Indholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2022 i Bicycling Australia

AREAL MILESTONE YEAR FOR CYCLING, THERE’S A LOT TO LOOK forward to over the 12 months ahead. As we head into the new year the Australian cycling industry, and our sport as a whole, are in a strong and positive position. The growth in cycling continues - I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen so many fellow riders out and about on the roads, tracks and trails. Highlights inside this edition celebrate the position the sport is in. We have the latest in road and gravel cycling, new gear and fresh technology, plus a retro special with three beautiful old bikes. Wollongong features in that retro special, plus in our Bunch of Fives as well. And rightly so … The ‘Gong will be one of the highlights of…

“A.A.R.R.E W.W.W..E.E.E T.T.T.T.T.H.E.R.E y..y.e.e.t?” I am bumping, clacking, rattling and jolting along the Oude Kwaremont with guide Kurt Cornelis from Cycling in Flanders. Stretching 2.2Km, it is the longest cobbled climb which features regularly in many of the professional races in Flanders. Despite only having an average gradient of 4%, riding on cobbles leaves me feeling a bit like Humpty Dumpty wobbling on the wall, with every bone in my body buzzing with the vibrations. The cobbles, small chunks of granite stones which may or may not be equal in shapes and size on the same road, have a legendary status in the Flemish region. I have always been fascinated by them through watching the Tour de Flanders. Images of riders covered head to toe in mud and blood come…

WITH THE 2021 ZWIFT ACADEMY WINNERS SOON TO be announced, it’s fitting that we catch up with last year’s male winner, Jay Vine, to reflect on what’s been a monstrous year for the inspirational Australian riding for Alpecin-Fenix. The Zwift Academy (ZA) is a community training program and talent ID search open to riders across the world. This annual training program is not just for those who want to go pro, but can also be used to help improve general fitness. As the competition ramps up and gets to its final stages, a male and female rider earn themselves a one-year professional contract with Alpecin-Fenix (AFC) for the men, and Canyon-SRAM (CSR) for the women. In 2020, we saw Jay Vine and Neeve Bradbury launch themselves into the professional peloton…

“…Only through equality of opportunity can we ensure black faces in the peloton and on the track are a normality rather than novelty; ARE SOMETHING OTHER THAN CURIOSITIES CONSTRUCTED UNDER A WHITE GAZE…” I WAS STRUCK BY MANY THINGS when I first came into cycling. One was how inescapably ‘white’ the sport is. Riders of colour have long been heavily underrepresented at almost every level of cycling. Back in 2015, it was a discrepancy that saw me spend the best part of 18 months seeking out Australia’s first indigenous cycling representative, the late Brian Mansell – a man very few in the Australian cycling community seemed to know much about. Brian’s was a fascinating and, at times, heart-wrenching story. But it was one that needed to be told. So, when…

”…there are three good-sized rear pockets– INCLUDING REFLECTIVE TRIM FOR ENHANCED VISIBILITY…” SOMETIMES YOU BUY something for no other reason than you just like the look of it. Initially, that’s what drew me to this great value kit from Cinettica. I saw it online. Liked it. Bought it. It’s been a month or so since then and, as things turn out, this jersey and bib ensemble have a whole lot more going for them than mere aesthetics. THE BRAND For me, Cinettica has always been one of those enigmatic kit brands. Yes, I’d heard of them. But I really didn’t know much about them. I figured they were Italian, but a little digging revealed they’re actually based in Sydney and have been quietly producing kit for around two decades. In…

FIVE FROM THE ‘GONG LOCKDOWNS MADE THE POPULAR ‘BUNCH OF FIVES’ FEATURE DIFFICULT THROUGHOUT 2021, BUT THEY’RE BACK WITH THIS FRIENDLY CREW FROM WOLLONGONG. ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS SO many of us may have wondered as children is, “what is heaven like?”. Well, there could be a strong argument that riding the coast road in Wollongong with a few friends, witnessing a glorious sunrise over the ocean, savouring some superbly crafted coffee in a local café then enjoying the caffeine-fueled “good legs” on the roll home all combine to make a heavenly experience. The weekly Thursday brew ride has become a staple for this Illawarra crew. We asked them the five most important questions. DAVE STEWART BEST PLACE TO RIDE IN THE ILLAWARRA? That’s a difficult question to answer, anyone…

