Jim on a Bike

my very own polka dot jersey (2 and 1/2 weeks to go)

2010-06-20T16:41:00.003+10:00

with the early summer /late spring temperatures rising and that feel of summer air finally arriving, i awoke to find my self covered in red spots. Other team mates had been having issues with allergies causing stuffy sinuses and itchy eyes, but i decided to go all the way and break out with itchy red spots. After a quick call to the Radioshack doc and a trip to the chemist for some allergie meds the itching subsided and my spots have started disappearing.
Note being covered in red spots in no way improves your ability to climb, much to my dissapointment.

it is now only 2 and 1/2 weeks until i will be back on home soil, which although i have had the time of my life here, will be some much welcome relief, and only 1 and a 1/2 weeks until dad and big bro will visit for my mid season break.
Although i will be off the bike and not racing for my last week here it will still be as busy and exciting as ever, with Simon and i going to Rock Werchter, one of belgium and even europes biggest rockfestivals, to see Green Day Paramore, 30 Seconds to Mars, Rise Against and many other bands which should make for a good day out, but probly wont help simon with the jet lag.
The following day its a surprisingly short drive, up into Holland for the prologue of the TDF followed by evening in Amsterdam. then back to belgium to brussels to watch the finish of stage 1 the following day.
and then it almost time for me to head back, and dad and Simon to spend another 2 weeks travelling France and Spain.

With the realisation that the end is in sight, iv started thinking the highs and the lows and about what i have learnt here both on and off the bike, and it is surprising how many of the lessons this trip has taught me have had nothing to do with training/racing but still have a much bigger impact on performance than most realise.
Thoughts of home have also started creeping in, and it will be a huge relief to be sleeping in my own bed again (with rectangular pillows, no matter what people say square pillows are impossible to get comfy on) after almost 5 months away.

Although a part of me expects to get home and find all my stuff out on the front lawn with the locks changed LOL, but i guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Cant wait to get home and talk the usual shit on the sunday morning bunch ride

See you all soon

When the shit hits the fan, go bush!

2010-06-07T20:00:00.002+10:00

Yesterday it was back to racing UCI races starting with a UCI 1.2 starting In Wavre. it was to be a 185km race with some cobble sectors and some short sharp climbs in the first 50km followed by flat roads all the way to the finish.
The morning was very humid and about 26 degrees, but as the start time approached the temperature dropped and with 2 minutes to go until start time the heavens opened. i had made sure i was in pole position at the start and as soon as we were rolling was on the bumper of the lead car for the 3km neutral section, which is the best place to be because you don't have to fight as hard to stay there.
The flag was pulled in and with the race finally underway the usual furry of attacks were starting, and with the treacherous conditions, early climbs and flat run in to the finish i decided it was likely that a small group would be let go, with the bunch coming back together on the long flats leading into the finish. but it was not to be so i made sure i was at the front for the first of the climbs sitting at 3rd wheel at the base, but as soon as the road turned skyward i missed the 23 and put it strait in reverse :( i was maxing out but still going backwards at an alarming rate but managed to hold onto last wheel cresting the top of the climb.
Unbeknown to me immediately following the climb would be the first cobbled section of about 500m down the other site. With a downhill gradient of about 10% and slicked with the usual water and mud there was carnage. bottles fall out of cages, riders try to avoid them and with no grip and no brakes down they go. In total about 60 of the 190 starters were lying on the road, 15 of which were hospitalized. As for me being last wheel I got to witness the lot but thankfully i managed to point my steed to the side of the road hop the curb and ride down the mud/gravel shoulder past the twisted bikes and motionless riders, and my team mate Pavo who had found a way through the maze of bodies. i waited for him for a few seconds and then chased him back to a group of 5 riders about 30 second off the rear of the front group, until i poped and found myself slipping back to the 2nd chase group, then the third, and the.....the broom wagon, which was filled with bruised beaten and soaked riders.
Only one of our riders was in front of the crash and made the lead group, so it wasn't a particularly good race for the team.

Internet Brugge and Chocolate Body Parts

2010-06-03T20:42:00.010+10:00

Saying that last week dragged on and on would be a major understatement, with many of the other riders having a week off travelling and resting as well as the team manager going for a holiday to turkey the apartments were very quiet, add to this the internet cutting out, and taking a week to be fixed there was a shortage of entertainment.

As a result i took the opportunity to travel into brugge to do some clothes shopping and sight seeing.
Here are some pics.
"Bike racks at the Brugge Train station"

"Canal"

"Minewater Park"

"Another canal"

"Bridge and Tower"

"Chocolate Bits"

Figured it was about time for an update.

2010-05-20T21:43:00.003+10:00

Why the lack of posts? you ask
well 2 reasons,
1 i have been crook the last week and a bit with a nasty cold/flu which has kept me from training and racing properly, so i havent really had much news worth sharing.
and secondly, what can i say... iv been lazy :)
Now back to feeling 100% the weather has decided it would become nice again instead of the cold conditions of the last two weeks, and with the sun shining and the trees growing their leaves back there is no better place to ride than along the tree lined canal.
Here are some pics from one of our group ride to holland and back.

Hobken (belgium) and Beauchamps (France)

2010-05-04T20:24:00.010+10:00

Over the w/e i had 2 big races, one in belgium and then another in northern France. The first being a UCI (1.2 B) Ereprijs Victor De Bruyne (Belgium) on the Saturday and the 2nd being UCI (1.12 FR) Prix de la ville Beauchamps (France) on the Monday.

Saturdays race being a 1.2 meant that there would be continental pro teams as well as amateur teams competing, and with the course being long (185km) and flat it was destined to be a fast race. And that it was with the first of the three 45km laps being completed in just under an hour. There were quite a few aussies in the field with Drapac Porsche ariving in Belgium 2 days before the race, and using it as their opening race in belgium.
"On the Front of the Grid"

With the high speed it was going to be difficult to take on biddons, and so our teams soineurs decided they would find a spot out on course where the field would be slower, and as ther were not in the main feed zone instead on their own i didnt know where they were and didnt see them on the first lap, meaning i was out of water, and despite still feeling alright, cramped with 40km to go and went backwards fast.
Here are some more pics from the race
"Our DS Dieter Lefevre and Soineur Noel"

"Dieter Later on in the Race"

"Stretching the Elastic Band"

"Before the Race"

Beauchamps, the town of Mondays race is a small french village in the provence of Picardy, in northern France and was much hillier than belgium and actually reminded me of some of the landscapes of northern tasmania. The weater was cold and wet and with Sevral of these (see below) scatterd around the course ther was no chance of a calm day.
"Windy Much?"

