Whilst enjoying a Sunday morning coffee I stumbled across this advert in a 1970 New Idea. The bikes and clothing have changed, but the message is the same.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
First podium.......no, not Greenedge, us.
Serge is the first member of LAID Cycling to take to the podium, finishing second in Sunday's Crit at Casey Fields. When asked about the race he said "It was tough this week. A slightly smaller field, but the quality was there. Everywhere in Melbourne was wind free, but for some reason Casey had it's very own wind tunnel. A guy broke away and we we fell just shot of pulling him in, but I managed to get my wheel in front in the bunch sprint for second. I am stoked!!"
Serge is becoming the Andre Greipel of the bunch.
Now LAID Cycling isn't about the racing. It's about a collection of people with a common goal; improve their health and enjoy the sport, but it's good to stop and acknowledge those who achieve their goals along the way.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Another first nets a fourth at Casey
A while back a man, we'll call him Serge, went about changing his life. The days of partying hard and smoking like a chimney were to be put to bed. Well the partying would continue, but lets say a little more responsibly.
Anyway looking for a distraction and something to improve his life and health Serge found cycling.His love was instant and he found his new obsession.
As a founding member of LAID Cycling; Serge is the man on the spot on the Tuesday Hell Rides and many of the community rides you read about here.
Over his journey from cycling chump to what his is now (you decide) we've seen some rapid improvement through committed effort. Only recently he managed to hang on for the whole journey of the Tuesday Hell ride. Quite an achievement in such a short time.
Serge now passionately tells the tale of his first attempt at Crit racing and Cranbourne's Casey Fields.
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Picture Plan view of the Casey Fields Track (source: nearmap.com)
Words: Serge Krepak
Words: Serge Krepak
It started just like your ordinary weekend Sunday with a shower and a coffee except the time was 6.30 am so obviously this Sunday was going to be different.
After hearing about the criteriums from the Pocket Rocket Pomey Neil, and the drive of challenging myself, it didn’t take me long to get really excited about competing for a prize.. and for a win.... and for feeling of achievement ... and maybe for my ego as well.... anyway, I wanted to race.
60 minute drive from home on a warm morning, with a quick stop for a latte, I was at Casey fields among other racers of all age and sizes. Friendly foes with their very expensive toys were gathering and the anticipation was growing. E grade was the starting point for me and the licence organised I was getting anxious. With 45 minutes to start, riders were out on the circuit warming up their legs, expanding their lungs and raising their heart rate. Neil was already on his BOMA in the LAID gear looking pro and I couldn’t wait to get out there.
After a few warm up laps, 9 am rolled around, a group of 27 riders lined up and the starting gun went off. A quick look around and there was only two similarities between us all.... we were all over 30 years of age and we loved to ride otherwise there were tall, short, fat, skinny, black, white, 40 year old, 50 year old, 30 year old and I’m sure there were one or two in their 60’s as well. The collection of bikes ridden were just as vast the men riding them.
Rules: 60 minute criterium, 2.24 km lap, as many laps as possible with first three to get the prize money.
A few laps in and a few attacks later, an average pace of about 35 km\h was set and we were rolling. Attacks kept on coming but I realised there’s no point chasing each one down .. we’ll get them eventually. After about 30 minutes Neil broke away and no one chased. Everybody figured we’ll catch him eventually and so he went on his own. I did begin to grow doubts if we are going to get him when he ended up half a lap ahead but true to the windy conditions and the strength of riding in a group we caught him.
Feeling good, growing with confidence and with 15 minutes to go I thought it’s time to test out this group. I jumped and stepped on the pedals trying ever so hard not to look behind. I was immediately joined by four others and we seemed to break away and split the group but no one cared enough to keep the pace and once again we regrouped with the rest. The bell for the final lap rung loud and clear and with that the pace picked up. One km to go a group of 6 switched to their biggest gears and went for the sprint. I hanged on to the back of the five with the rider on the front relying on his huge thighs to power home. He was always going to win and never looked like losing this race. With the last corner out of the way and 100 metres left it was now or never, I jumped off the seat, slammed on the pedals to drive past the two guys in front of me to come 4th about a metre of the 3rd. BOOM, YEAH BABY, OH SHIT I JUST MISSED OUT ... I want to go again I want to go again !!!!
