News Shorts - 29 January

NSW Cyclist of the Year Awards for 2017 - Congratulations to Lise Benjamin (BiciSport Master) for taking out the M7 Category for her medal haul at the National Masters Track Championships in March 2017. The awards were made at the recent Clarence Street Cup event at DGV. 

Zero Melbourne Road Race 18 - Cadel Evans with John Elderfield (BiciSport)

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 18 - John Elderfield (BiciSport) was the Commissaire 4 convoy driver. 

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS 

*  Herald Sun Tour 18 - BiciSport members supporting the Herald Sun Tour this year include Robyn Sprouster (Commissaire), Alex Simmons (Chief Commissaire convoy driver), Mike O'Reilly (Commissaire 2 convoy driver) & John Elderfield (Commissaire 3 convoy driver). Stage summaries & route maps are detailed below and a closer look highlights much longer individual stage distances than in previous years (at the suggestion of a certain World Tour team who are now a subsequent no show this year, thanks !). Lets hope it cools down ...

*  Ruth Strapp has been added to the BiciSport Happy Wheels sponsored group for 2018

BICISPORT HAPPY WHEELS TEAM 2018

*  There is one team spot still available for the 2018 road season. The team focus is the CyclingNSW country open road program, NSW Womens Masters Road Series plus the Victorian Road Series from April through September (2018 dates have been placed on the BiciSport Calendar of this website). If you're interested please contact Mike O'Reilly via email at bicisport1@gmail.com  * 

Australia Day Ride January 18 - Stephanie Cockerton, Graham Cockerton & Dominic Zumbo

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Jan 30 - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  Feb 2 - HART Criterium St Ives (Manly CC)

*  Jan 30- Feb 4 - Herald Sun Tour (Victoria)

*  Feb 1-4 - National Elite Track Championships (Brisbane)

*  Feb 4 - PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CALGA ITT (ATTA) HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR FEB 4. NEXT RACE IS EARLY MARCH.

*  Feb 4 - Heffron Park (Waratah Masters), Ourimbah University Criteriums (Central Coast). 

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244.  

*  Motor traffic conditions are much heavier from now until the School Term concludes.  Note the current roadworks at Forest Way (at both Forestville & Terrey Hills)  

*  Jan 29 & 31 - DGV Track Training @ John Crouchley @ 4pm

*  Feb 1 (Thurs) - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park 

*  Feb 3 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, 
• Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, 
• Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  Feb 4 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, 
• Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am

REVIEW - HERALD SUN TOUR 2018

A new innovation is the Womens Herald Sun Tour which starts with a challenging Healesville road race on the Tuesday. Both men & women do the Southbank ITT on the Wednesday, then the men's stages start on the Thursday. The men's opening Colac to Warnambool stage over 161k has some excellent terrain for some aggressive racing. Stage 2 Warnambool to Ballarat on the other hand will be a 198k grind on heavy roads and lets hope it isn't too hot. Stage 3 is a monster with 218k (!!) from Mitchelton Winery via the Strathbogie Ranges into Alexandra, then finishing with the climb of Lake Mountain. This would be a difficult stage no matter what time of the year, but in February it will be something else. Stage 4 around Kinglake is similar to say the West Head Road in the Ku Ring Gai National Park, but now the stage has an extra lap added (4 laps last year, 5 laps this year).   

News Shorts - 22 January

Newcastle  - Ruth Strapp (BiciSport) finished 3rd in C grade at Kooragang Island Interclub on January 21

Clarence Street Cup Heat 2018 - Graham Cockerton (BiciSport) qualifying second

Clarence Street Cup Final 2018 - Graham Cockerton in the thick of the action towards the bell lap

Bordeaux Paris 1974 - Herman Van Springel following his lead derny (with a reserve derny following should the lead derny break down) together with the Carpenter team car. It helped a lot if the experienced derny driver was a 'chubby little tubby' & wore baggy team clothing  

BiciSport Derny Restoration Project - now complete after 18 months of dirty fingers, much scratching of heads in complete frustration & endless applications of WD 40, degreaser, red paint and the final clear coat

BICISPORT DERNY RESTORATION PROJECT NOW COMPLETED

Congratulations to John Crouchley and those who assisted with completing the derny restoration project. When the project commenced some 18 months ago it started out with nothing more than a desire to maintain a cycling legacy than any real clear vision as to the eventual outcome. 

The dernys themselves are a more than difficult (some would say impossible) motorised bike to make much sense out of. Made originally in Belgium by Arie Simon with technology more akin to a lawn mower than a half reliable motor bike. Reliability is not a word that sits comfortably in any discussion on a Belgian made Simon derny. For starters, the World War 2 era two stroke engines simply didn't work (and still don't). The cost of an engine rebuild was simply prohibitive even with the prospects of using a new synthetic two stroke fuel (the original two stroke fuel was the core problem in making the dernys actually reliable). The outcome was to restore five dernys (see the above picture) to 'showroom condition' courtesy of WD-40 and endless hours of cleaning and scraping off years of abuse & neglect. The bling came with fresh red paint work and an application of 'clear coat' to give the original glossy finished look. They present very well even if they don't work.

The second project goal was to actually get one derny to function as designed, but where to start ?. The two stroke engine rebuild was just too costly, the electric option was discounted as being simply stupid (an electric derny is an oxymoron), so a new small four stroke engine was sourced from China and 9 months later the magic happened (notwithstanding a myriad of minor technical issues to resolve along the way). The rebuilt derny can easily do 65kph around the Dunc Gray Velodrome bends and is simply a delight as a pacing machine. John Crouchley now gives the new 4 stroke Simon derny a run at DGV each week.         

John Crouchley (left) with Graham Cockerton (BiciSport) recently at the DGV with the rebuilt four stroke derny that comfortably reaches 65kph  

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Clarence Street Cup @ DGV @ 20 Jan - For reasons unknown the premier NSW track event was slotted into a mid January date which ensured poor entries in both quality & quantity. Graham Cockerton (BiciSport) easily finished 2nd in the CSC heats to qualify for the CSC final. Graham was caught with 3 laps to go in a frenetic CSC Final.    

