Super cool ride.....

Whilst out for a coffee one morning in Northcote recently I spied this super cool cruiser by Felt. I loved the military styling, which included panniers. Note on the back is a copy of the current issue of Ride Magazine.

The bike itself is a Hydroform Steel tank frame with Alloy rims and a three speed hub. The light is fully funtional and runs off battery power.

The owenr of the bike got it imported by a bike shop in Brunswick.

Felt, I salute you!

Spotted in Coffs Harbour

I strongly recommend you read the article in the current issue of Ride Magazine on cycling in Coffs Harbour. The article was written by my good mate Matt Vagg, pictured in his one off cuctom orange LAID Cycling kit.

7 Peaks Alpine Challenge

As you wind down for the weekend and ready yourself for the challenges ahead, be it a roll along Beach Road, or maybe even an assault on the Dandenong's; keep this in the back of your mind for the rest of summer.

Summer 7 Peaks Alpine Challenge
It's like taking a step into the life of a Tour De France rider riding through the high mountains, but without the expense and importantly this is open to riders of all ability.

Over the Summer of 2011/12, specifically between 28 October 2011 and 31 March 2012, you take on as many of the following climbs as possible:

• Mt Baw Baw
• Mt Buffalo
• Mt Buller
• Dinner Plain
• Falls Creek
• Hotham
• Lake Mountain

As the 7Peaks website says "simply choose your climb, complete the ride and validate your effort with a stamp. Return your boarding pass and you will go into the draw for each peak completed." The added incentive to complete four of the seven is you automatically go into the draw to win a one week trip for two to the 2012 Tour De France guided by Australia's first ever Malliot Jaune, Phil Anderson. There are prizes available for every climb you complete.

Full information, including entry details are available from the 7peaks website. So why not register, give it a go and you could be off to Paris to watch Cadel defend his title!

Extra info:
You can download the 7Peaks iPhone App to monitor your climb.
A great blog about Victoria's great climbs and to encourage you is "The Climbing Cyclist"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CLIMBS
Mt Baw Baw
Distance: 6km
Rise: 718m
Avg Gradient: 13%
Max Gradient: 20%

Mt Buffalo
Distance: 41km
Rise: 1,095m
Avg Gradient: 5%
Max Gradient: 11%

Mt Buller
Distance: 48km
Rise: 1,214m
Avg Gradient: 4%
Max Gradient: 13%

Dinner Plain
Distance: 45km
Rise: 895m
Avg Gradient: 6%
Max Gradient: 11%

Falls Creek
Distance: 32km
Rise: 1,300m
Avg Gradient: 6%
Max Gradient: 10%

Hotham
Distance: 30km
Rise: 1,322m
Avg Gradient: 4.2%
Max Gradient: 18%

Lake Mountain
Distance: 22km
Rise: 902m
Avg Gradient: 4%
Max Gradient: 10%

The bikes we ride - Sexy Wilier

Rider: Mark

Bike: Wilier Izoard XP

Running gear: Shimano Ultegra 6700

Wheels: Pro-Lite Bracciano, shod in Michelin Pro-race 4 tyres

Any upgrades: Wheels, Specialized Toupe saddle, Look Keo Carbon pedals

Price: $3,000 plus extras, shhh don't tell the missus! [ed note: lets call it $2k in wife speak]

Why this bike?

I was looking for a nice weekend bike  so I could relegate my aluminium Avanti to commuter duties.  I knew I wanted carbon with minimum Ultegra-spec drivetrain, and something that wasn't run-of-the-mill.  No offense to all the Giants and Specialized riders out there, but I wanted something a little different!

Originally I was looking at the AR-series aero bikes from Felt as I loved the look of them, and they were at a competitive price point for their features (competing fairly against S-series Cervelos).  I delved further into bike reviews and patiently bided my time until the end-of-season sales began during the Tour de France.  This is when a few places began promoting the Wilier Izoard XP.  It's a completely different bike to the Felt but it piqued my interest after ticking quite a few boxes:

- Full carbon manufactured by Toray 

- Decent weight (around 7kg)

- Italian heritage but built elsewhere (just like the rider)

- Stunning colour scheme

I suffer poorly from "paralysis by analysis" and was inundated with reviews and reports and countless customer assessments of the bike.  On a whole they were coming back quite favourable, with the only downside being they weren't manufactured in Italy.  No big deal as I'm familiar with the build quality of other Italian commodities - Fiats, Alfas, parliament, etc.

A few phone calls were made and I ended up visiting Ivanhoe Cycles for a test ride. I was suprisingly fitted on a small-sized bike as the medium made me feel too stretched out.  The quick spin up and down the side roads near the shop were enough to convince me I had to have it!  It was nimble and comfortable, it ate up minor bumps with ease and felt rock solid out of the saddle.  Love at first ride!

My first proper ride was a 100km return trip from Elsternwick to Frankston and I got off the bike sporting a massive grin and less pain than expected as the position is much more aggressive than my weekday commuter.  I have since raised the saddle height by another inch and dropped the bars half an inch, I think I'm at the sweet spot now!

What would you change on the bike?

At the time I bought the bike, I also picked up a pair of Pro-Lite Bracciano wheels to replace the Fulcrum Racing 7's I was expecting.  To my surprise they came with the lighter and better 5's which have now been passed on to a fellow LAID rider.

It's always personal taste, but I changed out the Wilier-branded Prologo saddle straight away for an old faithful Specialized  Toupe.

