NZ Bike 78 Free Version

Page 1

Issue 78 DECEMBER 2014

ling Bike B S

T SPORTION I NUTR

MTB

WORLD CUP

NZ CX CHAMPS HAWKES BAY

TDF

HIGHS & LOWS

JACK BAUER

MAN OF THE MOMENT

COMM GAMES

KIWI SUCCESS

ANTON COOPER Commonwealth CHAMPION 05


SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2014

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NEWS

EDITOR Matt Tuck

EDITORIAL TEAM

A WORD FROM THE

Libby Blackley

EDITOR

Graphic Design Jeremy Town

ADVERTISING Tania Tuck

NEWS INTRODUCTION

Back on the bike and happy to see another issue of NZ Bike Mag on the shelves and out on the streets. It's been a great few months for our competitive cyclists and the performance that was put on at the Commonwealth Games really is a reflection of the work that BikeNZ have done over the last decade.

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The investment in coaching, facilities and programs that support both our elite cyclists and junior development was put out there for the world to see in Glasgow, and right through the track, mountain and road disciplines it was a cracker of a Games from my perspective. While the track team delivered pretty much as expected, I remember thinking that if we could just bag a couple of medals from either the road or mountain bike, then the performance would be complete. By grabbing medals in the womens road TT, the lads in the MTB and then Jack Bauer snatching a silver in the road race, I think everyone's expectations were surpassed, although I have no doubt that the individuals involved knew what they were capable of and had the belief they could do it. Prior to the Games, the oh-so-close tale of Jack Bauer on Stage 15 of the Tour de France is one that we hope will never be repeated, unless the outcome is the one we all so desperately wanted to see. For a domestique like Bauer to escape as he did and spend the entire day (with the exception of the final 50 metres) off the front with Swiss rider Martin Elmiger, only to be cut down just before the line has to be one of the cruelest sporting tales for Kiwi cyclists in a long time. It's a childhood dream to win a stage of the Tour de France, and as we all know, some of the greats in the professional game have never won a stage of the great race. Let's just hope that next time Jack gets the chance, the outcome is the one we all want to see. To have put himself in that position in the first place after a 220km breakaway speaks volumes for the athlete that he is, and his professional journey is only just beginning. Back here at home Summer is getting closer and Daylight Saving has really given the bunch numbers a good boost out on the roads. While we are enjoying 20 degree days in Central Otago, a sudden cold snap overnight and heavy snow on the hills again can only mean one thing - the Tour of Southland can't be that far away!! It always seems that in the last week of October and the first week of November, the Southern Ocean delivers a last-gasp reminder that it was winter just a handful of

weeks before and it really is frickin' cold down there in Antarctica - as it can be on the roads of Southland in early November. Having managed the Ascot Park boys on a few occasions I can vouch for the conditions that greet the Tour every year (albeit from inside the air conditioned team car) and even the less challenging stages can be torn wide open if there are the usual cross winds, sleet and snow and the occasional bit of livestock to contend with. 2012 was the anomaly, with warm calm days and very little wind to speak of, but we'll just call that a 1-in-100 year event and expect the usual. As we head towards Christmas and try to get a bit fitter on the local hill climb or single track, here at NZ Bike we are looking forward to what summer holds and some of the great riding we get to experience right here in our back yard. A good friend of mine up in Auckland who hasn't really done much riding has set herself a local fun ride as a goal, and on the back of some long rides has been getting up into the Waitaks on the weekends, and by all accounts really enjoying her time on the road. She is clearly inspired and challenged by something she never realised was right there, and for most of us, there are some great riding options close to where we live. Whether it's road riding, a mountain bike trail or even a bit of urban cross through the CBD, it's a great time to get out with friends and enjoy some time in the saddle.

Matt Tuck EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Matt Tuck, Aaron Strong, Silas Cullen, Libby Blackley, Southland MTB Club, Timo St Anton, CX Hawkes Bay, Bike NZ, Steve Haddock, Natasha Hansen, Michael Jacques, Caroline Fox, Michael Wood, Steve Haddock, Jim Robinson, Adam Coker, Paralympics New Zealand, Kevin Searle, Blair Cox, Vicki Butterworth, Andrew Young

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Dianne Manson, Fotoengineers, Graham Watson, Timo St Anton, Bike NZ, Marc Flickr, Brassynn Flickr, Trek World Racing, Bike NZ, wkbmx.nl, Matt Tuck, CX Hawkes Bay, Steve Haddock, Nina Porcelli Fenn – Crankworx, Miry Mapholders, Scott Robarts – Crankworx, Clint Trahan – Crankworx, Strike Photography, www.purepixel.co.nz, Adam Coker, Mark Grammer, Oliver Young, Tracey Elley, Paralympics New Zealand, Stephen Sheard, Flickr Michael, www.photosport.co.nz, Martin Bissig, Ruther Pauw / Red Bull Media, Guy Swarbrick, Southland MTB Club, Lapen Photography, Richard Walch / Red Bull

ELECTRONIC PRE-PRESS MJ Media

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

Australian Consolidated Press, Netlink Distribution

PUBLISHER

MJ Media, PO Box 98, Albert Town, Wanaka 9344 ISSN Number: 2253-2188

SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Phone 03 443 6296 Email subscriptions@mjmedia.co.nz Web www.nzbikemag.co.nz

NZ BIKE is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November each year. We reserve the right to reject advertising, editorial or photographic contributions at our discretion without explanation. The contents of NZ BIKE Magazine are copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. No liability is assumed by NZ BIKE Magazine for information provided by third parties. Any opinions or thoughts expressed by contributors are those of the contributor and NZ BIKE Magazine does not necessarily hold these same opinion or thoughts. This text does not provide medical advice. Specific medical advice should be sought from a licensed health-care practitioner.

COVER

Anton Cooper

cover PHOTO BY www.photosport.co.nz

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NEWS

A WORD FROM THE

JOCKEY

NEWS INTRODUCTION

I have a major dilemma. The Tour de France and the Commonwealth Games are both finished and I seem to have an awful lot of time on my hands. What did I use to do? What is next? I guess it’s a great time to reflect what a wonderful time it has been to be a cycling fan, especially in the last few months if you’re a Kiwi.

8

Let me start by taking a look back at one of the most unpredictable editions of Le Tour of recent years. My crystal ball must have been broken because I don’t think I got many of my predictions come true in July. The two big favourites (Froome and Contador) were out of the race in the first third of the race and my pick for a top three (Nibali) ended up winning in such convincing fashion that we are left wondering what the outcome might have been if the others hadn’t crashed out. Of course it is a question that we’ll never know the answer to, but you’re either thinking that Nibali would have been competitive with them or that he only won the Tour because they weren’t there. Initially, when each of the big guns fell, I felt like the guts had been pulled out of the Tour and that it wasn’t going to be the same without them. So much had been made of the big showdown between Froome and Contador that no-one really had a plan B scenario figured out. What ended up happening was a race with less control than usual and in my mind infinitely more exciting. For the entire second week and well into the third, many top ten contenders threw caution to the wind and aimed higher than they might normally have. Rather than follow, they attacked. The French started dreaming of bigger things and everyone started to believe they could create the upset and win the thing. How about those French? Leading into the Tour I had considered Pierre Rolland a good chance for a top ten and Tommy Voeckler could be relied on to chase a stage win or two and inject his unique style onto the race but if you’d told me there were two other French riders going to stand on the podium I’d have suggested you were a little bit mad. Thibaut Pinot and Jean-Christophe Peraud claimed their maiden TdF podiums with a mixture of panache and dogged determination. It has been quite some time since a Tour podium contained two French riders and suddenly the future of French cycling is looking very bright indeed. The Green jersey competition was somewhat one-sided. I’d figured that Sagan may just scrape through this year but his domination in the first week was something to behold. Stage 8 was the first time Sagan had finished outside

