Mark Preston (BiciSport Master) climbing Mt Wellington (12k @ 7%) outside Hobart on 16 January. Mark was touring Tasmania with the support of Velo Tours Australia
Vinney (The 11 Cog) Panetta hosts the BiciSport Saturday coffee peloton on 19 January at the Miramare Gardens cafe off Myoora Rd Terrey Hills from 9.30am.
Pilu Racing Team @ the Tour DownUnder 2019
Waratah Masters @ Lansdowne Park @ 20 Jan - Ian Grainger took another 5th in C grade
VALE MRS NORBIATO
Condolences go out to one of our Griffith BiciSport members Frank Signor and his wife Maryann on the passing of her mother (Mrs Norbiato) on the weekend. The BiciSport club sends our deepest sympathy.
BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS
Recovery Ward - Speedy recovery to Peter Stupka (a regular on the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride) with a new stent
Bright (Vic) - Sighted in Bright this week is both Conor & Brett Tarlington
2019 RACING & BICISPORT SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDERS NOW UPDATED
The draft CyclingNSW 2019 Racing Calender was recently published and this has been uploaded onto this website, as has the BiciSport Special Events calendar dates
BICISPORT SPECIAL EVENTS
AUDAX ALPINE CLASSIC (BRIGHT) - SUNDAY 27 JANUARY
WISEMANS FERRY TO WISEMANS FERRY LOOP - SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY
A new CyclingNSW road race in 2019 is the Ferry to the Mountain 110k road race in May 2019. BiciSport has got behind this exciting new road event and supporting Paul Craft (of RAW Track fame). Mike O’Reilly (BiciSport) will be the Race Director on the day.
BiciSport will be hosting a training ride over the circuit on Sunday 24 February with full car support. Ride starts from the Wisemans Ferry Bowling Club @ 8.00am. Details of the Wisemans Ferry-Wisemans Ferry Loop training ride are on the Special Events page of this website.
RACING THIS WEEK
22 Jan - Heffron Park Criteriums (Maroubra)
24-27 Jan - Cadel Evans Road Races (Geelong, Vic)
26-27 Jan - Orange Track & Bathurst Criteriums
27 Jan - Eastern Creek (Waratah Masters CC), Alpine Audax Classic (Bright, Vic) with BiciSport starters Mike O’Reilly
28 Jan (Mon) - Eastern Creek (Waratah Masters CC)
BICISPORT GROUP RIDES THIS WEEK
For further details please contact 0417 403 244
* Motor traffic conditions are getting HEAVIER with the NSW School holidays soon to end
* Note -
Roadworks of note
Forest Way (at Forestville) … taking longer to fix than the Operation Puerto cycling drug bust !
Warringah Rd (at Allambie Heights) … almost there, sort of !
Military Rd (Cremorne to Neutral Bay) with center lane reconstruction
All group rides are cancelled if wet
21 Jan, 23 Jan, 25 Jan
Centennial Park Lower Loop @ 7.30am (to 9.30am)
22 & 24 Jan
Waratah’s Peloton @ pass the corner of Yulong Ave & McCarrs Creek Rd Terrey Hills @ 7.50am for Akuna Bay & Duffys Forest, then Terrey Hills shops @ 9.00am on the return leg
24 Jan
Happy Wheels Waterloo Ride @ 6.00am @ Happy Wheels bike shop at Waterloo.
Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ Centennial Park Spruce Goose Cafe @ 10.30am
26 Jan
Bennelong Bridge (East Side) @ Rhodes @ 8.00am (4x10k loops around SOPA).
BiciSport Coffee at Miramire Sandstone Cafe (enter off Myoora Rd) @ 9.30am
27 Jan
Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am (for SOPA Loops until 8.15am)
BiciSport coffee stop of choice is every Saturday morning @ Miramare Cafe Myoora Rd Terrey Hills from 9.30am. All BiciSport members & friends most welcome
CYCLING DIGITAL DISRUPTION GOES TO A CLUB RACE NEAR YOU
(by Mike O’Reilly)
Digital Disruption is everywhere to see. Be it the demise of the Nokia mobile phone (we all had one at some point), dropping the Kodak film off to a local chemist (really, we did that ?), to wearing a wrist watch (no way !) and try buying a new car with a CD player (good luck !!), or even buy a CD for that matter. How we all communicate & socialize has changed like no other time in recent human history.
Cycling is no different when it comes to digital disruption - be it the demise of the local bike shop with the growth of internet shopping (all that took was easy to understand overseas cycling websites, confidence to give your credit card details to a computer screen & overseas courier delivery in just 5 days). Ditto for glossy cycling magazines as excellent publications have simply closed, never to be seen again (some have successfully diversified but genuine success stories are very very rare).
In the face of retail & social change cycling (in general) has boomed. Place yourself on McCarrs Creek Road at Terrey Hills on any given Saturday morning and you’ll be astounded at the numerous social cycling bunches enjoying the local ride. Likewise, enter a well organised cyclosportive or gran fondo (events at Bowral or Jindabyne come to mind) and in all likelihood you’ll see excellent patronage at a very well organised event. However when it comes to cycle racing things couldn’t be in more contrast. If the start numbers at your local club race or State event are on the rise then take a bow, as your event is a rare treat. Entry numbers at most races (be it velodrome or road, local or State) are in serious decline, and the shift in club membership trends either show negative growth or for members that do rejoin they are switching from ‘race’ to ‘ride it’ memberships. The many reasons for local cycle racing being on the slide may be a combination of demographic, social or financial issues but the decline is there for all to see. For sure, if Saturday morning along McCarrs Creek Road is a guide more people than ever are cycling but fewer people are now buying a cycle racing licence, and racing participation levels are generally on a negative trend.
The biggest challenge to the local club racing scene may soon come from within. The current national cycling membership model has been in existence for nearly 100 years, whereby members join a local club in the first instance, under the auspices of Cycling Australia. Its a miracle that the current membership model has lasted this long, but be in no doubt, if that model changes and local clubs are excluded from the membership process, then watch this space.
Bright (Victoria) plays host to the Audax Alpine Classic on Sunday 27 January with the climbs of Tawonga Gap, Falls Creek & Mt Buffalo
The Herald Sun Tour starts on 30 January on Phillip Island & concludes in Melbourne on 3 February. Ritchie Porte & Team Sky are on the start line.
Not the recommended way to clean your bike !!