Other than that, I've been extremely happy with the bike.  I love the cleanliness of the 6700-series Ultegra cockpit and the contact points have all been excellent.  Even the cork bar tape has stood up well during some less than favourable weather.

Kilometre count:

As it's my weekend bike, I've only ridden about 1,200km so far, but I look forward to many more fairweather kilometres in the future!

The bike before the upgrades (looks hotter now):

The bikes we ride - Merida

2010 Merida Scultura Evo 904

Rider: Serge

Frame: Carbon

Groupset: Shimano 105

Wheels: Fulcrum Racing 5 (upgrade from original)

Upgrades:

Plenty. Pretty much everything that the body touches. Not sue to the lack of quality, moreso to do with desire, pay rise and pesky Wiggle specials. These include:

- Saddle now Specialized Romin

- Pedals now Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL

- Handlebar tape with gel in it

- wheels, refer above

Kilometre count: Just over 3,500km

Why this bike?

I didn't want a bike that everyone had (e.g. Giant), couldn't afford Specialised and Merida is the second biggest manufacturer of bikes (and partly owned by Specialized). Add to that the specs were brilliant for me, but most important was a huge discount because of a sale. It spoke to me and whispered "BUY ME".

What would you change about the bike?

Not a lot at the moment. I am really happy with it. I guess I would like to add the missing piece of the puzzle; a Garmin 500 bundle.

Bikes on film...in New York

It's the little things that excite, but when it's feature length I get uber excited. A couple of cool, yet different flicks featuring bikes:


Bill Cunningham New York (Doco) - a tale of a man, his bike, his camera and fashion in New York - in selected cinema's now.



Premium Rush (drama) - released 1 March 2012

Connect East Ride for Home - Team time trial

4:45am and I was awake before my alarm just waiting for the minutes to tick away. Eventually the time came to get up and the adrenaline was racing through my body as I leapt to my feet. Now, I am not a morning person, but for the first time in an age I was walking around with a smile on my face before the sun was up. The Hanover Connect East Ride for Home was the drawcard; a 75km team time trial on a closed Eastlink.

Perfect surfaces and perfect conditions with not a breath of wind and mild temperatures would greet the rides, but for now I had to go through my checklist to ensure I had everything. Riding jacket, contact lenses, phone and camera. Yep, all packed and ready as I drove out east at ridiculous o’clock. What? Confused by no riding gear, let alone a bike on my checklist?......nope, unfortunately for me I was not riding today; I was team photographer for the Transurban Torpedos which included a few of the LAID Cycling family.

So my day was a multi sport even. Run, snap, run, navigate, drive, rethink, drive, walk, run snap, then back home and download. After pre ride pictures and capturing the start, my day of challenges began as I rolled up to points on the ride only to find out that the juggernaut that were the Torpedo’s had already past. The pace was fast and furious and I needed to adjust my plan, eventually catching up with the team on the return journey at Thompsons Road near Cranbourne. The day of a photographer is far less exciting than that of the cyclist so I will spare you the details. A cyclist’s day however is far more exciting and LAID’s own Mark Maiolo will take you into the eyes of the cyclists on the 75km journey.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------



TEAM TRANSURBAN - THE TORPEDOS

 2008 Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre says of time trialling: "It is simple - first you have to learn how to suffer, then you just turn the pedals".

As simple as it may be, it is most definitely not easy - it's a challenging pursuit of your physical and mental stamina, and a test of your ability to balance performance and endurance. Surround yourself with nine other similarly-suited compatriots, and you've got yourself a maelstrom of spinning carbon, all hurtling together towards one common goal.

The 2011 Hanover ConnectEast Ride for Home is a unique experience in Melbourne, (if not Australia) - a freeway is shut down to traffic to allow cyclists to ride it's 75km length, including the traversal of two tunnels plunging beneath Ringwood's Mullum Mullum creek and it's resident platypuses and koalas, who would be blissfully oblivious of the heaving and panting of thousands of riders slogging it out to raise money for Hanover's homeless support services.

The Transurban Torpedoes were entered into the Team Challenge, and faced up against 42 other teams. After an amazing fundraising drive, we managed to raise $5100 for the cause, and placed us third on the starting grid as one of the top fundraisers - a huge effort before the starting gun was even fired. We approached the starting line full of anticipation and nerves, and a sly grin after the emcee thanked us for closing the road (even though it is owned by a competitor) - side note: kudos to the Transurban marketing team.

We were sent on our way and crossed the starting mat - game on! 

David Duieb took off, vying for the first turn at the front as we all started to find our pace and position within the group.  We quickly formed a single pace line head to tail behind him as he heaved and panted up the first rise and onto the freeway proper.  90 seconds later, as David struggled with the fast pace he tried to set, he pulled off to allow the diesel locomotives of Heath Allen, Peter Osborne, Serge Krepak and Nigel Kimber to tow us along. As our legs warmed up and our confidence grew, so did our pace and we were soon charging along at 40+km/hr with a wonderful tailwind, racing towards the Frankston turnaround point. There was not much banter as everyone was in the zone, regulating their efforts and following the wheel infront, trying to save every ounce of power for the long haul. Fellow LAID Cycling team member Serge Krepak kept the mood high, encouraging each rider on as they rolled off from their turn up the front, exhausted but eager to get us home as quick as possible.

The turnaround point arrived sooner than expected which boosted our confidence. We were on target to achieve a supersonic time and charged along into the headwind with the slight uphill return leg. A cat-and-mouse game formed as we raced alongside the two Flemington Institue of Sport teams, and I must say we Torpedoes easily outclassed them in style, formation, and ravishing good looks. The rotating turns at the front became shorter as extra energy was required to push into the wind, and slowly the efforts began taking their toll (pun intended).