The course was not exactly easy either with a 2km wall followed by 12 km of narrow, pot holed exposed roads back around to the bottom. And by the 3rd lap the race had exploded into 5 groups with only about 15-20 riders including 2 team mates still in contention.
Then it was time for the 3 hour drive home, as i was not selected to stay on in France and Race the stage race much to my dissapointment.
"Scenery near the Race Start"

"View from the van after Crossing A Rater Large Bridge"

2010-04-29T05:19:00.008+10:00

As many of my recent posts have stated the weather we have had her in belgium has been unusually perfect for the last 2 weeks, and yesterday was no exception. i headed out towards where we had raced on Sunday as we had stubled across this magnificent mansion on the way to the race.
"View From The Frount"

"Fancy Gates"

"Your Crib Aint The Shizz Without a Moat"

"And a Nice Little Bridge"

After stopping to take a pic of the mansion it was off to the canal running North from Dienze towards Gent.
"Trees Lining the Canal Road"

"Riding along"

I followed this canal North until it intersected the Brugge-Gent Canal, where i headed west back towards home.

"Belgium Weather Doesnt Get Much Better Than This"

And then past the local car dealer, which covers all the basics, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi, Maserati......
"Shiny"

and Home.

Finding My Belgian Legs

2010-04-26T04:37:00.006+10:00

In my last post i said that i was racing on wednesday at the coastal town of De Haan, but with a few off the bike issues affecting my focus on the bike i chose not to race, and after along chat with the team manager, had found a solution, and focused my attention on the weekends U23 Kermese In Meigem.

With a clear head we headed out for the 32km ride to the kermese, before signing on and rolling a lap of the course (9.2km Flat Twisty And Exposed). There were pleanty of places where the field could be split as well as a cobbled "S-bend" about 3km from the start, so it was improtant to start at the front of the pack. And as it turned out it was VERY important to stay at the front, with a substancial break of about 15-20 riders getting clear in the first kilometer, with James Tennant (South African) returning for a second year at the team, Christoph one of the teams belgian riders, and myself in it.
"The three of us before the move went clear"

With 3 fuji riders in the break we were the best represented team and christoph took the 2nd intermediate sprint and the 25 euro + apricot pie prize, and i took the 3rd intermediate sprint getting some $ and a pie of my own
"Winning my Apricot Pie"

but afterwards I found myself in trouble after the break was put in the gutter the following lap. Dropping back to the similar sized chase group. Conveniently with 2 team mates in the lead group i took the oppertunity to sit on for a lap and when the chase caught back up with the lead group found myself with fresh legs meaning next time the group was put in the gutter i had the legs to hang onto the front group which had been reduced to about 12 riders. I was the only rider from our team in the front group and managend to hang in while 2 more riders found the crosswinds too tough, leaving 10 of us to fight out the finish. Determined not to finish last in my group I used what little i had left to hang in for 8th place, my first top 10 finish :)
"Some more pics of me in the break"

After collecting my winning and demolishing, with help from my team mates, my apricot pie it was time for the 32km ride back home.

All in all a solid 183km day

A Trundle to the Beach

2010-04-21T01:00:00.004+10:00

Today I took advantage of the sunny weather to go for a trundle to the beach at De Haan
"Main Street of De Haan"

"View from the park bench"

P.S. this is where im racing tomorrow

Racing and Spectating

2010-04-20T17:04:00.008+10:00

Being a tad cooked from the stage race last w/e it was decided that I would have an easy w/e and do a 120km u23 Kermese on the saturday, instead of the 170km Uci 1.12 Top comp race on the sunday. Which was nice for a change, as instead of working for others I would have a chance to race for myself. with 14 Laps of an 8.8km course with one fairly short but steep climb, several open sections and 3x 1 and 1/2 foot deep car sized holes in the road and perfect weather conditions 20+ degrees and minimal wind it was bound to be an agressive race.

Our team manager has the philosiphy that it is better to race agressively at the front and blow up than sit at the back of the bunch and survive but do nothing special, because all you can learn sitting in is how to survive survive, but if you are having a crack at the front you learn what it takes to win. so that is what i did. for the first of the three laps i was at the front but quickly realised that it could be done more efficiently and the rest was spent at the front but with my nose out of the wind conserving energy. when the pace lessened with 5 laps to go i took the chance to slip back in the pack and see how the other boys from my team were coping.

Addison the yank had been an early victom of the two massive holes being taken out by a falling rider on lap 2. But Jannes the Canadian was sitting comfotrably near the 2nd half of the field so we let each other know how we were travelling and then worked our way to the front togeather, where Jannes decided it was time to attack, so we were coming to the front with speed from moving up the bunch. I initialy hesitated with my instinct telling me it was too early but ignoring this i attacked off the front with my team mate on my wheel. we opened ap a gap quickly and picked up 2 groups of 2 riders which had been dangling off the front before hitting the climb atop which sat our team manager.

the group of 6 then settled into a nice rythm down the other side but it was short lived, as a lap later our lead was gone and so were my legs, meaning my race was over with 4 laps to go.

Id have to say i was happy with the race as I am improving both my skills at riding in the right position in the bunch as well as my form, id done everything i needed to but had fired my last bullet 2 laps too early, as the winning move went 2 laps later, but bear in mind this was only my 2nd kermese with all my other races being UCI races and a stage race.

Sunday was a chance to relax and it was decided that Jannes, Teemu (who is off the bike with a kee problem) and I would head out the the famous Muur to watch the team race the UCI race. Thankfully it was another perfect day and we got some great pics and even an ice cream at one of the feed zones.

"The Muur, Probably the most Famous Camera Angle/Photo spot in all of Cycling"

"A Beautiful Mansion atop the Muur"

"Team mates climbing the Muur"

"Some Trick Photography Of Jannes"

"My Vantage Point for The Finish"

"The Finnish" 2nd place was a Kiwi

UCI 2.12 Tweedaagse van de Gaverstreek Cont......

2010-04-15T04:46:00.007+10:00

So with stage 1 done and dusted it was time for day 2, and with one of our two strong rider making the winning break finishing 7th and subsequently 7th on GC the plan was to make the race as ard as possible, so it would split to pieces and get rid of the sprinter who won the first stage. With the weather coming to the party and provinding some decent wind it was going to be a tough day. Which was music to my ears after pulling up sore, even after my awsome masage (jealous much ?)
"Sign on"

"Rollong The Soreness out of the Legs"

Then it was time to line up.

"Where's wally?"

"There he is"

Notice that i chose to line up next to the Belgian National Amateur Champ.

"waiting for the start"

"And we were Off"

Unfortunately Day 2 was short lived for me, still cooked from day one i was out the arse on the first climb but managed to chase for about 10 in the cars and then with a small group at 75km/h with a tailwin onto the back of the bunch, right before the cross wind that would blow the race to pieces.