the top five in 2014. Seriously! I don’t think I can recall anyone claiming that sort of opening week record before. The sprint points jersey was already sewn up. Team Sky fell to that old problem of having all their eggs in one basket. Once Froome was out they really didn’t have a lot of direction. Briefly Richie Porte was given leadership but his team didn’t seem to get the memo and he was beaten down by illness eventually. Sky then seemed to completely disappear from the race. It shows how important purpose and focus is for the domestique. If Froomedog had still been in the race we would have all been marvelling at the strength of Sky’s domestiques. Team Tinkoff Saxo on the other hand really turned their race around after the exit of Contador. They didn’t hang their heads at all and went on the hunt for Stage wins and they succeeded. Michael Rogers and Rafal Majka got a free reign and made the most of it. I’d go so far as to say Majka was the revelation of the Tour. How much will he ask for when contract negotiations come around at the end of the season? Another rider likely to be stepping up to a new and improved contract next year is Leopold Konig from Nettapp Endura. He finished seventh and isn’t even in a ProTour team! Watch this space. Scanning through the names in the top ten really highlights a new era of stars emerging with a changing of the guard to some degree. Bardet, Van Garderen, Konig, Pinot…these are names we should be talking about for years to come. I like the style of racing they bring to the Tour. Not content to play it safe, the approach is more “win or die trying”. The BikeNZ team were undoubtedly teh success story at the Commonwealth Games, led mostly by the performance of the track team. The roadies can hold their heads up high too. The brilliant Linda Villumsen turned heads not only because she won the TT but more by the way she turned her deficit to eventual second place Emma Pooley around over the last 10km. Stunning stuff. The legend of the last month for many will be the uber-talented Jack Bauer. Firstly he gets in a 221km breakaway with one other rider at the

Tour de France and gets caught 25m from the line. This gained more media attention than the winner and had all cycling fans on the edge of their seats. Then he turns disappointment around by showing his class at the Comm Games and taking home the Silver medal in the road race. What a bloody show-off! Awesome Jack, what have you got in store for us next? I’m looking forward to coming out of hibernation and getting stuck in to a bit of training myself. I’ve had no shortage of motivating moments to spur me on lately.

Strongman EDITORIAL TEAM


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NEWS CONTENTS

46

image: LAKE TAUPO CYCLE CHALLENGE

Summer Series of Cycling Guide

NEWS INTRODUCTION

27

10

IMAGE: FLICKR MARC

Glasgow Highlights 2014


32

Issue #78 December 2014

Introduction 12 Newsbytes 16 Bike Talk

Features image: DIANNE MANSON

Junior Track World Championships

20 Bike Store Profile – Mitchell's Cycles 22 Wind Trainer 26 Commonwealth Games Roundup

BikeNZ 30 Gary Moller Profile

30

Track 32 Junior Track Worlds 34 Tom Scully Profile 36 Natasha Hansen

Road 40 42 44 48

Women on Wheels UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships Tour De France Highs and Lows Jack Bauer Profile

48 IMAGE: FLICKR MARC

Man of the Moment Jack Bauer

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

Gary Moller

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NEWS

NEWSBYTES Win With Sweet Cheeks

BBB Signal BLS-81 | BLS-82 | BLS-83

Win - A set of Sweet Cheeks NZ all natural products: Butt Butter, Super Balm and Hot Cheeks with our new look! The packaging has changed but the performance hasn't.

Smaller, lighter and brighter! LED lighting technology has come incredibly far over the last few years. We have relentlessly updated our range of lights resulting in some of the most advanced products on the market today. This year we are happy to introduce the Signal head- and rear lights. A compact and light housing (1) with lots of light output. The Signal is slightly bigger than the Spark, but offers a bigger light source. It charges through a universal mini-USB port (2) and offers hours of riding in the dark. Perfect for commutes in fall or winter when the sun goes down early. The StrapMount silicone strap allows the Signals to be mounted virtually anywhere on your bike, frame, handlebar, seat post or seat stays (3). Signal will help you to see and be seen.

Butt Butter: A natural anti-chafing cream for all athletes. Soothing and antiseptic, it helps to prevent chafing, blisters and sores when biking, running or swimming. Hot Cheeks: A winter favorite, peppermint and chilli warms, soothes, and refreshes your sore muscles when you massage Hot Cheeks into them. Super Balm: A wonder balm for all your skin ailments. Enter online at www.endurancesport.co.nz

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Signal mini headlight, BLS-8 RRP $57,49 Signal mini rear light, BLS-83 RRP $57,49 SignalCombo, including BLS-81 and BLS-82 RRP $110

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NEWS INTRODUCTION

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Smith Optics Launches into the Bicycle Helmet Market

NEXT GENERATION REHYDRATION

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NEWS

NEWSBYTES Suunto Ambit3 Sport

Crocodile Trophy Prize Winner Announced!

The desire to be faster is universal. Whether you’re pushing your limits on the trail, on your bike or in the water, Suunto Ambit3 Sport GPS watch is your invaluable training tool to become the best you can be. Track and analyze your performance to progress. Connect your watch wirelessly to your iPhone and use the free Suunto Movescount App to adjust the watch on the go and visually enrich, relive and share your experience to make every move count.

After an incredible amount of interest in this year's awesome entry prize pack for the Crocodile Trophy being held in Cairns next month (valued at more than $3,000), we have drawn the lucky winner.

RRP $649 including Bluetooth Smart Belt www.suunto.com

About the Crocodile Trophy The Crocodile Trophy is the most adventurous and one of the toughest mountain bike stage races in the world and in 2014 will take riders over nine days through the Australian Outback of Tropical Far North Queensland for the 20th time. To mark this anniversary, the "Croc" will become a UCI event category S1 and will be open for elite and amateur racers. The infamous event is not only the oldest and most renowned mountain bike stage race in the world, but it also features the biggest solo competitor field of any stage race of that dimension. This year's stage plan will lead competitors from all over the world starting in Cairns through lush rainforests into the remote Australian Outback towards the new stage finish at Port Douglas via the spectacular tracks and trails in the Cairns and Atherton regions.

Jason Derecourt from Tauranga is the lucky winner of this fantastic prize to the Crocodile Trophy event held in October. Good luck Jason!

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NEWS INTRODUCTION

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NEWS

NEWS 16

Jesse Sergent In the Commonwealth games men’s 40k time trial

image: FILCKR MARC

Cycling was New Zealand’s standout sport at the Commonwealth Games. The trackies opened up with Gold in the team sprint and bronze in the team pursuit on the very first day. Twenty four hours later, Marc Ryan returned to take bronze in the individual pursuit. But he was overshadowed by gold and bronze from Sam Webster’s and Eddie Dawkins in the men’s sprint on the same day. Day three saw four more medals with Tom Scully and Aaron Gate claiming gold and bronze in the points race, while Simon van Velthooven and Matt Archibald scored silver and bronze in the kilo behind Australia’s defending champion Scott Sunderland. On the final day Sam Webster earned silver in the hotly contested keirin while Shane Archbold finished off the track programme in style with gold in the scratch race. Mountain biking provided another highlight with Kiwi teenagers Anton Cooper (19) and Sam Gaze (18) upsetting pre-race favourite Dan McConnell from Australia. The world number four got a bad start and used precious energy to bridge across to Cooper, Gaze and Canadian Max Plaxton after 10k of the 37k race. Plaxton fell away in the final 5k but on a tight course with no long climbs or particularly technical sections, the Australian and Kiwis couldn’t break each other. McConnell tried with 1k to go, but was covered by Cooper who took the lead approaching the final 500m. With a sprint finish to come the pace eased as the three started watching and waiting for someone to lead out. In a masterful move Cooper struck from the front on a narrow section before the course opened out onto the finish straight. McConnell had no answer and Gaze, who had outsprinted Cooper four months earlier for the New Zealand title, found himself stuck behind the Australian and could do no better than wait for space to come around for silver, visibly whacking his handlebars in frustration while an equally visibly delighted Cooper charged ahead for gold. Cooper took his Games form to the USA for a round of the under-23 world cup. The 19 year old Cantab hadn’t raced much prior to the Games due to illness and then a need to get some training together for the Games, so a second place only a week after the Glasgow race would have been satisfying. In a course that was essentially one big climb & one big downhill per lap, Cooper couldn’t match Frenchman Jordan Sarrou on the climb but managed to stay ahead of the chasers to finish 41 seconds off the win. Cooper still has two years in the under-23 division and will have taken confidence from Commonwealth bronze medallist Dan McConnell’s fourth place in the elite men’s race behind Switzerland’s Nino Schurter. Kiwi women weren’t as successful at the Games, with Linda Villumsen’s time trial gold the only medal. After six minor medals at world championships, a silver at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and fourth at the London Olympics, Villumsen was a popular winner while teammate Jaime Nielsen just missed the podium

