ANZA Sports

BACK IN THE SADDLE

We meet some of our existing members, welcome an influx of new ones, and highlight some important dates in the cycling calendar to look forward to.

With the first Saturday of January landing on New Year’s Day, the usual ‘first weekend of the month’ Induction Ride date was postponed to a week later so our Ride Captains could properly enjoy their New Year celebrations. With many Club Members also taking advantage of the travel opportunities, we were still a little light on Ride Captains and helpers but gathered enough to cater for four groups, which included 11 new and prospective members on the first induction of the year. Following the ride, inductees were treated to their first Club Brekky, which is where we get to debrief on the experience and discuss the Club’s Code of Conduct (essentially summed up by the #dontbeadick hashtag). All reported that they'd had a great time and were looking forward to joining and getting involved.

We moved into the Year of the Tiger by heading out for the usual public holiday Round the Island (RTI) ride which, depending on the exact route chosen, can be between 120-165km. Most groups finished for the free (club sponsored) Club Brekky, which we enjoyed in groups of five. We live in hope that we can get together in larger numbers over the coming months.

Post CNY saw a blockbuster number of folks keen to join an Induction Ride, so as we move further into 2022, we ask experienced members to come forward if interested in being a Ride Captain!

Meanwhile, Road Director Jock Hughson alerted us to the World Tactical Racing Leagues (WTRL) Zwift Racing League, an exciting addition to virtual racing in which teams battle for bragging rights on a global level. Jock reported on the early performances of our ANZA teams: “After two weeks, the ANZA Racing Esports B Grade and C Grade teams have solid performances in the Atlantic division in races that are short (around 45mins) and high intensity. The teams are

Upcoming Events

ONGOING

Virtual - WTRL (World Tactical Racing Leagues) Zwift Racing League MARCH

Metasprint Series Duathlon 5-6 March Cycosports (Criterium, Duathlon , Fat/CX/ Gravel/Bike Trial) – Dates TBC APRIL

Cycosports (Downhill, Pumptrack, Keirin) – Dates TBC MAY

Superleague Triathlon 6-7 May Cycosports (Criterium, Jungle Run , Fat/CX/Gravel/ Bike Trial) – Dates TBC Metasprint Series Triathlon 28-29 May TBC sitting 7 and 6 out of 16 teams in each division with six races remaining.

To check progress look for Atlantic division B2 and Atlantic Division C1 wtrl. racing/zrl-results/#league. Wishing all members of our ANZA racing teams the very best of luck for this new format. Further updates to come!

Who makes up the bunch? Here’s the lowdown on four regular riders.

SUSANNE KELLER moved to Singapore from Switzerland two years ago and lives just behind Orchard Road. She joined ANZA Cycling last year as a bid to to try something new, not having been into cycling at all in Europe. Now she heads out for rides between 30-70km.

“I’d never have believed that one day I would love cycling. Back home I’d take the car to work and it was only 10 minutes away!” she tells us. “Now I’m the proud owner of three bikes. One (Giant) here and two (BMC and Pinarello) in Europe and I absolutely love them. I even look forward to going back so I can cycle - not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that!” DAVID TAN arrived in Singapore from Malaysia in 2001 and now calls the red dot home. He joined ANZA Cycling in 2018 upon the recommendation of club member Chas Pope, who he’d met through Serk Cycling in Beijing when he was stationed there from 2016 to 2017.

David shares, “I bought a folding bike in 2005 to commute to work. Over the years I found that the foldie was too slow for weekend rides. In 2015, I was searching for a road bike and found the Cannondale CAAD10 with Ultegra groupset. This bike has seen me through my first century ride as well as a one week tour in Mongolia.”

He continues, “Whilst in Beijing, I changed the wheels to Serk Carbon wheels and was happy to donate the stock aluminium wheels to one of the Mongolian National Cyclists, who we were lucky to have as our guides for the tour in Mongolia.”

David is usually out for a Wednesday West Coast ride and whatever is in vogue for the Saturday Club ride.

MARK WHITE joined ANZA Cycling in 2019. This was when he returned to Singapore after a stint here in the mid-late 1990s, and regular visits for work in the intervening years. Although Mark calls Brisbane home, he and his wife Sue are planning their future in Coolangatta Beach.

Mark shares, “I hadn’t ridden much in previous years, but kept seeing ANZA cyclists on the roads and thought I should get back in the saddle. I dug my old road bike out of storage, had it cleaned and serviced, and put it on a plane.”

From his base at Robertson Quay, Mark tends to join midweek rides and will roll out for a West Coast or Mandai cycle a couple of times a week, with an RTI thrown in every now and again.

Mark gave us some background on his bike: “It’s a Ridley Damocles, circa 2008 (Davitamon-Lotto team bikes, from back when Cadel Evans rode for them). My much-loved Trek Madone developed a crack, which might have been from an accident, in one of the chainstays. A friend who’d recently moved back from London ‘acquired’ the Damocles frameset, but after building it up decided it wasn’t quite his fit, so packed it away. Over a beer in Brisbane he said, “Hey, I’ve got this old frame, know anyone that wants it?” and it was bought for a song. I had it built up using the Shimano components from the Trek, and it fits me like a glove. A good, solid ride for a solid rider!”