*  Cadel Evans Road Race @ 25-28 Jan - John Elderfield (BiciSport) is driving Commissaire 4 in the race convoy for the Zero Melbourne & Cadel Evans Weekend

RACING THIS WEEK

*  23 Jan - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  25 Jan - Towards Zero Albert Park (Melbourne)

*  26 Jan - Eastern Creek (Waratah Masters)

*  27 Jan - Audax Alpine Classic (Bright, Vic), Orange Track Open 

*  25-28 Jan - Cadel Evans Road Races (Geelong)

*  28 Jan - Eastern Creek (Waratah Masters), Ourimbah University Criterium (Central Coast)

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244.  

*  Motor traffic conditions are lighter until the end of January.

*  Note the current roadworks along Forest Way (both Forestville & Terrey Hills) 

*  Jan 23 & 25 - M7 Cyclepath @ 80k @ 5.30am @ BP Service Station Wallgrove Rd

*  Jan 24 (Wed) - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park 

*  Jan 27 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, 
• Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, 
• Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  Jan 28 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, 
• Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am

News Shorts - 15 January

Sprint Grand Prix # 3 @ DGV - Mike Smith (BiciSport) in qualifying

Sprint Grand Prix #3 at DGV - Mike Smith (BiciSport) with UCI rainbow stripes denoting a current World Champion

Sprint Grand Prix # 3 at DGV - Damien Bottero (BiciSport) in qualifying

Sprint Grand Prix #3 at DGV - Lise Benjamin (BiciSport) in qualifying

Waratah Masters @ 14 January - Jeremy Hopson (BiciSport Pilu Racing) finished 2nd in A grade

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS 

*  HART St Ives Criteriums @ 12 January - Ian Cocks finished 3rd in A grade

*  Waratah Masters @ Lansdowne Park @ 14 January - Jeremy Hopson finished 2nd in A grade

*  Sprint Grand Prix # 3 @ DGV @ 14 January -  Mike Smith posted 10.78secs, Damien Bottero 12.44secs & Lise Benjamin 13.12secs in GP qualifying

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Jan 16 - Heffron Park Tuesday Night Criteriums are back ! 

*  Jan 16-21 - Tour Down Under (Adelaide)

*  Jan 19 - HART Criterium St Ives (Manly CC), BUPA Cyclosportive Challenge Tour (Adelaide)

*  Jan 20 - Clarence Street Cup (DGV - CyclingNSW)

*  Jan 21 - Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters) 

OAKWOOD LIFESTYLE SPONSORED RIDE - FRIDAY 19 JANUARY

*  Brett Tarlington and the Oakwood Lifestyle team are hosting a training ride on Friday 19 January from the Piemonte Cafe car park at Terrey Hills. Meeting in the carpark at 9.30am for a 10.00am departure to Akuna Bay & return. Lunch is provided from 11.45am. All welcome.

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244.  

*  Motor traffic conditions are supposed to be lighter until schools returned but the traffic flows currently look like normal, meaning it's pretty poor after 9.00am. Note the current major  roadworks along Forest Way (at both Forestville & Terrey Hills). 

*  Jan 15 & 17 - M7 Cyclepath 80k @ 6am @ BP Service Centre Old Wallgrove Road

*  Jan 17 - DGV Track Training @ 4pm @ John Crouchley

*  Jan 18 - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park 

*  Jan 19 - Oakwood Lifestyle Advisers Sponsored Ride @ Piemonte Cafe car park @ 9.30am for depart @ 10.00am for Akuna Bay & return. Coffee & lunch is back at Piemonte Cafe from 11.30am. 

*  Jan 20 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, 
• Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, 
• Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  Jan 21 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, 
• Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am

BiciSport Happy Wheels Team 2018 - There are two team spots remaining for 2018. The team focus is the CyclingNSW country open road program and the Victorian Road Series from April through until September. If you're interested please contact Mike O'Reilly via email at bicisport1@gmail.com  

News Shorts - 8 January

NSW Sprint Grand Prix # 3 @ DGV - Damien Bottero (BiciSport Master) features in the Sprint Grand Prix at DGV this coming weekend together with Lise Benjamin & Mike Smith.

Bright 18 - Brett Tarlington (BiciSport Oakwood Lifestyle Advisers) sighted on one of the many bridges along the Myrtleford Rail Trail outside Bright (Victoria), enroute to nearby Beechworth.  

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS 

*  Goulburn Track Open @ 6 January - David Browne had good form in Goulburn & took a win in the Roller Derby feature event.

*  National Road Championships @ Ballarat - Alex Simmons assisted as the Chief Commissaires race convoy driver during the Championships from January 3-7

*  BiciSport Level 2 Commissaire - Congratulations to Alex Simmons who passed his Level 2 Commissaire course in Ballarat. 

*  Bright 18 - Brett & Conor Tarlington spent the best part of 10 days doing all the local rides in the Bright region including Beechworth, Falls Creek, Mt Buffallo and Tawonga Gap.

VALE GARY PEMBERTON

*  Sad to report the passing of Gary Pemberton (Lidcombe Auburn CC) on 7 January in Ballarat after a long illness.  Gary was an outstanding cyclist in his own right and combined his life long love of the sport with contributing further through the Commissaire ranks at every level.  Gary was a very special person. Funeral details are - Friday 12 January @ 11.00am @ Mollymook Bowling Club Function Room.

BICISPORT HAPPY WHEELS TEAM 2018

*  There are two team spots still available for 2018. The team focus is the CyclingNSW country open road program plus the Victorian Road Series from April through September (2018 dates have been placed on the BiciSport Calendar of this website). If you're interested please contact Mike O'Reilly via email at bicisport1@gmail.com  * 

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Jan 12 - HART Criterium St Ives (Manly CC)

*  Jan 13 - NSW Sprint Grand Prix #3 (CyclingNSW @ DGV)

*  Jan 11-14 - Womens Tour Down Under (Adelaide)

*  Jan 14 - Peoples Choice Classic (Adelaide), Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters), Ourimbah University Criteriums (Central Coast) 

Goulburn 18 - David Browne (BiciSport Happy Wheels) leads the charge on the Roller Derby

Goulburn 18 - David Browne (BiciSport Happy Wheels) in action

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244.  

*  Motor traffic conditions are much lighter from now until the end of January.

*  Note the current roadworks at Forest Way (Forestville & Terrey Hills) and Military Rd Neutral Bay. 

