In the distance are two tandems racing at the Clarence St cup, New South Wales versus New Zealand. The score board above the track tells the story.
The warm up infield ride area is the gray zone below the track and around one half of the infield.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Goulburn City Park
A beautiful little park along the main street of Goulburn. Gloria Jeans coffee, the end point of Sundays local club ride, is across the street.
Goulburns Tourist stop
The Big Merino, a popular tourist stop on the south side of Goulburn next to the Subway and Mackers (McDonalds to you Americans)
Last Stage, Adelaide Street Race
Great view from a local pub along one of the back straight sections of the race.
Australia is filled with these great spots for a refreshing beer.
Wilunga Stage of the TDU
We were standing on a center median with racers going by on both sides.
The sign points to a previous stage that finished at Victor Harbor, another great beach town.
The Load Limit sign descibes the KOM hill at Old Wilunga Hill.
Ahhhh, Coopers!!
What would a trip to Adelaide be if you didn't stop for a tour of the Coopers brewery and the sample room.
This picture is for Chris!! I think your seat is right in the middle my friend.
Going down
The ride down was even more spectacular.
Driving back from the bike races one day, 2 members of one of the Pro teams chased down this road, we had all we could do to stay ahead of them.
This is a straight section of the road.
3K to go!
Keep climbing Chris, only 3K to go to the top of Mount Lofty just outside of Adelaide.
The climb up Green Hill road took us about an hour to do, max grades were about 9% on a twisting switchback road with spectacular views looking back over Adelaide toward the Southern Ocean.
Winery
If things get boring after watching a day of bicycle racing, stop off at a local vineyard for the wine tasting.
The 200 meter to finish mark
Before the race starts, this is one of the Tour publicity vehicles sitting at the 200 meter mark where the final sprints ramp up at the Tour Down Under, 2008.
Side entrance to Adelaide Superdrome
Another great Velodrome, same track as the Blaine and Sydney track although fully enclosed.
Alpine Way drive from the highest peak.
The roadway south of Thredbo, the highest spot in Australia. A Great twisting 2 lane road through the park. There is some snow downhill snow ski chances but not very often.
The sign shows the distance in kilometers to two differnet towns along the way.
Can you pronounce the names?
One of the fun things about driving around Australia is all the aboriginal town names.
They just sound like cool places to visit.
Ever been to Wagga Wagga?
Track specialists, this is for you
500 meter sprint contest on rollers. Note that there are 2 guys holding on to each track bike.
Standing start, fastest one to get to 500 meters wins. Guy to the right is re setting the gauge.
They limit the gear to be used to equalize the riders.
(See the next picture)
Australian Institue of Sport, Canberra
We spent a day in Canberra going through the AIS, Australian Institue of Sport, which is one of the main facilities that train future Aussie Olypians.
This is a statue outside the main entrance.
They have everything from cycling, volley ball, swimming, gymnastics, you name it, in mutliple facilities some of which are open for public use.
Canberra, Australia's national capitol and another great cycling friendly city.
Entrance to Goulburn Track
Seiffert Track is a 400 meter asphalt cycle track in Goulburn, the oldest inland city of Australia, and also home to my friends Chris and Lyn.
Not much banking, nice surface, deceptively long when you are used to 250 meters.
Edgar Lawrence "Dunc" Gray
Plaque at the Seiffert Oval asphalt cycle track in Goulburn that talks about Dunc Gray and how the Sydney Velodrome was named.
Don't be afraid
Cassowary looking for food, they can run at speeds up to 30 MPH and have sharp claws that can do major damage. They can jump up to about 5 feet high.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Not done yet
Even though I'm home, the blog is not finished yet. I still have more pictures to sort and post and there are some thoughts and thanks yet to be said so stay tuned for more....
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Minnesota winter BBQ
Getting ready for a BBQ this afternoon with James and Mary.
Chris, Lyn, come on over invite the rest of the gang as well!!
View out our front door for Chris and Lyn
The haze is blowing snow buddy!!
The street is the cleared/plowed area at the bottom of the picture. Not so good for push bikes.
Chris, especially for you and Lyn
After taking Cody the dog for a walk on the parkway, Saturday about 11 A.M. Feb 9th.
16 degrees F and wind about 15 -20 MPH. Tomorrow it is supposed to be -15 degrees F and windchills at about -30 degrees F.
Oh, we are so glad to be back????
26th annual Clarence St Race update
The last week has been a blur of activity. We are now back in Minnesota after a exceptional month long trip to Australia.
Part of the original plan of course was to race and ride push bikes down under.
The last scheduled race there for me was the Clarence St Cup, hosted by the Sydney Velodrome, Dunc Gray.
