BiciSport Nowra TTT - Team Start Times announced

BiciSport Nowra TTT team start times & team parking locations are - 

Getting There - Start Finish is approximately a 15 minute drive from Nowra city at the Nowra Airport on Braidwood Rd. You will turn left off Braidwood Rd into Nowra Airport (Wugan Street), then go 200m and turn right into Garadi Street.

BiciSport Meet Up - Mike O'Reilly will be in Garadi Street from 9.30am and you can contact Mike on 0417 403 244 to meet up in Garadi Street. You need to be in Garadi St and find Mike no later than 90 minutes before your team start time. Bring your CyclingNSW licence.

BiciSport Teams Start Times -

**  11-03am - Browne, Mills, Wright, Tierney

**  12-10pm - Beams, Edwards, Kee, Mildren

**  12.40pm - Grainger, Lawson, Verhoeven, Westbrook

**  1.04pm - Benjamin, Flanagan, Strapp, Tierney

**  1.28pm - Edwards, Groen, Mildren

**  1.54pm - Cockerton, Colantonio, Thornton, Zumbo

**  3.04pm - Brown, Curgenven, Edmonds, Walsh

**  3.20pm - Campbell, Cocks, Green, O'Brien    

Arrivederci News Shorts - 11 July

Sormano Wall (Muro Di Sormano) near Lake Como is so steep its measured in 10 metre sections

The Stelvio Pass outside Bormio makes for one great ride

The Koppenberg has an average of 9.4% with a maximum of 22%. Lets not talk about the road surface ... 

BICISPORT ARRIVEDERCI EDITION

The CyclingNSW road season just gets super serious with the Nowra Teams Time Trial Championships and half of the BiciSport squadra hits the exit door. Mike Cori heads for Mont Ventoux, Team Pilu seeks out the Muro di Sormano (Sormano Wall) near Lake Como and the Stelvio Pass near Bormio and Conor Tarlington will enjoy the Belgian cobbles of the Koppenberg. The Sormano Wall is one of the steepest climbs in world cycling and used in the Tour of Lombardy professional classic. Safe trip to all.

BICISPORT NOWRA TTT CHAMPIONSHIPS

The NSW Championships are to be held in Nowra on Saturday 16 July. BiciSport will be contesting the Championships with 8 teams. Full details are posted on the Racing/State & National pages of this website.      

RACING THIS WEEK

**  15 July - RAW Track (DGV) 

**  16 July - Calga RR (Central Coast CC), Hunter Interclub Kurri Kurri (Hunter Districts CC)

**  16 July - Nowra TTT Championships, Melbourne to Ballarat Classic (Vic)

**  17 July - Heffron Park (Waratah Masters), Sassafras RR (Nowra)

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

**  14 July - Centennial Park at 11am (lower loops)

**  16 July - Piemonte Café coffee at 9.30am

**  17 July - Nowra Beaches Ride (Greenwell Point at 8am) 

CYCLING TEAM CARS - ITALIAN MAPEI EDITION

Still stuck in Italy and it has to be Mapei. Everybody has a view on the Mapei team kit design with the general consensus that the designer "had to be on something" to put that design onto lycra. That was consistent with the team itself "who were all definitely on something" during races    

Now that is one powder coated design ... 

The poor mechanics had to live with this all season ....

The late great Franco Ballerini alongside the Mapei team car

News Shorts - 3 July

BiciSport - Mildren Events Womens Team for the Nowra TTT Championships on 16 July with from left to right Frances Edwards, Kylie Mildren, Cecile Beams and Penny Kee

BICISPORT TEAMS TIME TRIAL - TRAINING on SUNDAY 10 JULY

The last BiciSport TTT training session will be on Sunday 10 July at Jones Rd Calga - arrive 8.30am for a 9am departure. Park up is in the usual ATTA car park. BiciSport will be entering 8 teams to Nowra this year (a club record) that includes the Mildren Events Womens Team headed by Kylie Mildren. 