It was exciting, it was fast, it was a great experience, it was everything I expected and more and hopefully it was a start to a lot more racing for me.
POST SCRIPT:
- Serge managed to snag fourth spot again in yesterday's Sandown Crit
- A shout out to Mark who is recovering from been hit by a car while on his bike this week. Speedy recovery mate.
POST SCRIPT:
- Serge managed to snag fourth spot again in yesterday's Sandown Crit
- A shout out to Mark who is recovering from been hit by a car while on his bike this week. Speedy recovery mate.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Power Laid down at Sandown Crit
Our pocket size British hero Neil Smithies took on the might of many at Sandown last night. It was his first venture into racing and what follows is his tale of improvement and a good result for a first effort.
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Words: Neil Smithies
Pictures: Neil's partner
After a year procratinating in regard starting to race I got the impetus up after doing the Maling Room Ride on a regular basis. Many of the participants use it as a training ride for racing and tell me its good fun and i would go ok.
Races are graded from B to F so the guys suggested I would be ok around E grad; and being over 35 qualifies me to ride in masters class racing. So it's safe to say that I'm not going to get smashed by guys at the peak of their power, but maybe by 70 year olds.
Grade = sorted! I then decided to race where most of the others do at Southern Masters (southernmasters.com) who are one of the larger clubs with over 250 participants racing some days. The summer racing series of criteriums are on a Thursday evening at Sandown Raceway, Noble Park, and Sunday mornings at Crib Point, Cranbourne. During winter it's the road racing season which they host out around the south east of Melbourne.
The club is well organised; you can sign up online for your race entry and get your number in advance of the day and then just pay and pick up your number at the track side. It worked like a dream and I came up with E403 as my race number.
When I arrived the wind had picked up and I was thinking it was going to be a hard days racing given its a three km track with a long straight into the wind.
As I arrived early i had plenty of time to warm up and get familiar withe the track. The track is for motor racing so has a good surface but some of the areas are cracked or have joins in the tarmac that I wasn't so keen on. Towards the end of the lap are two sharp turns, the first 90 degrees which raised some concerns as I am not good through tight corners, especially with a big bunch rolling through around me.
I met up with some of the guys I know and find one of them is also in the same grade and in his first race so at least I will have some company.
We are third onto the track, around 30 riders in the elite group of E grade masters. The first lap is fairly casual and I wonder if I have chosen the wrong grade, so on the second lap I got brave and hopped onto the front and increased the pace, no one responded much and I work hard in the headwind.
As soon as the third lap comes the pace picks up and I have guys on both sides of me flying past. "Right so the race is on full pace" I think to myself.
From here I found the pace hard, but ok to stick with, 30 or so into the headwind up to low 40 on the faster back straight. As expected the corners were hard for me, I didn't have the confidence to go in full speed on account of coming off on a corner a few months ago, as a result I was swept out to the outer areas and everyone flew by on my inside. By the end I had improved but still not as good as I needed to be to be in with a shout of being near the front at the end.
After 30 minutes or so I was feeling my legs burning and was dropping back to mid pack and had to dig deep to stay near the front, lucky one guy was really tall and allowed me to get a good draught and a bit of a rest.
On the second to last lap another grade came up on us and we are meant to stay left and allow them past, however half of the guys did not yield position and we were split in front and behind the other grade, perhaps 150 metres apart. When the back straight came up the other grade were steady so I smashed my legs to get past them up to high 40`s and get back on the front half of my grade. Along the home straight we got the bell and perhaps 15 of us were together which soon strung out with four people clearly ahead.
My legs were toast and I could hang on but no way challenge the guys up front especially with the tight corners coming up. I didn't bother sprinting being so far back and rolled across the line just in the top 10. I guess for first time out it was ok and I know not to smash it too early next time. My heart rate sat on an average of 180bpm for just on an hour which is the highest it has been for a sustained time, so certainly put a good effort in.