Racing started at 2:00 with Masters Club Pursuit Championships, then Juniors racing from about 2:30 until 5. At 5:00, Jayson Austin, native Australian, was attempting to break the mens 30-35 age category World One Hour record which was set by an American, Jason Sprouse, last September. The rest of the Clarence St Cup started after the Hour attempt about 7:00 and went until about 10 or so.
Jayson missed setting a new record by a few laps. He was probably hindered somewhat because the time keepers clock stalled after about 15 minutes into his first attempt and he had to re start the attempt.
We got to the track early enough to see the end of the juniors and the hour attempt.
I tried to warm up some by riding on the "infield" but that is also the set up area so you really can only do short slow laps around about half of the inner area, better than nothing but not really a warm up.
It was in the high 80's when we got there, they turned off the lights for the hour record and the place cooled some. It is an indoor track but is not air conditioned and there can be a lot of heat inside due to sun effect.
We got a real track warm on the track for about 15 minutes prior to racing, there must have been 60-70 riders on the track all at once. If you led a paceline, it would take almost a full lap to get to the end and back on again.
I switched to a slighlty bigger gear after the warm up and decided I was ready to race.
I was a bit nervous, most of my fields had 15 to 20 riders and I was still getting used to how things were organized. I was glad to be with my friend Chris and the rest of the Goulburn Cycling team to get advice.
I am classified a Master, C grade (MMAS6) in division 6 and somehow got a handicap of 230 meters assigned to me.
It was also kind of fun to be the only listed "International" racer in the program.
My schedule for the night was a possibility of 5 races total.
1st; a 7 lap scratch qualifier for the final wheel race, only the top 2 go to the final.
2nd; a 7 lap scratch Repecharge race with handicap starts with the top 4 returning to the final
3rd; A 17 lap elimination/Miss and Out race
4th; The Wheel race final, again handicapped.
5th; a 12 lap scratch.
There were 10 in my first race, I stayed with the pack a few riders back from the front most of the race, every time I got near the lead I would roll off and get back into the pack. The last lap and a half got hot and I eventually finished 6th about 30 meters back from the lead.
The Repecharge had 20 or so riders and we were scattered all over the track. I was at the 230 meter mark with 4 riders ahead of me one next to me and 2 right behind me at 220.
The gun went off and I had to slow a bit to let the handler in front of me get off the track, accelerated and passed that rider and got into 4th place right behind my friend Chris. There were 2 guys up front feverishly doing half lap pulls while Chris and I watched.
At about lap 5 the faster riders caught us, I accelerated and tried to stay on the pack but missed out and eventully finished 10th about a half a lap back from first place.
No wheel race for me tonight!
I was still feeling good and happy that I was not getting dropped and actually finishing at least mid pack.
The Goulburn group, Coley in particular, advised me to get to the front of the elimination race and stay there, surging some at the finish line. That was easier said than done. I didn't get lined up soon enough so I was near the back rolling onto the track. (you line up against a rail on the infield and then ride up a ramp onto the track to start) The group gets on the track and then when the leaders are at about turn two the start whistle blows. I was about mid pack by turn two and passed a bunch while riding on the measurement line on the back straight to get in the top 10. I kept forcing my way through at the bottom and eventually got to 3rd behind 2 team mates. The second place guy kept watching the rear and telling his partner and of course me as well, if we were alright for each lap. My ride was easy, in the draft in 3rd with someone telling me what was happening behind. I must have gotten lazy though, as we came around I accelerated a bit thinking there was at least 2-3 riders behind me, No, there was only one and he got me at the line. The race was over so fast I couldn't believe it. 4th overall. My best Miss and Out ever, so I felt good. It was also fun to hear the announcer talking about "the international" racer while the race was on.
The last race, a 12 lap scratch with 17 riders. Similar stategy, stay near the front, don't lead the pace for any more than half a lap, roll off and get back in the front group.
I followed my plans but eventually got blown off the pace towards the end but still finished 10th overall about a half a lap from the winner.
Overall, it was a GREAT night of racing. I felt good all night, comfortable in the packs, stayed mostly towards the front in all the races, had a 4th place finish, just generally had fun and enjoyed the last race and ride in the land Down Under.
There is a bar, the Handle Bar Pub, attached to the track so we all retired for a couple of beers before heading to dinner and our next stop for 3 days, Manly Beach area of Sydney Harbor.
Part of the original plan of course was to race and ride push bikes down under.
The last scheduled race there for me was the Clarence St Cup, hosted by the Sydney Velodrome, Dunc Gray.