World cycling news

image: FILCKR BRASSYNN

BIKE TALK

Jason Kenny V Sam Webster IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES MENS Sprnt

in fourth. In the 100k road race a strong Kiwi team proved no match for England’s team racing. On a tight and punchy course, Australia burnt all their matches trying to control the race from the start, only to have England’s Emma Pooley break the race open with 40k to ride. This left Olympic silver medallist Lizzy Armitstead with an armchair ride until the final 10k when she attacked and simply rode away for the win. Villumsen stayed close throughout to contend for the bronze medal

sprint, but without support in the final 40k she didn’t have the legs and finished fifth behind Ashleigh Pasio (SA) and Tiffany Cromwell (Aus). Against world class fields, New Zealand’s male road squad did well after being decimated by injury and pro-team priorities. In men’s 40k time trial Jesse Sergent led through the 8k time check but faded to a solid fifth behind pre-race favourite Alex Dowsett (England). The road race squad fared better with solid team riding from


image: GRAHAM WATSON

KIWIS Jesse Sergent and Mike Northey IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES ROAD RACE

men Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) and his LottoBelisol teammate Andre Greipel. Bauer’s silver medal was just reward after his heart-breaking ride on stage 15 at the Tour de France. With team Garmin Sharp’s leader, Andrew Talansky, a dnf after a crash-riddled opening week, Bauer and his teammates were given freedom to hunt for stage wins. So when Swiss champion Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) hit out at the start of the 222k stage, Bauer joined him. But

billed as a sprinters stage and with the overall contenders taking it quietly between mountain stages, no one chose to join them and the duo worked well together to rack up an eight minute lead in the first hour. The sprint teams of GiantShimano, Katusha and Lotto-Belisol assumed control of the peloton and shut the gap down to two minutes with 50k to go. But wet and windy conditions caught up with the chasers and Bauer and Elmiger still had 90 seconds in hand with

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

Jesse Sergent, Greg Henderson and last minute track team ring-in’s setting up Jack Bauer for an attack in the last 20k of the 148k race. But prerace favourite Geraint Thomas (Wales) counterattacked and rode away for gold, even shrugging off a puncture in the final 10k to win ahead of Bauer and England’s Scott Thwaites. Jesse Sergent continues to make his mark as a strong man on the European scene. A week before the Commonwealth Games he won stage five of the Tour of Austria. Although ironically, the tall time trial specialist surprised with a break away win in a 148k mountain stage. The 26 year old Trek Factory rider managed to get in a race-long break that featured no notable climbers. Handling the freezing cold conditions over snow-lined mountain passes better than most, he made a final selection of five riders and then attacked with 20k to go. As one of the world’s top dozen time trial exponents he wasn’t going to be caught, but admitted later to those final few kilometres being the toughest of his career. Greg Henderson played a big part in Jack Bauer’s silver in Glasgow. Henderson, in his fifth Commonwealth Games, had hoped to be a medal contender but crashed heavily in stage four of the Tour de France and split open the knee that he’d had surgery on late last year. But he dusted himself off to captain the Games road squad and was the only other Kiwi to finish, in seventh place. The 37 year old’s form had been evident prior to the Tour when he won stage two of the Ster ZLM Toer in the Netherlands, out sprinting noted fast-

image: FILCKR MARC

After FINISHING THIRD OVERALL IN THE 2012 TDF, VINCENZO NIBALI (LEFT) TOOK HOME THE YELLOW JERSEY IN 2014

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image: TREK FACTORY RACING

NEWS

NEWS

George Brannigan CLAIMS FOURTH & FIFTH IN THE AUSTRIAN ROUND OF THE MTB World Cup

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20k to go. A series of late attacks from Michal Kwiatkowski, Tony Martin and Jan Bakelants reignited the chase, but a tight, twisting final 5k helped the two leaders hold on to a handful of seconds. With 1k to go Elmiger attacked, but the Kiwi countered and went for the win with the peloton just a few seconds behind. With 400m to go it looked like the Bauer would do it, but Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff (Norway) started a long sprint from the peloton and Bauer simply didn’t have any legs left and got swamped in the final 25m to finish 10th. As Kristoff celebrated, the emotion and exhaustion of losing the biggest result of his career in the final two seconds of a five hour race reduced Bauer to tears. Alexander Kristoff continued his break-out year on the pro scene. Following up two stage wins at the Tour de France with a win in the Vattenfall Classic in Hamburg ahead of Italy's Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) and Australia's Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge). Jack Bauer was back to his day job for Garmin Sharp, finishing 91st after working all day for sprinter Tyler Farrar (USA), who claimed fourth. The Tour de France this year was all about the calm, control and poise of Italian winner Vincenzo Nibali. Much has been said of the crashes that led to the withdrawals for pre-race favourites Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. But Nibali was vastly better than anyone else, establishing advantages with a combination of nowse, strength and stubborn confidence. When Contador, Froome and co. were watching each other at the end of stage two in Sheffield, Nibali jumped away for the win. A few days later, while Froome was falling of his bike, Nibali illustrated his all-round ability and bike handling to be the best of

the contenders on stage five’s cobblestones and rain. He was undoubtedly best in his specialist mountains, taking stage 10, 13 and 18. Stage 18 was particularly impressive; left exposed when his Astana teammates fell off the pace early on the final climb, Nibali controlled the race by attacking with 10k to climb and daring anyone to follow. On stage 20 he finally silenced the naysayers with a display of raw talent to claim fourth and first among contenders in the time trial. Following several years focused mostly on his own Giro d’Italia, the Italian had quietly dedicated 2014 solely to the Tour de France and got stronger as the race progressed to win by almost eight minutes. Those who point to the drug issue should look at Nibali’s palmares, which shows a steady rise since debuting at the Tour with 19th place as a 22 year old, and the fact that he has never been linked to any of the muchpublicised investigations. They might also remind themselves that the Sicilian who left home at age 16 to be a professional cyclist is only the sixth rider in history to win all three Grand Tours after taking the Vuelta Espana in 2010 and the Giro d’Italia in 2013. Contador was the last rider to do that back in 2007. Now, at age 29, Nibali has more time on his side than either Froome or Contador. The French took heart from the 2014 Tour thanks to compatriots filling second, third and sixth in what was the best display by the home country since 1985 when Bernard Hinault took France’s last victory. Even more heartening was that the standouts weren’t noted opportunists such as Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland, but dedicated stage racers with all-round abilities who delivered on either youthful promise or seasoned

talent. Olympic mountain bike silver medallist Jean-Christophe Péraud (AG2R La Mondiale) finally delivered on the road and at age 37 will retire satisfied, while the battle for the white jersey between second placed Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) and sixth placed Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) confirms France’s future might include another winner of their own race. Kiwi downhillers refused to be left out of the news with Brook MacDonald and his Trek World Racing teammate George Brannigan claiming fourth and fifth in the Austrian round of the UCI mountain bike world cup. McDonald clocked the fastest speed of the day and only lost second place with an error late in the race. But it was Brannigan who took centre stage by leading the standings early on until dethroned by South African Greg Minnaar, who would eventually finish second to Britain’s Josh Bryceland. Fellow Kiwis Sam Blenkinsop and Cam Cole were 16th and 23rd. New Zealand’s cycling future looks sound after a series of medal at the world junior track champs in Korea. The standout was Hawke’s Bay’s Regan Gough winning a full set of medals that included two golds. The Waipukurau rider showed ability and recovery powers that will set him up well for a professional career when he rode in New Zealand’s bronze medal team pursuit on day one, then took silver in the individual pursuit on day two. On day three he was back for gold in the 25km points race, then in a fairy tale race on the last day he teamed with Palmerston North schoolmate Luke Mudgway to win another gold in the Madison. Gough returns home owning two of the nine gold medals won since New Zealand started competing at the world junior championships in 1976.•


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BARE IT. PROTECT IT with sunscreen When you can’t avoid the sun and for those hard to cover areas add protection with sunscreen using a minimum of SPF 30 broad spectrum. Hands can be particularly vulnerable on the bike, so wear gloves or lots of sunscreen. There are many on the market that are made for high activity and water sports. Many are water resistant and made so that they don’t run into your eyes when you sweat. But even these need to be reapplied every two hours particularly during intense exercise. Spray on sunscreens are useful for when you’re on the move. Remember there is no such thing as complete sunblock only sunscreen, so don’t overdo it even with sunscreen on.