Onward we forged as our team of ten became eight, and then seven as we neared the daunting tunnels and efforts began expiring. Special mention goes to Brian Senghpa for his ability to power on while reliving his breakfast for the second time - the Jens Voigt hard man award goes to you! The tunnels approached and our top speeds were reached as we hurtled towards the bottom-most point of the Mullum Mullum tunnel and had to climb up the other side. Heath Allen, Peter Osborne and Mark Maiolo all latched on to Nigel Kimber's wheel as we climbed to the turnaround point and then let gravity take over again as we entered the Melba tunnel and the final stretch of the race. Four became three as Peter popped, Heath zoomed past on the descent, and Nigel and Mark regrouped with him on the climb to the finish line.

The stopwatches stopped the clock at a touch over two hours for the first finishers, and the team's time was captured on the sixth finisher Mark Byrne's time of 2h03'38 - an amazing time which beat last year's result by well over ten minutes - well done team!

A recovery banana and bottle of water allowed us to remenisce on the effort, and congratulate everyone for working so well as a team. The official results are out and we have finished amongst the middle of the field - not a bad effort considering the pointy end of the field hosted Australian time trial champions and a plethora of dedicated time trial steeds!

After the event a finisher said "To be honets I'm feeling a little sad knowing that this amazing race will not be on for another 12 months; although on the other hand this allows me 12 months to train to beat the two hour mark next year."

A special mention must go to Teresa Thai for her relentless efforts in organising the Transurban Torpedoes team - everything from fundraising and corporate communications, to the design of the team jersey - although you weren't riding with us, we wouldn't have been able to make a single pedal stroke without your work - thanks!

The last massive and most important thanks must go to all of who who donated money to us and a fantastic cause. All funds go to Hanover who help break the cycle of homelessness.

Some pictures by Ivan Dennis of the event follow:

MARK & SERGE. GREAT SHORTS AND ARM WARMERS ;)



SERGE, MARK, SUSAN AND NIGEL PRE-RIDE (6AM)

ROLLING TO THE START LINE

THE SMILING ASSASSIN, HEALTH LEADING THE CHARGE ~45KM IN

TROY CONCENTRATING HARD ON SMASHING THE PEDALS

PETER, THE WORKHORSE PULLING A TURN

ROAD TRAIN AT THOMPSON RD OVERPASS

Eastlink ride preview

The weather is looking a treat for Sunday's ride along Eastlink. Here's what lies ahead for the LAID Cycling riders who are riding for Transurban in the Team Time Trial.....Good luck

Winner

Congratulations to Duncan Mendez who is the winner of the arm warmers

Coffee's tribute to cycling

One of the founding members of LAID Cycling, Mark found this spectucular piece of art. Check it out.

Free.....for one of you!!!

Ruing the decision to back Americain in the Melbourne Cup, and pondering your losses? Well, hopefully I can put some of pain aside with a freebie?

On offer is one set of summer arm warmers (pictured) - prefect for the crisp morning rides. To win simply email me at laidcycling@gmail.com with your name and address. I will select a winner at random and post them out to you. The winner will also be posted on here.

In addition, orders are now been taken for the men's and women's LAID Cycling kit; tops and bib and brace shorts.....email me if you're interested in the introductory offer of $150 (plus postage and handling) for the lot.

Normal service shall resume soon.....

I'm relaxing here and will return to posting on 1 November......

2012 Tour De France course

The course has been released and there are some changes that may alter the outcome of next years tour.

The tour starts earlier on 30 June with the Grand Depart from Liege in Belgium.

The course has two less high mountain stages at only four with two being summit finishes compared to four last year. This may hamper the Schleck brothers and with this inclusion of two individual time trials in 2012 swing the advantage back to Cadel,Wiggins and even Contador. There will be no team time trial in 2012 with organisers opting for the return of the prologue.

The 2012 stats are:
- 3,479km - nine flat stages
- four medium mountain stages (one summit finish)
- five mountain stages (two summit finishes)
- two individual time trails
- one prologue

Map of the tour:

The bay conquered.......

A little prophetic of me to post the video of hideous conditions late last week in reference to the Around the Bay in the Day. Not deterred by the storm clouds and buffetting winds the LAID Cycling crew rolled out in their eye catching kit for the 210km (counter clockwise).

Man on the spot Mark 'Woof' Maiolo relives the journey.

Think of a number. Any number.
Nup... higher.
Keep going.
Higher!
Have you reached 33,082 yet? Ok you're done.

Now have a think about that number. It's quite a bit, isn't it?

Thirty three thousand and eighty two. That's how many pedal rotations I made in our 210km jaunt for the 2011 BUPA Around the Bay ride.

What this number can't convey though, is the highs and lows of weather, comfort and emotion that came along with seven hours of riding, nine hours out on the road, and many months of preparation.

We woke at 4am to greet a mild morning as we slid into our gear and loaded our saddle bags and jersey pockets with repair kits and enough nutrition to keep us sustained for the day. A 5am roll-out from Elsternwick allowed us time to warm the legs, collect a few more mates waiting for us at the Arts Centre and claim a position towards the front of the starting area. By the time we crossed the official start line, we were ahead of thousands of equally eager riders, pain-free and full of optimism.

As always, mass-starts can be a little dicey for the first few kilometres, but we made it through incident free. The only exception being the extremely slow rider complaining about people unsafely passing on his left, while he was positioned to the very right of the lane. Give this guy a Nobel prize for logic. Or maybe a Darwin Award.