*  Jan 10 - Aerocoach Session DGV @ 10.00am with Alex Simmons

*  Jan 11 - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.00am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park 

*  Jan 13 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, 
• Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, 
• Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  Jan 14 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, 
• Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am

BiciSport 18 - Frank Signor recently joined BiciSport for the 2018 season & kindly sent in a cover of the famous Italian BiciSport magazine. The BiciSport name & logo was taken from the popular Italian magazine in 1995 when the club was established. 

Cycling Australia National Road Championships @ Ballarat 2018 - Best Team Car Award at the Time Trial undoubtedly goes to EF Drapac Cannondale with the latest Maserati 4WD

News Shorts - 1 January

Christmas 17 @ Hurstville Oval - David Browne & Ben Elliott

Christmas 17 @ Hurstville Oval - David Browne & Ben Elliott

Christmas 17 @ Hurstville Oval - Lise Benjamin

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS 

*  Sydney Christmas Carnivals @ 26-31 Dec - BiciSport had a good representation at the Christmas carnivals with Lise Benjamin, Ben Elliott & David Browne

*  National Road Championships (Ballarat) - Alex Simmons is set to be the Chief Commissaires race convoy driver during the Championships from January 3-7

BICISPORT HAPPY WHEELS TEAM 2018

*  There are two team spots still available for 2018. The team focus is the CyclingNSW country open road program from April through September. If you're interested please contact Mike O'Reilly via email at bicisport1@gmail.com  * 

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Jan 1 - HART Criterium St Ives (Manly CC)

*  Jan 3-7 - Cycling Australia National Road Championships (Ballarat, Vic)

*  Jan 5 - HART Criterium St Ives (Manly CC)

*  Jan 6 - Goulburn Track Open (CyclingNSW)

*  Jan 7 - Ourimbah University Criteriums (Central Coast), Heffron Park (Waratah Masters) 

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244.  

*  Motor traffic conditions are much lighter from now until the end of January. Note the current roadworks at Forest Way (Forestville & Terrey Hills) and Military Rd Neutral Bay. 

*  Jan 4 - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.00am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park 

*  Jan 6 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, 
• Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, 
• Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  Jan 7 -

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, 
• Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am

Christmas 17 @ Hurstville Oval - Ben Elliott fires up the flouro S-Phyre shoes

National ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS - BALLARAT

Wednesday 3 Jan - Criteriums

• Criteriums – U19 (Men & Women), U23 Men, U23 / Elite Women, Elite Men
• Club Teams Championships

Thursday 4 Jan - Time Trials

• Time Trials - Para-cycling, U23 Men, U19 (Men & Women)

Friday 5 Jan - Time Trials & Road Races

• Time Trials - U23 / Elite Women, Elite Men, Road Races - Para-cycling
• Time Trial - Club Teams

Saturday 6 Jan - Road Races

• Road Races - U19 (Men & Women), U23 Men

Sunday 7 Jan - Road Races

• U23 / Elite Women + Elite Men

News Shorts - 25 December

BiciSport-Happy Wheels 18 - The new BiciSport Happy Wheels Team was launched at the Happy Wheels Christmas function at Waterloo on 22 December. Team members pictured (L to R) - William Peters, Stewart Campbell, Conor Tarlington, Ben Elliott, David Browne & Peter Budd (missing from the picture Mirielle Campbell, Rolly Delaytz & Patrick Conway). The team is supported by Laser glasses, Kask helmets and S-Phyre shoes with a focus on the 2018 Road Season

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Dec 22 - Happy Wheels Waterloo Christmas Party - A good sized peloton enjoyed kind Happy Wheels hospitality and a great chance to present the new BiciSport Happy Wheels team.

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Dec 26 - HART Criterium, St Ives (Manly)

*  Dec 26-30 - Sydney Track Carnivals (DGV, Tempe, Hurstville, Lidcombe, DGV)

*  Dec 27-30 - Victorian Country Track Carnivals (Bendigo, Ballarat, Shepparton, Echuca)

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244

*  Dec 27 - M7 Bikepath @ 5.00am @ Cnr Wallgrove Rd & Old Wallgrove Rd 

*  Dec 30

• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, 
• Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, 
• Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  Dec 31

• Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am, 
• BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, 
• M7 Bikepath @ 5.00am @ Cnr Wallgrove Rd & Old Wallgrove Rd

Long time BiciSport supporter Eddy Verbust wishes all BiciSport members a happy 2018. Eddy is on the Gent 6 Day organising committee and is pictured with event winners Kenny De Ketele & Moreno De Fauw.

News Shorts - 18 December

Heffron Park @ December 12 - Rolly Delaytz (Happy Wheels-BiciSport) took a fine B grade win

BiciSport Christmas Ride 17 - Poor weather only tempted the most hardy to venture out to Akuna Bay

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Heffron Park @ 12 December - Rolly Delaytz took a fine B grade win

*  BiciSport Christmas Ride @ 17 December - Considering how poor the weather was at Terrey Hills it was a surprise anybody fronted, but a hardy peloton dodged the thunderstorms for what ended up to be a nice ride on relatively dry roads.

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Dec 24 - Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters)

Happy WhEELS CHRISTMAS DRINKs on FRIDAY 22 DECEMBER @ 5pm

       Computa hosts Christmas Drinks at Happy Wheels Waterloo from 5pm. All Welcome.

BICISPORT LAUNCHES TWO NEW NORTHSIDE TRAINING RIDES

*  BiciSport has introduced two new northside training rides from next weekend -

*  The Saturday ride departs 6.30am from the Warringah Mall Bus Shelter on Pittwater Rd (goes north to Mona Vale & Terrey Hills via McCarrs Creek Rd).

*  The Sunday ride departs from Mona Vale shops @ 7.00am from the corner of Bungan Street & the Pittwater Rd Roundabout. Coffee is back at Bungan Street. 

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

For further details contact 0417 403 244

*  Dec 21 - M7 Bikepath @ 7.30am @ Glenwood

*  Dec 22 (Fri) - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park 

*  Dec 23 - BiciSport Gruppetto @ 6.30am @ Warringah Mall Pittwater Rd Bus Stop, Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am,

*  Dec 24 - Sydney Olympic Park @ Hill St Wharf @ 7.00am, BiciSport Gruppetto @ 7.00am @ Cnr Pittwater Rd-Bungan St Mona Vale Roundabout, M7 Bikepath @ 6am @ BP Service Centre @ Cnr Wallgrove Rd & Old Wallgrove Rd

Retro 69 - The all conquering Faema team from the 1969 Tour de France with Eddy Merckx far left

News Shorts - 11 December

Mike Smith at DGV set a new National record for the flying 200m of 10.783secs

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS - SMITH BREAKS NATIONAL RECORD

*  Sprint Series Round 2 @ DGV @ December 2 - Mike Smith (BiciSport Master) cracked a personal best of 10.783secs for the flying 200m in the M4 category at DGV on December 2. This was a new National record. Damien Bottero is climbing the Sprint result sheets and will be in fine form come the Masters Track Nationals in late February.

