legs in order to get ready for tomorrows time trial. 

The stage was won by Tim Roe of Budget Forklifts solo 22 seconds ahead of Travis Meyer in second place. The best AWS result was Rhys Gillett taking 10th following James Rendall’s 5th place yesterday. The team is off to a good start so far this year and the morale within keeps improving as we progress. Tomorrow see’s the tour travel to Rottnest Island for a 20km Time Trial, although the cream has risen to the top the time trial will ultimately decide the overall placings. Legs are feeling good so hopefully I can pull out a good time as well. A tough and certainly draining day all round but thats why I love this sport.

Tour de Perth Stage 1

A twilight criterium around the harbour-side town of Fremantle set the scene for the opening stage of the Tour de Perth as well as the beginning of the National Road Series calendar. The 6:30pm start meant the race would be predominantly ridden under lights set up around the course, something rarely seen on the Australian race calendar. 

From the gun it was on as always happens in every NRS race but this time it wasn't about establishing an early break or controlling the front of the field, no, it was about staying away from everyone else. Staying safe was paramount and as usual being the opening race of the year everyone was on edge and some even willing to come off just to move up a few places. Holding good position in the top 10 of the field a crash went down behind and close to half the field stopped to take a lap out, next lap around everyone jumped in front and suddenly I was right down the back having to fight my way back to the position I already had. Lap after lap people from the middle of the bunch were either dropping out or dropping themselves, chasing the peloton back took a toll on my legs and with 4 laps to go I threw the towel in and let the elastic band snap, with three days to go and racing more suited to me to come there are more chances for me to do well.

The finish saw a very messy sprint resulting in a crash described by team mechanic Stu Sanders as “one of the worst I’ve ever seen in all my years”, ultimately the race was taken by Will Clarke. One stage down and three to go, hopefully everyone's fallen off and doesn't feel like needing to lay the bike down anymore. 

'The Lions' Ride in 2014

With the National Road Series kicking in less than a weeks time, I decided to get the camera (iPhone) out and give everyone out there a quick run-down of the African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team (AWSCT)  bike for 2014 including all the customisations we as riders are able to choose from. 

Frame: Cannondale SuperSix EVO

The frame of choice for the AWSCT is Cannondale’s SuperSix EVO frame in a red colour scheme to match the team kit. Cannondale as with all bike manufacturers have many technical terms for certain aspects of their frame like Cannondale’s ‘Speed Save’ fork and rear triangle along with Cervelo’s BBright concept, all truth be told this is the best bike I have ever ridden. 

I’m riding a 48cm frame, combining the small triangles with a short wheelbase the SuperSix EVO handles like its on rails and responds as soon as requested. Cornering becomes as simple as just leaning in and follow the front wheel knowing you're heading in the right direction. With such a small frame stiffness and comfort start to butt heads, but somehow Cannondale have combined the two to almost perfection. The ride is fast and smooth, without loosing the feeling that you are in fact riding a bike, you feel all the lumps and bumps in the road but there’s on teeth shattering judders or shakes when out on dead roads. With such a comfortable ride, my first time on the bike I was afraid I was going to be spending 2014 on a noodle, as soon as I kicked for the first time upon my steed I took off and it was love. Yes the bottom bracket is stiff but most manufacturers are putting a lot of technology into their bottom brackets, the biggest surprise was the stiffness of the head tube. As well as attributing to the responsiveness of the frame, the quick whip as soon as you pull on the bars and put the power down it’s almost a case of just trying to hold on as the bike just wants to keep accelerating. 

An absolutely awesome frame by Cannondale and a great base to build a bike on.

Groupset: SRAM Red 22

Being a Shimano man through and through, I immediately discounted SRAM as a group set all up until I rode it for the first time and I was an instant convert. SRAM’s ‘zero-loss’ and ‘double tap’ technologies are brilliant. Being a sprinter a good downshift is paramount to the craft, the SRAM zero-loss shifting moves under minimal effort and the crisp, solid changes gave me the confidence to keep pressure on the pedals while changing with the knowledge that I each tap of the shifter will put me in the next cog no fuss. With whispers of new technologies coming from the SRAM factory before the end of the year, I’m excited to see what they bring next. 

