Indholdsfortegnelse for March-April 2020 i Bicycling Australia

SUMMER 2019/20 WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY FOR ALL THE WRONG reasons. First it was the devastating bushfires, the damage and destruction affecting thousands of Australians including some very close to us here at Bicycling Australia. Our Classics series Ride Director David Kemp lost his family home near Noosa to fire and our hearts go out to all those so badly affected. Although it pales into insignificance compared to the heartbreak for those who have lost loved ones or the very homes they live in, the fires have impacted the dreamy summertime plans of many who simply wanted to spend time out on the bike, get quality training time in, and enjoy the wonderful country we are so blessed to live in. With the disastrous summer behind us, now’s the…

ESTEBAN CHAVES CLIMBED INTO THE INTERNATIONAL cycling limelight when he won the Tour de L’Avenir – widely considered ‘the Junior Tour de France’ – in 2011. He turned pro the following year with the Italian based Colombia-Coldeportes team, and embarked on what would prove to be a roller-coaster career. In 2013 he suffered a horrific crash, a potentially career ending ‘chute’. But in good faith was still signed to the Orica Green Edge (now Mitchelton Scott) team, who he has raced for ever since. His career has glittered with sheer brilliance, humility – and of course his seemingly ever-present positive good nature and smiles have made him a firm favourite with cycling fans the world over. In 2016 he came 2nd in the Giro d’Italia and 3rd in the Vuelta…

WHEN YOU ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO participate in a sport that’s one of your own passions, you naturally have high hopes of where it might take you both one day. Since my youngest daughter picked up a road bike, we’d made an annual tradition of watching the Paris-Roubaix together, starting – fortuitously – with Mathew Hayman’s memorable 2016 win. While fairweather cycling fans get caught up once a year in the Tour de France, diehard fans get divided over the Spring Classics, and in particular the debate over whether Roubaix or Flanders is the greatest of the Cobbled Classics. But Australia’s relative success at Roubaix (with Stuart O’Grady also adding a cobble to his mantelpiece in 2007), has given this race added prominence for antipodean fans. Run by the same…

ANYONE REMEMBER TWO OR THREE DECADES AGO, when women who turned up at a cycling club bunch ride were told to come back when they could ride fast enough to stay with the men, or when women who wanted to race often didn’t because they felt too intimated by the often aggressive racing style found in the men’s grades? Then there were those who raced (and hard) and wanted to race at the top level, but found there were few elite pathways and certainly not much to be made in prizemoney, which was in no way equal to the men. Riders like lifetime elite track rider Anna Meares and lifetime club road rider Liz Wilkes sure do – but both agree that things have never looked better for female riders…

THE PELICAN’S WINGSPAN WAS LARGE enough to block the entire road had it deigned to do so, but road bikes didn’t register on its radar. Accustomed to giant herds of cattle and the rumbling of John Deere tractors, cyclists are a rare sight in these parts for both wildlife and the locals. This is Tallangatta and surrounds, the far northern reaches of the Victorian High Country and an undiscovered land of little to no cyclists. Despite their deceptively named locale these are the lowlands; while some roads venture upwards the mountains of nearby Bright have already shrunken to hill specification by the time they reach this area. Here we play within the very edges of the national park on roads built to service the tiny and distantly located farming communities…

WHAT? BELGIE / DUTCHIE WHERE? MELBOURNE, VICTORIA WHEN? WEDNESDAYS, 6.30AM POST-RIDE? COFFEE PEDDLR DISTANCE OF THE LOOP 41KM AVERAGE SPEED 28.4KPH NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART legs or lungs, this duo of iconic rides serve up the quintessential Melbourne dish of back alley laneways, single track, bike paths and scenic road every Wednesday morning. The Belgie is a hang-on-as-long-as-you-can kind of ride where the pace is dictated by who shows up on the day, and being dropped is a right of passage, even for the likes of Mitch Docker. The Dutchie with its more inclusive vibe comes out of the box strong and holds onto the bunch for as long as possible, before beginning an intricate pattern of regroups and shortcuts. In the case of this dynamic duo the…

WATCH FOR THESE THINGS THAT WILL INADVERTENTLY ALTER YOUR IDEAL SEAT HEIGHT: New shoes. Some shoes have very thin soles, others quite thick. There can be quite a lot of difference from brand to brand. This might not even alter your heel-on-pedal measurement, but it will affect your actual seat height. New pedals. The obvious change between pedal brands is stack height of the cleat on top of the pedal. Look Delta cleats are taller than Look Keo cleats, for example. The more subtle impact of changing pedals is the range of adjustment fore-aft for the cleats. Yes, if you read my cleat adjustment article some time ago, you’ll know there is only one ideal cleat position, but that cannot be achieved with certain cleat and shoe combinations. Moving the…