*  BiciSport Derny Restoration Project - By the end of December - five of the eight dernys will be restored to their former glory (that doesn't mean they work, but at least they look presentable) as the restoration project nears completion. A big thankyou to John Crouchley.     

The BiciSport Christmas Ride is on Sunday 17 December. Departing from the Piemonte Cafe carpark at Terrey Hills at 8.00am for the Akuna Bay Loop. Coffee is back at Piemonte Cafe from 9.30am. All welcome.

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Dec 16 - Bowral Track Open (Southern Highlands), Austral Wheelrace (Melbourne)

*  Dec 17 - Southern Hemisphere Cup (Waratah Masters), Mt Ku Ring Gai Criteriums (Northern Sydney), Shimano Criterium Series (St Kilda, Vic) 

CYCLING NSW 2018 OPEN ROAD CALENDAR POSTED

*  The 2018 CyclingNSW Open Road calendar was released last week and all events are now listed in the Calendar Section of this website. The comprehensive BiciSport 2018 calendar also carries Cycling Australia NRS events and all cyclosportives.

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  Dec 11 - DGV Track Training @ 2.00pm with John Crouchley

*  Dec 13 - M7 Cyclepath Walgrove Rd @ 6.00am @ BP Wallgrove Rd

*  Dec 14 - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ Centennial Park Spruce Goose Cafe @ 10.30am

*  Dec 15 - School Term Ends - traffic is lighter until late January,  M7 Cyclepath Wallgrove Rd @ 6.00am @ BP Wallgrove Rd

*  Dec 16 - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) from 9.30am

*  Dec 17 - BiciSport Christmas Ride from Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills carpark @ 8.00am

Ghent Velodrome Belgium from the early 1970's - A nice black & white pic of David Allan (Melbourne) leading Eddy Merckx with Graeme Gilmore (Tasmania) just to the right of Eddy. 

News Shorts - 4 December

Derny 17 - John Crouchley & Graham Cockerton at DGV last week track testing the new 4 stroke derny. The revamped derny easily reached 65kph.

Etape 17 - Chris Froome at the post event presentation

Etape 17

Etape 17 - Across the top of the Dalgety Climb at Beloki and it was bleak in driving rain & heavy fog

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Etape Jindabyne @ 2 December - The Etape 17 was greeted with poor weather for the 6.30am start from Thredbo and changes to the course were needed due to the conditions. Tom Green & James Thornton (both BiciSport Masters) were finishers, and Tom finished 6th in his age category.

*  Tour of Bright @ 1-3 December - Adverse weather sweeping the Alpine region forced a rare event cancellation. 

*  BiciSport Christmas Ride @ Sunday 17 December - Departs from the Piemonte Cafe carpark @ 8.00am and headed for the Akuna Bay loop. Returning to Piemonte Cafe at 9.30am. All welcome.

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Dec 5-10 - Melbourne Six Day (Melbourne, DISC Velodrome)

*  Dec 5 - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  Dec 7 - Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland)

*  Dec 8 - NSW Track Championships (DGV)

*  Dec 10 - West Head Road Race (Manly), Western Sydney Dragway (Waratah Masters), Ourimbah Uni Super Criterium (Central Coast)  

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  Dec 6 - DGV Track with John Crouchley @ 2.00pm

*  Dec 7 - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ Centennial Park Spruce Goose Cafe @ 10.30am

*  Dec 9 - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am   

*  Dec 10 - Beaumont Rd, Mt Ku Ring Gai @ 8.30am (local laps).

BICISPORT DERNY PROJECT

*  Derny Restoration Project - Work is continuing by the BiciSport restoration team led by John Crouchley. Challenges ... there have been a few. Not least of which has been the very cause of the original problem being the 'impossible to start' two stroke engine, more so with crusty old two stroke engines that haven't been started for more than 10 years. Options included (a) using a new two stroke synthetic petrol (but rebuilding the current engines was deemed way too costly) or (b) going 'electric' but this was discounted when it was discovered the derny simply wouldn't go fast enough to be meaningful for training purposes. Finally, after months of head scratching it was decided to go the four stroke engine option. A new four stroke engine was sourced from China, the old two stroke engine removed and the new engine installed. A recent DGV track test at Bass Hill some 3 months ago showed up pretty quickly that the new four stroke engine has "under geared" and the derny was still too slow. Again, back to the drawing board (and a nearby Taren Point mechanic) saw new drive cogs fitted and the revised gearing was track tested at DGV last week with BiciSport Master Graham Cockerton in tow (see picture above). After some 14 months of endless tinkering, matched by a modest budgetary outlay, the BiciSport restoration team are finally go with derny #1.       

Derny 17 and Bordeaux Paris 1970 - Each professional rider chased their individual derny machine for the last 300 kilometres of the Bordeaux Paris Classic (total Bordeaux Paris distance was over 600 kilometres). The derny partially obscured on the right of this picture is a spare if either of the two lead dernys suffered a mechanical failure.  

Gent 6 Day in Belgium - before memories fade one last action picture from the Kuipe Velodrome with the rider nearly horizontal on the super steep velodrome bankings pitched against the tiny 166 metre laps.

News Shorts - 27 November

Pilu @ Freshwater Charity Ride 17 - The BiciSport peloton before the start at the Sticky Bottle

Cycling Australia Awards Presentation 17 - Julie Speight was inducted into the CA Hall of Fame at the recent Awards ceremony in Melbourne, and Julie was joined by her 1988 Olympic coach John Crouchley (current BiciSport Coach)

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Pilu @ Freshwater Charity Ride @ November 26 - Over 100 riders formed three good sized pelotons for the Church Point loop and return to the Pilu Restaurant at Freshwater. A big thank you to Gio Pilu for organising this fundraiser for the Bear Cottage charity.  