Train safe. Train wisely Minimise your UV exposure. Where possible, try to avoid biking in the middle of the day during summer when the UV index is at its highest. Excessive UV exposure and high intensity exercise can harm the immune system, making athletes particularly vulnerable to illnesses, including skin cancer. Exercising outside when the sun is less intense will help protect you.

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FEATURE

STORE PROFILE Taranaki’s Mitchell Cycles

Taranaki, dominated by its mountain, has a rich history of road cycling. NZ Bike set out to find more about the cycle shop that has been part of this history for so may years, and also now part of the mountain bike and triathlon scene. NZB: How long have you been in business? MC: The shop was founded in 1953 by Dave Mitchell and has had three previous owners. Current owner, Blair Cox has owned the shop for 8 years and was an employee for 17 years prior to taking ownership.

NZB: What type of bikes do you stock? MC: Our main brands are Specialized, GT, Cannondale, Surly, Fuji, Haro, Mongoose.We carry a comprehensive range of bikes to suit any rider from balance bikes and recreational bikes to anything a serious rider needs including high end road and full suspension mountain.

NZB: What is your favourite local ride?

FEATURE

MC: Around the mountain via Pukeiti Gardens through Carrington road, continuing around the top road into Stratford, then home with a quick climb up Egmont road if you are still feeling adventurous. Roughly 130km with close to 2000m of elevation.

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NZB: What is unique about your store? What key services do you offer? MC: Our staff have backgrounds in downhill racing, triathlon, road racing

and family oriented cycling with equips us with experience and knowledge to be able to provide a higher understanding of our customers needs. All staff are riders from all different disciplines which gives us an edge to be able to find the right bike for any rider. We strive to fulfil the customers needs by selecting the right bike to give them the experience they desire. We specialise in a wide range of areas, tri, mountain, road, family, recreational/touring. We offer a wide range of technical services including suspension servicing and setup, body geometry bike fitting and Shimano Di2 complete setup, tuning, firmware updates and diagnostics. We firmly believe that the rider benefits from having their bike fitted to them with Specialized Body Geometry fit procedure and their bike running in top order for them to able to enjoy their experience to the best they possibly can.

NZB: How many staff do you have? MC: Blair Cox - Owner. Triathlete, Road race background including commonwealth games medalist. Matt King - Technician with 14 years experience. Ex downhill racer. 20 Years


We cater for everyone, right from beginners to high performance athletes. The key is finding the right products to fufil a customers needs

experience riding mountain bikes. Also rides road bikes. Jason Ganley - Technician/Sales. Enjoys everything bike related & unique but detailed custom builds and mountain biking are favourites. Glen Phillimore - Sales. Long history of mountain biking. Enjoys anything "cycling culture"

NZB: How is your shop involved in the local cycling community? MC: We offer weekly mountain and road rides, we participate in events, help out at maintenance sessions. We also run a strava shop page to help & encourage our riders. We take skill lessons for both road and mountain for beginners to intermediate. We are also involved with the local IronMaori events.

NZB: What bikes are you currently riding? NZB: Who do you cater for most? The novice, elite, family rider etc. MC: We cater for everyone, right from beginners to high performance athletes. The key is finding the right products to fufil a customers needs or required experience.

NZB: Has being involved in the bike industry come about because of your passion with cycling?

NZB: What is your bike market made up of?

MC: Most definitely, being a cyclist always comes first and leads into working in the bike industry. All of the staff here have been cyclists for life and are passionate about their work. The owner has ridden bikes all his life and has ridden at a professional level nationally & internationally representing NZ in various events and disciplines.

MC: Our market is totally mixed but we have a high number of triathletes and road racers. Our mountain bikers tend to be recreational riders, or those seeking fun, adventure and adrenaline. Most recently we have set up a Surly ECR to be used in the Great Divide, a self supported tour from Canada to Mexico through Central America and also a Surly Ogre to be used in the Tour de Afrique.•

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

MC: Specialized Road bikes, GT & Specialized mountain/trail bikes and Fat Tyre bikes including Specialized Fatboy and Surly bikes. Custom built Urban Single speeds/Fixies

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FEATURE

Review

THE REVBOX Words: Aaron Strong

FEATURE

I had heard about this interesting new training tool quite some time ago but the finished product took some time to come to market, so when I finally got a chance to test one out I couldn’t wait to put it through its paces.

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The Revbox is a stationary trainer, but not as we know it. I wouldn’t say the concept is totally revolutionary but the end product is more refined and well thought out than anything else I have come across in the stationary trainer market. The Revbox is simple to setup and use. Out of the box I put my unit together in a few minutes without any tools. Next I took my rear wheel out of my bike and attached the bike to the Revbox via a quick-release lever. There was no need for a front wheel block, so I was ready to go. The Revbox uses the chain of the bicycle to transfer power to the fan for immediate, nonslip resistance. The key to this unique form of resistance is the large 580mm diameter fan which produces a lot of air drag, allowing for very high power outputs if you should need them. For example, using the 53/11 gear ratio @ 90rpm would require 1800W. I got this out of the user manual, as clearly I can’t manage that much. The large fan creates a low inertia rate unlike any other stationary trainer. In easy gears this unit could be used by beginners but as you change to harder gears the design of

the unit means that increases in resistance are exponential. This provides a resistance scale that is suitable for novices through to Olympians. The Revbox will not gather momentum at high cadences, nor will it stall at low cadences. This makes targeted training easy to attain. The first thing you notice is that you can’t have a weak part of your pedalling circle without hearing an audible difference in the sound of the fans spinning. If you pause your pedalling for a split second the high resistance created by the fans means they almost stop on the spot. You can’t carry any momentum when you cease to keep the pressure on the pedals for even a split second. An advantage of this unit is it specifically works on weaknesses in your pedalling technique. The Revbox is easily transportable. Remove the stabilising feet with a simple quick release lever then the whole unit is quite compact and all delicate parts are well protected by a sturdy exterior. The indexing is compatible with 10 or 11 speed drive trains from Shimano, Sram and Campagnolo. After testing the Revbox unit out with a variety

of intervals and types of training, I can say that I felt I was utilising some muscle groups that had gotten lazy through the race season. Afterwards I could definitely feel like I had worked my muscles in a different way. Certainly, for me, it was a case of using more glute and hamstring activation than usual to keep the unit rotating smoothly. This could be beneficial but it’s still early days for me to say that. If nothing else, the Revbox can be geared to offer up a high level of resistance which you can’t “cheat” on like a magnetic trainer. For big gear power endurance efforts I found the Revbox very effective at holding my usual 350W but these felt more difficult than usual. The constant nature of the force required to keep the fan moving smoothly seemed to contribute to this perceived effort variation. The Revbox wasn’t as noisy as I expected. When compared to other fan based stationary trainers it was clearly a quieter unit and could therefore appeal more to apartment dwellers. I’m looking forward to testing the Revbox out even further over the rest of winter and seeing if the hard work pays off when I start up racing again.•


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FEATURE

The Glasgow 2014 Cycling programme showcased the disciplines of Mountain Bike, Road and Track, including four Para-Sport events. It was an adrenalinepacked mix of speed, endurance and tactics, and medals for our Kiwi athletes. New Zealand brought home a total of fifteen cycling medals, including six gold.