“…Sure we could vent our frustrations over this incredibly challenging period, BUT I’D RATHER FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES AND SAY 'BRING ON 2022!’...” LIKE YOU, I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE fresh new year to begin and plan to hit the hills with extra oomph over the holiday period. Let’s face it, we all need to have a rest and spend quality downtime with our bikes and of course our loved ones. Sure we could vent our frustrations over this incredibly challenging period, but I’d rather focus on the positives and say 'bring on 2022!' Cycling has delivered so much relief for so many people over the past 12 months. Whether it was spending way too much time on Zwift, discovering some cracking new local loops in the 5km radius, or…

IT’S A SIMPLE QUESTION, WITH NO SIMPLE ANSWER. IT’S also one that’s being asked by an increasing number of cycling fans, especially those here in Australia. What has happened to GreenEDGE Cycling? Putting parochialism to one side, there’s little doubt Team BikeExchange (set to be rebadged as ‘Team BikeExchange Jayco’ for 2022) has fallen several notches from the rarefied heights of years gone by. Lack-lustre results, continued sponsorship dramas and a current roster that appears to be short on both firepower and depth, sees the upcoming season loom asarguably the most pivotal in the team’s history, certainly since its very first, back in 2012. THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY Detailed results collated by ProCyclingStats show 2021 was by far the leanest in the 10-year history of GreenEDGE Cycling. The Team…

THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, your nutrition and the way you eat can play an enormous role in optimising your body composition, recovery and performance as a cyclist. But what is the best nutritional approach for you to make the most of your training? Should you be eating high carbohydrate or low carbohydrate, and what are the pro’s eating? Ever since Chris Froome posted a picture of his rest day low carbohydrate breakfast during the 2016 Tour de France, many have thought that following a low carb diet is the miracle solution all elite athletes are following for optimal performance. As an Advanced Sports Dietitian based in Girona I have met, worked and discussed the nutritional practices of professional athletes competing at the highest level. Many of these elite…

”…WITH SO MUCH CUSTOMISATION AVAILABLE there’s simply no need for a series of different screens or on-the-go display option changes. ..” WHEN IT COMES TO GPS/ computer units, it’s ‘the big two’ that have the market pretty well sewn up. And rightly so, major players such as Garmin and Wahoo have been building their brands, developing their offerings and improving their range for quite some time. There are also a number of smaller brands in the increasingly busy market. Lezyne, Bryton, Cateye, Azur, Polar .. the options and offerings are almost endless. Over the past few years we’ve been hearing more and more about a relatively new player to the market and that’s Hammerhead. The backstory is the concept of a more user-friendly bike computer was dreamt up by two…

GRAVEL RIDING AND BIKE packing are an extension of road riding. They both involve planning, varying degrees of self sufficiency, a well thought out bike set up and a strong focus on comfort and efficiency. Complimenting each other to a tee, both pursuits are about taking your bike further, often beyond the bitumen, along paths, tracks and trails that are typically quieter and further flung. They are also the two aspects of the sport most open to individual interpretation so far as bike setup, personal choice and accessories are concerned. Packs, bags, mounts, bars, saddles, lights, wheels, tyres … there are literally thousands of options for a rider setting up the ultimate long distance adventure bike. The Ride Farr V3 aero handlebar extension is one such bike packing / gravel…

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE ONE golden rule in cycling is not to change anything in your set-up or approach on the day of a big event, least of all trying out a brand new bike when you’re riding a sportive featuring two of the sports most iconic climbs and over four thousand metres of ascent. But then, as the saying goes, when in Rome, or as was the case for me, when in Bormio, which is where I had the opportunity to test a Colnago V3. I will be the first to admit that it was a brave decision, not because of the bike itself, but rather the timing of the decision given that I was in Bormio to ride the Santini Stelvio Gran Fondo, which features both the…