RACING THIS WEEK

**  9-10 July - Southern Cross Juniors (Sutherland)

**  10 July - West Head (MW) (event restricted to MW, SUV, NS & RB riders only) 

**  10 July - Lansdowne Park (Waratah), Cervelo Masters (WSID), Lake Eildon RR (Vic)

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

**  6 July - M7 Bikepath from Glenwood (time tbc)

**  7 July - Centennial Park at 11am (lower loops)

**  9 July - Moorebank Cyclebridge (park cnr Shoreline Drive & Walker St Rhodes for SOPA loops) at 7.30am, Piemonte Café at 9.30am for coffee

**  10 July - BiciSport TTT training (venues to be confirmed)

CYCLING TEAMS CARS - ITALIAN ... PART 2

Italians never disappoint with team car design and this week we take a look at Bianchi who tended to look to Alfa Romeo as the motor of choice. Bianchi still use the dusty celeste blue as "the" team colour that signifies their world wide brand.  

Marino Basso (left in the World Champions jersey) was also known as "Mr 10,000 Volts" such was his sprint

CONOR TARLINGTON TO BELGIUM on 18 JULY

Conor is preparing well for his 4 week stint with the ASFRA Racing Team in Oudenaarde from 18 July until mid August. A daily blog will be posted on his Belgian experiences to give you an insight into how Conor progresses in the toughest cycling university on the planet.  

Conor Tarlington (BiciSport) set for Belgium and the ASFRA Racing Team in Oudenaarde

Derny Shorts - BiciSport leads restoration project

John Crouchley (BiciSport Master) is assisting CyclingNSW (Mark Windsor CycNSW Historical Commission) in the restoration of the seven dernys at the DGV velodrome. A derny is a small motorised bike used in famous professional road events such as Bordeaux-Paris or for velodrome competitions. The dernys themselves were purchased for the Sydney Olympics and haven't been used for many years (if they are not used weekly they are virtually impossible to start due to the nature of the cranky little 2 stroke engine). The petrol tank sits under the front handelbars. The restoration project is looking at ways of getting the little red Belgian beasts up and working & smoking again. Typically the derny is a red colour (not sure why) and has a noisy & very smoky 2 stroke engine. Will update further on the project when John actually gets one to fire up !.

Both pictures are of Herman Van Springel in various Bordeaux Paris Classics. Each cyclist had two dernys in case one broke down during the race (not uncommon).  Bordeaux Paris was 680k in length (with just one brief rest stop for a change of clothing) with the last 250k behind the derny. The derny driver was usually an ex professional & bigger was very much better.  Dernys are always red for reasons unknown.

L'Enfer du Tour - Saturday 2 July at 3pm

BiciSport members are invited to this unique 90 minute ride around some Flanders style roads near Windsor. See details above.

News Shorts - 27 June

BICISPORT TEAM TIME TRIAL TRAINING - SUNDAY 3 JULY

All BiciSport teams will be going to Calga on Sunday 3 July. Race time start is 9am and you need to be there approximately 8.15am.

RACING THIS WEEK

**  30 June-3 July - National Under 19 Road Championships (Canberra)

**  2-3 July - Wagga Weekend, Hamilton Weekend (Vic)

**  3 July - Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters) 

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

**  30 June (Thurs) - Centennial Park 11am (lower loop)

**  2 July - Moorebank Bridge 7.30am (for SOPA Loops), Piemonte Café coffee - from 9.30am

**  3 July - TTT Training Calga - 8.15am arrive for 9am start  

Parriwi Rd MOSMAN CIRCA 1955

The next time you cycle to work over the Spit Bridge and begin the steady climb up Parriwi Rd this is how it all looked ....

Kirsty Flanagan at Calga on 26 June

Kirsty Flanagan (Fastest Woman) & Nash Kent (Fastest Overall) at Calga

 BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

**  Kirsty Flanagan took fastest woman at the Peter Parkinson Memorial Handicap on Sunday 26 June at Calga. Ruth Strapp was third fastest woman

**  Both David Browne & Lise Benjamin placed at RAW Track at DGV on 24 June

**  Bob Green (BiciSport Master) earns a hip replacement on 27 June. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Lets hope they insert Campagnolo ...

**  Brad Mills, Phil Dixon & David Cooper were sighted at the Melburn Roobaix Cyclosportive in Melbourne on 26 June. This quirky cyclosportive is run over numerous cobbled lanes in and around Melbourne and the circuit is between the Hawthorn & Brunswick Velodromes and attracts over 2,000 equally quirky starters.     

