Gravel Masters Championships @ Noosa @ 31 July - Klayton Smith (BiciSport Happy Wheels) took the Silver medal
Gravel Masters Championships @ Noosa @ 31 July - Klayton Smith & Eric Dole
Queensland CycloCross @ July 22 - Klayton Smith (BiciSport Happy Wheels)
Queensland CycloCross @ July 22 - Klayton Smith
Penrith Lakes Regatta Centre @ 30 July - Ian Grant (BiciSport Anytime Fitness) on the charge
Waratah Masters @ Lansdowne @ 31 July - Ian Grant (BiciSport Anytime Fitness) takes second in a sprint finish
BiciSport in Belgium @ 25 July - Koen Ver Hulst (BiciSport Anytime Fitness) is looking forward to joining his Aussie team mate in Mike Lawson (BiciSport) for some Belgian Cyclo Cross races from late September
BiciSport in Belgium @ 30 July - left to right …. Eddy VerHulst, MO’R & Koen VerHulst before the start of a Saturday training ride around the single track rural laneways between the village of Velle and the city of Antwerp. Coffee was at a local cafe on the Schelde River at Rupelmunde on the way back from Antwerp
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - The Masters criterium kicked off at 5pm with 60 minutes of pure nostalgia - Roger De Vlaeminck, Dirk Heirweg , Peter Van Peteghem, Guy Nulens, Alfons De Wolf, Nico Eeckhout, Jose De Cauwer, Willy Tierlinck, Johan Museeuw and Jean Marie Wampers … just a retro overload in the mega dimension. The only thing missing was Jimi Hendrix !
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - Roger De Vlaeminck led the Masters away …. no disc brakes, short white socks, only a retro leather helmet. Roger only lasted 5 minutes (serious) and headed for the VIP tent and the Safir beer. Classic Roger
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - Jose de Cauwer (left) leads Peter Van Peteghem (centre). They enjoyed the applause but not the race so much. Jose missed a few laps and Peter hit the VIP tent and Safir beer at halfway.
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - looking majestic was a trim Fons de Wolf atop a lovely Merckx bike. Fons won both Tour of Lombardy & Milan San Remo plus a whole lot more
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - The Lion of Flanders in Johan Museeuw looking every bit a champion. World Road Champion, winner of numerous Classics
Roesalare Pro Criterium @ 27 July - Tom Pidcock on the attack
Roesalare is in the heart of West Flanders, and heavily industrial in tone where grey concrete rules the day. Besides a great cycling history (home of the late Jean Pierre Monsere & Freddy Maertens) its also the home of the KOERS Cycling Museum (a great cycling exhibition). The professional Dwars Vlaanderen Classic starts from outside the KOERS.
The Roesalare Pro Criterium only had a small field (at 35 starters) and several second tier riders - the exceptions being Van Aert, Pidcock, Benoit & Lampaert. Everybody wanted Van Aert to win but Lampaert stole the flowers.
Roesalare Pro Criterium @ 27 July - Wout Van Aert was the crowd favourite
Roesalare Pro Criterium @ 27 July - Ties Benoit rode in the service of Van Aert all night
Roesalare Pro Criterium @ 27 July - approximately 10 laps to go
Roesalare Pro Criterium @ 27 July - 5 laps to go and Van Aert at the front just about to attack. Yves Lampaert joined Van Aert on the last lap and took the sprint victory.
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Wout van Aert
Thursday night was the 92k pro criterium in Herentals - some 40k west of Antwerp. Herentals being the home of Rik van Looy. The crowd rolled in in their thousands, beer was the diet of the day and lots of it, everybody seemed to be dressed in green. The 3k criterium course was 50% cobbles and racing was of a much higher standard than Roeselare two nights before and it was a classy start list.
The big drama of the night - as they lined up the Volvo’s for the parade lap with riders on board (above) but somebody lost the keys to the lead Volvo. It was going nowhere and everything was then 30 minutes late and just an excuse to drink more beer. Obviously Freddy/Eric/Johan had ventured off for a quick Duvel beer and took the keys ….
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Mathieu Van der Poel
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Tim Merlier (Belgian Road Champion)
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Wout van Aert
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Wout van Aert and the crowd wore green
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Mathieu van der Poel
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Biniam Girmay (winner of Ghent Wevelgem Classic 2022)
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Tim Merlier (Belgian Road Champion)
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Alpe d’Huez may have Dutch Corner but this is the Wout Mosh Pit. The lads drank a lot of beer and they enjoy their cyclesport
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - the crowd at Herentals was huge with green the colour of choice. Tim Merlier leads Wout van Aert through the corner
Herentals Pro Criterium @ 28 July - Herentals is the home of Rik Van Looy (Rik’s nickname is the “Emperor of the Herentals”). Walking through the backstreets of Herentals and Eddy Ver Hulst & Mike O’Reilly found this nice mural celebrating Rik # 2
Australia has the Rugby League Immortals tag for esteemed football players where Belgium has a similar tag line in the Three Rik’s - Rik # 1 is Rik van Steenbergen, Rik # 2 is Rik van Looy and Rik # 3 is Rik van Linden. To bad if your name is not Rik !, and best start your own list.
NATIONAL MASTERS ROAD & CYCLOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS - WOLLONGONG DATES & ENTRIES NOW OPEN
Details of the National Masters Road Championships in Wollongong are now posted in the Special Events section of this website
Entries are now open via the AusCycling website
RACE SEEKER - THIS WEEK
5-7 August
Battle of the Border (NRS - NSW/Qld)
7 August
Mt Ku Ring Gai Criteriums (Northern Sydney)
Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters)
Compass Individual Time Trial (Waratah Park, Sutherland)
BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES
Tues 2 August
Waratah Peloton @ pass the corner of Yulong Ave & McCarrs Creek Rd Terrey Hills @ 8.00am for Akuna Bay, top of McCarrs Creek Rd climb at 8.40am, then direction Duffys Forest, then return Terrey Hills shops @ 9.15am then to St Ives for coffee
Centennial Park Lower Loop from 5.30am to 7.45am
Thurs 4 August
Belgian Waffle Ride @ Centennial Park @ Spruce Goose Cafe @ 10.30am for Park laps
Waratah Peloton @ pass the corner of Yulong Ave & McCarrs Creek Rd Terrey Hills @ 8.00am for Akuna Bay, top of McCarrs Creek Rd climb at 8.40am, then direction Duffys Forest, then return Terrey Hills shops @ 9.15am then to St Ives for coffee
Sat 6 August
Coffee @ Sandstone Cafe Miramare Gardens @ 9.30am
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - the story goes thus … Rod Comish (BiciSport) has bought plenty of lovely retro cycling clothing from Marcarini Cycles in France over the years. I befriended Gianni a few years back at the start of Paris Roubaix at Compiegne but Covid sort of ended that. Aalst 2022 and Gianni turns up selling a truck load of cycling clothing (that is a serious drive from Britany).
Gianni was an outstanding professional and rode for Peugeot BP and Mercier
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - Gianni at his Aalst clothing stall and brings out his autobiography
Aalst Pro Criterium @ 25 July - Gianni (left - Peugeot BP) at the 1975 Tour de France with Roger De Vlaeminck (Brooklyn) & Eddy Merckx (Molteni)
