Glenvale Crit with @cccyclingclub @c_ports @lsd_snr @hampton_cycles @stalds

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Damo @ DeLuca discussing Tactics - DeLuca I am going to attack all day, Damo Uh Oh!

After rolling up to Sandown on Tuesday night for my first A grade race it was time to back it up with a Sunday morning crit at Glenvale.  Shop owner Damian Jones and Craig Porter made up the Hampton Cycles contingent ably assisted by Leigh 'I'm not ready yet' Schilling who spent the morning behind the camera lens and filling his two young daughters with Coke (hopefully his wife reads this blog!)

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Proof of the Coke intake

 

The sun was out, the conditions were great and when I rolled up and received $45 prize money from last year's B grade effort the day couldn't have started any better.  How quickly things can change....

 

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Quality Field just here

Standard pre race routine saw Ports and I warm up with a ride down to Glenvale where we hooked up with Damo just before the race. As soon as things got underway it was obvious that this was going to be a much harder race than my first A grade one 5 nights earlier.  An early break leapt away and the chase was on with the rest of the field being worked over in an attempt to bring things back.  This was where things started to go to custard.  After moving forward to be near the front of the chase group I found myself sitting second wheel and next thing I'm looking around to see a gap opened up behind and we are half way across which seemed like a good idea at the time but not for long. 

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Muzza realising his mistake about here

Next thing it's my turn on the front and feeling obligated after following the wheel for a while I gave it everything in an attempt to get across what was left of the gap.  This wasn't B grade which I soon realised as I made little impact on the gap and had no choice but to retreat to what would hopefully be the safety of the bunch.  Wrong again - with lungs burning I slotted back in and battled away for another 5 or so laps but the effort had cooked me and it was game over.

 

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Ports copping a spray from DeLuca for dropping the wheel - Who needs friends?

 

From the comfort of the side of the road I watched Damo turn himself inside out in a break of 10 that worked hard in an attempt to stay away and Ports working overtime to maintain good position in what was a strung out bunch in pursuit. 

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Damo starting to suffer

Some big efforts from the chasers saw them reeled in only to see another break go clear which would prove to be the winning one.  The bunch tried hard to pull them back and a big turn on the last lap from Ports was only enough to bring the bunch to within 50 metres at the find bend but it wasn't enough and the break held on with 2006 Commonwealth Games Points Race Gold Medallist Sean Finning taking the chocolates. 

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Ports giving it a last ditch effort to chase down the break

If there was any consolation the CV of the winner highlights the quality of the field and it's not a bad effort for a few old dads to be going around in what is some of the most competitive crit racing around.  Looking forward to keeping my nose out of the wind in the next outing.

 

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Wokka Showboating - He loves the camera whilst Stalder drives it as usual

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Damo & Ports trying to recover

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DeLuca on another attack

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Damo trying to hold on

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Ports turn to showboat - 2 hands on the bars in a corner mate

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race report by Muzza

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Damo looking pooped

Look what we built week - Project Black Venge

The third of the bikes this week is simple... its black. Nothing more was really required in the brief.

At this stage the still rare Project Black S-Works Venge is a sight to see, I am guessing by the enquiries we are getting you will see a few more of them around the streets.

A set of Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers was in need........ Black - Check

SRAM Red groupset is it available in Black? - Check

Carbon Bars Black? - Check.

Saddle in Black  Check

Bartape yes we have that in Black - Check

Pedals - Sure, Dura Ace Carbons are Black- Check

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Check it out? She is nice and stealthy

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Clean and Aero and Black

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SRAM Red Black.

Cant wait to see you out on it mate!

Look what we built week-Tarmac SL4 Di2 Saxo Bank

What a joy it is to work in the bike industry when you get to help clients build up their dream bikes and you are having as much fun and enjoyment about the whole process as they are.

This Saxo Bank Build kicked off a couple of weeks ago with a phone call and a simple question asking when are they available?

Well the when was answered so we got to work. The client had a set of wheels in his soon to be posession for this build, the rest of it was still up for some discussion and recommendations.