Before we knew it, we were at the base of the Westgate Bridge and the sight of an ascending road got the juices pumping for our resident Tasmanian mountain goat Phil - onward and upward he surged and we overtook many riders as we huffed and heaved to the top of the bridge. We didn't get much of a chance to savour the views from the bridge's zenith before zooming back down and commencing the long grind into the wind towards Geelong.

I can't tell you much about the next 60 kilometres, besides the fact they were tough and long. Heading directly into the wind we pushed hard and worked amongst a group of 10 or so equally eager riders, rolling turns to push the pace and each take our time in the wind. LAID Cycling looked a treat at the front of the peloton, doing the badge proud as they forged ahead in the blowy conditions. The town of Geelong was a welcome respite and the views of the water lifted our spirits. Coming out the back of Geelong we were presented with a most welcome tailwind and a dead-straight road. At this stage, Rob's eyes lit up and was chomping at the bit to lay the hammer down.

Now let me take a moment to tell you about Rob. If you were to put Rob's thighs side-by-side with a tree trunk, the tree trunk would be shitting itself. This bloke is a powerhouse! His background is in track racing and time trialling, so this segment of road was made for him. He soared past and yelled out "jump on!" so we caught his wheel and comfortably raced along at speeds nearing 52km/hr. Needless to say, the trip to Queenscliff was more pleasant and we arrived at the ferry stop just before 10am. Through our huge efforts and teamwork we just managed to squeeze onto the boat before it departed - beating last year's time by nearly one and a half hours. That's huge in anyone's book! 110km down, 100 to go.

The 40 minute ferry ride gave us time to stretch out, grab a decent feed and reflect on our efforts so far. Surprisingly the optimism was still very high and we took the time to realise how much we've exceeded expectations already. The home stretch is a familiar route and the plan was to take it easier, enjoying the ride considering we'd made up so much time on the outbound leg.

We stuck to the 'take it easy' plan by rolling off the ferry and straight to the nearest cafe for a preparatory cafe latte. The coffees were finished and the drizzle started so we clipped in and started on our homeward leg. Ten minutes of warm-up spinning saw us get into a comfortable rhythm before Rob transformed into the TT-Man again - and again we jumped on his wheel and held 45km/hr along Point Nepean Road through Rosebud and Mt Eliza, but stretched out as we went skyward into Mount Martha. The top of the climb afforded us a suitable rest point to regroup and roll down into Frankston via Oliver's hill - we're into familiar territory now boys, 50km to go!

Familiarity of surroundings brought a sense of relief that we are close, ohhhh so very close to the finish line although to some home was still too far to dream about. With 160 km completed Serge (pictured above looking like he completed the Paris-Roubaix), the old fellow Puppa, was also pushing his own pain thresholds with back spasms, stomach cramps and seat rash in the nether region. A million thoughts pass through ones mind at that stage including giving up, going home, getting off the bike, stopping .... but as the good LAID jersey says “Pain is temporary, quitting is forever”... we all shared his pain in the ass and peddled on with kilometres counting down one by one.

The winds whispered to us "take it easy fellas, can't have you home too quickly..." as it gusted into our faces through Chelsea and Blackrock, slowing our pace considerably. The extra effort required to push into the wind burnt up our calories and we started flagging - we're on the home stretch so hopefully the legs and lungs and heart will keep us forging ahead. With each pedal stroke we made it closer and closer to the finish line, and every so often the wind picked up to let us know who's boss.

We finally reached Pickles Street and turned away from the oceanic gusts along the Esplanade. A few hook turns later, and we were greeted by a cheer squad of Bicycle Network Victoria volunteers applauding us for our efforts and letting us know we're only one kilometre away from finishing. The emotions swelled and the excitement peaked as we took the final u-turn into the Alexandra Gardens and we crossed the line arm-in-arm, the sense of relief clear on our muddy faces.

So it's now nearly 24 hours since we finished the ride and the legs are still a bit sore, the eyes are hayfever-dry, and the legs are on the burnt side of tanned - not to mention the awesome burnt demarcation lines on my wrists and mid-bicep - it's going to take some work to even out these tan lines!

So what do you say, shall we try the 250km option next year??

Some ride pictures below:

Tough day ahead? not this tough.......

With many of the LAID Cycling crew heading out this Sunday to take on the Around the Bay in a Day ride I figure they'd need some inspiration.

With a challenging circumnavigation of Port Phillip Bay covering a total distance of 210km it will be tough, but as with Melbourne the weather is alway an element. So with that in mind and when things are tough on the journey and the wind is pushing you back; remember it's not anywhere near as bad as this......


Good luck to all riding in it this weekend - we will have a post telling the tale of the event early next week.

Ride to Cure Diabetes

Adelaide will host a ride during the heat of January to raise funds to cure diabetes. The Ride to Cure Diabetes is run by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and aims to raise around a million dollars to aide research for a cure.

It's a great cause, and a friend of LAID Cycling, Matt Baker has put his hand up for the ride. He and a few optimistic, community focused individuals are planning on embarking on the ride which will cover 160km through the Barossa Valley region.

It will certainly be a challenge as temperatures in January, during the ride, can get as high as 40 degrees and wind speeds of over 40kph. So it's no walk in the park (otherwise it would have been called the Walk in the Park to Cure Diabetes).