Brad Mills, Phil Dixon & David Cooper in the Melburn Roobaix Feed Zone

CYCLING TEAM CARs - LETS GO ITALIAN ... part 1

Best start early in the century as with only one Italian team currently left in the World Tour there aren't many truly Italian team cars left ... Italian car design is never far from perfection. They may not always work but they certainly look good ... more next week

For Sale - Wilier Centro Uno

For Sale - Mint condition fully carbon Wilier Centro Uno (size Medium). Never raced never crashed and not a scratch. Simply untouched. Loaded with a near new Campagnolo 10 speed groupset (combination Record & Chorus parts) and classic Kyrsium wheels 12x 25 with Continental Grand Sport tyres. Matching Wilier seat & Wilier water bottles. $2500. Contact Mike OReilly on 0417 403 244  

News Shorts - 20 June

BICISPORT TEAM TIME TRIAL TRAINING - SUNDAY 26 JUNE

The next BiciSport TTT training session will be from the Piemonte Café Terrey Hills on Sunday 26 June. Meeting time is 7.45am for an 8am departure for Booralie Rd.

RACING THIS WEEK

**  June 24 - RAW Track at DGV

**  June 25 - Melbourne Cup on Wheels (DISC Velodrome Melbourne)

**  June 25-26 - Wagga Junior Tour

**  June 26 - Melburn Roobaix Cyclo Sportive (Melbourne) 

**  June 26 - Calga Handicap (Central Coast), Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters) 

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

**  June 23 - Centennial Park from 11am (lower loop)

**  June 25 - Moorebank Cycle Bridge - 7.30am (for Homebush SOPA loops)

**  June 25 - Coffee at Piemonte Café at 9.30am

**  June 26 - BiciSport TTT training Piemonte Café carpark - 7.45am

CYCLING TEAM CARS - ENGLISH EDITION

Cycling team cars have some interesting adaptations between countries. Whether it be English, American, French or Italian. This week its the turn of the English ... starting off with the somewhat industrial looking team cars from the Milk Race (1960's), a very nice Holdsworth Campagnolo (1970's) and a drab Raleigh Campagnolo (1980's). Then there is the absolute stunner with the Team Sky Jaguar. That Jaguar is one seriously good looking motor. Next week we go Italian.     

Weather Alert - Sunday 19 June CANCELLED

The weather forecast for Sunday 19 June is 70 % chance of rain at 8am and 90% chance of rain at 9am - so we will cancel the 19 June session at Terrey Hills. 

News Shorts - 13 June

BICISPORT TEAM TIME TRIAL TRAINING - SUNDAY 19 JUNE

The next BiciSport TTT training session is on Sunday 19 June meeting at the Piemonte Café carpark at 7.45am departing at 8am

RACING THIS WEEK

*  June 13 - Cervelo Masters (Kooragang Newcastle)

*  June 17 - RAW at DGV

*  June 18 - Calga (Central Coast)

*  June 18-19 - Gunnedah Weekend

*  June 19 - Mt Ku Ring Gai Criterium (NS), Heffron Park (Waratah Masters)    

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

*  June 13 - Piemonte Café 8am (for Akuna Bay)

*  June 15 - DGV from 1pm (John Crouchley + motor bike)

*  June 16 - Centennial Park 11am (lower flat loop)

*  June 18 - Moorebank Bridge 7.30am (Homebush SOPA precinct)

*  June 18 - Coffee at Piemonte Café from 9.30am (All Welcome)

*  June 19 - BiciSport TTT training Piemonte Café from 7.45am (along Booralie Rd)

RAW Track starts at DGV on Friday 17 June

Bernard the 504 features in the latest Ride Magazine (back page)

News Shorts - 6 June

BICISPORT TTT TRAINING - 12 JUNE at TERREY HILLS

The next BiciSport TTT training session will be from the Piemonte Café car park at Terrey Hills on Sunday 12 June. Meeting time is 7.45am and departing from the carpark at 8.00am.  The course is Booralie Rd towards Duffys Forest and return.