JUST AS EVERY PARENT HAS A favourite child, I believe that every cyclist has a favourite bike brand, even if, like parents, won’t profess to it. But, as with every rule, there are exceptions, myself included, and I’m not ashamed to say that I have a favourite bike brand (although I couldn’t possible pick between my two children). The brand in question is Bombtrack, the little known German company quietly establishing itself in, what is, a crowded market with a range of bikes suitable for all budgets and needs in the world of adventure and gravel bikes. The jewel in their increasingly impressive crown has to be, in my opinion, the Hook EXT C, which proves that looks are not everything when it comes to a bike - for all…

IT’S THE AUSSIE EQUIVALENT OF BOURG OISANS, Bormio or Banyoles, the French, Italian and Spanish feeder towns, accommodation centres and entry points to some of the world’s most celebrated cycling regions. Comfortably nestled alongside the south-eastern side of the magnificent lake bearing the town’s name, Jindabyne is a quintessential and picture-perfect mountain town. And much like its exotic European sister towns mentioned in the intro above, Jindabyne plays a crucial year-round role in supporting Australia’s adventure playground, the Snowy Mountains. It's also an entrance point to the Kosciuszko National Park, a 7000sq km wilderness destination and home of the nation's five highest peaks. Jindabyne is the hub of the Aussie alpine wheel, and it was the place we made an absolute beeline for the moment lockdown lifted, borders opened and…

FOR MANY OF US, HAIRPIN BENDS are just about the best thing about any ride; especially when they’re twisting like a slippery serpent off the side of a jawdropping mountain pass. Master them and push those sidewalls to their limits for ultimate skinny tyre fun—that’s what it says on the box, at least it should do. But, as ever, there is a big bad red warning notice on the flip side of any box of fun; the one that scares the life out of many, and can make even the faintest proposition of sliding the slithery snake a nightmare, especially on a wet day. There’s a whole lot of physical, technical and mental skill bundled into carving out the perfect series of hairpin bends, yet it’s an area that few…

WE ALL LOVE TO LABEL ourselves and others to clearly draw dividing lines … Mac versus PC, MTB versus roady and of course Ford versus Holden. In the bike computer world, the last number of years have seen the emergence of a new division, Garmin versus Wahoo. Garmin has been the undisputed ruler of the market for years but recently Wahoo sales have been very strong. While other brands such as Bryton, Sigma and Hammerhead are around, the big two definitely hold the majority of the market. Wahoo, as the relative newcomer, has been making ground on Garmin, and the competition has certainly been a win for the consumer with advances in connectivity, navigation, and interface features in recent models. Wahoo’s updated Bolt delivers significant upgrades in several areas. As…

A PROUD MEMBER OF THE Illawarra Cycle Club, Richard Lorenc has been riding and racing since the late 1970s. Over the years, he’s competed in some of Australia’s most famous races, including Melbourne to Warrnambool and Grafton to Inverell, and rubbed shoulders with some of his generation’s best-known riders. In addition to his current roadie, a 2018 Wilier Zero 7 with 12-speed Super Record mechanical groupset (“I’m an out and out Campag fan and have ridden it since 1983,” he explains), Richard has also accumulated a fine selection of older racing bikes. This includes a 1983 Alf Overton custom build, 1978 TI Raleigh 753 Team Bike and 1996 Colnago Tecnos. They aren’t just for show, mind you. “They’re all set up to ride,” he says from his hometown of Wollongong.…

TWO WEEKS AFTER HIS 34-YEAR career at the broadcaster came to an abrupt halt, though not before going through some ‘dark moments’, Michael Tomalaris is dealing with the news not by reading it as you would often see him do on SBS World News, but by riding it. “I’m doing up to 400k’s a week on my bike. I’m just riding the house down and I’m loving it. I feel like an 18-year-old (again). I’ll be 61 next month. I’ll probably never retire - I just want to be active all the time because that’s just the person I am.” Tomalaris doesn’t want to speak publicly about the reasons that led to his departure at the nation’s multicultural broadcaster, founded in 1978 by the Fraser government to cater for the…