At the end of the day the GC didnt change and our best placed rider was 7th, meaning that i pocket'd 7 euro's for my work. Or in more relevant terms about 5 400g blocks of Belgian chocolate :P Yum

UCI 2.12 Tweedaagse van de Gaverstreek

2010-04-15T03:57:00.009+10:00

Well over the w/e I had my first stage race with the team comrising of 2 stages in 2 days, being the first stage race for the team i wanted to do well on day one and finish well, because at least if i finished day one i could help out day 2.
Anyway stage one comrised of 124 km of racing on a large loop incorperating the climbs Kanariberg, Old Kwaramont (cobbled), and Le Treu as well as some flat cobbled section and one cobbled decent plus 2 x 12km finishing circuits making it 158km for the day.
"One of the Cobbled Sections"

With 2 guys good enough to finish both highly on the stages as well as overall in the GC my job for day one was to shadow Paavo (Fin u23 Nat Champ) so that i would be there to help if he had a fall mechanical or needed to be taken to the front. Basically i was his Bitch for the day.
"Starting my job before the race even started"

Before the race we also had some interviews for a doccumentary being made about the team, so in between getting ready and a prerace team meeting we had a chat to the camera and tried not to make a fool of ourselves

"Our Trusty Steeds Ready for the Race"

"Getting our Shit Togeather"

"Ahh Nohing Like a Pre Race Massage"

"Pre Race Team Meeting"

"Pft who does this poser think he is"

The race started relatively cruisy and i followed paavo around the bunch, not an easy task because the little bugger can fit thorugh the most tiny of gaps, until it was time to take him to the front before climb number 1 the Kanariberg before settling into my own rythm up the climb which lead into the cobbled decent. Now you would think cobbled decents would be chaos, and generally they are, but apart from the odd stray biddon everyone kept it rubber side down until 15m after the cobbles ended and we were back on pavement and several riders forgot which way was up. fortunately my team mates and i all managed to avoid the spill, and the bunch all came back togeather leading into the kwaramont.

As the Kwaramont was a cobbled climb it was important to be at the front because if stuck behind a crash or stopped riders here is little to no chance of getting started again. So i searched the bunch for Paavo who as easy to spot out with a big target like cross on the back of his national championship jersey and proceeded to go full gass up the footpath separated from the road by a grass median to the front of the bunch right before the turn into the narrow road leading to th base of the climb. Once over the Kwaramont it was time to decend to the base of le Treu which is like a quarterpipe. It starts off gradual and then hits bout 13% near the top. Unfortunately i punctured on the decent and as there were several groups off the back the team cars were several minutes behind, meaning by the time i got a wheel and back on the road the race was long gone.
So i jumped in with one of the groups out the arse and made my way up the climb.
At the top was a feed zone so i though id show all you guys how to take on a biddon like a pro.

"Step 1, Dicard your Empty's"

"Step 2, Grab a Fresh Biddon"

"Step 3, Holster that Shit"

With my race over, i just cruzed the remaining 40 km into the finish one smashed crab.
"Nackerd Much?"

Ok so im getting a bit over typing now, having typed some, well ok all of my 2500 word essay today, so day 2 will have to wait for another time.

Sunshine and Study

2010-04-09T20:10:00.003+10:00

With my last two posts being about shitty belgian weather and resulting colds, the weatherman decided to mix things up by throwing in the best 3 days of weather since we arived all in a row.
"Pilots Playing Naughts and Crosses in the sky"

Thankfully taking it easy on Sunday and Monday, had paid off and by tuesday i was fighting fit again, which was just as well because tuesday would be another Recon ride, where all the riders in the pre selection for the upcomming stage race UCI 2.12 2 days of Gaverstreek, would go and have a good hitout over the cobbled climbs appearing in the race. I felt and rode strongly all ride, up the cobbled climbs in particular, which are the main deciding factors in the race, and as a result gained selection for the race which is both a good and bad thing as it means I get to race the teams first stage race of the season and another 2 chances to prove my worth to the team, but also means that i will miss watching Paris-Roubaix live on the TV :(

After gaining selection, i decided to skip the Kermese i was scheduled to race on wedesday in favour of another long day at the cobbled climbs, and got a solid 5 hours in, in 20 degree sunshine with minimal wind, before settling down at the desk to make a start on the essay due next week and the back log of study i should have already done.

The Effects of True Belgian Weather

2010-04-05T16:38:00.004+10:00

after spending 2 soggy days out in the rain, on saturday the inevitable happened. I coughed up kermit the frog :( Saturdays race was a Kermese in a town by the name of Torhout, with a course length of 4.8km and 24 laps to complete. After the usual hectic start i knew it wasnt going to be a good race, i was well positioned at the front but could feel that my chest/lungs were not right. After a few more laps i decided to pack and head back to the team car, where i proceeded to cough for 5 mins :( producing crap in all shades of green.
after riding home i let the team manager know i was not feeling right, but with the following day being a rest day the plan of attack was to see how it went before deciding what to do on monday.So we headed into brugge where we had a beer in a tea room overlooking the "Bootleg Beatles" concert which was taking place on the Ronde Van Vlanderen stage

"The local Beer of Brugge" (canadian team mate Jannes "cyclo-sportif" Wessels in background)

"The effects of my first beer in 1 and 1/4 years"

"Brugge town Squere on the eve of the Ronde Van Vlanderen"

It was just as well i went into brugge to see that atmosphere on the eve of the race, because i would be dissapointed the morning of the race when i waked to the bus stop only find that the bussed do not start until 10.30am on a sunday, with the race's start time being 9.45.

True Belgium Weather

2010-04-02T20:41:00.004+11:00

Having been rediculously luck with the weather here since my arrival, with it only raining once for 5 mins and snowing twice since i arived, the last 3 days have shown us how bad belgian weather can really be.
Tuesday was a nice easy trundle along the canal to ghent then back to brugge in the rain, which usually would have been a nice ride, however there were several excavators cleaning out the banks of the canals from the canal path, meaning my ride was more of a cyclocross training sesion. So i decided to find a road which was just as wet as the canal path but covered with less mud. Whilst reflecting on how shitty the weather was and why the hell anyone would want to ride in this weather i came across a Canadian War Cemetary, which made me realise how lucky i am that i am able to ride in these horrendous conditions and how bad it would have been for these poor chaps.

