New Team Kit.

Thanks to Carl from Nemisis Sporting Appel for helping with our new team kit. It is top quality and fits really well. I'm very happy with it.

Custom Ayup's

You can now get custom Ayup's. Also High Powered lightest are available to everyone, not just a select few;)

A Wednesday night to remember...

OK, I'll paint a little picture. I was out on my usually Wednesday night MTB ride with Rohin, AJ, Scotty and a few other of the boys. It starts to rain, AJ after having a bit of a bug decides to pull the pin, Rohin is also keen to get it over with. Myself and Scotty on the other hand were have fun in the crap conditions. Anyway, we ended up riding the section along the yarra trails on the nth ride of the river under Chandler Hwy. Rohin in front pulls up as he sees the raging water (pic 1) running into the river from the storm water. I decide it was no match for me and my bike and without hesitation go for it. Than BAM, I was thrown to the ground in a heart beat from the absolute force of the water. I feel my knee and ankle both twist in the wrong direction, but I was concentrating on the problem at hand, getting myself and bike out of the water safely. I grabbed the bike a few times but it kept getting ripped from my hands by the water. In the end, I decided to grab the pole and say see you later to my bike. It went over a 2 meter waterfall and quickly went out of view.

We all looked on in amazement for a few minutes before a bottle popped up out of the white water, 30 seconds later an other bottle. Maybe a minute after that, my bike rose from the depth and floated out into the middle of the Yarra River. We were all pretty busy at this stage pissing ourselves with lafter. Luckily there was a couple kyakers paddling and I yelled for help to get the bike. They go the bike closer to shore but then it got snagged. Rohin didn't hesitate and jumped in to grab is as he could see I was in no state to go swimming.

The ride back to Rohin's place (and my car) was a one legged affair. As you can see in the last pic, the final result was a broken tibia. I have six weeks in plaster. Unfortunately this means I will miss The James Williamsom Enduro, Mont, Kona Dirt Weekend and the Duael. I should be back on the bike with a month to get fit enough to complete the Alice Springs Stage race in May.

WSC - Thanks

A huge thanks to my support crew over the weekend at the World Solo 24hour Championships. It was fantastic to have my parents and Aunty Babs there to look after the kids. It was so good to ride out on a lap with all the kids in their Ayup jerseys yelling at me. Not the result I was after, riding well in 5th until about the 18hr mark. Then the shoulder fatigue made such a tough course too dangerous to continue. Not overly disappointed, happy I gave it a go.

Soon to be sold...

Just getting in early, but I will be selling off my fleet very shortly.

* 2 x Kona Hei Hei 100, 2010 22"
* Look 986 carbon hardtail, Large (20")
* Look 555 Road bike, SRAM Force XL (59cm)
* Kona Unit 2008? 20" (the purple one) with or without gears.

Spread the word.

Tour de Timor all wrapped up...

After entering this event I didn't really know what to expect. I knew a few people who raved about it last year, so I had big expectation. Did it deliver? Sure did. The race itself was great fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. Stage races are not what I am good at, but with a bit of extra fitness gained over the last couple of months I fared pretty well. Each day basically panned out exactly the same for me on the bike. Started with the fast guys until the pace got too hot, then dropped off into a smaller chase group. I knew if I kept my heart rate in check to the level I have been training at for the solo worlds, I would finish strong. This happened every day. Our team finished second in the male teams and I finished 16th overall.



The stages were pretty amazing. We had a great mix of fast rolling flats, Paris-Roubaix style flats, relentless climbs up to the clouds, rolling loose and rocky descents, and steep in your face climbs. Did I mention there were climbs? We had to cope with sweltering heat and humidity and some riders who were on the course for a bit longer were lucky enough to get cooled off in a massive downpour.



Whilst off the bike we walked through the villages and met the locals. It was fantastic to see how happy the children were. Whilst riding through villages, locals lined the streets to show their appreciation of our participation in such a great event, riding through their regions. School kids really know how to yell!!



Below is a selection of photos I took on and off the bike. Sorry they are a bit out of order because blogger now make it too hard to rearrange.






A great sunset fron the UN Beach in Dili.

This rain caused the streets to flood in 20mins. Very heavy.

Simon pushed it a bit too hard on day two. Two bags later and he was fine.

Walking the streets of Dili. The locals were very happy to see us walking through their side streets, seeing close up where the sleep.

These were the wash rooms made by the locals in Balibo. Very cool.

The team minus Simon at the lookout over Balibo.

Riding the train. All strung out heading towards a two hour climb off in the distance.

Before the start of stage 4. Neil VDP in front of all the bikes whilst we all shelter from the heat.

Ben accompanying Rowena Fry (female winner) and myself up the climb on stage 4.

Team photo.

All dressed in our sporting attire for the after party.

I am looking forward to next year already.

Stage 1: Dili to Balibo (From Robyn)

AJ came across the line first. Simon (Knowles) came in 8th, and Andy was 15th. Andy had a nice crash but managed to do a good tuck as he hit the ground and spared injuring his shoulder again! Ben and Rohin finished behind the other 2 ... all still adjusting to the climate, the environment and getting ready for Day 2. Sleep well in the 29C heat, guys. Hope those mozzies aren't biting!

Tour de Timor..bring it on...

Bike prep is complete. Legs have recovered. Shoulder can hold onto MTB. Think I am ready for a great week. I ended up putting some suspension and gears on the trusty Kona Unit 2-9. It rides sweet and might give me a bit more of a chance to hold pace on the fast looking course.


Looks pretty sweet. Needed to drop the forks down to about 60mm of travel to keep the angles good. Pretty sure they will be locked out most of the time anyway.

Glad I did a test ride. The old Easton carbon post was past it's used by date.

Doubt there will be any coverage over in Timor, I will update if I get a chance.

What's been going on...

It has been nice to get back out one the bike. I am still restricted to road bike only. I gave the MTB a little test last weekend, but all I could manage was slow rolling over obstacles, so I have decided to leave it for a while yet. Hopefully I will be OK for Tour de Timor.

Fortunately Kona has gained some support from Torq. This not only gives me access to their great nutrition products, but they have a testing lap with a bike fit machine. I was able to get my road bike pedalling position setup to be the same as my MTB so at least I am pedalling the same circles whilst only training on the roadie. Torq has a access to a physio for bike setups. This is far more beneficial than simple getting it done at a bike shop. The physio is able to see how you body reacts to positions. So you not only get a more powerful position, but a position you are actually able to maintain. So if you want to get yourself in a more powerful riding position, give Dean a call on 03 9775 1155.

If you haven't used Torq Nutrition products before. Trust me, you will notice the difference. For me personally, I find them the easiest to digest, particularly under the stress of racing. Their recovery products are truly unique and offer the best possible chance of backing up tough session day after day. So, with any luck, I will be in good form come October for the World 24's.

Epic? You tell me.

This is my first "real" ride back.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41563436

I have the power...

I got myself a set of Mavic Carbone SL's with a PowerTap hub just in time to start training again. These wheels will make any bike look hot. If you are considering training with power, check out these wheels. Considering they are a complete wheels set, already built up, they are good value.

My Look 555, pictured about will be for sale as soon as my 2011 frame comes in. Probably towards the end of September. Let me know if you are keen.

Finally found the break...

Finally the CT Scan has revealed a break in my left coracoid process. You can clearly see it on the scan below. Lucky break really - another 10% and it would have totally been broken off. The good news is it will heal without complications and I should be back on the bike within 3 weeks.