We talked through the groupsets, crank options, pretty quick decisions here. Di2 and those popular S-Works Carbon cranks.

Bar and stem moved from Zipp Contour to Vuka Sprint, Speed stem and SL145 to the Specialized S-Works shallow and S-Works stem.

Saddle was easy - S-Works Toupe Carbon in white.

A little more bling was needed so the choice to add in some Ceramicspeed jockey wheels in the oh so out of colour Red and the White cable outer and anodized red Brake cable ends. White Bar tape just finished it off nicely.

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Pretty sure this is Tim's Favourite build this year.

The paint details on this frame is quite something, its pretty simple from some angles but intricate from others.

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This machine weighed in at 6.4kg with pedals and cages in a 56cm with the Zipp 404 Tubs on it. Cant wait to see where it ends up with those Lightweights?

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The lighter wheels, saddle, chainrings, jockey wheels all add up to be a S#%t hot looking bike. Different enough to stand out, but not to the level that in 1-2 years it looks out of date.

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He was almost convinced to get the Enve 45's as well until his other wheels showed up.

Cant wait to hear how she rides

 

Look what we built week-Tarmac SL4 Di2 Race Black

Scott wanted a Venge, like many of us fell in love with everything the Venge stands for - Speed, Power, Strength, Masculinity. It just oozes that stuff, but Scott likes to climb, he likes to cruise, he doesnt want to feel older after he gets off the bike, than before he got on it. His home turf is rough chipseal roads that meander through the hills of the Mornington Peninsula

We had several discussions about some options and recommendations and came up with what you see below.

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The reason we went for the Tarmac was for its all round capabilities, Its super stiff BB, Incredibly light and stiff, yet still compliant frame and its ability to smoke it up a hill. Whilst softening out some of the body jarring bumps on those back country roads

Tipping in at 6.6kg without pedals, (bottle cages were added after the photo) This Shimano Di2 marvel was specced almost exactly the same as the soon to be released out of the box bike. The only way that was going to happen was if we built it.

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Justin adding some finishing touches.

In the end it looks amazing, the ever popular Matt Black Frame, contrasted with different shades of black and white rather than colour keep the overall appearance clean but striking.

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Internal cables keep it clean and simple.

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Glossy Black highlights to break up all that Matt Black set the frame off.

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Clean exit point for the Di2
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2012 design Roval wheels, stiffer than before, The increasingly popular S-Works Satin Black crankset with Compact Rings for those hills this beast will be tackling. Di2 Battery kept low but accessible.

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The man meets his machine during his BG Fit where we tuned this baby to fit him like a glove. Sorted out a sore hip issue, discovered a small leg length discrepency, and allowed him for the first time to not feel like he was squashing his man bits when reaching the drops.

Look forward to hear how she rides, was a pleasure to build both from concept to reality.

2011 Australian Masters 2 Road Race Report Ballarat by @c_ports with Gus

Race report

Saturday 8th September

 

A rare opportunity for a Saturday morning sleep in. My ride was showing up at 9.00am.

Fellow shop rider Angus McDonald and I were all set for a road trip to Ballarat for Australian Masters Road race. Driving over the Pentlands the weather wasn’t doing much to encourage us, it remained dark and gloomy threatening rain. I had vivid memories of last years race, strong cross winds hail and rain, Ballarat can be a nasty place this time of year.

We eventually found our way to the course after briefly getting lost amongst the network of farms and poorly sign posted country roads, the course this year circled Lake Learmonth and the breeze off the lake was so cold. Because of our poor navigation we were a little pressed for time and the much needed warm up, never eventuated.

The race this year was very well organised, a good section of closed roads, neutral spares and plenty of people on hand to assist with registrations and commissioning.

Thankfully for Gus and I the initially pace was easy going, being a new course to many of us, I believe most of the field was keen to site the climbs on the first lap. We were destined to do 6 laps. Each lap almost 16km in length. The first 6 km gradually rolled over two climbs no more than 3%.

The breeze was in our favour, coming in from the North West it was on out tails for the more open parts of the race which pushed the down hill speed upwards of 60 to 70kph each lap.