FEATURE

TRACK

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Some of the world's fastest track cyclists converged on the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome to take up the intense competition across twelve events for individual medal success and national glory. New Zealand won two track cycling medals on Day 1 of competition: Gold in the Team Sprint and bronze in the Team Pursuit. Day 2 saw Sam Webster win gold in the Men's Sprint, with Eddie Dawkins claiming the bronze. Marc Ryan earned the bronze medal in the Individual Pursuit. On Day 3 the Kiwi track cycling lads added another 4 medals to the tally: Tom Scully won gold in the points race, with Aaron Gate earning the bronze. In the men’s 1000m time trial, Simon van Velthooven and Matt Archibald grabbed silver and bronze behind Australian Scott Sunderland, the defending champion.

The final day of Track competition did not disappoint, with Shane Archbold winning gold in the men's scratch race. Sam Webster earned silver in the hotly contested keirin. The track team competing were; Men: Shane Archbold, Matt Archibald, Patrick Bevin, Pieter Bulling, Eddie Dawkins, Aaron Gate, Dylan Kennett, Ethan Mitchell, Marc Ryan, Tom Scully, Simon van Velthooven and Sam Webster, with Lauren Ellis, Stephanie McKenzie, Jaime Nielsen and Georgia Williams the Kiwi women on the track. Sam Webster was the golden boy of the track, bringing home two golds, for the team sprint and individual sprint, with silver in the keirin. There was special praise for Shane Archbold, arguably the overall cycling star of the Game, after his performance on the track and road over the Games, winning gold in the scratch and supporting teammates to their successes, playing a key role in the gold for

Tom Scully in the points race and for Bauer in the road race.

ROAD The road cycling, road races and the time trials, was battled out around the roads of Glasgow City, the last of the competitions. In the time trial, Linda Villumsen bettered her Delhi silver, bringing home the gold in the women's event. Jaime Nielsen achieved 4th, and Reta Trotman 11th. Jesse Sergent came 5th in the men's time trial. Jack Bauer took a hard-earned silver medal in the men’s road race. It was a gruelling 168km race in difficult conditions, and New Zealand riders worked as a team to help Jack get ahead. Greg Henderson finished 7th, while the rest of the team, Tom Scully, Shaun Archbold, Jesse Sergent and Michael Northey pulled out once their work was done.


IMAGE: FLICKR MARC

WOMENS ROAD RACE GLASGOW 2014

IMAGE: FLICKR MICHAEL

HUGE SUCCESS FOR THE KIWI'S IN THE VELODROME


FEATURE

It was mission accomplished here. The sprint boys promised and delivered, and our bunch racing on the track, the mountain bike and the road were all impressive BikeNZ Director Mark Elliot

IMAGE: www.photosport.co.nz

ANTON COOPER CELEBRATES GOLD IN MTB XCO, CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY SAM GAZE

Bauer looked good throughout, and got into in a breakaway group of three – along with Welshman Geraint Thomas and Englishman Scott Thwaites - near the end. At 11km to go, Thomas rode away to sew up the gold medal, with Bauer and Thwaites left to dispute the silver. The Englishman led out in the final sprint, before Bauer came through and took him on the line. Thomas won in 4h 13min 05s, giving him a margin of 1min 21s over Bauer and Thwaites. Linda Villumsen was the best of the New Zealand riders in the women's road race, finishing fifth. All of our women crossed the line in the top 20 - an impressive effort in a race where more than half the field didn't finish. Jo Kiesanowski came in 9th, 10th for Emily Collins10th, 15th for Rushlee Buchanan, 16th for Reta Trotman and 17th for Jaime Nielsen.

FEATURE

MTB

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Cathkin Braes was the venue for the men’s and women’s cross country mountain bike

races, which brought exciting results for the Kiwis. Anton Cooper and Sam Gaze won New Zealand's first gold-silver combination, taking out the tops spots in the men's cross country race. Read the full story and a profile on Anton Cooper in the MTB section on page xxx. Karen Hanlen and Kate Fluker both finished in the top eight in the women's cross country race, their result hard-won after a few minor crashes on course. Hanlen had a strong finish and crossed the line in sixth place in a time of 1:43:31, just four seconds behind fifth place English rider Alice Barnes and four minutes behind winner Catherine Pendrel of Canada. Hanlen had a solid start to the race, putting Pendrel under pressure early on, but once Pendrel past the Kiwi she never looked back.

Para-cycling Para-Sport medal events, integrated into the Commonwealth Games for the first time in Manchester in 2002, had the biggest

ever Commonwealth Games Para-Sport programme at Glasgow 2014. This year the Para-Track events, men’s and women’s tandem in sprint and 1km, were on the programme. New Zealand did not have any athletes competing, but have a strong ParaCycling team building up for Rio. So in total the Kiwi cycling team brought home 15 medals; six of them were gold, with four of those coming on the track, proving the current strength of New Zealand cycling. Overall New Zealand came third on the cycling medal table, behind Australia and England. The $4.3 million investment Bike NZ received for the Games delivered. “It was mission accomplished here. The sprint boys promised and delivered, and our bunch racing on the track, the mountain bike and the road were all impressive,” said BikeNZ High Performance Director, Mark Elliott. The BikeNZ success has been many years in the making, with the seeds of success were sown at the country's first indoor velodrome in Invercargill.


IMAGE: FLICKR BRASSYNN

LINDA VILLUMSEN ON HER WAY TO GOLD IN THE TIME TRIAL

"From the early days when we were in Invercargill and we built up our level to be world-class, and now to have walked away as world champions at the start of this year and come back with the medals, it's a testament, and the foresight that Bike New Zealand and the cycling community have had for us," explained triple medallist, Sam Webster. Bike NZ has been based from the Avantidrome in Cambridge for the last six months, the centralisation of the sport now bearing the golden fruit. “It has been our home for training," said Elliot. "When you've got facilities like that; you've got an amazing gym downstairs, all the guys pushing each other, great staff around, then that's the catalyst for the success we've seen." “It was an excellent overall team performance in Glasgow,: continued Elliot. “That said, remember that this is not the Olympics and some of our success came in events that will not be on the programme at Rio.” The focus forward will be firmly on Rio to continue this success.•

Gold

E Dawkins, E Mitchell, S Webster

Team Sprint

Gold

Linda Villumsen

Time Trial

Gold

Sam Webster

Sprint

Gold

Shane Archbold

Scratch

Gold

Tom Scully

Points

Gold

Anton Cooper

MTB XCO

Silver

Sam Webster

Keirin

Silver

Jack Bauer

Road Race

Silver

Simon van Velthooven

1000m Time Trial

Silver

Sam Gaze

MTB XCO

Bronze

Aaron Gate

Points

Bronze

Archbold, Bulling, Kennett, Ryan

Team Pursuit

Bronze

Eddie Dawkins

Sprint

Bronze

Marc Ryan

Individual Pursuit

Bronze

Matt Archibald

1000m Time Trial

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

New Zealand Cycling Medal Table

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CYCLING ADVOCACY

Gary Moller

Competes at the Mountain Bike Masters World Championships Words: BikeNZ

CYCLING ADVOCACY

The 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, held in Norway, showcased talent in all areas of the sport, from the up and coming junior ranks through to the indomitable senior riders. This year New Zealand has just one contender battling it out in the senior ranks – Gary Moller, older brother of marathon running legend, Lorraine Moller. Moller headed to Norway with one intention; of winning the Men’s Masters 60-64 cross country division.