Not sure if I enjoyed it or not yet, but I will give it a go at Crib Point over the next two weeks and see if the other track is better for me as it has no sharp corners but more curving sweeps.
Some more pictures of Neil and the race. The first one should be captioned "Who is that pocket dynamo and what is the kit he's wearing?"
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Pictures: Neil's partner
After a year procratinating in regard starting to race I got the impetus up after doing the Maling Room Ride on a regular basis. Many of the participants use it as a training ride for racing and tell me its good fun and i would go ok.
Races are graded from B to F so the guys suggested I would be ok around E grad; and being over 35 qualifies me to ride in masters class racing. So it's safe to say that I'm not going to get smashed by guys at the peak of their power, but maybe by 70 year olds.
Grade = sorted! I then decided to race where most of the others do at Southern Masters (southernmasters.com) who are one of the larger clubs with over 250 participants racing some days. The summer racing series of criteriums are on a Thursday evening at Sandown Raceway, Noble Park, and Sunday mornings at Crib Point, Cranbourne. During winter it's the road racing season which they host out around the south east of Melbourne.
The club is well organised; you can sign up online for your race entry and get your number in advance of the day and then just pay and pick up your number at the track side. It worked like a dream and I came up with E403 as my race number.
When I arrived the wind had picked up and I was thinking it was going to be a hard days racing given its a three km track with a long straight into the wind.
As I arrived early i had plenty of time to warm up and get familiar withe the track. The track is for motor racing so has a good surface but some of the areas are cracked or have joins in the tarmac that I wasn't so keen on. Towards the end of the lap are two sharp turns, the first 90 degrees which raised some concerns as I am not good through tight corners, especially with a big bunch rolling through around me.
I met up with some of the guys I know and find one of them is also in the same grade and in his first race so at least I will have some company.
We are third onto the track, around 30 riders in the elite group of E grade masters. The first lap is fairly casual and I wonder if I have chosen the wrong grade, so on the second lap I got brave and hopped onto the front and increased the pace, no one responded much and I work hard in the headwind.
As soon as the third lap comes the pace picks up and I have guys on both sides of me flying past. "Right so the race is on full pace" I think to myself.
From here I found the pace hard, but ok to stick with, 30 or so into the headwind up to low 40 on the faster back straight. As expected the corners were hard for me, I didn't have the confidence to go in full speed on account of coming off on a corner a few months ago, as a result I was swept out to the outer areas and everyone flew by on my inside. By the end I had improved but still not as good as I needed to be to be in with a shout of being near the front at the end.
After 30 minutes or so I was feeling my legs burning and was dropping back to mid pack and had to dig deep to stay near the front, lucky one guy was really tall and allowed me to get a good draught and a bit of a rest.
On the second to last lap another grade came up on us and we are meant to stay left and allow them past, however half of the guys did not yield position and we were split in front and behind the other grade, perhaps 150 metres apart. When the back straight came up the other grade were steady so I smashed my legs to get past them up to high 40`s and get back on the front half of my grade. Along the home straight we got the bell and perhaps 15 of us were together which soon strung out with four people clearly ahead.
My legs were toast and I could hang on but no way challenge the guys up front especially with the tight corners coming up. I didn't bother sprinting being so far back and rolled across the line just in the top 10. I guess for first time out it was ok and I know not to smash it too early next time. My heart rate sat on an average of 180bpm for just on an hour which is the highest it has been for a sustained time, so certainly put a good effort in.
Not sure if I enjoyed it or not yet, but I will give it a go at Crib Point over the next two weeks and see if the other track is better for me as it has no sharp corners but more curving sweeps.
Some more pictures of Neil and the race. The first one should be captioned "Who is that pocket dynamo and what is the kit he's wearing?"
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Amy's Ride - Geelong
The Amy's Ride Geelong was run and done for 2012, and I sit back with an ice cold drink to cool down it's a good time to reflect on the intent of this event.
Many of you are aware that Amy Gillett tragically lost her life to a vehicle accident six years ago. She was an accomplished rider and much loved not only in Geelong, but amongst the greater cycling community. The Amy Gillett Foundation has strived to become the pre-eminent cycling safety organisation in Australia, by lobbying for greater cyclist's rights including the popular "A Metre Matters" campaign.
