Indholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2022 i Bicycling Australia

OLYMPIAN MAEVE PLOUFFE IS RAPIDLY EMERGING as one of the most exciting Australian riders to watch after winning the first ever Warrnambool Women’s Cycling Classic, a gruelling 160km race and the longest race in the world on the women’s calendar. The 22-year-old has already ridden at the World Championships in Berlin and the Tokyo Olympics, set Australian records in New Zealand, and won three Australian Champion titles in the madison, individual pursuit and team pursuit. Coco-Louise Henry caught up with Maeve to hear about the WWC, her future racing plans, and how she hopes to protect the world’s natural environments after racing. MAEVE, IT’S WONDERFUL TO SPEAK WITH YOU—FIRST UP WERE THERE ANY PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THE WARRNAMBOOL WOMEN’S CLASSIC THAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT BE A CHALLENGE? It’s great to…

THERE ARE TIMES WE FEEL A STRONG IMPULSE TO expose the skeleton in the cupboard. You’ve likely experienced the pressure between yearning to reveal a secret while holding back from speaking. Keeping secrets creates complicated human dilemmas. I have this relationship with gravel riding and after years spent on the trails, I’m at the precipice of spilling the beans. I’ve one mind to hold on to the secret and selfishly retain my solitude on the trails. The other thought is fed by a more generous perspective. This involves sharing why some of your craziest most challenging experiences on two wheels could happen on gravel. Many tribulations experienced on the trails rely on solidarity and serenity. Hence the hesitancy to invite the hordes. But, to steal a quote by Erin Morgenstern,…

“HE’S DEMONSTRATED TIME AND again that he is a phenomenal talent. He has also shown that, in the challenging moments, he has a huge amount of courage to pick himself up, lay himself on the line and go again.” These were the words of deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth from an Ineos Grenadiers press release two weeks before the horror crash that may or may not end the professional cycling career of Egan Bernal. AN EARLY START Bernal was just 21 when he first rode under the team’s previous Grand Tour leaders, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas. It wasn’t his first season as a pro, though. The wily Gianni Savio, general manager of Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli, signed him to a four-year deal when his agent showed that Bernal had a…

“…yes, the CYCLING DOLLARS CERTAINLY FLOW when a major event comes to town…” HAVING RECENTLY DELIVERED our inaugural Snowy Classic on March 26 in the stunning Snowy Mountains, the experience really rammed home the allure of regional Australia. Towns like Jindabyne, Lorne, Wagga Wagga and Mudgee are special places with an enormous amount to offer, and they should never be taken for granted. Hit hard by COVID, rural economies really did suffer through extended lockdowns, first with low visitor numbers then the virtual cessation of tourism. For many regions, this downturn was one of their greatest challenges since the Great Depression and World War II. Then, ironically, bans and concerns over international travel and more of a focus on holidaying at home dramatically helped rejuvenate many homegrown destinations. Many of…

HELD ON SATURDAY MARCH 26, THE DEBUT Snowy Classic event drew 1,200 enthusiasts to the Snowy Mountains region, with riders enjoying absolutely perfect cycling conditions. Bicycling Australia’s fifth Gran Fondo event after the Bowral, Noosa, Mudgee and Clare Classics, the event was the first to be held on fully closed roads. Riders tackled one of two courses—the 110km Challenge and 170km Maxi Classic—with both including the gruelling Beloka hill, one of Australia’s most challenging climbs. 170km riders were then faced with the added challenge of taking on the long climb to Perisher Valley, prior to a dream descent back to the event village in Jindabyne. Making the 1,000km trek from Renmark in South Australia to the Snowies, Steve Jaensch and his wife both rode the event, their second after participating…

KIT AND APPAREL TECHNOLOGY HAS COME AN incredibly long way in a relatively short space of time. Even just a couple of decades ago we were weighed down by stretched, saturated kit—wool-based apparel that doubled or even tripled in weight when the weather got wet. It’s a lot different these days; technology has taken a giant leap forward with all manner of breathable, synthetic fabrics and manufacturing techniques helping create some of the most protective kit ever. Many makers continue to work wonders with natural fibres as well—an example being tight-knitted merino wool blends that repel water while maintaining breathability and antibacterial properties. The downside to these advancements is obviously cost—there’s plenty of phenomenally expensive apparel out there. But if you shop around, read product reviews, owner feedback, and wide-ranging…