Fitness and heat aside the first challenge for Matt is to raise funds for the ride. He needs to raise $3,500 before January to attend this important event. So if anyone is interested in contributing to this cause, please click on the link below:

http://ride.jdrf.org.au/TeamANZ/MattBaker/

All donations, regardless of amount, take the JDRF closer to improving treatments, preventing new cases and ultimately finding a cure. So anything contributed will be very highly appreciated by Matt and the JDRF.

All donations will generate a tax receipt.

For more information on the ride, click here: http://ride.jdrf.org.au/

Eat free for a year.......

BREAKING NEWS:
Our friends at Home Dining Room have a fantastic competition on at the moment where you can win a dinner for two for an ENTIRE YEAR!

So drop in and see Glen and his friendly staff and enter. Who said there's no such thing as a free meal.

Home Dining Room
601 Burwood Road
Hawthorn
eat@homediningroom.com.au

** Offer includes 2 x mains, 2 x entree and 2 x desserts. All drinks, starters and sides will be charged

Transport evolution - commuter bikes

Every tram ride into work gets me thinking as I see the swelling in numbers of those who chose to ride each morning. The numbers are growing significantly; to the point where the number of bikes at the intersection of Swanston Flinders Streets waiting at the lights often out number cars and trams.

It’s an awesome sight each morning as the lights go green and the “peloton” takes off heading down St Kilda Road. There are all shapes and sizes, both in bikes and people all in the pursuit of.......well I’m not sure.

What is driving this change in behaviour? First instinct for many would be the “Cadel effect”, especially when bike shops were reporting boom trade during and in the wake of the victory at the Tour De France, but this is unlikely as the ground swell started much earlier with a 32 percent increase in people cycling in Australia since 2000.

I think it is a combination of factors that are at play such as public transport patrons disgruntled with inconsistent performance, employers improving facilities for storage and showering at work, environmental conscious citizens keen on reducing their carbon footprint and Melbournian’s on a quest to improve their health to name a few.

In 2009 the Federal Government invested $40million into the National Bike Paths Fund sighting that the “provision of high quality infrastructure costs a fraction of other transport modes“. Whilst this is a national focus, some change or improvement will filter down to Melbourne and it’s growing number of cyclists.

The Victorian Government support to develop bikes as a means of short trip vehicle was evidence by the installation of the Melbourne share bikes. This system works well in Europe; in particular Paris Parisians are never more than 300 metres away from a ‘Velib’ terminal and have between 50-100,000 users a day depending on the weather. Early data suggested that increased usage of the rental bikes also had a positive correlation in usage of bikes owned by individuals. In fact, this is where the largest increase in bike usage in Paris has come from.

All of these drive change, but for me one of the more significant elements locally has been the availability of low cost commuter bikes.

Melbournian’s are at the forefront of the fixie/single speed revolution here in Australia which other cities like Sydney are catching on to. If you want a piece of art like the bikes here (http://www.fyxomatosis.com/index.php/trackcnt) then you’ll need to pay some serious money. In reality you’ll need not drop thousands of dollars on a commuter bike; instead the prices I found ranged from $350-$600 depending on your desires.

This price point is appealing to all, whether it’s a second bike for the serious cyclist or even uni students. It is made even more attractive when you compare it to an annual zone one Metcard which is just over $1,200.

My wife and I are also caught up in this revolution, looking to dump the car for short trips in favour of the healthier bike option. We started shopping around and found that there was no shortage of options online and in the shops. One of the most appealing things was the ability to custom design your bike, thus creating a sense of uniqueness. Here is short list of sites where you can whet your appetite:

Brown Jersey - http://www.brownjersey.com.au
Chappelli - http://chappelli.com.au
Jelly Bean bikes - http://www.jellybeanbikes.com.au/
Reid Cycles - http://www.reidcycles.com.au/
Papillionaire - http://www.papillionaire.com.au/

Trying not to play favourites, but for us it will be hard to go past Papillionare and Reid cycles. I just think they give the best value.

We stumbled on Papillionare when looking to buy a gift on the Melbourne Wedding Registry. After playing around with designs and options on their website we decided we must go see these bikes in the flesh. I admit to getting caught up in the excitement of walking down an off piste cobble stone laneway to the shop, but their bikes have a sense of style and the vintage look was so appealing.

For me the build was fantastic and the three gears provided some options for my wife when encountering hills. For my wife it was all about the bike. She was sold; the vintage styling, the range of colours and the option of the basket on the front. It was like a little piece of Paris in Melbourne for her.

You can also check one out at one in the window of my favourite Melbourne bike shop - Northside Wheelers (http://www.northsidewheelers.com/), but be warned you will walk away wanting to buy more than just a bike.

The Reid Cycles shop is located over near the Vic Market. It’s a very simple exchange, pick the model, the wheels and the colour and you’re away. I managed to do a very quick test ride of the Reid Harrier and can tell you that I was more than happy given the price. It’s simple and clean looking although slightly heavy, but I’m used to bikes sub 8kg and this weighs in around the 10kg mark.

We will undoubtable be getting her a Papillionaire bike shortly, but for me I am torn between the Pappillionare and the Reid “Harrier”. It’ll come down to whether I want a single or three speed. Once we purchase the bikes I will put up some pictures and a more detailed review.

Join the evolution of transport in Melbourne and get on your bike. The more people who commute on bikes, the more likely the Government are to increase funding for bike paths. The added bonus of course is the health benefits and reduction in unnecessary obesity.

Worthwhile read:
Gears: One, Three or Twenty-One?
http://www.papillionaire.com.au/2011/08/gears-one-three-or-twenty-one/

Training ride

In preparation for the Around the Bay in a day a group is heading off for a training ride this Sunday.