The following day was originally intended to be a race day with a kermese near by, but after visiting the "radioshack doc" earlier in the week, our team manager had been advised that the weather on wednesday was going to be too bad for us to race and not get sick. Instead we would head out early riding south into the screaming headwind to the hills. normally it would take us about an hour and a half from base camp to the hills but due to the headwind out average was only 20km/h and 2 hours and 40 minutes after leaving we arrived at the hills, just intime for the cold change and hail.
The temperature dropped from a balmy 11 degrees c to a chilly 4 deg c and the heavens opend. After playing in the hills for a bid, testing out the slipperyness of cobbles in the wet, we headed back towards home. unfortunately the headwind on the way down had swung around meaning we would have a cross wind home and after stopping to fix a puncture we were all freezing, and looking forward to getting home. with 2 km remaining, i punctured, and decided to ride the flat home. NOT EASY on cobblestones and bricked bike lanes.

Position, Positioning and Power

2010-03-30T05:41:00.005+11:00

After having a few position related lower back issues. thursday this week I was Taken by Peter Horn, to visit Frans Vanmarcke, an expert in the art of building a riders bike to fit their body. Having fitted many of the top pro's during his career including Eddy and son Axel Merckx, as well as Jan Ulrich, I was expecting wonderful things, despite one team mate returning with a position resembling that of a cylosportif rider. Considerable time was spent measuring body part ratios and then crunching the numbers resulting in a chart with the perfect bike dimensions/geometry for my body.
The challenge then became replacing/swapping parts on my team bike so that it conformed to my ideal position which took quite some time. once everything was in order, except for the stem length which needed to be swapped for a 130mm when i got back to the team house, I was on my way, riding home from the bike fit. Immediately I noticed the difference in pedal stroke, which felt more fluid and efficient, and once the stem was swapped to be the same as what the calculations had stipulated i noticed the difference in the pressure of my hands on the hoods.

The following day i head out for a ride with Addison, one of the yanks, to recon the course of a small kermese we were both put down to race. After susing out the course and doing a few hard laps both of us felt confident that the next day would be a good race, until i returned to the apartment to find out that i would not be racing the small Kermese but another Large UCI race near Liege in the east of belgium. With daylight saving ending, meaning the clocks would be wound foreward an hour, and an early race start and subsequent early departure from the teams base there was little time to prepare.

AALST - TROFEE v HASPENGOUW was a 150km race consisting of one large, 100km lap, followed by 5 local laps. The temperature was COLD, due to the strong icy wind and despite the shunshine early the forcast was for rain. It was essential to be near or at the front with our teams 3 protected rider Peter Horn, Paavo, and Roderic Muscat, to help them maintaing good position and be best prepared fro the inevitable carnage of the crosswinds at the 20km mark and 50km mark. Finaly starting to feel comfortable in the bunch i was able to do my job until the second crosswind section blew the race to pieces, when i took Roderick who had fallen earlier in the race toward the front before the legs went KABOOM! and i slipped back to the next echelon. Job Done.
It turned out to be a disaterous day for the team with roderick succuming to the injuries from his early tumble and witdrawing as well as both Peter and Paavo falling in seperate incidents, meanwhile carnage involving several other team mates occured at the kermese i was originally scheduled to do.

The following day, Monday was scheduled to be a rest day, but after the team manager decided i would be in the pre selection for some more larger races i would be required to go visit the Radioshack Team Doctor, to do some lactate/Power testing so that he and my team manager could decide on a training program that would best prepare me for upcoming races.
for those of you who dont know about lactate/power testing or havent done one before they are not fun. Basically you ride on a stationary bike with your power output controlled by a computer which increases the required power output by 50 watts every 3 minute until you Blow Up meanwhile drops of blood are taken and analyzed to determine how much lactic acid your muscles are producing at the various power outputs.

"Whoopdee doo basil what does it all mean?" you say. Lactic acid is produced by muscle when you are excercising and limits the extent to which you can exercise/operate. any level up to 2 milli mole of Lactate is the point where the body can break it down as quickly as it is being produced. anything over this and it begins to build up, and at 4mMol starts to hurt. I made it up to 10.7 mMol but Blew Up just short of the 450watt mark, registering a 2mMol lactate level at 322 watts and a 4mMol lactate level at 375 watts, which i am told is fairly good and should enable me to be competative in the racing here, meaning my skill/ability to race efficiently is what is holding me back (ie positioning in the bunch being infront of splits and out of the wind etc).
So for now my trainin will be focussed on increasing the power outputs of both my 2 mMol and 4mMol points so that my body is producing less lactate at higher power.
So basically the goal of training is to increase the power output for both points.

Tempting Fate: "upside down number 13 myth tested"

2010-03-25T06:29:00.004+11:00

Today we nearly all of the "Fuji Test Team" u23 riders, some were stuck at school (suckers), lined up to race GP Waregem, 130km with 234 amateur riders all under the age of 23 it seemed like the perfect chance to test the old upsidedown number 13 myth.

The start was MANIC, riders pushing their way to the front of the grid brakes screeching everywhere, wheels locking up, but despite the chaos i found myself sitting about 40-50th position in the bunch, not free from all the hustle and bussle but far enough forward to avaid all the early spiils, which claimed 2 team mates early on. I was sticking as close as possible to our teams rider who had a good shot at taking out the race after showing his good form with a 3rd place at sundays UCI 1.12, and i have to say, i was quite amazed at how easy he made hurtling down the road within centermeters of hundereds of other riders all bumping and bouncing off eachother, slamming the breaks on whenever a whistle is heard ( meaning there is an obstickle on the road) look.
one section of the course had an epic series of traffic islands which formed almost a maze which the bunch had to negotiate and having had enough of the squeezing on previous tight spots opted to buny hop over the two that were in my way, which meant i could gain a few posi's leading into the section of roadworks. one lane of the road had been dug up and with a small group of 4 dangling just off the front i decided a group of 5 would be better than a group of 200 and bridged across.
It was short lived (and Hurt) which meant soon i would be fighting for position in the bunch again. slipping back the bunch hit the first real crosswind section for the day and about 20 riders infront of me, trent and onother team mate Teemu (nat u23 tt champ of finland) found myself stck behind a pile of twisted bodies and bikes. The chase begun, and it wasnt long before we hit the first of the days climbs almost on the tail of the bunch, and at a false flat during the climb the small group rejoined the main field. Soon after i found myself in difficulty sliding off the back, and with no team cars being allowed to follow was on my own.
I managed to catch a small group containing teemu, and then opted to chase a bit harder to cotch some riders further up the road over the cobbled climbs before joing trent an another belgian, who seemed pretty keen to take a shortcut, and dissappeared shortly after mentioning his alternate route. It was clear our race was over so trent and I rolled back to the team bus.
So judge for yourself, upside down number 13 myth, Busted or Confirmed