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Every age group at the World Champs is fiercely competitive. Athletes travelled from all over the world to fight for victory, and not satisfied with simply entering, Moller set out to prove himself worthy of competition. Competing in the 50+ age group, Moller entered both the New Zealand National Mountain Bike Championships and the Oceania Mountain Bike Champs, pitting himself against New Zealand and Australia’s best masters’ athletes. In the National competition he achieved third place behind Ian Paintin and Pete Calnan – Paintin being 7 years Moller’s junior, and Calnan 11 years. This asserted Moller’s place as the best 60+ mountain biker in New Zealand, and he cemented this position with a second placing at the Oceanias, again behind the younger Ian Paintin. Moller has been competing as an athlete since he was 14 years old, but cycling didn’t become a true passion until he was 28. In 1977, Moller became a financial member of the Port Nicholson Poneke cycling club and is still going strong at age 60. He’s still bettering past results, and believes he’s found the right nutrition and activity balance to improve quality of life for decades to come. This

balance is vital in masters’ competition. “At my age, it’s not so much who was the fastest, it’s all about who is the best at managing health and injury issues,” says Moller, “And I believe I am the best at doing this.” “I look at the same athletes who easily beat me when I was younger, and now I’m in front – very few of them are still competing.” Moller, a medical nutrition consultant, would like to see more older athletes competing, promoting health and activity amongst those reaching their golden years, himself proof of this. In the Karapoti Classic, Moller bettered his previous best of 3:12 and completed the race in 2:46 – a course record for his age group and under the 3 hour mark. The elite women’s course record is just over a minute faster, and the senior men’s record (ages 19-29) is 2:39. Moller set out for the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Norway expecting to race on the main cross country track, a course to favour climbers, so he prepared himself for this. His bike was especially made by a small team of mechanics, Dirt Merchants of Wellington, to produce a super light (9kg) 29er mountain bike.

His suspension forks weigh just 980 grams. “My preparation for this race has been the longest and the most meticulous for any event ever in my career and it is showing in my good form. If I get beaten to the finish line, I will be the first to congratulate them: they will have well and truly earned it!” said Moller prior to leaving New Zealand. The defending World Champion was the battlehardened South African, Linus Van Onselen with other entries including Great Britain and US age group champions, Roy Hunt and Jimmy Day. But he got a shock, when on arrival at Hafjell for the Masters competition at the World Championships in late August. He discovered that the course for the Masters was at a different location 20 km away from that of the Open Championships. Far from being a groomed climber's course with a rock garden or two and a drop-off here and there, it mostly glacial rocks, roots and mud. Four days of rain before the races turned the course into a rocky quagmireit His semi-rigid hardtail with light tyres was not what was needed, rather a full suspension bike. “I began the race conservatively, intending to


There is more to look forward to in old age than ill health, medication, or idly sitting about

MTB WORLDS POST RACE

NOT IDEAL FOR A SEMI RIGID HARDTAIL

GARY'S CUSTOM 29ER WEIGHING IN AT 9KG

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pick my opponents off one by one. Unfortunately, I knocked my chain off in the mayhem over the first rock climb dismount, losing several places, then a Spanish rider who I was preparing to pass, suddenly stopped and I partially went over the handlebars, trapping a thigh between the frame and the handlebars! It was a struggle to get free and I lost a more few places - darn! But the race was still young,” commented Moller of his race. Things went well from there for some kilometres of bouncing over large, wet rocks and sliding off wet roots and diving into mud holes. Making good ground, he eventually passed the Spanish rider who caused his flip and then finally catching the defending world champion, Linus van Onselen. Moller passed him with an impressive manoeuvre around a tricky corner, only to be passed back on a downhill section. Towards the end of the first lap he noticed the rear tyre beginning to bottom out on the rocks. Deflated was a very good description – Moller and the tyre. His race was over. The positive was confirmation that he is competitive with the best of the oldies. “If only the race had been held on the original course which I had so meticulously prepared for. I reckon I could have smoked it,” he said. Back home, Moller is highly motivated to give the Worlds another crack, next time in Andorra at altitude. Training for the championships in Norway has taken his riding to a new level, so he is up for the next challenge.•

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TRACK

JUNIOR TRACK World Championships Images: Dianne Manson

Waipukurau’s Regan Gough led an outstanding effort by the New Zealand team of fourteen junior track cyclists, at the UCI Juniors Track World Championships in Korea in August.

Regan Gough in winning form at the national championships

The boys executed the plan perfectly just as Regan had done in the points race

TRACK

Head Coach: Ross Machejefski

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Regan Gough completed the event with two gold medals in the points race and Madison, along with silver in the individual pursuit and bronze at the team pursuit with teammates Nick Kergozou, Luke Mudgway and Jack Ford. The 17 year old Gough joined with Palmerston North schoolmate Luke Mudgway to win the gold medal in the Madison on the final night in the Gwang Myeong Speedome. His victory with teammate Mudgway went one better than the silver he achieved last year with Southlander Liam Aitcheson. The pair had to cope with extreme temperatures over 30C degrees during the spectacular race, scored like a points race but with riders putting their teammate into play with a hand-to-hand slingshot action. “The boys executed the plan perfectly just as Regan had done in the points race,” said head coach Ross Machejefski. “Luke did a superb job to set up Regan for the sprints. “No teams were able to gain a lap on the field and therefore it was a case of watching

the German riders closely over those last two sprints. They managed to hold them off. “It was a magic way to end the campaign.” Holly Edmondston from Waimate had ridden an outstanding second day of the gruelling women’s omnium to finish fourth overall. She was eighth in the 500m time trial in 37.897s, sixth in the 500m time trial in 21.047s and fourth in the 20km points race, after recovering following a heavy crash earlier in the race. “Holly showed some real courage to get back up and win two sprints after her crash and she was not far off what would have been a well deserved medal.” The Women Team Pursuit team of Holly Edmondston, Bryony Botha, Holly White, Nina Wollaston also made the podium with a bronze. Gough joins Gemma Dudley as the only New Zealand riders to win four medals at a single junior world championships while his two gold medals at one event equals the feat of Sarah

Ulmer and only bettered by the three golds by current Commonwealth Games and World champion Sam Webster. Gough’s combined six junior world championship medals, including his two from Glasgow, is the most by any New Zealand since Kiwis first competed in these championships in 1976. The team in came third overall at the championships in Korea, behind Australia and Russia. Head coach Ross Machejefski said the juniors had continued to show considerable progress as the depth of the programme improves. “This has been a great group of athletes and support staff.” Our elite riders are now pushing to medals at the highest levels on the track and we are developing a strong group of promising young riders underneath to push up into the elite ranks. “We also have some outstanding young riders here who will be eligible again for next year’s juniors and can look forward to success.”•


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TRACK

Track rider profile

TOM SCULLY

TRACK

Tom Scully achieved gold in the Points Race at the Commonwealth Games. The Southland cyclist took three laps on the field and won six of the sixteen sprints - including a massive coup de grace in the final lap - to finish comfortably ahead on points from Isle of Man rider Peter Kennaugh and his New Zealand teammate Aaron Gate. Together with Shane Archbold, the three riders in black skinsuits took an early stranglehold on the 160 lap race.

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But it has not been a straight path to the podium. Cromwell-raised, Tom "Scud" Scully, went to Invercargill to ride the velodrome. The 24-year-old was a teenage prodigy on the track. In 2010, he was the New Zealand Scratch Champion with a fantastic first season of international competition, including two golds and a bronze at UCI Track World Cups and 7th place in the UCI World Track Championships. He had been focused on the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. But in May 2010, he suffered a significant knee injury in Ireland. He collided with a power pole at 60km/hr during the last 300m of stage three of the FBD Insurance RAS. This led to multiple surgeries and a long recovery. Since then Scully's cycling career has focussed largely on the road. It's been a tough road back for him. But support from the likes of his Invercargill-based coach Jerard Stock and 1998 Commonwealth Games points race gold medallist Glen Thomson had encouraged him. After riding for Garmin's development team, Scully picked up one of two stagiare (apprentice) rides with the professional Garmin-Sharp team for the final races of the 2012 season. But with significant cutbacks to this team he did not secure a spot for 2013, instead riding for Team Raleigh. He is currently riding for the UK based Madison

Genesis., who having been very supportive. He had a release in his contract with his Madison Genesis team which allowed him to take part in the Commonwealth Games. He was talked into another crack on the boards off the back of the 2013 Tour of Southland. He then rode to a silver medal in the points race at the world championships in Cali, Colombia in February. Then his performance in Glasgow. So where to for the future? The problem for New Zealand cycling - and Scully - is that the points race won't be on the programme at the Olympics in Rio 2016. There has been discussions with BikeNZ about Tom Scully competing in the omnium at the Olympics in two years' time, but nothing confirmed. Scully’s training and natural abilities on the bike make him a natural for the six-event omnium, especially the bunch events - the points, scratch and elimination races. ''It's decision time at the end of the year,'' said Scully soon after his gold winning performance at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Greg Henderson, arguably New Zealand's most successful rider across the road and track, has been an adviser this season and was an excited spectator at Scully’s win on the track. ''You beauty mate. Tom Scully. Gold!!!,'' Henderson tweeted.

