The Burn Out Ride

It was beginning to feel a little like Christmas - I mean winter - on this mornings ride.... there was a bit of nip in the air. From the looks of Zulu at the start of the ride, anyone would have thought that it actually was winter - arm warmers, longsleeve undershirt and skullcap to-boot!! And I thought your name was Zulu Warrior not Zulu Pansie!!!!

The cooler weather seemed to have dragged the big guns out of the woodwork for the town circuit this morning which made for great pacelining - except for the wind up for the kick when the bunch was pulling around 50k+ from the Stickies roundabout - that wasn't great, that was just pure painful!

The Snowman and Whiff had a few extra friends this morning for the jaunt around the block. According to Ray's Brother - it was 12 degrees across the way..... getting nip, nip, nippy.

Once again Peter was caught digesting one of his daily fruit serves at the bakery........ Are you sure there was banana in that?????

Yarwun Race - 14th May

The first race at Yarwun for the season will be on Saturday 14th May. It will be a combined ABC&D grade 50k handicap on the road that runs between Yarwun and the Historical Village.

Ask any of the boys who turned up last year at these races - Bloomers, Sweeny Todd - don't ask our resident Dentist about his experience though - and they'll tell you that its a perfect opportunity to have a go at racing ..... except for when you get caught by the chicks (namely SpyCat) who start behind you!!

If the racing really doesn't interest you, volunteers are needed to keep the riders safe and help out on the day. There are some pretty cruisy jobs.... turn marshalls and follow cars. If you can help out, get in touch with LG or the shop.

The Croz will be there "with his new camera" taking plenty of photos for the blog....

The Weekend Coming

Get your kits on people cause there's an awful lot of riding happening this weekend....

Saturday morning kicks it off with the bunch ride leaving Fordy's at 5:30am. If you're up for a bit of distance, the Snowman and Whiffo are still heading around the block at 4:45am leaving from Hungries.

Saturday afternoon there is a MTB ride leaving from the Choice Petroleum on Sunvalley Roundabout at 3pm. The boys will be heading to the Sunshine track for around an hour in preparation for the Dirt Clowns 6 hour race next weekend in Rocky.

Sunday morning, the Bunny's ride is on leaving again at 5:30am (Bunnings Carpark). I can assure you Red Rocket that you won't be on your own this week!!

If you're keen for a race this weekend then Monday is the day for you. The Labour Day handicap is on in Rockhampton. Racing starts at 8:30am - its about 40ks, its flat and its as hard as hell. Go to the Rocky website if you want more info.

Otherwise, for those of us not racing, there will be an EASSSSSSSY float around town leaving Fordy's at 6:00am (there you go everyone - a sleep in!!). We may have to call a maccas clause on this one as I don't believe our regular brew shop bakery will be open????

Enjoy the weekend guys.... oh, hang on - its only Thursday!!!!

The ANZAC 25 & The Wednesday Ride

Congrats to Grainfed who once again showed his sprinting prowess at the ANZAC 25 criterium in Brisbane on Monday. Grainfed took out the sprint prime and also 3rd place in a super tight finish between first, second and third.

Just a heads up that tonite's Wednesday nite ride is switching to a new Haddock circuit course instead of the usual block route. The ride will still roll out at 5:30pm from the back of the shop.

For those that are interested, Andy is still as keen as ever to be a roadie, getting up close an personal to the ergo during a recent training session... just don't get too close little Andy!!!! MEOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Farewell To A Legend

When I first started racing around 7 years ago, there was another Gladstone rider who was racing in the same division as me in Rocky. What made this other rider so special was the fact that he was old enough to be my grandfather!!! And I certainly mean that with the utmost of respect for his name was Brian Hayden.

In his prime, Brian was a State and National champion on the bike and would often tell us cycling tales from his past during the many Sunday rides that he joined us on. Sadly over recent years Brian has had to stop riding as much as he would have liked and we haven't seen too much of him.

Brian and his wife Joan have just recently moved to Warwick and stopped in to say their farewell's to Matty at the shop.

I can only hope Brian that when I am half your age I'm still able to ride my bike as well as what you did those first few years we raced in Rocky. You are a living legend.