Mark adds; “Since riding again, a bunch of cycling friends back in Brisbane follow my Strava diligently. I rarely get kudos for speed or distance – just comments on how warm Singapore is!” SCOTT MITCHELL moved to Singapore 18 years ago from Scotland and is based in Tanah Merah. He’s relatively new to ANZA Cycling, having only picked up the bicyclebug during the first half of 2021 after recovering from knee surgery. Cycling is now taking over as ‘the only sport he does’ and he regularly joins the Wednesday and Saturday club rides. “After being sledged by friends online for not having a proper bike (I had a hybrid) I took the plunge and got an entry level pre-loved road bike – a Polygon Helios C6. I love it but I’m constantly fighting the urge to upgrade already,” Scott admits.

While he’s now occupied with sourcing UK mortgages for UK property investors and owners, it’s a far cry from his previous life when he owned Singapore’s only comedy club. “Unfortunately, it’s now permanently closed due to the pandemic. My biggest Singapore comedy moment was being the preview act for Russell Howard at The Kallang Theatre. I’ve also performed at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Nepal Comedy Festival and Perth Comedy Festival.”

With that kind of background, it’s clear that members looking for a laugh would be doing themselves a favour by getting on a group ride with Scott (for his banter before his bike riding skills!).

ON A COMPETITION MISSION

After months with no games allowed, ANZA Soccer’s older competition teams were thrilled to get back into action. By MARCEL DE BRUIJCKERE.

After a seven-month hiatus since the pandemic’s Delta phase prematurely ended last season’s JSSL 4v4 League, ANZA Soccer’s older age groups had their first opportunity to play competitive matches again at the JSSL 4v4 FA Cup, held back in December at Our Tampines Hub. Thirteen boys’ B12 to B17 teams and three girls’ G13 and G14 teams played a total of 16 practice matches in preparation. After so many months of training only in groups of five (and even groups of two), getting back to team playing, even in a modified format, felt like a real milestone.

The format of the tournament brought its own challenges. The group stage was used to separate teams into Cup and Plate participants and seed them based on their results. As in the real FA Cup, this resulted in lower-division teams pushing above their weight against top-division teams in their age group: for instance, the sixteenth-ranked team had to play the firstranked team in the Sunday Cup knockout stage.

All matches were live-streamed so parents could watch their kids battling it Our strongest age out on the pitch. Notable results group, the B14s 2007, were our B12s had a great run, making it to the Cup against with all four teams very strong making it into the Cup competition; our B17s first 2004 competition team (including boys who have played for ANZA for over 10 years) playing their final match in a JSSL-organised event, losing an extremely close match against eventual winners SF; the G14 and second G13 teams winning their Plate competitions; and the first G13 team finishing Cup runners-up.

Golden goal

Our strongest age group, the B14s 2007, had a great run, with all four teams making it into the Cup competition. The B14 ANZA Gold team played all the way to the Cup final, meeting two of their group-stage opponents, Sporting and Lion City Sailors 1 (in the semis), and playing two more Lion City Sailors teams in the round of 16 and final. With Duco scoring early followed by a contentious late equaliser, the semi-final went into extra time. In the 3 vs 3, the boys gained the upper hand and Thomas scored the winning golden goal. The B14 Cup Final started well, with the ANZA lads taking an early lead on a goal by Richie, followed by a quick equaliser. After Richie left the pitch injured, we continued the second half 3v3, per tournament rules, given ANZA had only three fit players available. Two clever long lobs by the Lion City Sailors’ goalie resulted in a 1–3 score with only five minutes to play. Our boys’ will to win was clear as Bill, Alex, and Thomas battled back to 3–3 at full time. In another golden-goal overtime, our boys had more left in the tank. A confident pass-around resulted in a well-worked Cup-winning goal by Alex.

All teams had a great tournament weekend at a brilliant venue graced by the presence of a very special Guest of Honour, famed Danish national player and Manchester United goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel. Win, lose, or draw, our players did ANZA proud, and we look forward to more competitive opportunities for these keen young footballers.

IN THE NET!

ANZA Netball has extended the current season to 30 April. As these pictures show, it’s one of the best ways to spend a Saturday morning (sleep is overrated anyway!).

Netball has become one of the biggest team sports in Australia, played by over 1.2 million men, women and children The game greatly improves childrens’ cardiovascular fitness and strength due to constant running and changing direction quickly

ANZA Netball delivers quality netball programmes to children aged six to 16 years old. Training takes place on Saturday mornings at Tanglin Trust School, Portsdown Road. Nine full-sized netball courts inside and outside ensure members get to play on different surfaces. Midweek training is offered for older age group league teams, and there is the opportunity to participate in tournaments and leagues throughout the year. Off season training is also available for those who wish to continue playing outside the traditional season. Log onto anza.org.sg/sports/netball/ for more.