AS WE APPROACHED THE FINISH line of the Snowy Classic, a fellow rider shared ‘I have to admit, my stomach doesn’t feel too good right now. Maybe I had too many gels?’ It’s a common scenario I find myself in during a group ride where once someone learns that I am a sports dietitian, they ask numerous nutrition questions and reveal symptoms of a more sensitive nature, including bloating and bowel habits after a day fuelled with energy gels! That mid- or post-ride bloat is an uncomfortable sensation most of us riders have experienced at one time or another. But why does it only ever seem to happen in a race or Gran Fondo and never during training? Considering that energy gels appeared to be the fuel of choice (and…

UNLESS YOU’RE A CHAMPAGNE gravel seeker, you’re probably like me—on the lookout for outlandish routes. On the roughest trails you get to combat some extreme conditions. I’m no Bear Grylls, but this constant readiness to jump a snake or avoid some possible impending doom makes gravel damn exciting. The irony is, when it comes to marketing, gravel bikes tend to be defined by their level of comfort. Well, the following review is devoid of any comfort scale. This isn’t because I experience pain on my DeAnima Soul, but because DeAnima won’t make unobtainable promises. Gravel is dirty, tough, and sometimes wild. Your best bike should allow you the gamut of gravel experiences, from slipping through sandpits to loosing your vision as you vibrate over the worst washboard roads. A BACKWARD…

ALL RIDES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. BUT WHAT are the best rides in Australia and what makes them so? Is it the scenery? The weather? The gradients? The absence of traffic? The company? The local hospitality? The history? Or could it even be a combination of all of the above and more? Over the next few issues, Pete Maniaty is going to be profiling some of the all-time favourite local rides from both Bicycling Australia contributors and readers, enroute to publishing our official Top 50 towards the end of 2022. To get things started, here are five of Pete’s all-time local favourites. What are yours? 1 HEFFRON PARK, MAROUBRA, NSW. Brutal, windy, chaotic and still bumpy as hell. This history-steeped 2km circuit in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is home to Australia’s…

IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME AT just how much snobbery still lingers when it comes to mobile phone photography. In all truth, the majority of people would struggle to tell the difference between a picture shot on the latest iPhone to one shot on a good mirrorless camera, and especially not when it comes to viewing them on the tiny screens of the devices that now seem to rule our lives. Yes, I am a professional photographer, and have been filling the pages of this and countless other magazines around the world for 30 years now, and I do use “big” cameras for most of my professional work. That said, I use a mobile phone camera just about every day too, and the images I produce from it are…

(Makes 9 rice cakes) INGREDIENTS • 1 cup uncooked white risotto/arborio/sushi rice • 2.5 cups water • 1 apple, cored and chopped finely • 1/2 tsp cinnamon • 2 Tbsp sugar • 1 Tbsp brown sugar METHOD 1. Stovetop: Combine all ingredients in a pot, bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until the water is fully absorbed and a very thick sticky, consistency has been achieved (think sushi rice). 2. Rice cooker option: Combine all ingredients in the rice cooker, turn on and let it cook to perfection. 3. Spread the rice mixture into a lined baking tray press it down well (or into a ziplock bag) 4. Refrigerate until cold and cut into 9 pieces. 5. Wrap with foil or clingfilm ready to eat on the…

WHAT: THE WONDERCROSS RIDE TYPE: GRAVEL, SINGLETRACK WHEN: SATURDAYS WHERE: MELBOURNE, VIC DISTANCE OF THE LOOP: 24KM ELEVATION: 165M AVERAGE SPEED: 18KPH START LOCATION: JETNIKOFF BICYCLES START TIME: 7.30AM FINISH LOCATION: THE HERBERT CAFE THE WONDERCROSS RIDE RUN BY Jetnikoff is possibly the only ride so revered that a bike brand was created and named in its honour. Running twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the ride winds its way through the trails snaking along the Yarra River with regular regroups and A/B line options to cater to all riders. Giving ‘escape the city’ vibes, the ride takes in a mix of flowy single track and connecting roads and bike paths to deliver a ride that works on both the fitness and technical skills of the rider. Most turn…