The second lap the race began to find it’s rhythm.

We’d had a stern warning from the commissaries’ before the race about team tactics but thankfully no body really had a strong team or support. Most riders where there with their own interests or just didn’t have the strength in the team to influence the pace.

Many times throughout the next few laps riders rolled the dice at the top of the second climb, the strong field though never willing to give the leaders more than 100m. It wasn’t until 3 to go that some of the favourites really starter to show their cards. None more heavily marked the Cycleworks Tom Leaper. Tom’s reputation was his un doing and in a lot of ways would be the theme of this race.

Angus made some very strong contributions on the 3 lap, forcing the tempo and stretching the group over the climbs.

Some of the strong riders tried using this lift in tempo to mark their attacks, but the attacks were well covered, often by the same 5 or 6 guy’s. Nobody really had the interest or maybe the legs to push on with the attacks, the tempo would drop and the back third of the field would regain position.

 

At this stage Angus and I where very well placed, waiting patiently to pounce on a dangerous move.

Tom Leaper was the catalyst for almost every move in the final two laps, with a few notable exceptions. What Tom needed was a second rider to counter attack his moves, but no body wanted to go off the front with Tom, me included, knowing all to well he’d leave you buried 2km from home.

I did however roll the dice once in riding across a gap to join 6 riders 100m up the road, but we too were slowly pulled back in by small groups of riders.

Eventually this trend continued until the final lap, on the down hill a few riders rolled the dice and went for gold a few km’s from home. The bunch had this under control, maybe too much under control, everyone wanted to be on the front for the final narrow 1.5km. Angus and I both had terrible position in the pack and everything we moved on was closed out or ran out of road. It wasn’t too long until the inevitable happened. A touch of wheels and bars and riders were sent scurrying into the grass, this was my way through!

Quickly I moved forward about 20 riders but I was sitting on the outside, the commotion had sparked the front 20 riders into an early sprint, still more than 800m to go and we were already up on our gears and hitting 60kph. Heads where dropping and riders were loosing form, I took the safest option and road an outside line the whole way on a left hand sweeper. I knew a podium was out of reach, but I desperately wanted to finish on “same time” so I stuck to the saddle and pushed around as many riders as I could.

Credit to the podium, it was a day where only a strong sprinter would prevail.

As it turned out, both Angus and I rode as well as we’d hoped, we both had an influence on the race at times and we were always prominent in the group. The weather warmed up considerably and most importantly we both stayed up right.

A race like this one only builds your confidence and keeps you keen for the next opportunity.

That opportunity will be for us, Shepparton in two weeks.

We might be able to help save 13mins off your bike leg too! The New Shiv Tri

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Craig “Crowie” Alexander wins Kona on Specialized Shiv with a course record

 

Riding the brand-new Shiv, Crowie improves his bike split by a whopping 13 minutes

Thirteen minutes and 14 seconds. That is the gigantic difference by which Craig “Crowie” Alexander improved his bike split over previous years at the Ironman World Championships, which he won for the third time Saturday with a new course record of 8:03:56.

Crowie rode the new Specialized Shiv, a bike designed from the ground up exclusively for triathlon. As befits a three-discipline sport, the Shiv features three advantages over other bikes: unmatched aerodynamics, an integrated hydration solution and extensive options to ensure the perfect fit.

For Crowie, the math was simple. Aero + fuel + fit = 13 minutes.

“That bike is a rocket ship,” Crowie said of the Shiv. “A total rocket ship.”

At the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championships, Crowie emerged from the water with the lead group. Over the 112-mile course along the coast, Crowie crushed it on his Shiv.

Crowie came in fourth off the bike, with a time of 4:24:05. In years past, his best bike times were 4:37:19 and 4:37:33.

Crowie left the transition in third, behind Chris Lieto and Luke McKenzie. Still fresh from his time on the bike, Crowie blew through the two leaders on the run and never looked back.

He secured his third Kona title with a time of 8:03:56, smashing a course record that had stood since 1996.

