Adam Hansen, the Australian professional cyclist with more consecutive grand tour finishes than any rider in history, has described the Ridley Helium SLX as the best bike he’s ever ridden. Well he would, you might say, given he rides on a Ridley sponsored team. But Hansen is a thoughtful and technically savvy rider, not prone…
https://video.relive.cc/2321980722_strava_1554696106953.mp4 In the space of a few weeks I’ve gone from questioning whether I’d pin on a dossard again, to taking two climbing podiums including a win, and upgrading with the Victorian Road Series leader’s jersey for my (former) grade. It’s been an intense month and proves that if you keep at it, good…
I’ve been growing tired. At the same time I’ve been growing faster, still. It’s something of a contradiction. I should be enthused that I’m improving little by little, even as I’ve reached my 40s. I went into the Mansfield Tour in close to best-ever form and came out with the stage win of my life…
The 2018 Mansfield Tour proved the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club can really punch above their weight. Despite lower entries, the race in its new form is a worthy equal to the more established Tour of Bright. The addition of Old Tolmie Road – the ‘Col du Tolmielet’ – ensured iconic scenes of suffering, more…
2016. What a year! At times it might have seemed like the world was fracturing: with wildly unexpected political outcomes alongside ongoing turmoil and suffering. Against this backdrop my world of amateur bike racing stood in stark contrast. Racing in Melbourne continues to grow and the contests of the Victorian Road Series and local club…
The 2016 Tour of Bright was, for me, the culmination of my most committed period of training since I took up racing. A race that started well enough, my Tour almost ended in disaster before ultimately resulting in one of my most satisfying achievements. There is, perhaps, a psychological danger in committing so much preparation to…
Two years ago I limped to the finish of the Strade Nero road race after crashing before the start of the dirt climb. Last year I missed the race altogether, having crashed badly before hand – a story my friends and blog followers know well. So this year I was looking forward to the weekend…
The 2016 Mt Baw Baw Classic was easily the hardest race of my life. Finishing second was an achievement, but it felt bittersweet after having led the race in a solo breakaway for 70 kilometres only to be caught with 1000 metres to go. A case, perhaps, of stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.…
At the start of 2016 I had to decide what kind of year I was going to have on the bike. 2015 had held its share of highs, but the lows were pretty bad. As the new year came around I was pushing on hard and improving, but still with lingering difficulties from my bad…
As for many Australian roadies, the Tour Down Under is for me one of the defining experiences of the summer. For the third year in a row I made the pilgrimage to Adelaide. Unlike previous years my focus was less on the race itself and more on riding with friends, old and new. Perhaps for…
Allez Alain 