I love racing the track, I love racing the road, I love doing them both Tom Scully


TOM COMPETING IN THE PEARL IZUMI TOUR SERIES 2014

Henderson also won this event in 2002. Scully would like to continue riding the tarmac and the boards. ''I love racing the track, I love racing the road, I love doing them both,'' he said. ''There's always contracts [to consider] with the road teams and that's coming up pretty soon. I've got some meetings with the high performance squad for the track programme, as well, with what's happening going forward,'' he said. ''I'll look forward to those and working out what is going to be best for me in the future.'' ''We worked out a way for it to happen this year. It's 50-50 either way, it's not going to be one way or the other. I think it's an awesome thing riding for your country on the track, but you've still got to have a day job as well.'' Scully has just finished the Tour of Britain. We look forward to seeing what results he has in the future, both on the track and road.•

points race at the 2014 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

IMAGE: GUY SWARBRICK

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IMAGE: FLICKR BRASSYN

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TRACK

Natasha Hansen

Adelaide Grand Prix Words: Natasha Hansen

TRACK

What a fantastic bunch of results for the New Zealand cyclists from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. I’m sure you’re aware of the success achieved and I personally would like to congratulate the team on their wonderful achievements. New Zealand has certainly evolved into one of the world’s powerhouse cycling nations and it’s exciting to see how far they can push the bar and develop fresh talent to keep the current riders striving for success on the world stage.

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Midway through June I headed to Adelaide to compete in the UCI Tier 1, International Grand Prix events. Held over five successive days these events included the Adelaide International Cycling Grand Prix, Superdrome Cup & South Australian Track Classic and acted as qualifying races for the upcoming World Cup season, set to kick off in November. Although a large number of New Zealand riders were heading over for competition, I was competing for Team Calder Stewart alongside my training partner Ben Stewart and our manager/coach for the week Stu MacDonald. After a solid 12 week training block in Invercargill, it was great to arrive in Adelaide for the five days of sprint & keirin racing. As this was only our second competition of the year we knew it was going to be tough especially since many of the riders were using this event as a final hit out before the Commonwealth Games which was right around the corner. Racing began on the Wednesday with the sprint rounds first up. The cold temperatures made for a pretty slow track however with the conditions in Invercargill replicating this, we weren’t feeling too under prepared. A bit off my best time I qualified within the top eight, although a small error in my first race sent me through to the ‘B finals’. Here I was given another opportunity to work on my match sprinting skills and after a few minor wins I was able to finish the day feeling confident in my racing and ready to build on this throughout the week. The following morning I was excited to line up for the keirin as this is one of my favourite races. I was also a bit nervous as it can be a lottery at times as it is not only dependent on the heat you’re in but the position you draw on the line. Lack of recent race experience at this high level unfortunately got the better of me and again I had to settle for the B Finals and use this as a learning experience for the racing ahead. After three big days of racing Ben and I took a rest day to freshen up for the final day of competition. Much like many of our competitors, we had pre-planned our race schedule to include a designated day of rest with the objective of keeping our quality of racing high.

This proved to be a great decision as we were able to improve on our placing in the final sprint days, with Ben riding a PB in his flying 200m and both of us being the fastest NZ qualifiers. Upon returning to New Zealand after this event and with motivation levels for training high, I was itching to get back on the bike and undertake the next block of training after a few rest days. Unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan and it was with a huge amount of frustration I suffered a lower back injury. Because the back has to withstand a huge amount of force whilst on the bike, I regrettably haven’t been able to ride for the past six weeks, and am currently working alongside my physio in a rehabilitation phase until I have some certainty over the extent of the injury. This will hopefully become clearer with the results from the MRI I am scheduled to have this week. With the back injury enforcing a break from training, I am no longer in contention for the UCI

Tier 1 event in Cambridge in September, and the Oceania Championships to be held in Adelaide in October. If I was selected in the New Zealand track team, this was to be my first event in the black skinsuit since the 2012 London Olympics, which was a huge motivator in itself. Fuelled by the success of the BikeNZ male track riders at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, there is now a huge push for a women’s programme to replicate these achievements which would start with these two events. Although the 2016 Rio Olympics is just under two years away, it is important to target these events as qualification for the World Cup season ahead and to build momentum as a team together. Once the extent of my injury becomes known, I will be able to target a return to racing, hopefully early in the New Year. In the meantime, I am focusing on my recovery and planning a move in November which will see me based in Cambridge for the start of next year.•



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21st MARCH 2015 HALF-2KM SWIM 90KM BIKE 21KM RUN SHORT-1KM SWIM 30KM BIKE 7KM RUN WWW.AUCKLANDHALF.CO.NZ


ROAD CYCLING

Women on Wheels Words: Vicki Butterworth

ROAD CYCLING

When cycling, women seem to judge risk quite differently to men. It should not be surprising that women actively seek out the BikeNZ Intro to Road & Everyday cycling programmes to help build their knowledge and skills, and as a result of this they increase their confidence and enthusiasm for cycling.

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The BikeNZ Intro to Road and Everyday Cycling programme, specifically for adults, has been running in Hawkes Bay for eight months, and 110 adults (the majority of which were women) have already completed the programme. Back in August 2013, the first group of women completed the BikeNZ programme, and on finishing found they didn’t want to stop meeting. Subsequently, a small group has grown, developing into a club to meet these women’s needs. This is the ‘BMShe Club’, a women’s chapter of the local Bennelong Mountain Bike Club. From BikeNZ programmes, these participants have naturally been drawn into the pathway of joining a recreational club, to continue their cycling evolution. This club caters to its specific female clientele and is flourishing. The BMShe Club aims to provide an environment where women can learn, socialise, share, contribute, grow and get fit while having

fun on bikes with other likeminded women – much like sister club Revolve Cycling. The aim is to provide low cost/free support to help women of any ability gain confidence, fitness, skills and knowledge to safely cycle both on road or off. Members consist of mothers, daughters and grandmothers. They range from those who are keen to train for events to those who just want to go riding with others on pathways. They have created a culture of ‘how can we help’ rather than ‘what’s in it for me’. This fosters a pay it forward ethos. Events make great goals to train towards and regular club rides provide training for these. Many of the women are now training for Iron Maori, Tour of the Bay and the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge. The first event the club undertook to support and train towards was the worldwide Rapha Women’s 100 on July 20th 2014. The Rapha Women’s 100 was a ride, with friends, aiming to complete the challenge of

cycling 100km. This concept of just going for a ride and not a race with friends was refreshingly different. Rapha, a global cycle clothing company with headquarters in London is the brainchild behind the concept. They are passionate about cycling and set the date for the ride to coincide with the height of summer in the northern hemisphere. With little ole New Zealand being in the southern hemisphere, we’re one of the first countries to see the sun, and therefore one of the first to complete the challenge. Open to anyone, New Zealand rides took place in Waikato, Hawkes Bay and Canterbury with part of the challenge training and riding in the depths of winter. As it’s only a ride, an unmarshalled / unsupported ride - when the tough happened only the tough got on with it. Riders had to be prepared with food, water, toolkits, spare tubes and pumps and of course the correct riding gear. Many riders also took up the challenge and logged the rides using