UCI 1.12 CHALLENGE DE HESBAYE - TROGNEE Race Report

2010-03-24T05:48:00.002+11:00

In my last post i said that come the following day we would set sail for Trognee, and it turned out not to be far from the truth, it was the first real day of "belgian Weather", wind and rain, and lots of it. It was also fairly cold at about 7 degrees C with wind that made it feel like it was zero.
Unlike Ghent Ieper which started from a soccer stadium with heated change rooms Trognee was a small farm town with a tent a tiny heater at one end and a large drum on a gas burner with buckets instead of showers for after the race. Despite the horrid weather conditions our DS Dieter Lefevre, son of Patrick Lefevre (the owner of Quickstep Protour team) was feeling that we had a good shot at winning the race.
Peter Horn, the teams veteran at 24 in his 6th year at the team and i pushed our way into the front of the grid at the startline and found ourselves on the back of the lead car through the neutral, but as soon as the flag dropped it was on for young and old, and with water and mud covering the road it became impossible to se much in front and Nat Thompson one of the first year Yanks, fell in an early fall, breaking his shift lever requiring a spare bike, unfortunately having the same pedals as me and much shorter legs it meant he struggled to ride my spare bike which was given to him by mistake, but after another quick bike change he was back in the bunch on his spare bike. Unfortunately he didnt last long and was involved in another fall breaking his jaw and being taken to hospital.
struggling in the conditions and having a few issues with my position on the bike i found myself too far back when it came to the crunch, with the bunch splitting into several echelons with mine being the 4th, and the one that would not get back on. race over.
Fortunately Paavo (the Fin Nat u23 RR champ) Peter Horn (US), and Roderick Muscat (Malta) managed to make a break of about 15 riders with 30km to go to the finish, and being the best represented team in the break went on to take 3rd and 10th for the day, bringing home a nice trophy and some prize money.
ok Finances chechk Belgium trip cost $?,??? (not telling) minus 30 euro prisemoney = still $?,??? but hey there is still pleanty of time to change that ;)
Tomorrow im off to Waragem for an amateur u23 race, with 150km 4 steep KOM's 2 of which, the kwyermont, and the platerberg (spelling?) being cobbled. the pro race Dwars door Vlaanderen is on tomorrow as well on a similar course to my race so hopefully i wil be able to catch up with some of the pro's for a pic or two after my race to make up for the lack of pics in my last few posts.

UCI 1.12 CHALLENGE DE HESBAYE - TROGNEE

2010-03-21T05:18:00.003+11:00

time for round 2, lets hope i come out better than i did after round one!
Firstly I have to apollogise for my lack of posts this week, i had a few quiet days after my tumble, where i spent a bit of time getting used too (pissed off with) my spare bike, as mine was and still is out of action. She is a bit of an old clunker with super wide bars brakes that are backwards, cables that are so sticky the brakes dont release and a seat thats not so good for the circulation.
but after a few frustrating rides and some TLC she is now almost seaworthy.
Tomorrow we will be setting sail for Trognee over in the east of belgium near Liege, where im told there are hills (im yet to see anything that we would call hils). After my teamwork efforts last week I have been given another chance to prove my ability/worth in yet another big UCI 1.12 which is about 150km in length.
Followed by a rest day where im planning on heading to Brugge on my own to wander around, and then do a more thorough blog post.
So until next time..

UCI 1.12 Ghent Ieper "Belgian racing off with a Bang"

2010-03-15T21:52:00.011+11:00

I'll start this post with a quote which my team manager puts on the bottom of every email, "Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom" according to this my race yesterday wasnt very succesfull as i found out (the hard way) that i dont bounce very high at all, its more of a Thud, Slide, then Rollover for a bit.
Within the first 10km of the race I found myselfl lying on the road after one of the locals decided that the footpath was a better option than the road swerving to the left, taking my front wheel with it.

The Dammage?
a few broken spokes where his rear skewer went through my front wheel, broken rear deraileur, bent deraleur hanger, cracked and scratched shift/brake levers, and broken biddon cage.
As a result I was forced to use one of the old team fuji's the mechanic had built to the same dimensions of my Apollo. despite being on a bike I had never ridden and which had the brakes to opposite way around I managed to work my way back through the convoy, and was amazed by how good/professional the other team car drivers are with helping riders back into the race after misfortune, until I rejoined the bunch. Once back in the bunch I took the chance to asses my injuries which were not serious, a graze to the hip knee and elbow, bruzed ego and shaken confidence. but after settling into the bunch it was clear that my km's were numbered with my hip getting progressively worse during the race. Once I realized there was no longer any point of racing for myself I set about doing what I could to help out my other team mates, taking Paavo's (the national u23 road race champion of finland)jacket back to the team car and picking up some biddons and food for other riders. I even tried fixing Paavo's rear brake calipers while riding next to him (not as easy as it sounds) as they had been nocked to the side causing them to rub.

And after about 100km we hit the first of the two hilly circuits which would take the race over the Monteberg and the Kemmelberg twice. As soo as the road tilted upward my hip decided that enough was enough and I sat up and headed to the feed zone where the team bus was parked.

I suppose all in all it wasnt a bad day in the office, apart from my tumble and not getting to race over the Kemmelberg, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pace was no where near as fast as what I was expecting, and I was able to help out the team and win a few brownie points for the day.
"Paavo taking on a biddon at the feed zone"

Now on a less cycling related note, the race was held in the provence of West Flanders, and the sides of the course was littered with signs leading to war graves/cemetaries for Canadian ANZAC and commonwealth soldiers of WW2. and as some of you may know, the city of Ieper, was formerly known as Ypres, which is where one of the many legendary military engagements of WW2 occured.

Despite this the city square of Ieper (which we raced through) is one of the most beautiful cityscapes I have ever seen

We also raced underneath a magnificent archway/memorial to the soldiers who fought in the region which was a great experience and well worth seeing if you are in the area.

Diving into the Deep End : The Kemmelberg

2010-03-12T06:48:00.003+11:00

For those of you who dont know the Kemmelberg, it is a cobbled climb regularly featured in the cobbled Spring Classics, particularly Ghent-Wavelgem. If that means nothing to you here are some pics of the Kemmelberg which might paint a better picture(mum look away now).

Yesterday several riders up for selection to race for the Fuji "A" team on Sunday in the UCI 1.12 Ghent-Ieper U27 Top Comp race, which features 2 laps of the Kemmelberg set out to recon the loops to give the riders unfamiliar with the climb some insight into what to expect, and to let the team manager decide who should be selected for the race.
First impressions; it is TOUGH, but surprisingly short (although after sunday I might give a different answer). As soon as you hit the cobbles you are forced to go full gas othgerwise you virtually stop, loosing all your momentum (which is impossible to regain) and as a result of the incling and roughness of the cobbles you find yourself instantly nackerd. YAY :(
Fortunately on our recon ride I mannaged to go well enough to make the cut for sundays race, meaning my first race for the team, and first race in Belgium will be a BIG one. 200 riders and 180km to decide the winner, and the Kemmelberg is not going to be the only factor to decide the race with twists and turns through cobbled towns as well as narrow farm roads exposed to crosswinds, so i am realistic about my chances and arent expecting too much. But then again im not here for a holiday!