Wheelset: ENVE Classic 45 with Ceramic Speed upgrades

A dream set of wheels for any cyclist the AWSCT is rolling on ENVE’s Classic 45 clinchers as training wheels with one small difference. Ceramic Speed has swapped all DT Swiss hub bearings for their ceramic bearings, not only does this decrease internal rolling resistance but ceramic bearings last up to 5 times longer than normal steel bearings. With such a quality wheel set to train on there is no need to change to race wheels when we get to club races, however when racing the Australian National Road Series we have the option to change to some of the worlds most sort after wheels. ENVE’s collaboration with world renowned aerodynamicist Simon Smart created the ENVE SES line and when competing against the nations best the AWSCT will be rolling on these SES tubular wheels, the best part is it feels like cheating. I’ve never ridden anything like them, crosswinds don’t seem to have an affect on handling and they roll like nothing else. 

Contact Points: Fi’zi:k

Contact points are by far the most important part to any cyclist as it determines the position and really just how comfortable you are on the bike, this is also where each of the guys on the team got to pick and choose parts to personalise their bike. Fi’zi:k’s new spine concept technology was used as a guideline for each of the riders before incorporating personal preference. The spine concept takes into account flexibility and categorises you into Snake (flexible spine), Chameleon (medium spine) or Bull (rigid spine), which from there suggests the most suitable cockpit components for you. For myself I am on the Cyrano R3 handlebar made for Bull as it offers the shortest drop and reach which is a preference among most sprinters. My saddle of choice is the Antares R1 with braided carbon rails which falls under the Chameleon category but personally offers the correct sit bone width for me. To top it off the AWSCT has been provided with Fi’zi:k Cyrano R3 stem and seatpost combinations to unify the build. 

As well as contact points on the bike Fi’zi:k has provided their top of the line Uomo R1 high performance shoe worn by many of the professional riders such as David Millar and Rohan Dennis just to name a few. With a mouldable insole for comfort, carbon sole providing strength and a Kangaroo Leather/Nylon Mesh upper for cooling and a bit of national pride, I can see why these shoes are chosen by some of the worlds best. These shoes are noticeably stiffer than market competitors especially when it comes to those all out efforts, while still offering comfort for those long days in the saddle.

Computer: Powertap Joule GPS

That’s right, it’s not a Garmin. There are other manufactures of bike computers out there and the Powertap Joule GPS is on par for your everyday rider but if you do more than just upload your ride to Strava hoping you went faster than your mate then, the Joule is what you want. I’ve found that the Joule offers more on bike feedback and data whilst riding, and when paired with Powertap’s Poweragent (free download from Powertap website) after ride analysis becomes even more in-depth. It may also be a small thing but the curved screen doesn't collect your sweat when riding and seeing as it isn't a touch screen, when you wipe sweat away you dont get the change of screens or accidentally pause your ride, after all a computer is a computer but these small one percenters make training with the Powertap Joule GPS just that bit more enjoyable and easier than their market counterparts. 

Accessories

I’ve taken you through the big picture parts but its some of the small parts that set us apart from the rest. For example, Lezyne has provided bidon cages, saddle bags, pumps and repair kits to make sure that when we puncture, everything is taken care of to get us back on the bike in mere minutes. Gommitalia has provided the rubber that keeps us stuck to the road with their Logo tire for training, which I also use for club racing due to its reliability and stickiness. For big races the AWSCT glues Gommitalia Espresso tubulars to its ENVE SES wheels for the best performing race wheels. 

Ultimately in my eyes the AWSCT can only be described as one of the countries best equipped teams, while still a young team there is no shortage of talent so watch out for the ‘Lions’ this year, I already feel like it’s going to be a good one. I hope this quick run down has given an insight into the bike behind the African Wildlife Safaris Cycling Team. Keep an eye on this blog as I’ll be writing something new after each Victorian Road Series and National Road Series race I participate in over the year starting Wednesday 26th March with the opening NRS round in Perth.