Details:
Distance 120km
Departing from Elwood at 7am
Course: Elwood to Mornington and back via Mt Eliza or Arthurs Seat
Pace: ~30km/h

email laidcycing@gmail.com if you want more details

Flash mob - cycling style

Is this the new flash mob?

Tour de France video

The Tour de France as you've never seen it before:

The quiet Gorilla........

The 2011 Worlds have been run and won and the Brits have their first World Champion for 46 years. Mark Cavendish is certainly a worthy winner of the rainbow jersey, especially on a sprinters course, but what about the also rans?

Gossy is the future of Australian sprinting. He is of a different mould to past greats like McEwen. His victory in the Milan-SanRemo was a battle of attrition and strength. He managed to outlast some of the best in the world finishing ahead of Cancellara and Gilbert. His future is bright and after signing with GreenEDGE I look forward to seeing an Aussie team on the podium in their first season with Gossy’s hands held aloft.

Third place was taken by personal favourite of mine; Andre Greipel. The Gorilla most successful year to date was in 2009 where he had 20 victories, second only to the Manxman. This was an illustration of the dominance of the HTC team at the time with 41 stages wins by their two sprinters.

Coming off the back of the Tour Down Under victory in 2008 Andre was the favourite to take it out again in 2009. Despite being the favourite, Andre was once again bumped into shadows. The second coming of Lance 2.0 had arrived in Adelaide becoming the sole focus of any media.

Andre was like Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, always the bridesmaid, never in the spotlight. It‘s this exact reason that made him so appealing to follow.

His conversation is quiet, softly spoken and delivered with German precision. Friends and I had the opportunity to meet him in the middle of the crowds of the Unley Festival the night before the Unley stage. He was minding his own business but happy to give up his time to chat to us. Sure I was with some attractive women who made it easier for him to remember us, but the next morning he spotted us in the crowd at the start of the stage and made his way over to say hello and pose for a pic or two.

We wished him well, but unfortunately he crashed with a Police motorbike taking down a few other cyclists that day resulting in a dislocated shoulder forcing him out for 12 weeks. Despite this set back in January he went on to achieve the 20 stage victories for the year; including four at the Vuelta a Espana in which Cav did not ride.

With Cav usually the first choice sprinter for any Grand Tour, Andre never got his chance to unleash his power down the Champs Elysee. Every cyclist’s dreams of being part of the Tour De France and Andre was no exception. A switch from the powerful HTC team to the Omega Pharma-Lotto in 2011 would finally give him his chance.

Much of the talk early in the 2011 season was centred on the much anticipated clash between the Gorilla and the Manx Missile with the first outing being the 2011 Tour Down Under. Unfortunately the first hit out fizzled with Cav riding for the team rather than himself before crashing.

The two would meet again, finally in the Tour De France. Once again Andre was second fiddle to an on fire Gilbert who was lighting up the early stages of the tour. Slowly Gilbert moved down the GC and the Gorilla was let out of his cage. Stage ten of the race was a highlight for me as I watched (& screamed) as the apprentice outsprinted the master and Greipel took the tape winning his first Tour De France stage.

With a third place at the worlds to add to his already impressive list of achievements, the gentle giant has a growing fan base. People are starting to take notice and I personally look forward to watching the progress of this adopted Aussie over the next few years.

Tuesday: it's war out there.

A couple of weeks ago you may have read about the tale of a boy rolling out on the Tuesday Hell Ride in a quest to become a man (http://laidcycling.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post_07.html).

The tale was one of struggle as our GC contender Serge battled the speed, the elements and the lights to stay in touch with the runaway train; in particular on the return leg when the pace was ratcheted up and you had to ride on the rivet to stay on.

Defeated from the last attempt the plucky young lad decided to get back on the horse and have another crack, but this time with a secret weapon – shinny new wheels. Well not exactly new, but improved on what he had. Would the new Fulcrums be just the ticket to ride the train longer? Serge tells his story:

The stage was set for another attempt to do the Tuesday Hell ride. The temperature seemed ok, the early afternoon rain had passed by and most importantly the newly acquired Fulcrum wheels were on and waiting for a spin. As an aside I just love listening to the sound of them as they roll. So much so I am trying to work out a way for them to spin as I nod off to sleep - I digress.

Back to the ride. The legs weren’t feeling fully recovered from the 135 km to Dromana on the weekend despite research suggesting that all you need is 48 hours recovery. Anyway the show goes on so onward I had one goal in mind: stay with the bunch until Mordy and then hang on for your life for as long as I can....oh and don’t fall off the bike..... and.... don’t interfere with the big boys..... and generally just don’t do anything stupid !!

Sitting on my lovely Merida psyching myself up waiting for steam roller to arrive with a single thought .... “where are you pussies, I’m freezing here?” Seems the weather wasn’t too cold until you move, then stop...brrrrr.

It wasn’t too long before the bunch rolled past at exactly 6.41pm rolling at the standard pace of 40 km\h sweeping me up on the way like a war truck picking up the last soldier before heading into the battlefield.

The bunch was reasonable in size with another 40 odd riders looking to terrorise the good Samaritans through the streets of Brighton as they sipped their Sav Blanc’s before creating frustration on the already highly tense Beach Road peak hour traffic.