On A Ride To Nowhere

After spending a quillzillion hours in the car travelling way way west on Friday, we arrived at our destination of choice - Mt Isa. Saturday we unpacked the bikes and headed out on a road which Matty described as "flat" towards Dajarra - You'll need to google this place, cause it's in the middle of whoop whoop - seriously!!!

Now we in Glad Vegas often complain about the dog trailer trucks when they come past, but I can tell you that these puppies have nothing on the bad boys that sneak up on you on a road that's no wider than the Targinnie strip - you literally get off the road and off your bike in the dirt! We were lucky enough to have not 1 but 3 road trains come past in the 60ks. They even have signs to warn you... it just would have been nice if Thunder had of given me a heads up before the ride!!

Good thing it was a great ride hey Matty ;)

Spot The Problem

On our Sunday morning "bunch" ride at Mt Isa, the four of us headed out for a VERY leisurely 21.2k town circuit.

There's a free tube in it for anyone that can spot the error with this photo.... the riders are Frank Long, Steve Carson and the infamous Matty Thunder Jenkin.

Easter Saturday Ride

If anyone is looking for someting to do on the easter weekend other then laze around and eat chocolate, here is a quick note from LG.

I am going to have a hit out Saturday around the block leaving from Hungry Jacks at 4.45am. I am not doing Targinnie.

Everyone is welcome, but it will be a pretty firm ride with a 33-35 average. I won't be waiting if someone falls off the back. River ranch and Haddock will be included and I will wait at the top of them.

Brewshop afterwards.

Mick.

Ray's Wrap up- Round 3 Of The Dirtclowns XC Series

Well much better conditions than last race, cooler & less humidity. The usual gang turned up on the start line, myself & all the rocky boys along with Ivan from gladstone & another from tannum sands.

On the start i fumbled a bit before getting my left shoe clipped in, Joel Robbinson actually told me to hurry up & clip in. As i did not get my usual fast start, Joel got away in the lead & I slipped back to 4th for a bit then moved up to 3rd (behind Dave i think) then a bit further on I passed him & moved to second place.

By the time we hit the start of the single trail, Joel seemed to be in great form & moved out of sight fairly quickly so i just got on with it. Track was in very good condition with a just moist surface.

Positions stayed the same up front for 1st, 2nd & most of the 3rd lap when some one behind me gained accross, I think i might have slackened off a bit, thinking I was in a safe 2nd & got caught out.

I made a few silly mistakes & dropped the bike a couple of times, it turned out to be Martin Trethowan (one of the rocky boys i think ) who had closed up behind me. He followed me around most of the 3rd lap before passing me just before the start of the last lap (4th) & that is how we finished. Joel robinson in 1st, Martin in 2nd & myself in 3rd. Everyone else came home in dribs & drabs untill they all finished.

So now after 3 rounds i have had a 1st, 2nd & 3rd. I now sit 2nd in the points in the elite class. Next event is the 6 hr on 7th May, hope to see a good roll up of riders from gladstone like last year.

catch ya later,

ray.

The Early Easter Ride

The Easter bunny is hopping into M1 land early this year and will be on the town ride this Sunday morning 5:30am.

The Easter bunny will be shouting hot cross buns at the bakery so make sure you HOP out of bed, HOP on your bike and HOP on down to the ride at Bunny's Sunday morning.....

Check This Out

This is from the Sumo. It's good to see that he has been looking up different sites involving cycling.

Check it out guys, it's good for a laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKNCoaOsAT4&feature=player_embedded#at=134

The Hatch

Ok, so we're at the brew shop on Sunday and the topic of conversation was getting a little technical for some (that's a completely different story!!) when Croz suddenly pipes up with "have you seen that cyclist Liz Hatch????". Well obviously everyone responded NO.

I took Croz' advice and did a little googling this morning and here she is - Liz Hatch, a rider for the American Vanderkitten womens team.

Personally, I just don't see what Croz was so excited about....... but maybe you should google for yourselves...