Anthony Colantonio 3rd in Masters M5 at Penrith Lakes

RACE REPORT - SYDNEY ROAD TITLES

A wet & dreary Sydney Road Titles certainly got hit by the Sydney weather. In Masters M5 Anthony Colantonio took the Bronze medal assisted by some fine team riding by James Thornton who was 11th. In Masters M8 the "Housewives Favourite" in Ian Grainger helped keep his sponsor discussions alive with a Bronze in Masters M8. 

RACING THIS WEEK

*  June 12 - Mt Ku Ring Gai Criterium (NS), Lansdowne (Waratah Masters)

*  June 11-12 - U19 NSW Road Championships (MW/West Head)

*  June 10-12 - Tour of Perth (WA)

*  June 13 (Mon) - Cervelo Masters Round #1 (Newcastle)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  June 9 - Centennial Park (11am)

*  June 11 - Meadowbank Bridge (7.30am) for Homebush Loops

*  June 11 - Coffee at Piemonte Café from 9.30am

*  June 12 - BiciSport TTT Training at Terrey Hills (7.45am)

*  June 13 - Piemonte Café at 8am (for Akuna Bay)

Team Time Trial Shorts - 5 June Cancelled

BICISPORT TTT TRAINING - 5 JUNE CANCELLED

The BiciSport TTT training session on Sunday 5 June has been cancelled. See you on Sunday 12 June at Terrey Hills.   

News Shorts - 30 May 2016

BICISPORT TTT TRAINING starts sunday JUNE 5

Details of the first BiciSport TTT session at Terrey Hills this Sunday can be found on this website at Racing/State & National. Park up time at Piemonte Café is 7.45am with an 8am departure

RACING THIS WEEK

*  4 June - Sydney Road Titles (Penrith Lakes)

BiciSport starters - Lise Benjamin, Graham Cockerton, Anthony Colantonio

Anthony Lowes, David Munro, James Thornton, Ian Grainger, Brad Hamblett

Peter Verhoeven, Dom Zumbo, Matt Coy and Stewart Campbell

*  4 June - Calga Club Race (Central Coast CC - 2pm), Fred Icke Classic (Creswick, Vic)

*  3-5 June - Battle of the Border (NSW/Qld)

*  5 June - St Ives Criterium (MW), Eastern Creek (Waratah Masters), Calga ITT (ATTA)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  2 June - Centennial Park (11am)

*  5 June - BiciSport TTT at Piemonte Café Terrey Hills (7.45am)

This US team car pic kindly supplied by BiciSport coach Alex Simmons. Lets hope its not him standing beside the car (no hair, hair, no shirt & the footwear is a nice touch). Who is the dude in the back seat ....

News Shorts - 23 May 2016

RACING THIS WEEK

*  28-29 May - Goulburn Junior Tour

*  28-29 May - Riverland Tour (SA)

*  29 May - Dinnerville Handicap (Dapto)

BiciSport starters at Dinnerville -

*  Stew Campbell, Gio Pilu, Richard Bjorkman

*  Ben Pines, Mike Foster & James Thornton

*  29 May - Waratah Masters (Lansdowne)

*  29 May - Preston Mountain Classic (Vic), Noosa CycloSportive (Qld)

BICI TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

*  26 May (Thurs) - Centennial Park (11am)

*  28 May (Sat) - Moorebank Railway Bridge (7.30am)

*  29 May (Sun) - M7 Cyclepath Loop (Bella Vista 8am) 

Belgium Shorts - 16 May 2016

EDDY VERBUST MUSEUM

Eddy Verbust has been a long time friend to many Australian cyclists. Eddy has been the soigneur to the likes of Patrick Sercu, Danny Clark, Graeme & Matthew Gilmore and Scott McGrory (all have won the Ghent Six Day) and his major passion is the velodrome and the Ghent Six Day in particular. First met Eddy at the Tour of Flanders Museum over 10 years go. The Flanders Museum had just taken ownership of a genuine Eddy Merckx Molteni Volvo (hidden in a garage in Switzerland for many years) and Eddy introduced himself at the Molteni car presentation. The Eddy Verbust Museum (www.eddyverbust.be) is the biggest private collection of cycling memorabilia in Belgium and Eddy kindly opened the doors of the private collection yesterday. Eddy's jersey collection numbers some 850 and the Museum has numerous event posters and jerseys & trophies owned by Eddy Merckx & Patrick Sercu. Eddy has offered to give BiciSport members coming to Belgium in April 2017 a special guided tour. 