Racing started at 2:00 with Masters Club Pursuit Championships, then Juniors racing from about 2:30 until 5. At 5:00, Jayson Austin, native Australian, was attempting to break the mens 30-35 age category World One Hour record which was set by an American, Jason Sprouse, last September. The rest of the Clarence St Cup started after the Hour attempt about 7:00 and went until about 10 or so.
Jayson missed setting a new record by a few laps. He was probably hindered somewhat because the time keepers clock stalled after about 15 minutes into his first attempt and he had to re start the attempt.
We got to the track early enough to see the end of the juniors and the hour attempt.
I tried to warm up some by riding on the "infield" but that is also the set up area so you really can only do short slow laps around about half of the inner area, better than nothing but not really a warm up.
It was in the high 80's when we got there, they turned off the lights for the hour record and the place cooled some. It is an indoor track but is not air conditioned and there can be a lot of heat inside due to sun effect.
We got a real track warm on the track for about 15 minutes prior to racing, there must have been 60-70 riders on the track all at once. If you led a paceline, it would take almost a full lap to get to the end and back on again.
I switched to a slighlty bigger gear after the warm up and decided I was ready to race.
I was a bit nervous, most of my fields had 15 to 20 riders and I was still getting used to how things were organized. I was glad to be with my friend Chris and the rest of the Goulburn Cycling team to get advice.
I am classified a Master, C grade (MMAS6) in division 6 and somehow got a handicap of 230 meters assigned to me.
It was also kind of fun to be the only listed "International" racer in the program.
My schedule for the night was a possibility of 5 races total.
1st; a 7 lap scratch qualifier for the final wheel race, only the top 2 go to the final.
2nd; a 7 lap scratch Repecharge race with handicap starts with the top 4 returning to the final
3rd; A 17 lap elimination/Miss and Out race
4th; The Wheel race final, again handicapped.
5th; a 12 lap scratch.
There were 10 in my first race, I stayed with the pack a few riders back from the front most of the race, every time I got near the lead I would roll off and get back into the pack. The last lap and a half got hot and I eventually finished 6th about 30 meters back from the lead.
The Repecharge had 20 or so riders and we were scattered all over the track. I was at the 230 meter mark with 4 riders ahead of me one next to me and 2 right behind me at 220.
The gun went off and I had to slow a bit to let the handler in front of me get off the track, accelerated and passed that rider and got into 4th place right behind my friend Chris. There were 2 guys up front feverishly doing half lap pulls while Chris and I watched.
At about lap 5 the faster riders caught us, I accelerated and tried to stay on the pack but missed out and eventully finished 10th about a half a lap back from first place.
No wheel race for me tonight!
I was still feeling good and happy that I was not getting dropped and actually finishing at least mid pack.
The Goulburn group, Coley in particular, advised me to get to the front of the elimination race and stay there, surging some at the finish line. That was easier said than done. I didn't get lined up soon enough so I was near the back rolling onto the track. (you line up against a rail on the infield and then ride up a ramp onto the track to start) The group gets on the track and then when the leaders are at about turn two the start whistle blows. I was about mid pack by turn two and passed a bunch while riding on the measurement line on the back straight to get in the top 10. I kept forcing my way through at the bottom and eventually got to 3rd behind 2 team mates. The second place guy kept watching the rear and telling his partner and of course me as well, if we were alright for each lap. My ride was easy, in the draft in 3rd with someone telling me what was happening behind. I must have gotten lazy though, as we came around I accelerated a bit thinking there was at least 2-3 riders behind me, No, there was only one and he got me at the line. The race was over so fast I couldn't believe it. 4th overall. My best Miss and Out ever, so I felt good. It was also fun to hear the announcer talking about "the international" racer while the race was on.
The last race, a 12 lap scratch with 17 riders. Similar stategy, stay near the front, don't lead the pace for any more than half a lap, roll off and get back in the front group.
I followed my plans but eventually got blown off the pace towards the end but still finished 10th overall about a half a lap from the winner.
Overall, it was a GREAT night of racing. I felt good all night, comfortable in the packs, stayed mostly towards the front in all the races, had a 4th place finish, just generally had fun and enjoyed the last race and ride in the land Down Under.
There is a bar, the Handle Bar Pub, attached to the track so we all retired for a couple of beers before heading to dinner and our next stop for 3 days, Manly Beach area of Sydney Harbor.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Sydney Habor ferry ride
Sundays ferry ride from Manly beach area to The Rocks area of Sydney, passing the Sydney Opera House.
The "Rocks" area is the oldest/original part of Sydney and is located to the right and behind the Opera House.
The Goulburn Cycling Club at Clarance St race
Left to right, Pat, Chris (The Carcase), Scotty and below, Coley and Jared.
Pat's best finish of the night was 4th out of 17 in the Elimination race/Miss and Out.