Para Cycling Nationals

Zulu war stories from the Para cycling Nationals held on the Sunshine Coast, April 9 & 10. Saturday's time trial was run in the rain and on a 4klm out and back course. The 7 hairpin U turns dragged down the averages over the 32 k ride. Only having calliper brakes on wet rims to pull up 170kg doing over 40...well my turns were safe & conservative or just plain slow depending on your point of view. John and I missed the podium to post a 41.69 kph average for 4th place out of 6 tandems.. National champions rode 45.3 kph. The time trial gave me a false hope that we might be able to get a bronze if we rode well in the Road Race on Sunday. Dream on Zulu. The Road Race in the Glasshouse Mountains was 8 laps of a 10k moderately hilly circuit. 1 hour into the ride I was puffing and the younger fellas on the other tandems were still making small talk & having a chat amongst themselves. 6 had already become 5. I checked the Speedo to see our average was 41kph. Slowly the small talk turned into hushed whispers as plans were laid. The moves were made and we were dropped. I yelled to John that THIS IS IT ! We rode flat out dropping the other tandem, only to stay about 50 meters off the back for a few k while the 3 tandems in front regrouped and started swapping turns. Just when I was accepting we would never get back on, one of the 3 attacking tandems punctured. We rode up to the remaining 2 easily and they jumped on as we went past. I asked if they were waiting and they nodded. I told them that we couldn't afford to. So we kept pushing and they kept sitting. After 10k they jumped us again and went down the road and out of sight. About 15klm from the finish we were caught by the chasing crew that had got a wheel off the spares wagon. We were cooked and our potential 3rd became a 4th. We rolled in on our own to finish the 82k in 2hr 6min. The athletes John and I met there have the distinction of being the best sportsmen I have raced against. Despite ungainly contraptions and their many disabilities, the riders were also the safest I have seen. The lesson learned is - communication and courtesy go a long way.

The Update Post

Lot's of news to post today on the M1 blog - can't give you any pictures at the moment due to some minor technical issues (namely the fact that I have no idea how to download pictures from my new phone!!!). The biggest news is probably Jordy's broken limbs. At BMX training on Wednesday nite, young Jordie came a busta in a major way and broke both arms and his ac joint. He looks pretty scarey with his arms plastered from fingertip to shoulder. And I thought riding on the road with cars was dangerous! Happy Birthday to Grainfed - he turns the big 19 today!!! You should put a lotto ticket in with that number Braddo. Zulu had a tough day in the tandem time trial down south. In his own words "John and I only managed 4th. One of the other Pilots used to ride with Wormy in Belgium. We are only outclassed in strength, equipment and bike handling. Other than that we are looking good". Tomorrow the boys are tackling the road race, around 90ks I think. North in the burbs of Rocky, Concrete Cat, LG and the Dominator tackled the 20k individual time trial. On the out and back course, LG finished 3rd in A grade, Concrete Cat placed 2nd in B grade and we think the Dominator came 2nd or 3rd in C grade - we could confirm The Dom's placing if he actually answered his phone for once! Whiffo and the Snowman were the only two riders to head around the block this morning. Tomorrow's ride will roll out of Bunny's at the usual time of 5:30am. Hopefully there are a few more riders than what there were today. Next weeks race in Rockhampton is at Cawarral. Bring your hurt legs. A grade have 4 laps - 88ks. B grade have 3 laps - 66ks and C grade 2 laps - 44ks. Keep your eyes posted to the blog during the week in case there are any last minute changes.

Gladstones Biggest Ever Bicycle Sale

From today, Friday the 8th of April 2011, M1 Cycles is holding Gladstone's BIGGEST ever bicycle sale.

All Road, Mountain, Flatbar and Recreation bikes are now 20% off RRP. This only applies to stock that is on the floor. There is plenty of bikes of every style so no one is going to miss out.

Also, if any of the M1 riders recommend someone to come in and buy a bike, M1 Cycles will give you a $50 Lezyne voucher.* http://www.lezyne.com/

*only applies to product in stock.

Thursdat Night Rides

It was great to see 3 of our newest girls on the ride. Erin on the Red Rocket, Naomi on Blue Thunder and Katie on Black Magic. It was great to see Erin do the whole 3 laps without missing a beat.