Brugge, Bingles, and Broken Bikes

2010-03-10T03:49:00.006+11:00

Over the last few days, things have been settling down a bit. Everyone is getting to know eachother better and find their way around town and the countryside and get into a somewhat normal routine.
Yesterday was spent with a team meeting early in the morning to set out our plans for the week, particularly with our upcomming races this weekend, with a small Kermese on Saturday, with a few team members competing, and two larger UCI ranked races on sunday. The UCI 1.2 Ohmloop Van Het Waasland, a 190km flat race with riders from amateur team up to Pro Continental teams, and the UCI 1.12 Gent Ieper a 180km race featuring 2 laps up the Legendary/Infamous Kemmelberg. With a few riders out injured or sick it meant their was a need for more riders for the two UCI races on the Sunday with Trent, Jannes, and I getting the call up to race the bigger races with the team.
The Team meeting was followed by a bunch ride where Peter Horn, the teams Veteran/most experienced rider being in his 6th year with the team taking the first year riders for a bunch ride south of Oostkamp towards the hills. The ride got off to a bad start when the youngest rider crossed wheels and hit the deck about 20 mins in. After a short detour dropping him back in Oostkamt the rest of us continued, and after a puncture and a short stop for food the snow started falling.
Today we were given the day off to rest/freshen up for our Recon ride of the Ghent Ieper course on wednesday, and decided to head into Brugge on the bus to check out the sights.

"The Tower in the cenert square of Brugge"

"Tea Room on the edge of the town square"

"fountain at bus stop"

"Town Square"

"One of the many Churches"

In other news this is what happens when bikes hit the cobbles

Thankfully the rider only sufferd a bump to his knee resulting in a bit of soreness and a few stitches

DISASTER (dont panic its just the internet)

2010-03-07T05:14:00.006+11:00

Hey i was planning on posting yesterday but as the heading suggests we had no wireless internet yesterday, and as i was nice and gave one of the yanks our rooms internet cable because the wireless signal was too weak in his room I found myself very bored.
Thankfully today the polish family living in the appartment next door were getting kicked out to make room for more riders coming in the next week, so once they were gone another cable found its way into my room. ;-)

So whats been happening?
not much sleping eating riding some more eating then shopping then eating then repeat. AHHH this is the life.
I belive there has been some discussion back home about where the Bikini chick is and why she has been absent from my photo galleries. for those of you thinking WTF here is the Bikini chick.

And she lives here... i think, I cant read Flemmish but i'v got a fair idea what this sais.

In other news our second adventure to Brugge was abandened when shitty traffic and frustrating bike paths killed the novelty of Brugge, but not before some pacing off the locals.
Check out this guy riding trent off his wheel

And today we headed out to the south of Oostkamp where the roads are narrow there are no anoying bike paths minimal traffic, small forrested sections and huge old mansions. we headed out in the general direction of the 3 Day Tour of West Flanders which circled Oostkamp before heading north to Brugge, and after only 17 minutes of riding we came across a coner with motorbike scouts and a small croud. It was perfect and no longer than 2 minutes after we pulled over the race rolled through

Day 2: Sunshine Wind and Canals

2010-03-05T03:39:00.005+11:00

Today was a day for our first propper ride, after spinning the stiffnes out of our legs for an hour yesterday. Trent, Nate, Nat, Addison, and myself got kitted up and head out at 10am towards the Canals which we were intending to follow out to the english channel and back. Unfortunately we got to the outskirts of Brugge and were stopped by police who had closed the canal side road, so we U-Bolted and head along the canal towards Ghent meeting up with a 65yo local rider who looked no older than 50, (maybe a side effect of all the riding?). Luckily he spoke english and lived in Brugge which was only 5km from where we are based and was heading out on an 80km ride. Perfect!
He was an awsome tour gude and took us around a nice loop along the canals.

Here are some pics taken during the ride

"The Canal Leading to Ghent"

"The Boys, and our Local Tour Guide for the Day (front left)"

"The Buch"

"Some Nifty Camera Work (over the shoulder)"

After the ride 4 of us headed into town to do some shopping before watching some TV and trying to decipher the cryptic butons and dials on the front of the washing machine.

Since ariving we have found 2 channels which have some shows in english, one the belgian tv version of Star FM back home. That is 10 songs repeated all day everyday. The other has South Park and a news program called "What The Fuck News". there have been Pro bike races on the tv during each day as well which is a nice change from Aussie tv.

Day 1; Home for the next few months

2010-03-04T03:38:00.012+11:00

After settling in last night, today was all about meeting the rest of the team gettng some gear (equiptment, not the other type of gear)and checking out Oostkamp and Brugge.

First up was a team meeting where we mingled and got to know each other a bit better before, Peter, a rider in his 6th year at the cycling center, and Bernard Moerman, our team director, imparted some wisdom and info about the local area. Before the riders doing the upcomming UCI 1.2 De Vlaamse Pijl (http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/de-vlaamse-pijl-start-list) gatherd to head out to recon the course. meanwhile Trent myself and the other newbies, Addison, Nate, Nat, from the US and Jannes, from canada, waited for our new kit made by Bioracer, and helmets made by Spuik.

I am quite fond of the helmets, which are a bit on the heavy side but fell as though no cobblestone could break them, note trent got Jib'd with a white helmet and not one in the team colours. sucker!

Then it was time to build our bikes and head out for a spin. First stop the bank to get some coin for groceries, then to the local bike shop for some spare tubes and some more gloves, before riding up to brugge to have a look around.

Bruge is one of the most beautiful old cities around with the main town center being cobbled and intertwined with canals.

we didnt hang arount for too long though because its important to take it easy for the first few days to get over the jet lag, and so headded back to Oostkam where we tagged onto the back of one of the local bunches for a few extras on the way home.

