BiciSport Belgium @ St Niklaas Flanders @ 3 Jan - Koen VerHulst (BiciSport Belgium) sends a New Years greeting to all at BiciSport from his indoor trainer as Belgium cops a Queensland style rain deluge
Les Amis du Pont Gibus (The Friends of Gibus Bridge) is the volunteer organisation that keeps the Paris Roubaix cobbles in their repaired (and original) condition. The Gibus Bridge is a derelict railway bridge just 5k after the Wallers Arenberg Forest and is named in the honour of Gilbert Duclos Lasalle who twice won the Paris Roubaix Classic.
They wish you a happy 2024.
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Ian Grant (left) and Peter Verhoeven before the start.
Ian rode B grade and attacked with 5 laps to go in a breakaway and was only caught on the last corner on the last lap, to then finish in the peloton. Peter V rode C grade for a well deserved peloton finish.
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Ian Grant
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Ian Grant (right) down the ECR main straight
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Ian Grant (left) on the attack in a B grade breakaway on the bell lap - only to be caught on the last corner
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Peter Vehoeven in the C grade peloton
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Peter Verhoeven (far right) down the ECR main straight
Waratah Masters @ Eastern Creek Raceway @ 7 Jan - Peter Verhoeven crosses the finish line in C grade
Tumut Cycle Classic @ 7 Jan - Francesco Signor (BiciSport Anytime Fitness) with Roger Thomson Seagrave on the outward loop along the Snowy River outside Tumut
Tumut Cycle Classic Cyclosportive @ 7 Jan - Francesco Signor (BiciSport Anytime Fitness) carried dossard # 7567
BiciSport to the Belgium Spring Classics in 2024 - now includes Grand Prix Denain in Northern France on 14 March. This trip will not include Eddy Merckx winning in Flanders for Faema (pictured above)
A BiciSport Belgium campaign is a combination of four unique Flemish cyclosportives, four semi classics (including the Grand Prix Denain in northern France) and three legendary Classics in a 28 day period. Added to which there are several cycling museums worth a serious look plus velodromes in Gent, Roubaix & now a new velodrome in Zolder. A detailed daily race & viewing guide is now posted in Special Events. on this website
If you’re interested in going please contact MOR on 0417 403 244
March
13 Mar - Nokere Course 14 Mar - Grand Prix Denain 16 Mar - Dwars Vlaanderen Cyclosportive
22 Mar - E3 Grand Prix 23 Mar - Gent Wevelgem Cyclosportive 24 Mar - Gent Wevelgem
27 Mar - Dwars Vlaanderen 30 Mar - Ronde van Vlaanderen Cyclosportive 31 Mar - Ronde van Vlaanderen
April
6 Apr - Paris Roubaix Cyclosportive, Paris Roubaix (Women) 7 Apr - Paris Roubaix
Grand Prix Denain has been added to the BiciSport start sheet and covers much of the pave used in Paris Roubaix classic in early April
The Grand Prix Denain is located in northern France and covers many of the cobbled roads used in the Paris Roubaix Classic. The race starts with the northern ‘blue loop’, then the ‘orange loop’ then finishing with the ‘red cobbled loop’. BiciSport accommodation is in the village of Haspres with at least 7 viewing locations by bike.
BiciSport @ Freshwater Sydney @ 3 Seagulls Cafe on Harbord Road @ 3 Jan - Andy Feltham (right) down from Brisbane for the Christmas New Year period
RACE SEEKER - THIS WEEK
12-21 Jan
Tour Down Under (Adelaide, SA)
14 Jan
Lansdowne Park Criteriums (Waratah Masters)
BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES
Every Mon/Wed/Fri Mornings
Centennial Park Masters @ Centennial Park
Meet at the corner of Parkes Drive/Grand Drive at 8.30am and do CP laps until 9.30am then coffee at Spruce Goose Cafe
Tues 9 Jan & Thurs 11 Jan
Blossoms & Buds 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 11 Jan
Belgian Waffle Ride @ Spruce Goose Cafe @ Centennial Park @ 10.30am for CP laps
Sat 13 Jan
Coffee @ Sandstone Cafe Miramare Gardens @ 9.30am
Sun 14 Jan
Depart Shark Park carpark near Cronulla @ 9.30am for Kurnell & return
Saunier Duval Prodir Pro Cycling Team (Spain) - 2004-11
Riccardo Ricco pictured above
Maybe some things in life were destined to end badly, right from day one, then this team was it. Riccardo Ricco was expelled from the 2008 Tour de France (on stage 4) and the full team was expelled for doping on stage 12. Subsequently both Ricco & Piepoli were sacked by the team for doping but the team culture was so corrupt the whole organisation maybe needed to be expelled to another planet. The sponsor departed at the end of 2009, and somehow replaced by Fuji Servetto in 2010 then replaced by GEOX (maker of fine Italian shoes). The Italian shoes lasted longer than the team sponsorship and GEOX gave the team the boot and soon departed. It was a sad reflection on the sport that this mess was allowed to function for as long as it did.
Piepoli wins from Ricco - the bogus team results failed the ‘pub test’, and if it was too good to be true, you’d be right
Piepoli leads from Ricco … the fantasy on public display