Prime Ministers 11 vs Sri Lanka Cricket match
Chris, Vera and Pat go to the local Canberra one day Cricket match to watch the Prime Ministers picked team of 11 play Sri Lanka, Australia unfortunately lost.
This is a picture of some of the Sri Lanka fans walking around the stadium.
Friday, February 1, 2008
A week in Goulburn, first inland city in OZ
The last week has been pretty casual. We are back in Goulburn after a fantastic time in Adelaide.
Chris said the trip back was going to be a long day and he was right.
We were on the road at about 4:30 A.M. and got into Goulburn about 6:00 P.M. Not a lot of excitement along the way, about 5 A.M. there was a kngaroo standing in the middle of the highway, in the dark. We really didn't want to hit him. It's kind of like deer coming out of the woods in the early morning or evening so you have to be careful driving during those times. We saw two other roos later on the side and then saw an Emu running along the road as well. It got into the low 30's C during the day and the a/c in the vehicle kept freezing up so mid day was pretty warm driving. Eventually we got it to thaw out and things got better.
Tuesday was a rest day, we went for an afternoon bike ride but both of us were wasted from the drive back, plus it was about 33 degrees and windy. (mid 90's) Tough ride because of the hills, wind and temps and fatigue.
Wednesday we decided to drive to Canberra and go to a Cricket game, the Prime Ministers Eleven versus Sri Lanka. We have been listening to cricket on the radio while driving so we thought it might be fun, which it was.
Chris calls the game an excuse to drink beer and there certainly is a fair number of drinkers attending. People are limited to 4 beers at a time but can go back as often as they like. We stayed for about 4 hours, which was about half way through the game. Australia lost to Sri Lanka.
Thursday was another easy day starting with an easy tour of Goulburn on the road bikes for about an hour and a half, stop at the local coffee shop, Gloria Jeans for morning tea and ending with a BBQ at one of Chris friends home, Scotty and Michelle. We met some more friendly Aussies and had a great dinner. It was also time to pack up the road bike for the trip home.
Friday we were planning a motorbike ride up the coast but it was raining so we decided to drive around some of the local country towns instead. We are very close to the "Great Dividing Range" which is the mountain range the runs north to south and devides the eastern part of Oz from the west. Great scenic views, not very high, but great rolling hills instead of mountains.
We ended the day by going to watch a few of the local track races at the Goulburn track. Nice time with lots of kids racing as well as adults.
Today, we are packing to head to Sydney, the Clarence St cup races at Dunc Gray velodrome is tonight.
The races are well attended by the likes of Ben Kertsen as well as a couple of the races from the Tour Down Under. Someone is going a an hour record attempt from5 to 6 as well. We start racing after 6:30.
While I was at the Goulburn track last night I saw a memorial placque that said Dunc Gray stadium was named after a man nick named "Dunc" Gray who was born in Goulburn and was a track racer and won some major races in the distant past.
We are planning to stay in Sydney, an area called Manly, on the habor for a few days before we fly home to the cold again.
The last few days have been a bit melancoly because we know the big trip is coming to a close.
Chris said the trip back was going to be a long day and he was right.
We were on the road at about 4:30 A.M. and got into Goulburn about 6:00 P.M. Not a lot of excitement along the way, about 5 A.M. there was a kngaroo standing in the middle of the highway, in the dark. We really didn't want to hit him. It's kind of like deer coming out of the woods in the early morning or evening so you have to be careful driving during those times. We saw two other roos later on the side and then saw an Emu running along the road as well. It got into the low 30's C during the day and the a/c in the vehicle kept freezing up so mid day was pretty warm driving. Eventually we got it to thaw out and things got better.
Tuesday was a rest day, we went for an afternoon bike ride but both of us were wasted from the drive back, plus it was about 33 degrees and windy. (mid 90's) Tough ride because of the hills, wind and temps and fatigue.
Wednesday we decided to drive to Canberra and go to a Cricket game, the Prime Ministers Eleven versus Sri Lanka. We have been listening to cricket on the radio while driving so we thought it might be fun, which it was.
Chris calls the game an excuse to drink beer and there certainly is a fair number of drinkers attending. People are limited to 4 beers at a time but can go back as often as they like. We stayed for about 4 hours, which was about half way through the game. Australia lost to Sri Lanka.
Thursday was another easy day starting with an easy tour of Goulburn on the road bikes for about an hour and a half, stop at the local coffee shop, Gloria Jeans for morning tea and ending with a BBQ at one of Chris friends home, Scotty and Michelle. We met some more friendly Aussies and had a great dinner. It was also time to pack up the road bike for the trip home.