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Nov 28 - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  Dec 1 - HART St Ives Criteriums (Manly), Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland)

*  Dec 1-3 - Tour of Bright (Vic) 

*  Dec 2 - Etape Cyclosportive (Jindabyne), Sprint Grand Prix #2 (DGV)

*  Dec 3 - Heffron Park (Waratah Masters), Mt Ku Ring Gai Criteriums (Northern Sydney)

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

*  Nov 27, 29 & Dec 1 - Centennial Park Loop from 8.00am to 9.30am

*  Nov 30 - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park

*  Dec 2 - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe (Coffee only) @ 9.30am  

BICISPORT CHRISTMAS RIDE ON 17 DECEMBER

The BiciSport Christmas Ride departs from the Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills carpark at 8.00am on Sunday 17 December. A 90 minute loop around Akuna Bay then it is coffee back at Piemonte from 9.30am. All welcome. 

Gent 6 Day 17 Belgium - The Kuipe Velodrome in Gent is the home of the 'Gent 6' and is just 166 metres per lap which makes for exciting racing

News Shorts - 20 November

PILU CHARITY RIDE on 26 NOVEMBER

*  Pilu Freshwater Charity Ride on Sunday 26 November - This is is a great morning ride in support of a great cause. Start at the Sticky Bottle bike shop 212 Pittwater Rd Manly. Meet at 6.30am then depart 7.00am to Church Point & back to the Pilu Restaurant at Freshwater. Entry fee for the Church Point ride is $20, and the morning tea at Pilu Restaurant is $20. All proceeds go to the Bear Cottage.  For pre entry go to   https://www.trybooking.com/SYZM

BiciSport Christmas Ride is to be held on Sunday 17 December from the Piemonte Cafe carpark at Terrey Hills at 8.00am with an Akuna Bay loop & coffee back at Piemonte Cafe

BICISPORT CHRISTMAS RIDE ON 17 DECEMBER

*  The BiciSport Christmas Ride is a chance to catch up with friends and enjoy a good coffee. The Santa Grand Depart is on Sunday 17 December from the Piemonte Café Terrey Hills carpark at 8.00am, then the Akuna Bay loop  & returning to the Piemonte Cafe for coffee at approximately 9.30am. All welcome.

Bundanoon Highland Fling 17 - Mike Lawson took a Masters category win at the final ever Highland Fling by some 14 minutes over the 125k distance. Mike won the first Fling held in 2005 and book ended the last. 

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  White Bay Criterium @ 18 November - A strong BiciSport gruppetto lined up across the grades on a new innovative course at the White Bay Marina. The weather was poor and there was a high 'did not finish' percentage across the grades. A grade - Stewart Campbell 10th, B grade - Dean Gale 7th, Mike Foster 13th & Richard Bjorkmann 16th

RACING THIS WEEK

*  22 Nov - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  24 Nov - HART Criteriums St Ives (Manly CC), Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland)

*  25 Nov - Illawarra Track Open, Great Victorian Bike Ride (Vic)

*  26 Nov - ECR Enduro (Waratah Masters), Cyclosportive Giro Bella Donna (Healesville, Vic)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  23 Nov - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park

*  25 Nov - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills (coffee only) @ 9.30am 

*  26 Nov - Pilu Freshwater Charity Ride (see details above)

BICISPORT IN FLANDERS 2018

*  BiciSport in Flanders 2018 is on again from 20 March to 9 April 2018 and includes a basket of Flemish semi Classics plus the usual Belgian Classics of Dwars Vlaanderen, E3 Grand Prix, Ghent Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.  For those BiciSport riders doing the Ronde van Vlaanderen & Paris Roubaix cyclosportives entries are now open. For further details contact Mike O'Reilly via email at bicisport1@gmail.com 

BiciSport in Flanders 18 - nothing beats the Koppenberg except maybe a long walk

News Shorts - 13 November

Los Angeles 17 - Mike Smith (BiciSport Master) with Daniel Rickard  

Tour of Tasmania 17 - Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius) wins Stage 1 of the Tour of Tasmania and pocketed a handful of classification jerseys

MIKE SMITH AT THE WORLD MASTERS TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

*  Mike Smith (BiciSport Master) has had a stellar track career and the World Masters Track Championships just concluded in Los Angeles netted another World Championship in the Team Sprint with fellow Aussies in Daniel Rickard and Gavin White. Mike also picked up the Bronze in the individual Sprint (only beaten by the eventual winner Ainars Kiksis in the semi finals). We look forward to Mike's performance in Melbourne in late February at the National Masters Track Championships. 

Los Angeles 17 - Mike Smith (in the Masters World Champions jersey)  for the Team Sprint Gold

Los Angeles 17

Los Angeles 17

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

* Tour of Tasmania @ 6-10 November - Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius) had a first class ToT. Prologue - 10th @ 9secs. Stage 1 - 1st & took the Yellow Jersey. Stage 2 - broken chain 55th @ 8min 42secs. Stage 3 - 9th @ 42secs. Stage 4 - 40th @ 40secs. Overall - GC 26th @ 8min 38secs, Sprint Classification @ 3rd, Hill Climb Classification @ 2nd, Team Classification @ Mobius 1st 

*  Albury Wodonga CC Tour of Aldonga @ 4-5 November - Sue Tierney placed 2nd in D Grade and Graham Tierney 6th in C grade. 

*  Highland Fling @ Bundanoon @ 12 November - Mike Lawson rode the final Fling

Tour of Tasmania 17 - Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius) on the charge in Stage 1

Tour of Tasmania 17 - Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius) wins Stage 1

Tour of Aldonga 17 - Sue Tierney finished 2nd in D Grade

RACING THIS WEEK

*  14 Nov - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  17 Nov - Cycling Australia Annual Awards (Melbourne), HART Criteriums St Ives (MW), Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland)

*  18 Nov - Gosford Track Open (Central Coast), White Bay Criterium (near Anzac Bridge, Sydney),

*  19 Nov - Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters), Mt Ku Ring Gai Criteriums (Northern Sydney)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  16 Nov - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park

*  18 Nov - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills (coffee only) @ 9.30am

Cycling Australia Awards 17 Presentation Lunch - Julie Speight is inducted into the CA Cycling Hall of Fame and John Crouchley (BiciSport Coach) is a special guest being the coach of Julie Speight

News Shorts - 6 November

London 17 - Mike O'Brien (BiciSport Master) is now a London (UK) resident and kindly sent this shot of his favourite local training ride. Mike is now in training for the BiciSport Flanders 18 trip in March April that includes the Flemish Spring Classics. 