As part of their awareness program, the foundation has worked in conjuction with the Jayco Bay Criterium series to co-run an annual cycling event in early January, starting and finishing amongst professional riders vying for the Bay Series Criterium championship. The event attracts over 3,000 amateur cyclists and covers terrain often used by Tour De France champion Cadel Evans during his formative years. The event serves to raise awareness for the Amy Gillett Foundation, and promote rider safety initatives.
The ride itself was good fun and hard work given the conditions, but I think it's more important to focus on what the ride is trying to achieve, rather than our achievements on the day.
Following on from the fantastic work that the foundation performs, I thought it would be an apt time to discuss what it means to "ride safely". What you'll read below is nothing new, and is information that I've collected through personal experience and research.
1. Protect yourselfWear protection commensurate to your surroundings. I.E. there'd be little need for elbowpads on the bike path, but I'd be donning a full-face helmet when hurtling down the side of a craggy mountain. Helmets, gloves, sunglasses and closed shoes are all items that should be considered when heading out.
2. Anticipate your surroundingsIf you're riding on the road, be on the lookout for cars pulling out of side streets or car park spots. Bike paths also have their fair share of obstacles, and prepare yourself to manouver around pedestrians and other path users.
3. Ride PredictablyFollowing on from the previous topic, ride in a manner that is predictable - don't swerve at the last minute to avoid a parked car or shared path user, instead slowly move around the obstacle from a suitable distance so that other users of your space are not startled by your movements. Remember, not all road and path users will be as alert as you are!
4. Ride bigThis topic could easily deserve it's own blog post, but when the moment calls for it, consume the lane. If there is no safe way to share the lane with motorised traffic, ride closer to the centre of the lane to avoid cars pushing you off the road. This is particularly useful when lanes are merging or when descending.
Following on from the fantastic work that the foundation performs, I thought it would be an apt time to discuss what it means to "ride safely". What you'll read below is nothing new, and is information that I've collected through personal experience and research.
1. Protect yourselfWear protection commensurate to your surroundings. I.E. there'd be little need for elbowpads on the bike path, but I'd be donning a full-face helmet when hurtling down the side of a craggy mountain. Helmets, gloves, sunglasses and closed shoes are all items that should be considered when heading out.
2. Anticipate your surroundingsIf you're riding on the road, be on the lookout for cars pulling out of side streets or car park spots. Bike paths also have their fair share of obstacles, and prepare yourself to manouver around pedestrians and other path users.
3. Ride PredictablyFollowing on from the previous topic, ride in a manner that is predictable - don't swerve at the last minute to avoid a parked car or shared path user, instead slowly move around the obstacle from a suitable distance so that other users of your space are not startled by your movements. Remember, not all road and path users will be as alert as you are!
4. Ride bigThis topic could easily deserve it's own blog post, but when the moment calls for it, consume the lane. If there is no safe way to share the lane with motorised traffic, ride closer to the centre of the lane to avoid cars pushing you off the road. This is particularly useful when lanes are merging or when descending.
The motto that the Amy Gillett Foundation encourages is "A Metre Matters" - this goes for yourself as well as motorists. Make sure you have left a metre between yourself and the edge of the road or parked cars as this will help minimise vehicles pushing you out of your lane if they attempt to overtake you.
5. Be visibleHaving adequate lighting on your bicycle is imperative. The ability to alert people to your presence is the most effective way to avoid being rear-ended, or achieve the dreaded SMIDSY* accident (*Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You). You may think that lighting is only necessary for night time riding, but it can also be effective in inclement weather, and even during daylight hours. You'd be surprised at how much attention a decent flashing light can garner, particularly during typical commuting times.
Wearing dark clothes can also make you blend in with your surroundings. Having a light-coloured top to contrast against dark paths is great, and wearing fluorescent or reflective vests would be ideal.
Happy new year to everyone, may you keep the rubber side down and enjoy the freedom of pedalling two (or one, or three) wheels!
For more information on the Amy Gillet Foundation and their rides visit: http://www.amygillett.org.au/
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