Friday we were planning a motorbike ride up the coast but it was raining so we decided to drive around some of the local country towns instead. We are very close to the "Great Dividing Range" which is the mountain range the runs north to south and devides the eastern part of Oz from the west. Great scenic views, not very high, but great rolling hills instead of mountains.
We ended the day by going to watch a few of the local track races at the Goulburn track. Nice time with lots of kids racing as well as adults.
Today, we are packing to head to Sydney, the Clarence St cup races at Dunc Gray velodrome is tonight.
The races are well attended by the likes of Ben Kertsen as well as a couple of the races from the Tour Down Under. Someone is going a an hour record attempt from5 to 6 as well. We start racing after 6:30.
While I was at the Goulburn track last night I saw a memorial placque that said Dunc Gray stadium was named after a man nick named "Dunc" Gray who was born in Goulburn and was a track racer and won some major races in the distant past.
We are planning to stay in Sydney, an area called Manly, on the habor for a few days before we fly home to the cold again.
The last few days have been a bit melancoly because we know the big trip is coming to a close.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
View of Adelaide from Norton Pass
Adelaide can be almost seen in the far distance as a slightly lighter colored area, past that is the Southern Ocean. This was about a 55 minute climb from the city to the top view. (About 420 meters from sea level)
Caught up to a local group ride
This is one of about 4 or five groups of about 20 riders we saw that were touring around Adelaide and Glenelg on Sunday morning before the last stage of the Tour Down Under. I'm sure there were more groups that we didn't see. Great place to ride a bike!
Adelaide week
It's been a very big week in Adelaide. To start, Adelaide is a great, cosmopolitan style country town.
We are staying in some extended stay apartments close to the center of town and the Tour Village, which is across from the Hilton Hotel HQ for the Tour Down Under., the first Pro Tour cycling race of 2008.
This race has grown in distinction because it is the first Pro Tour race held outside of Europe. This means there are 8-9 world class Pro Cycling teams on hand to contest the stages. The race has a criterium race to start that is not part of the overall stage race and then 6 stages held around and in Adelaide.
The city is easy to navigate and find places. Bikes are very welcome, with bike routes marked on almost all the streets. It is not uncommon to see groups of 10 to 30 riders racing around town.
The bike gear is high end and everyone seems serious about biking.
There are flat areas to ride, like to the beach town of Glenelg, about 12 kilometers south of Adelaide center. There are hills to ride that will challenge most riders. There are no mountains but climbs of about 650 meters are about a half an hour ride from our apartment.
We have tried three climbs so far this week and all offer a great view of Adelaide and then the Southern Ocean.
The bike races have been great, close racing all week. Today we watched the last stage, a criterion, in central Adelaide. A Team High Road rider, Andre Greiple, (May not be the right spelling) won the final stage and race overall and beat Alan Davis of Team Uni/SA, a local Aussie national team that was let into the race. Mid way through the race Davis was within a second of Greiple, so it's been close all week.
We only missed watching one stage that was a few hours drive into the country on Friday.
We decided to go to a Coopers beer brewery tour instead, one of Chris' demands for the week.
Friday, we drove to Wilunga to watch that stage, which circled through town about 4 times before the finish in town.
Vera scored another big day, collecting Miguel Indurain's autograph on THREE Tour Down Under caps plus collected a AG2R musette bag in the feed zone.
Chris also got Miguel's autograph and a handshake. If you don't know, Miguel is one of a handful of 5 time Tour de France overall winners and is here helping the local organizers of the Tour Down Under.
The weather has been perfect. The temps have been from 20 to 33 C all week, mostly sunny and beautiful or as the Aussies say "fine" weather.
Chris and I have ridden every day while here, beach rides, climbs, bike trails along the Torrence River to the ocean, city rides, lots of variety.
It's Sunday afternoon here now, we are about to head to dinner at a local pub and schnitzel house, supposed to be the best schnitzel in town.
Tomorrow at about 4 A.M. we say good bye to one of my all time favorite towns in the world and drive back to Goulburn, a 13-14 hour drive through the flat sections of the continent.
It will be a sad day.
We still have lots of plans for the next week, recover on Tuesday, go to a local Cricket match on Wed. in Canberra, Thursday, who knows, Friday, back on the Ducati for a motorbike ride to south Sydney and then back along the coast to Goulburn. Saturday is the Clarence St Cup track races in the Sydney velodrome. Looking at the registration list, some of the Tour Down Under riders will also be racing at Clarence St. I'm hoping all the road miles will help not hurt my track riding.
After that we lay around Sydney for a few days pack the bikes up again and then board the plane to return to the cold country.
We are staying in some extended stay apartments close to the center of town and the Tour Village, which is across from the Hilton Hotel HQ for the Tour Down Under., the first Pro Tour cycling race of 2008.