The cranks turning, wheels sounding spectacular and things were going oh so well on the ride until a set of lights went red. Forgetting who I was with I made the totally wrong presumption that the majority would stop. I slowed to a crawl only to realise that obviously sometimes red traffic light means ride at the speed of light to get through. The thought if feeling a bit lonely and exposed to the elements by myself meant it was either go hard and chase the bunch down or wait for the red light and roll on solo then go home. My ego kicked in and I wasn’t prepared to let go of the bunch just yet. The bulging pistons I call my quads pumped like no tomorrow and I chased .. and chased.. and as much as the big gears hurt, I eventually found myself back home at the rear of the peloton....hello boys, remember me!

I reached the halfway mark (Mordy) intact and in order to ensure the same mistake as last time was not going to happen, I did a U turn without unclipping the pedal and amazingly stayed onto the back of the peloton. The race back home began and the speed was on......

It was relentless, it was high powered, it was all big gear action and it hurt. The bunch were reaching speeds of 54 km\h and it was only a matter of how long I can last because at my fitness level this was as unsustainable as Charlie Sheen's drug habit.

People were spraying out the back of the bunch like bullets, lost for the evening. It was a war of attrition. The stronger riders used this pace to exert more pressure by moving up peloton, but for me, I just wanted to hang on for dear life.

Soon enough I had surpassed my last effort and made it to Black Rock. Mentally I paused in for a moment to pat myself on the back; I have achieved what I came out for .... a little further than last time. Satisfied with the achievement and dealing with the burning and pain from the effort I decided to fall off the back and said goodbye to the Tuesday Hell riders with a thanks for helping me this far.

With a smile on my face and enjoying the sweet sound of my new wheels I rolled back home reassured that I keep improving. I will be back and one day I won’t be dropped by the peloton. They all now know this, be warned.

Ride to Venice ( at the Rialto)

Cyclocross fail!

Garmin Edge 500 vs iPhone Strava App

“I’m a data addict”. Sad but true, my addiction for information is all consuming, but fortunately for me most of my appetite for information is fed by my day job as an Analyst. Like I said MOST!

Once an Analyst always an analyst though and as a result I still need to feed the beast that is my mind to gain insight through the use of data; even in my hobbies. So, it comes as no surprise that on a recent ride with my wife that I decided to do a comparison between my Garmin Edge 500 and the Strava application on the iPhone.

The aim was to satisfy my curiosity and to establish if the information gathered using the FREE Strava app was a) accurate and b) enough to satisfy my addiction therefore rendering the pricier ($250- $350) Garmin Edge 500 redundant.

The most obvious place to start is the price comparison; and on this occasion the iPhone app wins hands down. Assuming you have an iPhone the saving is up to $350 which you can put towards other toys, like new wheels, or a LAID Cycling kit and still have plenty of change left!!

STRAVA APPLICATION
The Strava app has the basics covered. It captures distance, ride time, average speed and elevation as well as plotting the ride route. The beauty of this tool is as soon as you hit stop on the ride it automatically uploads your ride to the Strava website. This allows you to compare your results against everyone else that has uploaded their rides.

Data useage on phones can be a potential catch, pushing you over your data cap and incurring a huge monthly bill. Strava indicate on their website that the GPS signal is received seperate from the 3G data which means you can use it here and overseas (assuming you have data roaming switched off) at no extra cost.

GARMIN EDGE 500
This is a case of you get what you pay for. The purpose built Garmin takes the next step having a fully integrated data set which includes all the basics mentioned above with the addition of; cadence, gradient, temperature, heart rate (Garmin 500 bundle) the list goes on. All of this allows the software to imply a power metric which whilst not 100 percent accurate is very handy piece of information.
You can upload the output onto the Garmin site, or alternately the Strava website which I personally find superior. Like with the iphone app you can compare your rides against your mates and everyone else.

THE RIDE:
I selected a short ride which was a 1.0km looped course with undulating terrain. I did seven laps at various speeds which included a unscheduled stop on one lap. It seems my wife’s helment is a magnet for Bee’s one of which stung her on the ear! The total distance covered was 7.1km.

COMPARISON:
Once I uploaded the Garmin data to the Strava website I did a comparison of both the outputs. What I got were two different results.

The distance covered was marginally different with the iPhone 200m shorter, but the big difference came with the profile of the ride. As illustrated below the iPhone struggled to capture the ride correctly.

The speed profiles were fairly similar, although the iPhone didnt quiet capture the rapid changes in speed as accurately. I put this down to the fact that it’s a phone and the processers are busy doing other functions like getting signal from communication towers. In addition there is a lot of movement as it was stored in my back pocket for the duration of the ride.

One of the major shortcomings of using the iPhone was the drain on battery. I started the ride with 42 percent power and finished some 20 minutes later with 26 percent. That’s not a ringing endorsement, especially if the phone is your only means of communication in case of an emergency.

I tested this on an old 3G iPhone, but a friend tested it on the 4G phone during the Kinglake ride and didnt have the same level of battery usage. For what it’s worth I stuggle to get through a day without having to recharge my phone so that could have an influence.

WHICH ONE?

I would undoubtedly stick with the Garmin as it gives me so much information and importantly it is accurate and reliable. Being a data geek that I am, this is of utmost importance to me as I am using the data as a yardstick for improvement.

The iPhone app has it’s place though. If I couldnt afford the Garmin or my Garmin was ever flat, or even if I was out on a social ride just curious about the distance I covered, then it would be great tool, but for me it’s Garmin all the way.

Mark at Kinglake....

Great ad from the Italians.....

The last piece of the puzzle....

The LAID Cycling bib & brace knicks have arrived!

The chamois is super padded and comfortable enough for the longer rides.

Who put the lake in the sky?