Here is a quick look around our apartment

The entry hallway and Desk (Note mum the study is still happening)

Then there is the main living area

and the Kitchen

Here's the view

And then the Bedroom (guess which side is mine

off to Belgium

2010-03-03T05:15:00.000+11:00

After a long few months counting down to my trip to Belgium, yesterday it was finally time for me to pack all that I would need for the following 4 and a half months I’d be away from home. With a luggage limit of 20kg plus 7kg of carry on, and heading for European winter, it proved quite a task keeping my bike, riding gear and clothes in the ball park. I knew I was in trouble early on when my packaged bike and bike box weighed 15.4kg without any clothes or equipment, meaning I only had 4.6kg of checkable luggage and the 7 of carry on. After weighing my suitcase it became clear that the 20kg checkable luggage limit was unattainable as my empty suitcase alone weighed in at 3.6, so the suitcase stayed at home and I shoved as much stuff as possible in with my bike as well as in my carry on. In the end managed to fit everything into my bike box and back pack but they came in at 24.8 and 10.4 respectively,

Some drastic sweet talking was required at the airport to dodge the $40 per kg excess. I’d like to think it was my charm and dazzling smile that wooed the check in lady, but you and I both know that’s not true. Thankfully she was in a good mood and even asked me to take 4kg out of my carry on and into my bike box, taking it up to 28.4kg’s, only 8kg over, with no extra charge.
It was then time for the 14 hour and 20 minute non stop ( lol, I find it funny that they say it’s a non stop 14h 20min flight, because if it did have a stop, wouldn’t it be 2 shorter flights which total 14h 20m) to Abu Dhabi. This leg was to be the longest of our travels to and from Belgium, but after watching Twighlight just to see what all the kids rave about, and now realise how shit it realy is, I mean come on kids get some taste. Then it was time for one of the sleeping pills mum had got for me, which worked like a charm, thanks mum. I woke up with only about 2 hours to go, and watched another in flight movie “Ninja” which was rated R and for good reason, it was pretty gory with lots of death much better than woeful love stories with even worse acting. First impressions of Abu Dhabi were good, although we were landing during a thunderstorm and could see several flashes of lightning as we descended though the clouds, which was a little un nerving. It was just before sunrise and once below the clouds the lights lining the many streets of Abu Dhabi made for an awesome sight, but I was unable to take any decent photos . We could also make out the massive Ferrari theme park under construction and the Abu Dhabi Motor Racing track which despite being several hundred meters above the ground still looked HUGE.
Abu Dhabi Airport also made quite an impression, with flashy arrival area, and even a text message from the local Phone network, welcoming us as guests to their network.

Even the trees arent spared the special treatment.

the departures area wasnt quite to the same standard as the arival area and had one of the longest hallways iv ever come across

After waiting around in the airport for a bit it was then time for the 7 hour connection to Brussels, which thankfully had power sockets allowing me to use my laptop. Unfortunately Trent got the window seat, and along with it an awesome view of the western edge of the Himalayas.

Then after a long long time watching ordinary in flight movies it was time to land in Brussels. Bags were collected and then we passed through the non existant imigration/customs and on to the train from the airport to Tielt where we would be collected by the Fuji Test Team, painted van/minibus. Which would take us to the apartments where we would settle in go for a shop at aldi (which is nowhere near as good as Warragul Aldi) and have dinner.

Il try and get some pics of the team base/equiptment and bus in the next few days.

Another Happy Apollo Customer...... My Old Man

2010-02-08T14:05:00.014+11:00

After 4 years of persistant nagging my old man to get a new bike last week he funally caved in to the pressure and bought himself a "Top of The Line" Apollo Arctec.
It has been at leat 7 years since he last bought himself a bike, his Gios a90, which had become a bit of a frankenstein with many DIY repars throughout its life, was in desperate need for replacement.

With his next bike probably needing a similar lifespan, he wanted something a bit special, with some "wow factor", and equiped with Sram red, and top shelf Easton components, as well as having an integrated seatpost neat cable routing and an impressive carbon weave on the tubing/forks the Arctec was just the bike.

Like a kid at his first christmas, Dad went straight to the shed to start the build when we got home from picking it up and proceeded to assemble it at an incredibly slow rate. Not due to difficulty but due to the time spent starring/admiring the craftmanship and attention to detail, and maybe a little due to our limited experience in assembling bikes from scratch.

"Arctec Frame Ready to be Built Up"

It was decided that the local sunday morning ride would be its maiden voyage, and to make the shock of him actually buying himself a new bike greater, 50mm carbon tubs would be used.

"The Finished Product"

With the special attention the new toy was getting, our dog Tess was feeling left out and insited that she would be in all the remaining photo's

"Tess Checking out the carbon seat rails"

"Tess checkinh out the Internal Brake Cable"

"Tess Checking out the Carbon Forks"

"Tess Tired From all the excitement"

Tour of Wellington Summary

2010-02-08T08:55:00.012+11:00

2:30am... alarm, it was time to get up and get ready for the drive to the airport for our early flight to welliington via Sydney, picking up Chris, Grover, and Trent on the way. Sam and pete had made their own way to the airport and met up with us at check in where luckily none of us were stung with excess baggage fees. Un beknown to me that is where my luck would end.

As this was my first international trip, and subsequently first time thorugh airport customs, I found out that 80ml of chamois creame in a 150ml container is unable to be taken in carry on luggage, which could have been a real pain in the arse. However customs officers allowed me to buy a smaller container and then continue to scoop the creame out with my fingers into the new container.

Once in wellington my luck didnt improve. stage 1 which started with an uneventfull 15km neutral followed by an 8km Cat 1 KOM started with with a bang, Breaking a spoke 500m after the race was underway, couple this with a botched wheelchange courtesy of neutral spares as well as realising 200m down the road that neutral spares had driven off with my broken wheel still at the road side, and 124km of chasing followed.

Stage 2 was also a hilly stage with several categorized climbs and wasnt the sort of course where one could have an easy recovery day. As a result during stage 3 I ran out of gas with 30km to go and withdrew from the race.

The morning before stage 4 I went for a short ride just to spin the legs over and took some photo's of the scenery surrounding Masterton.

"River Floodplain outside Masterton"

I then spent stage 4 in the team car and at the feed zone handing the rest of the Apollo boys drinks as they did laps of the 30km circuit, with Chris in the break and the rest of the boys sitting comfortably in the main field. Afterwards Muz and Jo Decided that a drive around to some of the local wineries for some taste testing was in order, so trent and I taged along. On our way home from the wineries we took a detour out to a near by gourge where we took in the scenery before calling it a day.

Stage 5 saw the only real taste of NZ weather and resulted in the GC being neutralized leaving a the brave (or stupid)few ride the final crit on painted busslanes soaked with oil and water.

And then it was time for the trip home, and after 4 hour of flying we saw a familiar site out the window of the plane.