... some 850 jerseys ...

Eddy Merckx & Eddy Verbust (in 1967)  

Eddy Merckx Molteni Volvo sits permanently outside the Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde

News Shorts - 16 May 2016

RACING THIS WEEK

*  21 May - Hunter Districts Enduro Interclub (Kurri Kurri 2pm)

*  21-22 May - Cootamundra Weekend

*  22 May - Waratah Masters (Western Sydney Dragway)

*  22 May - Sam Miranda Winery Gran Fondo (Shepparton, Vic) 

BICI TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

*  19 May - Centennial Park (Café from 11am)

*  21 May - Moorebank Bridge (for Homebush Loops) 7.30am

*  22 May - North Turramurra Shops, Bobbin Head Rd (8am)  

GRAFTON to INVERELL Classic - results

*  Anthony Colantonio finished 63rd in Division 3. Alex Simmons also drove Division 3 as a Race Commissaire.

Anthony Colantonio at the Grafton to Inverell Classic finish

Belgium Shorts - Conor Tarlington to ASFRA Racing Team

Conor Tarlington (BiciSport Under 23) is to ride for the ASFRA Racing Team in Belgium from July 20 until August 20. ASFRA is closely associated to Flanders Cycles in Oudenaarde and race a full domestic Belgian program.  The ASFRA team website is www.asfrateam.webs.com. Ronny Assez is the Team Manager. Ronny is a former Belgian pro and rode the Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic in the late 1980's. 

ASFRA Racing Team 2016 (Ronny Assez far right, kneeling)

Belgium (Plum) Shorts - 13 May 2016

Gilbert Van de Wiele (Plume Vainqueur Pro Team)

In 1910 Pol Desnerk opened a tiny bike shop in Ghent. Originally the shop was called La Plume as everything that sounded French stood for quality (even in Flanders). The name changed to Plume Vainqueur, and finally it became Plum. Plum started sponsoring riders and teams and had a full pro team from 1949 until 1961. The shop soon started taking upstairs tenants including numerous Australians (Alf Strom, Reg Arnold, & Alan Peiper) and several Englishman (Gary Wiggins & Tom Simpson). Tom Simpson was the 1965 World RR Champion and died of a drug overdose in the 1967 Tour De France.  Mike O'Reilly last visited the shop in 1987 and nothing has much changed since he visited yesterday (everything just seems to have got older or is that 'retro'). The antique bike museum in the basement of the Plum shop is a bit chaotic (understatement) but the Gios bike of Fons De Wolf was worth a look. 

The Plum Gent website is www.plum-gent.be

1980 Gios (in team blue) of Fons De Wolf with full Campagnolo groupset including Delta brakes

Mildly chaotic but plenty of nice retro steel

... not exactly Shimano Di2 and the front changer had a hand operated lever (no cables) ...

Belgium Shorts - 12 May 2016

After the Giro had moved on did likewise to Slenaken in the Limburg hills outside Maastricht. Looked at Meijs mopeds (in Maastricht) for electric powered options for the CyclingNSW Derny restoration project. After Slenaken, got an early start and drove just 2 hours onto Roubaix and walked around the famous Velodrome. The Roubaix Velodrome looks a lot more "bling" on race day with Matt Hayman giving a victory salute. Barren of the Classic bling the Velodrome looks forlorn & rundown and the less said about Roubaix town the better. Final coffee of the day was in the Tour of Flanders café at the Oudenaarde museum.

Meijs electric powered Moped

Slenaken climb used in Amstel Gold Race

Roubaix Velodrome ... with no Paris Roubaix in town the velodrome cuts a sad, forlorn & drab sight

Tour of Flanders Museum coffee shop

Giro Shorts - 9 May 2016

Stage 3 of the Giro was pan flat running through the Rhine Valley between Nijmegen & Arnhem. Drove to the village of Brummen (115k into the race). By chance the whole population threw a street party and the crowds were again massive. No sure about the pink Volvo and less sure about it carrying the "Made in Italy" tag ...