This race has grown in distinction because it is the first Pro Tour race held outside of Europe. This means there are 8-9 world class Pro Cycling teams on hand to contest the stages. The race has a criterium race to start that is not part of the overall stage race and then 6 stages held around and in Adelaide.
The city is easy to navigate and find places. Bikes are very welcome, with bike routes marked on almost all the streets. It is not uncommon to see groups of 10 to 30 riders racing around town.
The bike gear is high end and everyone seems serious about biking.
There are flat areas to ride, like to the beach town of Glenelg, about 12 kilometers south of Adelaide center. There are hills to ride that will challenge most riders. There are no mountains but climbs of about 650 meters are about a half an hour ride from our apartment.
We have tried three climbs so far this week and all offer a great view of Adelaide and then the Southern Ocean.
The bike races have been great, close racing all week. Today we watched the last stage, a criterion, in central Adelaide. A Team High Road rider, Andre Greiple, (May not be the right spelling) won the final stage and race overall and beat Alan Davis of Team Uni/SA, a local Aussie national team that was let into the race. Mid way through the race Davis was within a second of Greiple, so it's been close all week.
We only missed watching one stage that was a few hours drive into the country on Friday.
We decided to go to a Coopers beer brewery tour instead, one of Chris' demands for the week.
Friday, we drove to Wilunga to watch that stage, which circled through town about 4 times before the finish in town.
Vera scored another big day, collecting Miguel Indurain's autograph on THREE Tour Down Under caps plus collected a AG2R musette bag in the feed zone.
Chris also got Miguel's autograph and a handshake. If you don't know, Miguel is one of a handful of 5 time Tour de France overall winners and is here helping the local organizers of the Tour Down Under.
The weather has been perfect. The temps have been from 20 to 33 C all week, mostly sunny and beautiful or as the Aussies say "fine" weather.
Chris and I have ridden every day while here, beach rides, climbs, bike trails along the Torrence River to the ocean, city rides, lots of variety.
It's Sunday afternoon here now, we are about to head to dinner at a local pub and schnitzel house, supposed to be the best schnitzel in town.
Tomorrow at about 4 A.M. we say good bye to one of my all time favorite towns in the world and drive back to Goulburn, a 13-14 hour drive through the flat sections of the continent.
It will be a sad day.
We still have lots of plans for the next week, recover on Tuesday, go to a local Cricket match on Wed. in Canberra, Thursday, who knows, Friday, back on the Ducati for a motorbike ride to south Sydney and then back along the coast to Goulburn. Saturday is the Clarence St Cup track races in the Sydney velodrome. Looking at the registration list, some of the Tour Down Under riders will also be racing at Clarence St. I'm hoping all the road miles will help not hurt my track riding.
After that we lay around Sydney for a few days pack the bikes up again and then board the plane to return to the cold country.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Vera scores Paul Schwins autograph
Another great race day ending in Victor Harbor.
We were watching the racers pack up and there was Paul, autographs and pictures.
Vera is a happy girl!
For those of you not current with the world of Pro Cycling, Paul Scherwin is a world known and respected cycling TV and radio commentator.
Lyn, Chris, Pat, Vera
The dinner table while watching the first stage in Glenelg, beach town in South AustraliaMonday, January 21, 2008
Traveling and Adelaide
It's past due time for updates. We have been traveling for the last few days, seeing the Australian countryside.
We left Goulburn and took a few days to reach Adelaide, traveling though the countryside through the highest part of Australia, then to the small resort/ski town of Bright, then further south to Ballarat, home of a recreated village around an old gold mine.
Next stop was beautiful Adelaide, home for the next week and location of the first European Pro Tour bike race of 2008.
We saw plenty of wonderful countryside as well as small towns along the way.
We got to Adelaide late Saturday afternoon, time to unpack the bikes and do a recovery ride to the beach town of Glenelg, which is on the coast and is the location of the first crit. course for the Tour Down Under.
The weather is perfect, 25 C or about 75 degrees F, sunny and light wind. Great ride to start the stay.
Next day, on the bikes for a ride to the top of Mount Lofty, highest peak around Adelaide and an hour long climb to the top. We started in warm sun and arrived at the top shrouded in fog and heavy mist. 40 minutes later and we were back down the switch backs and into Adelaide.
After lunch and a bit of rest we headed to Glenelg to watch the first race. As luck would have it, we found an open air restaurant with seats up and above the course so we had a perfect view of the first turn after the start/finish line. We had dinner, watching the race as it came by, finished dinner just in time to get to the finish line and watch team High Road, the old T Mobile team, win the first race of 2008.