"Western Port Bay/French Island"

Then only minutes later, it was time to land in Melbourne Airport

"Planes Shadow on Approach to Airport"

"Getting Closer"

And that was The Tour of Wellington

Off To The Beach

2010-01-22T08:55:00.007+11:00

With the "Trust House Cycle Classic" or more commonly known "Tour of Wellington" fast approaching I decided to have a brief holiday down the peninsula with the family and Tess (dog :)where I would take the opportunity to relax at the beach with a nice cruse down the esplanade each morning, Although this nearly didn’t happen as we got half way to the beach house and realised the we had forgotten to pack my front wheel :( which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as when we got home my copy of ride magazine was waiting in the letter box.
Take two was more successful with nothing being left behind or forgotten, and we eventually arrived in Mt Martha where we could put the feet up and relax. After heading to safety beach for a bit, I decided the weather was too good to not go for a ride to Arthurs Seat and Sorrento taking my camera along for some happy snaps.

"the view from the lookout on Arthurs Seat"

"The hairpin at the Lookout"

After my cruse along the esplanade, we drove out to Arthurs Seat to take Tess for a walk, not realising that Parks Victoria aren’t any fun and don’t allow dogs, forcing us to walk down the road instead of the path to the lookout where we watched the sun setting over Sorrento.

"The Sun Setting over the Peninsula"

Day 2 started with my last hit out before I fly out to NZ for the Tour of Wellington on Monday, consisting of 2 max efforts up Arthurs followed by a spin to Sorrento and back with a few intermediate sprints.
Effort No1 was 9 mins and 42 seconds
Followed by
Effort No2 at 9 mins and 43 seconds (HR,Speed and other stats to come when i download the data)
A fair way off 8min 57 sec set by Luke Fetch (Torq) a few weeks back, but still not too bad for a non climber.

This was followed by a swim recovery session at Safety beach and run, chasing Tess who was insistent on rounding up all the other dogs on the beach, whist watching boats bigger than the average house leave the Safety Beach Marina (maybe one day....sigh).

But as they say all good things must come to an end, and it was time to head home :(

Ride Photos

2009-12-08T09:53:00.008+11:00

Seeing so I started my blog early to get some practice in before I head OS next March I though I'd share some of the photos I have taken with my new camera, which I got for my B'day (thanks Mum,) whilst out riding. Hopefully I will ba able to get heaps of sweet pics while in Belgium and watching the pro's do their thing. Also if there is anything in particular you want to see pics of or me to write about feel free to make suggestions and I'l do my best.

"Kinglake"

"Hairpin, Mt Worth" (this is my attempt at playing around with panorama, stitching 4 seperate photos togeather)

"My Elite C, Mt Worth"

"The View From the Top of Yarragon Hill"

Euro Trip 2010

2009-11-27T16:35:00.004+11:00

With my first post under my belt I suppose now would be a good time to explain why I decided to start this blog.

If you havent already worked it out I am a competative road cyclist and having signed mid year with Apollo bikes as my main sponsor and team, "Apollo under 23 Development team", I figured a blog would be the perfect medium in which to write about my training race and travels as well as promote Apollo Bikes, particularly as Apollo has given me and my team mate Trent permission to travel and race in belgium in the first half of 2010 in preparation for the 2010 Aussie Nat road series with team Apollo. So this blog is a way for me to do some promotion as well as keep friends, family and fellow riders up to speed with how my racing is going.

In early March, Trent and I will fly out to brussels before travelling to the "Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy" in Oostkamp, 5km south of Bruge., where will will train and race predominantly Kermese races throughout Belgium until just after the start of the Tour De France in July.

"A canal in the city of Bruge"

Due to the location and timing of our trip, it is likely that both Trent and I will be able to spectate and possibly even ride the courses for all the spring classics which will be held during our stay, as well as the tour of Flanders, which traditionally starts in Bruge, and the early stages of the Tour De France, which starts in Rotterdam before heading south through Belgium before enetering France.

But before all that Trent and I have our sights set on performing at our best in January for the 2010 Aussie Nat Champs, and the 2010 Tour of Wellington in New Zealand.

My New "Team MACHINE", 2010 Apollo Elite C

2009-11-16T18:02:00.000+11:00

For my first ever post, I figure this would be the perfect time to give the sponsors a well earned plug, by writing a short review of the "Team Apollo Elite C"

After first laying eyes on what was to be the 2010 Elite C in early july at the team photoshoot, the countdown had begun until I would had one of my own. After much discussion, while waiting for the photos to be taken, it was decided that the new and improved Elite C, which had originated from the same molds as the 08 and 09 but was created with a higher quality carbon, well and truely looked the part with its new paint scheme. Most notable was the top tube of the frame which was emblasened with "Elite C"

Being the first sample of the new Elite C, it was about a month and a half wait for the first run of production to make its way to Apollo head office, where we would pick them up the following day. Trent and I both picked our bikes up togeather, and after several minutes playing giant tetrus with 2 bike boxes and a back seat/boot which was no where near big enough we were on our way back to Trents where they would be assembled.

After several hours of tinkering, Muz, the Apollo rep and team manager came by to make sure he approved of how we had built our bikes, in particular what stem lengths we had chosen which was discussed thoroughly before a compramise was struck. But by the time we had the bikes ready to roll it was too late to take them for their maiden voyage.

So the following day we set off for the dandy's in the pouring rain to put them through their paces. Before we had left the driveway it was it was evident just how stiff and efficient the power transfer of the frames were and how well, despite the stiffness, the frames soaked up the bumps. After previous bad experience with sram red (due to operator error) I took some time to become accustomed to the double tap shifying motion, but after a bit of practice and deralieur adjustment was taking to the new grupo well.

Once at the 1 in 20 it was evident just how much improvement the power transfer of the Elite C's frame made while climing, and despite the trecharous conditions on the decents the elite c's handled extremely well quickly instilling a sense of confidence enabling it to be thrown into corners with little regard to the glacial road conditions.

After a 4 hour barrage of road spray it was time for its first wash, which due to the large quantity of white in the paint scheme, was not expected to be a quick job. However much to our surprise the large surfaces on the frame and the finish of the paint meant it took little more than a spray with the hose and a quick wipe with a clean rag before they were looking like new again.

As well as the improvements in carbon quality and paint design the Apollo has cut no corners with the componentry with easton ec70 aero bars, ea90sl wheels, ec90 seatpost and ea90 stem, as well as prologos scratch saddle and SRAM's ever popular RED groupset coming stock standard, prooving that the Elite C is built for racing!

With that said I think it's montage time!...

"The curved seat stays and large chain stays combine nicely to create a high level of stiffnes without the degree of harshness in the saddle associated with typical stiff frames"

"Prologo Touch Bar Tape provides a nice finishing touch"

"Out of the saddle is where the efficient power transfer of the Elite C is most notable"

"But its in the corners where the Elite C shows that its built for speed" (also check out the wikid Movember "Mo".

*Special mention to Kane Walker (team 2XU-ARC) for the action shots