“Crowie is one of the most consistent athletes here,” said Mark Cote, Specialized’s Road Product Manager and Aerodynamicist from MIT. “His bike times have always been between 4:37 and 4:39. So to have a 13-minute improvement because of the changes we made… it makes me believe in science.”

Find out more about the Specialized Shiv here.

For more information, photos and videos of Specialized Triathlon please visit www.iamspecialized.com

New Womens Specialized Oura saddle in store (The Romin for the Ladies) come test one today

Available in both Black & White

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Oura Expert Gel $175

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This race-ready women’s-specific curved saddle is contoured to position the rider for optimal power transfer and comfort, while its narrow nose and shorter size provides all day riding comfort.

Women’s Body Geometry cutout is medically tested to reduce soft tissue pressure
Stiff, carbon-reinforced shell features women’s-specific tuning for all-day riding efficiency
Super-light tuned density EVA foam padding with gel for added comfort on long rides
Lightweight and durable hollow titanium rails
Tough, light and water resistant Micromatrix™ cover
Size 143mm/ Weight 198g

Size 155mm/ Weight 207g

Specialized Oura Test Saddles available to try also

 

Got a smartphone? Ride a Bike? You need a @jerseybin_au_nz Better than a plastic bag

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The JerseyBin is a super lightweight, waterproof, load feels lighter, lays flush along back designed to store personal items for all cycling enthusiasts. They are constructed of a high quality, long lasting, durable 10 gauge vinyl with a strong zip-lock style zipper, -10 degree Fahrenheit cold crack high heat tolerant 1.5 hand vinyl, rounded corners & designed specifically for cycling jersey pockets. JerseyBins are available in 3 sizes MiniBin, TrimBin and BigBin all with a RRP $8.99 AU

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Made in the USA and are recyclable. Use touch screen phones right through the pouch as well as makephone calls through the pouch. Never take your phone out of the pouch. Protection from rain & sweat.

New Colour Garmin Edge 500 Black/Red bundle now in stock

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GARMIN Edge 500 Red Special Bundle (Premium HRM, Speed/Cadence)

When you go cycling you don't want to bother with a GPS fitness trainer that doesn't provide the real-time data that you need - data like distance, speed, location, elevation and even heart rate-based calorie computation, even speed and cadence information.

You don't want a GPS trainer that won't allow you to compare that data and track your improvement...

Surely, you'd loathe a GPS trainer that wasn't easy to use; that didn't come with its own bicycle mount and necessary accessories such as wireless heart rate monitor and speed / cadence sensor; that didn't provide everything you need to start training right away.

No, you'd just walk right on past and choose the Garmin Edge 500 Bundle, because let's face it - it's not like all the others.

- Features -

Garmin Connect
Go online to analyze, categorize and share data.

Garmin Training Software
Track and analyse your fitness history over time.

Courses
Compete against previous workouts.

Auto Pause
Pause and resume timer based on speed.

Auto Lap
Automatically start a new lap.

Auto Scroll
Cycle through data pages during your workout

Time & Distance Alert
Alarm when you reach goal.

Calorie Computation
Heart rate-based calorie computation provides a more accurate metric for determining your output.

Barometric Altimeter
Keep aware of changes in pressure at varying altitudes - stay on top of weather conditions.

Power Meter Compatible
Unit displays data from compatible 3rd party ANT+ enabled power meters.

- Specifications -

Physical

  • Weight - 57 g
  • Dimensions - 48 x 69 x 22 mm
  • Water Resistance - IPX7

Display

  • Type - Grayscale TFT LCD
  • Resolution - 128 x 160 px

Power

  • Battery - internal rechargeable Li-ion
  • Life - up to 18 hrs

Memory

  • Internal  - does not accept data cards or detailed maps
  • Lap History -  1000 laps [dependant on memory usage]

- Includes -

  • Edge 500 Red Special
  • Premium Soft-Strap Heart Rate Monitor
  • GSC10 Speed/Cadence Sensor
  • Bike Mount
  • AC Charger
  • USB Cable
  • Owner's Manual on Disk
  • Quick Start Manual