‘I PLEDGE TO VISIT A FIRE affected town with my Empty Esky’. This timely and most relevant media campaign really has struck a chord with Australians and the wider world over the past few harrowing months. The ‘Bring an Empty Esky’ campaign is aimed at supporting the fire-impacted communities that need our collective help. Cyclists are such steadfast benefactors to Australians in need – as a community we do great things for so many worthy causes, and have done for a very long time. All in the cycling community have witnessed horrific and tragic devastation to people, homes, animals and businesses over this fire season. Many of us have never seen anything like it, and certainly never want to see or experience it again. As one of the ‘Bring an…

UNSURPRISINGLY, JUST AS EACH BRAND HAS ITS own approach to designing bikes in general, they also have their own approach to designing bikes for their female customers, of which there are ever growing numbers. However, there has been a retreat of sorts from some brands like Specialized and Trek about the need for women’s specific geometry. They say they are still fully invested in providing women’s specific products but they’ve changed their views on the need for different geometry. Historically bikes with women’s specific geometry typically had shorter top tubes and taller head tubes. They were designed to cater for a perceived difference in average anatomical measurements – with women reportedly having longer legs, proportionally, compared to men, a fact that most bike companies now dispute. What they do all…

LOW IMPACT – Tallangatta and surrounds provide the unique opportunity to travel by train from three major Australian cities, Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra. From Albury train station it’s a peaceful 40km ride to Tallangatta, mostly along the Ride High Country rail trail. Long distance trains can (and should) be booked in advance in Australia, especially with bicycles. From Sydney the trip is 7 ½ hours and one way tickets are from $73 per person, or overnight sleeper trains from $201. You’ll need to book over the phone with a bike and check your bike as luggage 30 minutes before departure; there’s also a maximum of three bikes on any train, so keep that in mind when planning the size of your bike party. From Melbourne you can book online at…

THE HUMAN BODY IS A DYNAMIC system that changes from day to day. The more a person rides a bike, the better adapted their legs are to pedalling. The knee and ankle joints can be called on to work a little bit harder, to reach a little bit further. In my fitting experience, there are two break-points I’ve identified although I’d be happy to admit they are probably slightly arbitrary points on a continuous range. The first comes when a cyclist exceeds 250-300 km per week for an extended period of time. The second comes at almost double that, around 450-500 km per week. That means there are three proper seat heights possible for any rider: high, higher and highest (or just 1, 2 and 3 if you prefer) which…

JUST THE MENTION OF THE WORD can make anyone who’s previously suffered wince in pain ... yes, it’s sciatica, a lower back condition that affects a large percentage of the population – particularly those in their 30s, 40s and beyond. It often comes on after strenuous physical activity, and it’s agonising effects can last two or more weeks. Common symptoms include referred pain from the lower back down one leg. This pain can be felt anywhere along the sciatic nerve – from deep in the thigh way down to tingling under the foot. For a detailed and professional explanation of sciatica we spoke with Sydney-based Physiotherapist Peter Sharp, a keen cyclist and specialist in the field. BICYCLING AUSTRALIA: SCIATICA – WE KNOW THE TERM GENERALLY REFERS TO LEG PAIN STEMMING…

I’M ONE OF THOSE CYCLISTS WHO doesn’t drool over bikes and kit. I’m not a bike cleaner, or a chaser of the latest and greatest; in fact most of my kit would be considered ancient (or classic) to many – despite the fact that I’ve worked in the cycling media and bike industry for most of my life. Well, I may not be a drooler, but I’m also not great when it come to getting rid of bikes and kit – hence my aging collection of steel, titanium and carbon bikes. To say I was a cycling kleptomaniac may be pushing it, I just never seem to get around to getting rid of things – although a change of continents a dozen years or so ago did force a much…