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Three Peaks Challenge (Cradle Mountain) @ 5 November - James Thornton (BiciSport Master) completed the 3 Peaks Challenge in Tasmania with Anthony Colantonio

*  Tour of Tasmania @ 6-10 November - Good luck to Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius) who competes at the Tassy Tour this week. Follow the action at www.touroftasmania.com

*  Bear Cottage Charity Ride @ 26 November - This popular charity ride is organised by Gio Pilu (BiciSport) for a great cause and runs from Manly to Church Point and finishes at the Pilu Restaurant at Freshwater. Note your diary for 26 November with further details to follow shortly. 

RACING THIS WEEK

*  6-10 Nov - Tour of Tasmania (NRS) with Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius)

*  7 Nov - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  10 Nov - Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland), HART Criteriums St Ives (Manly)

*  11 Nov - Highland Fling (MTB Bundanoon), Scody Cup (DGV Track), Heffron Park Retro Criteriums+Show

*  12 Nov - Bass Coast Classic Cyclosportive (Inverloch, Vic), West Head Road Race (Manly), Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters), Shimano Criterium Series (Launceston), Ourimbah University Criterium (Gosford).     

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  8 Nov - Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills @ 11.00am (for Akuna Bay Loop)

*  9 Nov - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 11.00am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park

*  11 Nov - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills (coffee only) @ 9.30am 

News Shorts - 30 October

Masters Road Championships 17 - Anthony Colantonio lines up in the Individual Time Trial

Masters Road Championships 17 - Ian Grainger at the M8 Criterium at the Nerang Criterium Circuit. Australian legend from the 1970's Danny Clark took the M8 win

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS - MIKE FOSTER takes CRITERIUM SILVER & JORDAN REIZES ROAD BRONZE at MASTERS NATIONALS

*  National Masters Road Championships @ Gold Coast @ 27-29 October - A good sized BiciSport peloton trekked north. The courses used were test events for the Commonwealth Games cycling program to be held in April 2018. Individual Time Trial @ 27 October - M1 ... Jeremy Hopson 10th @ 26min 12secs, M5 ... Matt Coy 15th @ 26min 12secs, M6 ... Mike Foster 4th @ 25min 53secs, Anthony Colantonio 13th @ 27min 15 secs, M8 ... Ian Grainger 9th @ 29min 41secs.

Criteriums @ 28 October @ Nerang Criterium Circuit - M1 ... Jeremy Hopson 9th, M4 ... Dean Gale 16th, M5 ... Matt Coy 7th, M6 ... Mike Foster 2nd, Anthony Colantonio 18th, M8 ... Ian Grainger 11th.

Road Races @ 29 October - M1 ... Jeremy Hopson 11th @ 1min 04secs. M4 ... Dean Gale 12th @ 46secs. M5 ... Jordan Reizes 3rd @ 2secs, Matt Coy 14th @ 2secs, M6 ... Anthony Colantonio 12th @ 37secs, Mike Foster 17th @ 37secs. M8 ... Ian Grainger 12th @ 6min 2secs. Alex Simmons assisted with Commissaire driving in the road races. 

*  Tour of Gippsland (NRS) @ 19-22 October - Peter Livingstone rode for Team Mobius

RACING THIS WEEK

*  Oct 31 - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  Nov 3 - HART Criteriums (St Ives), Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland) 

*  Nov 4 - National Junior Track Series  NJTS (DGV)

*  Nov 5 - Sydney to the Gong Cyclosportive, Heffron Park (Waratah Masters), Calga Time Trials (ATTA), Peaks Challenge Cyclosportive (Cradle Mountain, Tas)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  Nov 2 - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ Centennial Park @ 10.30am @ Spruce Goose Cafe

*  Nov 4 - Moorebank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills (coffee only) @ 9.30am 

Lombardy 17 - The most picturesque Classic of the year is the Tour of Lombardy held around the shores of Lake Como in mid October, passing the Church of the Madonna Ghisallo

Lombardy 17 above Lake Como

News Shorts - 16 October

Mike Smith (BiciSport Master) took the Gold medal in the Teams Sprint and the Bronze medal in the individual Sprint at the World Masters Track Championships in Los Angeles 

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS - MIKE SMITH TAKES GOLD & BRONZE

*  World Masters Track Championships @ Los Angeles @ 8-15 October - Congratulations to Mike Smith (45-49 category) who took the Gold Medal in the Team Sprint (in 48.5secs) then the Bronze medal in the Sprint, followed by 10th in the 750m time trial in 51.675secs. Anthony Colantonio (50-59 category) qualified 6th in the 3000m Teams Pursuit, then finished second in the Points race heat (for eventually 15th in the Points final). Congratulations to both Mike & Anthony on a job well done.  

*  NSW Sprint Grand Prix @ DGV @ 14 October - Damien Bottero featured at the Sprint GP Round 1 and looks forward to s successful track season 

*  Spring Cycle Criteriums @ 15 October - Report to come

RACING THIS WEEK

*  17 October - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  18-22 October - Tour of Gippsland (NRS - a Criterium Series ? They can't be serious ! )

*  20 October - Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland)

*  21 October - Judgement Day Criteriums (Eastern Creek Raceway) 

*  22 October - Bowral Classic Cyclosportive, West Head Road Race (Manly CC), Eastern Creek Raceway (Waratah Masters)  

*  21-22 October - Wagga Track Open

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  For details on BiciSport training rides contact 0417 403 244

*  16 October - Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 10.30am

*  18 October - DGV Track Training - resumes with John Crouchley in early November

*  19 October - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ 10am @ Spruce Goose Cafe Centennial Park

*  21 October - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

DGR starts from the Spruce Goose Cafe every Thursday in Centennial Park @ 10.00am until 11.00am

         Bernard Thevenet rides to victory through the French Alps in the 1975 Tour de France

News Shorts - 9 October

Damien Bottero (BiciSport) will be a starter at the NSW Sprint Grand Prix Round 1 at DGV this coming weekend. 