Monday could only get better. Chris called the Adelaide Super Drome looking for training time. 11:00 mate, sounds good, $11.00 per hour! We unpacked and set up the Teschners for a few rounds of the Super Drome. We expected lots of action but found the place empty. Amazing!!!
We spent about an hour riding the indoor track by ourselves. It is a wonderful facility, probably better than Dunc Gray in Sydney. I am really getting spoiled by all this great riding.
The rest of the day has been spent around downtown Adelaide, tonight, curry house for dinner. The rest of the week is filled with rides, races and longing around the great town of Adelaide. (We are staying in some apartments blocks away from the center of town and the Tour village so everything is within walking distance)
We left Goulburn and took a few days to reach Adelaide, traveling though the countryside through the highest part of Australia, then to the small resort/ski town of Bright, then further south to Ballarat, home of a recreated village around an old gold mine.
Next stop was beautiful Adelaide, home for the next week and location of the first European Pro Tour bike race of 2008.
We saw plenty of wonderful countryside as well as small towns along the way.
We got to Adelaide late Saturday afternoon, time to unpack the bikes and do a recovery ride to the beach town of Glenelg, which is on the coast and is the location of the first crit. course for the Tour Down Under.
The weather is perfect, 25 C or about 75 degrees F, sunny and light wind. Great ride to start the stay.
Next day, on the bikes for a ride to the top of Mount Lofty, highest peak around Adelaide and an hour long climb to the top. We started in warm sun and arrived at the top shrouded in fog and heavy mist. 40 minutes later and we were back down the switch backs and into Adelaide.
After lunch and a bit of rest we headed to Glenelg to watch the first race. As luck would have it, we found an open air restaurant with seats up and above the course so we had a perfect view of the first turn after the start/finish line. We had dinner, watching the race as it came by, finished dinner just in time to get to the finish line and watch team High Road, the old T Mobile team, win the first race of 2008.
Monday could only get better. Chris called the Adelaide Super Drome looking for training time. 11:00 mate, sounds good, $11.00 per hour! We unpacked and set up the Teschners for a few rounds of the Super Drome. We expected lots of action but found the place empty. Amazing!!!
We spent about an hour riding the indoor track by ourselves. It is a wonderful facility, probably better than Dunc Gray in Sydney. I am really getting spoiled by all this great riding.
The rest of the day has been spent around downtown Adelaide, tonight, curry house for dinner. The rest of the week is filled with rides, races and longing around the great town of Adelaide. (We are staying in some apartments blocks away from the center of town and the Tour village so everything is within walking distance)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Dunc Gray training
How lucky can you get! Monday morning and we are at the Sydney Velodrome for open training. There is one other rider on the track plus Chris and me. $10 entrance fee.
A good day to pick gears for the upcoming Clarence St Carnival which will be inside so no rain outs allowed!!
We do about 15 minutes of warm up when a derney fires up and Ben Kersten, Aussie Olympian, comes out to do some motor pacing.
A little different than back home, the slow riders ride below the blue line and Kersten and the derney ride at the blue line.
He is out for a few sessions but bascially, we have the track to ourselves for about 2 hours when we finally tire and decide to leave.
Goulburn Track Power Carnival
First Competitive outing for the Team Speedfix jersey in Australia.
The carnival started under hot and sunny skies at 2 in the afternoon with junior races until about 5 P.M.
Warm ups for the seniors at 5 and then the first race of the night, Masters category, C grade. There was about 20 riders in the 5 lap "heart starter" scratch race. I started close to the front, rolled off and got back into about midpack on the first lap. Around lap 4, I was in a good position drafting some bigger riders, not working hard at all. Lap 5, riding along the measurement line behind one rider as we neared turn four the pace picked up but the rider in front was not up to the pace and kind of blocked me as some others came over the top. I finished about 5th or 6th overall. Not too bad for the first race. Seemed easy and I feel I could have gone a lot faster.
2nd race, another 5 lap scratch but with handicapped starts. I started at 300 meters out. I was doing well, 5th overall until about the end of lap 4. I had been in no mans land riding alone and was running out of energy when the rest of the pack came over the top and dropped me. Finished about 12th out of 16. The top 4 would return for the final.
By the time our next Elimination/scratch race or Miss and Out was about to happen, the clouds came over and then the rain, a massive rain shower that put an end to the nights racing!! 2nd year in a row for this race to get rained out after the junior events.
Back to the Dog Pound for a BBQ and a beer or two. Remember, riding, racing and drinking a few beers in OZ is the name of the trip.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Local coffee house
Avid cyclists run this place.
Ye Old Bicycle Cafe bike shop, in Bundanoon, New South Wales (Pat, Vera, Chris right to left)
Goulburn's Siefert Field
This is the 400 meter Goulburn track.