Just remember that this a recovery ride for the stronger rider and a training ride for the beginners. This is a float ride. There are still riders turning up, and trying to smash the ride which is turning newer riders away from the sport.

Note from Cannondale Cam- "big thanks to the bunch for waiting up while I had my mechanical". I'm not sure if that was sarcasm or not, but I'm sure Cam ment it in the nicest possible way.

Oceania Paracycling Nationals

The longest TREK bike in town is headed south for racing this weekend. Zulu has answered the call posted on the Rocky Cycle club webpage to "pilot" a tandem for Rocky cyclist John Wood.

John Wood is competing in the Ociana Paracycling Nationals at the Sunshine Coast this weekend. The Program for the Mens tandems is a 30k TT on flat hotmix in Caloundra on Saturday and a 90k circut style road race in the Glasshouse Mtns on Sunday.

No one really knows what motivates the Zulu, but we all know he loves a good hit out on the tandem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y

Dialed Bikes by TREK

Looking for a bike for your kid and just can't get one that fits 100% or even looks the goods.

Have a look at the TREK kids range and see why they are so darn Dialed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqY0m8azrLs&NR=1

RCC Certificates

We have some awards from Rockhampton Cycling Club ready for pickup.

These are for the 2010 Road Champs, ITT Champs and the KOM.

Dark Horse, Bush Slasher, The DOM, Zulu and Ben 10 please come and get your awards.

The Hump Day

It's the middle of the week - Hump Day. That means tonight is the smash around the block for anyone that's keen for a bit of punishment. Make the most of the block rides on a Wednesday night because after Easter, the rides will be turning to a "new and improved" Haddock circuit.

If you're really disappointed that the rain washed out the Rocky Time Trial on the weekend, then guess what??? You're in luck. The time trial will be on THIS WEEKEND!! Oh, yah... I'm just sooooo personally excited about that!!

Don't forget Saturday's ride is now leaving Fordy's at 5:30am unless you're keen to join the Snow Man and friends for a roll in the ice box.

"THE CIRCUIT"

Not much to report on. It was great to have Chris Millen (Mainline Plumbing Team) from brisbane turn up on our ride. Chris noted it as one of THE BEST circuits that he has ridden on. Having a perfect paceline the whole way around, the bunch averaged 40.57 km/h, which just goes to show that focusing on a smooth rotation with minimal surges, makes the 40km/h average extremely easy. Well done to mick (our newest rider) who just keeps turning up on our smashes and hangs in there. Won't be long until you earn yourself a nickname ;). Does anyone know who won the sprints? POST UP GUYS!

Driven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSQTwl8x9Ys - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcE4vPyyV2I Do I really have to say anything?

Dutton Cycles Open Criterium Race

First things first, NEVER believe Matty when he says something will be easy. Because sure as hell it's gonna be completely opposite.

This circuit had everything, tight corners, uphill sprint to the line and very windy.

I tried to stay out of trouble as much as I could, but worrying that no one would cover the breaks, I was quick to cover every move.

To make a long story short, there was a break away that held us off for a while, and with 4 laps to go i managed to hang in with the chasing bunch while we pulled in the break. Somehow, I managed to pull 2nd place in the finishing sprint. I took home a total of $350. The money was good, but im not sure if the pain was worth it.

Lew brang home a firm second place in his race.

Staying in the top 5 for the majority of the race, Lew missed the break away, and was not looking good at all.

Lew showed exactly why he is one of the best pursuitests in the country. Putting his balls on the line and jumping off the chasing pack, he pulled a 5second gap over 4 laps. Avoiding a near crash on the last corner of the last lap, he grabbed a great second, and possibly the race of the day.

I finally got to see Matty in a Masters A race. It did not look enjoyable at all.

All you could see was SUFFER printed accross his forehead. With a break away of 3 riders that held the pace to the end, the race was for 4th place was on.

The last 2 laps came very quickly, and all we could see was matty slowly moving up the pack, but it was just not ment to be, the majority of the pack rolled over the line.