SPECIALIZED DOWN UNDER COLLECTION Days before the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Specialized launched an exciting new line up of products along with news of a major donation following the bushfire crisis. The ‘Down Under Collection’ has been inspired by the speed and colour of the Australian Budgie – an Allez Sprint Disc, Evade and Prevail helmets, S-Works 7 Shoes, even socks and a cap. With much of Australia’s wildlife suffering from devastating bushfires, Specialized donated $150,000 to WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue. Fore more on the Down Under Collection visit www.specialized.com LEZYNE SMART LIGHTING US-based Lezyne say it’s the most advanced front/rear cycling light combo available and we agree this is wonderful technology here. As the name suggests, the ‘Connect Smart Pair’ comes equipped ‘Smart Connect’ wireless technology. Both front…

AUSTRALIAN MALE RIDER OF THE DECADE (2010-2019): CADEL EVANS Cadel Evans began the decade in rainbow stripes, courtesy of his 2009 World Championship victory at Mendrisio, Switzerland. He ends it as Australia’s first, and only, Tour de France winner, happily retired, although still very much involved in the sport he loves as a passionate advocate for active lifestyles and rider safety. Having come agonisingly close on multiple occasions, Evans finally succeeded in securing the maillot jaune on the Champs-Élysées in 2011. Not unlike the America’s Cup victory of 1983, his historic achievement captured the imagination of the entire nation with tens of thousands attending his homecoming parade in Melbourne. Almost nine years on, he continues to command attention everywhere he goes, from cyclists and non-cyclists alike. While nothing can compare…

BIG DATA CONTINUES TO IMPACT MORE AND MORE OF our lives. So it comes as no great surprise cycling is beginning to see its influence, with the launch of a new data analysis tool called ‘Protecteur’. It’s still early days, but Protecteur – along with its accompanying ride management software, Buncheur – is being trialled as the official ride and advocacy management system for one of the country’s largest advocacy groups, Bicycle NSW, and is also being supported by a growing number of cycling clubs. Protecteur’s creator is Oliver Rainbow, owner of cycling apparel brand Prism. “Our core belief is that Prism must give back to the cycling community,” he says. “That’s why Buncheur and Protecteur exist. It’s also why they’re free to use.” So what exactly does Protecteur do?…

FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR SADDLE HEIGHT: 1 It is easy to take the measure off an existing bike and transfer it over, but what if you didn’t have an existing bike? With all the fires around this summer that possibility should seem more real than abstract. Measure it multiple times, write it down, memorise it. 2 For setting up a demo/hire/borrowed bike. In October I got to ride a hire bike in France and to ensure I got the right size frame, they asked me for my normal seat height a few weeks prior. I didn’t have to measure (which was good because I was on a mountain bike holiday at the time and my road bike was 12000 km away) and I didn’t even have to look…

BIKE FIT & SADDLE HEIGHT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE Elliot Denver is a physiotherapist and specialist bike fitter at The Body Mechanic in Lavender Bay, Sydney. We asked his thoughts on the subject and he was quick to point out the critical importance of both a professional bike fit and the use of a high quality saddle such as the revered Selle SMP. “Sciatica, or any neural symptoms in the buttocks or legs is a very common presentation,” he told us. “Depending on the severity of the symptoms, it is very often possible to continue riding, at light intensity. This actually helps recovery in preference to refraining from all exercise or movement.” A bike fit is very important; especially the saddle, Elliot said. “One with a cut-out and sway-back can…

IN AN AGE WHERE AERO SEEMS TO be everything, Cervelo say the new S3 will give riders “every possible advantage.” “We made the S3 more aerodynamic and with an optimised balance of stiffness and compliance,” a company rep told Bicycling Australia. “The result is increased speed, power transfer, and comfort.” Slicker and clearly sleeker, the updated model has been extensively wind-tunnel tested and refined. This translates to exactly what you’d expect on the road - an impressive all-rounder that, like many recent releases, seems to offer a very surprising amount of bang for the buck. Though not as boldly redesigned as big brother the S5’s innovative front end, the S3 features a new aero stem and handlebar – the bars neatly routing the cables and hoses into the frame for…

WITH STRONG LINKS TO THE past and a firm fix on the future, the Bianchi Sprint was a release that both piqued our interest and fuelled enthusiasm. Choked by weeks of bushfire smoke, it was refreshing to arrive in Adelaide and finally breathe some relatively clean air while also testing out the latest in the line up from Bianchi. The Sprint moniker, as same will recall, has previously been used by the 135+yo Italian bike manufacturer before. Back in the ’80s there was a steel Sprint, complete with classic aggressive and upright geometry of the day. Picking up the 2020 Sprint, riding it home, making a cup of tea, leaning the bike against a white wall and sitting down to take a long look at it… I could see some…