                                                    Results at www.mastersworldsla.com

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Great Divide Open @ Gunning @ 7-8 October - Division 1 - Conor Tarlington finished 29th @ peloton finish. Peter Livingstone DNF. Division 2 - Lachlan Haughey punctured in the car park and was a DNS. Division 3 - Jordan Reizes took a great win. Matt Coy 33rd & Simon Lempriere 35th (both a peloton finish). Simon featured in the break of the day which at one point had a 3 minute lead and only caught near the finish. 

*  Heffron Park Criteriums @ 3 October - Rolly Delaytz took an excellent win 

*  World Masters Track Cycling Championships @ Los Angeles @ 8-15 October - Follow the results of Mick Smith & Anthony Colantonio at www.mastersworldsla.com

*  Peugeot 504 featured on Ride Media - Ride Media has again featured the Herve 404 & Bernard 504 retro car story at www.ridemedia.com.au 

RACING THIS WEEK

*  8-15 October - World Masters Track Cycling World Championships (Los Angeles)

*  10 October - Heffron Park Criteriums

*  13 October - Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland) 

*  14 October - Melbourne to Warnambool Classic (NRS, Vic), NSW Sprint Grand Prix # 1 (DGV)

*  15 October - Mt Ku Ring Gai Criteriums (Northern Sydney CC), Spring Cycle Criteriums (Homebush), Spring Cycle Cyclosportive (Homebush), CyclingNSW Presidents Forum (Canada Bay, Sydney), Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters), Ourimbah University Criteriums (Central Coast)

Felice Gimondi 17 - A delightful retro feature of an Italian legend at a recent Gran Fondo in Italy. The legend, the jersey, the bike, the retro team car from that era. Where is the coffee ? 

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  9 October - NSW School Term starts so traffic congestion is back !!!!

*  11 October - DGV Track Training @ 3pm @ John Crouchley

*  12 October - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ 10am @ Centennial Park Spruce Goose Cafe

*  14 October - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe Terrey Hills (coffee only) @ 9.30am 

*  15 October - Ku Ring Gai Chase Loops (cnr Myall Rd & Ku Ring Gai Chase Rd) @ 9.00am  

VALE DICK PARIS

*  Another week passes as does another great Australian cycling icon in Dick Paris (St George CC). Dick's career was very much sourced in the 1970's when the NSW and National Road Championships used the Centennial Park circuit on a regular basis. He had a lethal road sprint and if the race ever came down to a 'bunch kick' then he was a sure fire bet to take the victory. Talented on both the road and the Velodrome, Dick won several National Elite Track Championships to add to his National Elite Road Championship victory plus selection to the Commonwealth Games in 1974 with another Gold medal in the track 1000m TT.  RIP Dick.      

HIGHLAND FLING ... ITS A FINAL WRAP

The MTB Highland Fling has its final (yes, final !) romp through the Bundanoon region over 11-12 November

News Shorts - 2 October

Italy 17 - BiciSport Master Gladiators (Joc Young, Ian Grainger & Karl Hoad) made it into Milan with a Police escort no less (maybe they were being arrested and didn't know it ?). The charity ride was from Sicily to Milan over 20 days.     

Stelvio 17 - Ian Grainger pictured near frozen on the Stelvio Pass some 8k from the summit. The ride was from Tirano up the valley to Bormio then the Stelvio Pass itself. Conditions were freezing at the summit (at just 1 degree) 

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Mick Chapman Memorial @ Kurri Kurri @ 30 September - Lachlan Haughey featured in Division 2 until a puncture ruined his day.

*  UCI World Masters Track Championships @ Los Angeles - Mike Smith & Anthony Colantonio compete in Los Angeles from next week.

RACING THIS WEEK

*  2 October - Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters)

*  3 October - Heffron Park Criteriums (Eastern Suburbs)

*  6 October - Waratah Park Criteriums (Sutherland)

*  7 October - Tour of the Midlands (Vic)

*  7-8 October - Great Divide Open (Gunning NSW)

*  8 October - Western Sydney Dragway (Waratah Masters), Calga ITT (ATTA), Ourimbah University Criteriums (Central Coast)

*  8-15 October - UCI 2017 Masters Track Cycling World Championships (Los Angeles, USA)

BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES THIS WEEK

*  SMS 0417 403 244 if you want details on training rides below

*  2 October - Cromer Laps @ 7.30am-8.30am (Inman Rd, Middleton Rd, South Creek Rd)

*  4 October - Aerocoach Test Session DGV @ 10.00am @ Alex Simmons-Mike Lawson.

*  5 October - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ 10am @ Centennial Park 

*  7 October - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Cafe (coffee only) @ 9.30am

*  8 October - Beaumont Rd Laps Mt Ku Ring Gai @ 9.00am-10.00am

Bowral Classic entries close soon, so don't miss out.

News Shorts - 25 September

Italy 17 - Ian Grainger, Karl Hoad & Jock Young (BiciSport Masters) are riding the 2,000k from Sicily to Milan on a charity ride in aid of the Duchenne 'Parent Project'. Duchenne is a type of muscular dystrophy. Dino Ferrari (son of Enzo) died from Duchenne disease. The ride is assisting to raise both awareness and funds. The team is pictured in Chiusu (central Italy). After Milan they head to Bormio and the Stelvio and Mortoriolo

Eastern Creek Raceway (Waratah Masters) on 24 September - Tom Green (BiciSport) took a fine win in a 2 man breakaway.

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Battle Recharge NRS Tour @ 22-25 September. A healthy 91 starters faced the gun for the Mens NRS Tour with a paltry 39 starters in the Womens event. Peter Livingstone (BiciSport) lined up with the Mobius team. Stage 1 Team ITT - Isowhey dominated with Mobius 2nd @ 1min15secs. Stage 2 Criterium - Peter 24th @ 10 secs. Stage 4 RR - Peter 5th @ 7min 5secs (6th on GC).  Stage 5 RR - Peter 14th @ 2min 32secs. Final General Classification 9th @ 7min 58secs.

VALE BRETT DENNIS

(by Mike O'R). Very saddened to learn of the recent passing of Brett Dennis in WA. Brett was an outstanding cyclist and represented Australia on the road on many occasions in the mid 1990's. I had the absolute pleasure of managing Brett at the 1997 Commonwealth Bank Cycle Classic as a integral part of the Commonwealth Cash Management Trust team. They were a great team of motivated individuals and Brett Dennis was central to the CCMT success during that Bank Classic. RIP Brett.  