400 meters is a LOT longer than 250!!
Not much banking, use a bigger gear.
(looking into turn 1)
Mcgee Track
No we won't be racing on this track!
The track surface is a lot worse than it looks.
300 meter track owned by a brother of Bradley McGee out in the contry side.
Week 1 summary
Hard to believe we have been here a week already!
As usual, the Aussie hospitality is great.
We got in about 9:30 A.M. on Wed. the 2nd, a few hours delay in LA but not too bad.
Of course it's a long flight but the plane didn't have a lot of passengers so we got three seats each to stretch out in and try to sleep some. Still not real comfortable but ....
Our friends Chris and Lyn met us at the airport with a sign welcoming us in. Great to see them again.
We got all the luggage, including the bike box and after opening the box for customs, off we drove to Goulburn, the first inland city of Australia. It is about 200K south of Sydney.
Once in Goulburn, we upacked some, relaxed a bit and them headed for the shed to put a bike together.
First road race/club race south of town at 6:30. It was scheduled for 22K, out and back, with handicap starts.
There were only a few riders, about 9 total that showed up.
I left the start line with 2 others, second group out.
Tough race with little sleep, I'd been traveling for about 50 hours. I stayed with our group until the turn around, eventually got back into it but still ended up last about 100 meters off the last guy. Still not bad for me and the conditions.
Finally got to bed and slept very well.
The next few days were a blurr, still getting use to the time change. A road ride on Wed and Thursday and then track night at the local asphalt 400 meter track on Friday night. Still not a lot of riders so the races, 5 of them, happened about 10 minutes apart. Best race, last one, 20 lap scratch, ended up 4th out of 6.
In between racing there has been Bar BQ's in Sydney, sailing on a 31 foot sail boat in Sydney harbor and motorcycle trips around the local tourist areas and of course, more push bike rides and races.
The last race was supposed to be a criterium staged on a local car race track. Instead, another out and back road race because they were re paving the race track.
Last nights race was another 20K or so. Similar handicap starts. This time I started in the third pack, 6 minutes back of the first pack. There was 4 of us together. I drifted off a bit but by the turn around I was catching riders. Another hard but fun ride, I finished 9th over all out of about 20 or 21 riders, about 3:30 off the fastest pace of the day.
Todays a recovery ride day, tomorrow off to Canberra for the day and then Saturday is the big Goulburn Track Power track carnival. Over 150 entries so far, maybe more.
Meet you at the dog pound tent at the track about 6
As usual, the Aussie hospitality is great.
We got in about 9:30 A.M. on Wed. the 2nd, a few hours delay in LA but not too bad.
Of course it's a long flight but the plane didn't have a lot of passengers so we got three seats each to stretch out in and try to sleep some. Still not real comfortable but ....
Our friends Chris and Lyn met us at the airport with a sign welcoming us in. Great to see them again.
We got all the luggage, including the bike box and after opening the box for customs, off we drove to Goulburn, the first inland city of Australia. It is about 200K south of Sydney.
Once in Goulburn, we upacked some, relaxed a bit and them headed for the shed to put a bike together.
First road race/club race south of town at 6:30. It was scheduled for 22K, out and back, with handicap starts.
There were only a few riders, about 9 total that showed up.
I left the start line with 2 others, second group out.
Tough race with little sleep, I'd been traveling for about 50 hours. I stayed with our group until the turn around, eventually got back into it but still ended up last about 100 meters off the last guy. Still not bad for me and the conditions.
Finally got to bed and slept very well.
The next few days were a blurr, still getting use to the time change. A road ride on Wed and Thursday and then track night at the local asphalt 400 meter track on Friday night. Still not a lot of riders so the races, 5 of them, happened about 10 minutes apart. Best race, last one, 20 lap scratch, ended up 4th out of 6.
In between racing there has been Bar BQ's in Sydney, sailing on a 31 foot sail boat in Sydney harbor and motorcycle trips around the local tourist areas and of course, more push bike rides and races.
The last race was supposed to be a criterium staged on a local car race track. Instead, another out and back road race because they were re paving the race track.
Last nights race was another 20K or so. Similar handicap starts. This time I started in the third pack, 6 minutes back of the first pack. There was 4 of us together. I drifted off a bit but by the turn around I was catching riders. Another hard but fun ride, I finished 9th over all out of about 20 or 21 riders, about 3:30 off the fastest pace of the day.
Todays a recovery ride day, tomorrow off to Canberra for the day and then Saturday is the big Goulburn Track Power track carnival. Over 150 entries so far, maybe more.
Meet you at the dog pound tent at the track about 6
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)