September 11 is a significant day in history for all, but for cyclists it was also the day they would pit themselves against the elements and the climbs to conquor the Genevese Kinglake ride. Facing some of the worst condidtions in a long time, the boys from LAID Cycling have the following tale of how event unfolded through the eyes of our king of the mountains, Mark "Woof" Mayo.

----------------------------

The good news is that the season of cycling has begun! The bad news is that it started in the worst conditions ever experienced on two wheels by yours truly.

We were promised a 40% chance of under 5mm of rain, so with that optimistic forecast we packed the bike carrier and made our way to the town of Whittlesea, host of the 2001 Genovese Kinglake ride - a 120km loop of stunning countryside 40km north of Melbourne, including the challenging 7.2km climb from St Andrews to the town of Kinglake.

With a crisp breeze greeting us in Whittlesea, we ummed and ahhed over clothing options and how much fuel to pack. As always, GC contender Serge felt the need to pack half a GNC store into his jersey pockets, which in hindsight was probably a wise idea. Little did we know how much energy we'd be expending simply staying warm.

We shuffled into our start zone and queued through the gate to begin the ride. At this stage there were smiles all round with lots of cheery banter between the lads. At this stage we were all dry and relatively warm.

The pace was quite moderate for the first few kilometres, and gradually increased through the sweeping roads of Athurs Creek and St Andrews, occasionally punctuated by a short, sharp hill. The first major challenge to greet us was the cheeky pinch of Wild Dog Creek - a climb that Phil Gilbert would spin in the big ring without breaking a sweat, but found us busting lungs in granny gears just to reach the top. We re-grouped and re-fuelled at the top before another short descent and onto the main climb for the day.

It was at this stage that the weather started to turn. Dampness on the road created a few hairy situations on the tighter turns, and didn't instill much confidence in many people's group riding ability. Nevertheless we reached the start of the ascent and everyone found their zone and spun their way to the top (some faster than others).

Another welcome respite greeted us at the town of Kinglake where we regrouped once again. The moment we found a shelter, the heavens opened and solid rain pounded the town. The sound of the drops over the tin rooves was enough for the voice in my head to shout "f*ck this" and I was seriously considering taking the shortcut 70km route option to get us out of this torment as soon as possible.

The locals were bemused at why cyclist would put themselves through this. With the rain hitting the roof and temperatures well below desireable a freezing cyclist begged the question on everyones mind "is there a warm fire around here somewhere?" With briliant timing and delivery came the response from a local "nah mate, we put those out a few years ago". You couldn't help but muster a smile.

After hearing from a resident weather expert pointing at his iPhone saying "it'll pass soon ands that's it for the day" Serge had made up his mind. So, in the first showing of Serge's single-minded desire to claim the "most combative" award he announced his intent to complete the full 120km route. Serge was full of hope and regurgitating the experts advice said "We'll take it easy, this weather should break soon anyway". Famous last words on both statements.

"We'll take it easy" soon transpired into a heated 45km/hr zoom between Kinglake and Glenburn. Every attempt to jump onto Serge's wheel resulted in another push of the pace, further increasing the speed and the heart rate. Thankfully the rain had stopped by this stage, but disappointingly it had been replaced with missiles of ice in the form of hail. The pinging sound of each ballistic as it hit our helmets drove us onwards. We were halfway now so there is no turning back!

We pulled into the rest stop at Glenburn to wring out our gloves and booties. We were saturated from head to toe and the sentiment from riders around us was of sheer disbelief that we were continuing in this weather! We witnessed a few fallen comrades that succumbed to the weather, now wrapped in blankets and trying to get core temperatures out of the frozen zone. Many thanks to the SES volunteers manning this station for all of their assistance and smiles in such adverse conditions!

From here on, it was a non-stop express to the finish line. No more breaks and no more words - it was all business now! It took a while to get the pace back up and felt like a constant battle against lungs and legs to keep going. The ever-present hail and rain soaked us again, and stung our faces as it pelted us from above. Every kilometre that ticked over was a minor victory against the elements, and one step closer to a warm change of clothes and a hot meal.

The following 20kms seemed to roll into one as we trundled past the Flowerdale rest stop. Another 10kms to go until we plateau'd at the top of the Flowerdale climb with the promise of a wonderful descent back to Whittlesea. Although shorter than the Kinglake climb, the sweeping bends lull you into a false sense of security, believing you've reached the top on more than one occasion. The "caution on descent" sign at the top was like a message from God and our sentiments increased in direct proportion to our speed as we revelled in the wondrous phenomena known as gravity.

Crosswinds made for an interesting descent, and more than one rider was seen being blown more than two metres across a lane in the terrible gusts. This was certainly no time to relax and take in the surroundings. Thankfully the lanes were wide and traffic was low, which allowed us a moderate respite from the pain. At least the heavens parted and we had a glimpse of the spring sunshine.

We passed the "10 km to go" sign and were indian-gifted with a massive headwind. Flat ground/small ring style and we pushed through the wall of gusting torment. We took a moment to reflect on the previous 100km and shook our heads at the pain we put ourselves through. Slowly the kilometres dwindled and we saw the finish banner. Arms on each other's shoulders, we finished wearily and with a sense of massive relief. It was all over! We looked back over a post-ride protein shake and agreed it was the toughest day we've ever had on two wheels, and will not even consider doing something like this again if the weather forecast hints at such bad weather.

But who knows... maybe we'll have forgotten about the weather by then... But now that we're dry and have had a chance to analyse our results, we've achieved Personal Bests up the Kinglake climb, and finished the ride an hour faster than last year. Pain is forgotten but those kind of memories last forever!

Available now....