                                         Brett Dennis

RACING THIS WEEK

*  30 September - Chapman Memorial (Kurri Kurri, NSW)

*  1 October - Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters), Calga ITT (ATTA)

*  2-7 October - Orana Challenge Cyclosportive (Dubbo to Mudgee)  

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  Lower motor traffic this week as NSW Schools are on holidays

*  27 September - M7 Bikepath @ 70k @ 10.00am @ Bella Vista, and DGV Track Training @ DGV 3pm @ John Crouchley

*  28 September - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ Centennial Park @ 10am

*  30 September - Meadowbank Bridge 7.30am, Piemonte Café (coffee only) from 9.30am

*  1 October - Beaumont Rd training laps from 9.30am-11.00am

News Shorts - 18 September

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  RAW @ 15 September @ DGV - David Browne, Graham & Stephanie Cockerton have featured for most of RAW 17. The final winter RAW round was held on 15 September and David Browne finished 3rd in Division 2 with Graham Cockerton 7th. BiciSport finished 9th (from 34 clubs) in the RAW series Club Pointscore.

*  NSW State Handicapping News - Robyn Sprouster (State Handicapper-BiciSport) is now working on the ACT State Handicaps for the 2018 road season. This will greatly improve the consistency of ACT handicaps (in NSW road races)  

RACING THIS WEEK

*  23-24 September - ACT National Capital Tour

*  23-25 September - Battle of the Border Recharge (NSW-Qld border)

*  24 September - Eastern Creek Raceway (Waratah Masters), Sunbury Road Race (Vic, VRS)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  20 September - M7 Bikepath @ 70k @ 10.00am @ Bella Vista, and DGV Track Training @ DGV 3pm @ John Crouchley

*  21 September - Distinguished Gentlemens Ride @ Centennial Park @ 11am

*  22 September - NSW School Term ends ... traffic lighter next week

*  23 September - Meadowbank Bridge 7.30am, Piemonte Café (coffee only) from 9.30am

*  23 September - Beaumont Rd training laps from 9.00am-10.30am

BEAUMONT ROAD RECOVERY RIDE

Bob Green (BiciSport Master) in centre of shot returned to Beaumont Road Mt Ku Ring Gai for his first ride in a few years courtesy of "an interesting period of active discussion with his local doctor on not just a few health issues". Bob met up with Daniel Vanchop (left) from Northern Sydney CC.  The picture above is very much greetings to Eddy, Maria & Maarten Verhulst in Belgium.  The next 'post op' Beaumont Rd training ride is Sunday 24 September from 9.30am-11.00am.

BEEN A GOOD WEEK - BOWRAL CLASSIC 2016 WINs TOURISM AWARDS

*  The Bowral Classic 2016 picked up two prestigious tourism awards at the Australian Event Awards on 9 September in Brisbane - being 'Best New Event' and 'Best Community Event'. Congratulations to all those who contributed to this success including several BiciSport volunteers - Alex Simmons, Peter Davis, John Crouchley & Robyn Sprouster. The next Bowral Classic is set for 22 October 2017.

BEEN A BAD WEEK

(Written by MO'R) - Recently had a long discussion with Rob Arnold (of Ride Magazine fame) on the current state of play. To say Rob was far from happy would be an understatement. On top of that received an interesting email the other day on membership fees - where it was openly admitted in the email that 'Australia wide racing membership continues to decline'. Decline ? What the ... ?. It was odd to read such a chilling statement and more than telling as the conventional wisdom over the last seven years has been two pronged, namely ... 1. more overall membership equals more revenue and 2. cyclo-sportives are 'the' growth segment for selling yet more memberships (meaning yet more of that important revenue).  With Australia wide membership now 'going off' and the cyclo-sportive strategy 'crowded out' by private promoters who now dominate this cyclo space then it begs the question as to where to from here ?. If that sounds like the mother of all budgetary storms then you could be right ... look no further than the recent World Championship team selection fiasco where team spots went unfilled. Domestically things could not be more painful with the flagship NRS (Not Really Special nor Sustainable) now in serious decline with numerous races cancelled (and other stage races transformed into a criterium series !!). Maybe its all fake news but ye suspect not. Forget all the marketing bling for early next year with the taxpayer funded Gold Coast medal-feast ... 2018 is set to be a super tough year on the domestic racing scene.        

News Shorts - 11 September

Wall 17 - Jordan Reizes (BiciSport Pilu)

Wall 17 - Mike Foster (BiciSport Pilu)

Wall 17 - Matt Coy, Dean Gale & Richard Bjorkman (BiciSport Pilu)

Wall 17 - Ian Cocks (BiciSport Pilu)

Wall 17 - Conor Tarlington (BiciSport Rauland)

Wall 17 - Peter Livingstone (BiciSport Mobius)

BICISPORT MEMBER NEWS

*  Wall Handicap @ 10 September @ West Head - A solid BiciSport contingent lined up for the annual Wall Handicap over five laps of the West Head circuit. Peter Livingstone took fastest time.  

*  NSW State Handicapper Appointment - Robyn Sprouster (BiciSport) has been appointed the NSW State Handicapper for the next two years.

*  Caravello Peloton from Sicily to Milan - Ian Grainger & Joc Young (BiciSport Masters) are currently with the Caravello peloton doing 80k-120k per day from Sicily to Milan. Report to follow.

RACING THIS WEEK

*  16 September - Calga Road Race (Central Coast CC)

*  16-17 September - Otway Tour (Vic, NRS)

*  17 September - Amy's Otway Classic Cyclosportive (Vic), Lansdowne Park (Waratah Masters), Mt Ku Ring Gai (Northern Sydney CC)

BICISPORT TRAINING THIS WEEK

*  12 September - Centennial Park @ 10.00am. Contact Mike O'Reilly 0417 403 244

*  13 September - M7 Cyclepath over 70k @ Bella Vista @ 10am Contact Mike O'Reilly 0417 403 244

*  13 September - DGV Track Training @ 3pm @ John Crouchley

*  14 September - Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride @ Centennial Park @ 11am

*  16 September - Meadowbank Bridge @ 7.30am, Piemonte Café (coffee only) @ 9.30am

Tour de Bello 17 - Lachlan Haughey & Stewart Campbell on the final day of the Tour De Bello at the Bonville Golf Course near Coffs Harbour