TESTING CONDITIONS FOR THE Rapha Women’s 100 HAWKES BAY

IMAGE: Stephen Sheard

with the support from fellow riders. A late night text from one of the riders summed up her accomplishment “Thanks Vicki, you did an awesome job motivating and encouraging us all! I was proud of myself and all the great gals who braved the conditions today! And I haven’t stopped smiling since.” Around the world more than 7500 women took up the challenge in 2014. It was impressive and certainly amazing motivation to be part of a global woman’s cycling event. It’s not every Sunday you kit up and go for a ride with so many kindred souls, cycling 100km in the beautiful countryside and celebrating the achievement – just in lots of different places and time zones worldwide. Bravo Rapha! No doubt the BMShe club will continue to flourish and I look forward to helping train with them for their next challenge – at which time the weather is sure to be kinder to cyclists nationwide. These dedicated women will continue to train together, building fitness and strength while developing riding skills, growing awareness and knowledge. The bonus is learning about great coffee stops around the Bay. For more information check out: www.sportsground.co.nz/bmshe/•

I was proud of myself and all the great gals who braved the conditions today! And I haven’t stopped smiling since Rapha 100 competitor

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Strava technology on their cell phones. Waikato had a fine but chilly ride, led by Emma Bryant. Hawkes Bay had a southerly wind, temperatures hovering around the 8 degrees and driving rain for all 100km - the saving grace was the tail wind in the last 30km. Christchurch was led by Megan Ward, and took out the prize for the coldest ride and the only puncture. Having trained towards the challenge since March 2014, BMShe club members were well organised for the Hawkes Bay event. Many registered to complete the challenge via the Facebook event page, but only the truly hardy (some say crazy) riders took the challenge in the conditions that arrived on the day. Of those not all managed to complete the entire 100km. Cold temperatures, southerly rain and winter ills on a wintery July Sunday morning meant for many staying in bed was a better option than heading out from East Pier. For those who completed the ride, all expressed thoroughly enjoying the sense of accomplishment in completing the goal – the winter weather making it all the more sweet. For those who had never ridden that far before, it was a rewarding and proud achievement,

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TOURThe Defining DE FRANCE Moments Words: Aaron Strong

In one of the most unpredictable editions of Le Tour of recent years, with the two big favourites (Froome and Contador) out of the race in the first third of the stages, the 2014 Tour de France became a race with less control than usual and infinitely more exciting. For the entire second week and well into the third, many top ten contenders threw caution to the wind and attacked. Who would take the win in Paris? Stage 1: Jens Voigt gets in the early break, drops everyone and goes solo for 50km, a move which has been a signature of his long career. Fabian Cancellara takes a flyer with a km to go and almost catches the sprinters out with one of his legendary power surges. Mark Cavendish displays dubious etiquette and crashes in the finale taking down Simon Gerrans and takes himself out of the race. Marcel Kittel smokes Peter Sagan for the win.

more. Froome abandons injured after crashing twice again, not even making it to the cobbled sectors. Contador struggles and loses valuable time in his GC quest. Nibali rode the cobbles with the calm and skill of a seasoned spring classic rider and distanced his main GC rivals, now over 2mins up on any of his real threats. Lars Boom dominated in the conditions and powered away to the win.

Stage 2: The GC favourites and the strong men all came to the fore up the last climb of the day. Alberto Contador, Tejay van Garderen, Chris Froome and Peter Sagan all threw down some attacks but with Sagan still in contact over the top and not many sprinters left it was looking like there was only one man to beat. That was to be Sagans undoing as he was too well marked. A surprise attack from Vincenzo Nibali caught everyone off guard and he soloed away to the win by a scant 2s but rode straight into the yellow jersey.

Stage 6: Crosswinds split the peleton in the last 10km. Andre Greipel makes the most of Kittel not making the final split and muscles his way to victory.

ROAD CYCLING

Stage 3: Marcel Kittel shows he is the King of sprinting this year, winning in front of Buckingham Palace and leaving the rest of the worlds sprinting elite looking like club riders.

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Stage 4: Le Race enters France finally. One of the GC favourites Chris Froome suffers an injury in a crash in the opening kms and rides the stage in a wrist harness. Thomas Voeckler goes on the attack and gesticulates his way across Northern France. NZs own Greg Henderson crashes out on a roundabout, leaving team mate Andre Greipel without his most important ally in the sprints. Kittel takes his 3rd win in four days. Sagan gains more points in the Green Jersey competition to take a healthy lead after only four days. Stage 5: Always predicted as a day of drama with the appearance of significant sectors of cobblestones, today lived up to expectations and

Stage 7: In finishing 2nd Peter Sagan makes that 7 stages in a row finishing inside the top 5 and appears to have a firm hold of the Green jersey already. Matteo Trentin prove that Omega Pharma Quickstep have more than just Cavendish who can win sprints. Another GC hopeful, Tejay van Garderen, crashes late in the race when the pace is on and loses time, now sitting in 18th on GC. Also hoping to make an impression on the overall was Andrew Talansky but a heavy crash into the barriers in the sprint look to have those hopes in doubt. Stage 8: The Tour hits its first hilltop finish of 2014. Talansky crashes again and loses 2min this time. Blel Kadri rides away from the breakaway that formed 35k into the race and holds off the GC contenders battling for ascension behind. Contador repeatedly attacks but can’t gain anything significant on Nibali who holds on to the yellow jersey for another day. Richie Porte showed he is a viable replacement for Skys GC hopes after the early exit of Froome, finishing 4th on the stage. Stage 9: The TT World champ Tony Martin gets in some practice for this year’s Worlds by

IMAGE: Mathieu Mansencal


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zo Vincen s eye Nibali n i victory Paris

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placing himself in the early break 150k from the finish, then goes solo with 59k to go to take a memorable win, and a supreme display of why he’s THE MAN. Another member of the early break rode himself into Yellow. Tony Gallopin was allowed some rope by Nibali who seemed content to give away leadership with the big mountains still to come. Stage 10: The other pre-race favourite, Alberto Contador joined Froome on the DNF list, crashing out and breaking his tibia. Tony Martin dragged his team mate Michal Kwiatkowski up to the break and then drove the break until he came to a complete standstill. Good to see he is human too. Kwiatkowski was the virtual yellow at this point but Nibali had other ideas. With his growing “no prisoners” attitude Nibali swept past the last of the remaining breakaway riders, Joaquim Rodriguez, with 1k to go, took the win and regained the yellow jersey. The makeup of the first 5 atop the mountain top finish signalled a surprising renaissance from French riders with Thibaut Pinot, Jean-Christophe Peraud & Romain Bardet all rising to the top of the list. Richie Porte and Alejandro Valverde both moved into the top 3 on GC.

tors Specta n cheer o peloton 1 Stage

IMAGE: Dave Haygarth

Stage 11: After wearing the Yellow for a day, Tony Gallopin added to his impressive Tour resume by winning the stage with cunning and as it turns out, so good course reconnaissance. With a late attack and a stalemate situation in the chasing peloton, Gallopin was free to fly. Of the chasing group, Sagan was looking the strongest but noone was prepared to work with him to bring back Gallopin, knowing he was the fastest sprinter in the group. The fight for the GC took a back seat today and nothing changed much except for the fading out the back door of an injured Talansky. Stage 12: There was almost a bit of biffo between Andre Greipel and Sylvain Chavanel over some dodgy manoeuvres in the last 3k lead to a crash, Greipel clearly not happy about something. That left the sprint open to a first time winner in Alexander Kristoff, who would out muscle Sagan into 2nd for the 4th time in this year’s Tour.

ROAD CYCLING

Stage 13: On a brutally hot day, Richie Porte cracked on the final climb and dropped from 2nd overall to outside the top 10, leaving Skys GC hopes in tatters. As the Tour entered the Alps, Nibali played a waiting game until 5km to go when he unleashed a powerful attack of his own to sweep past the last remaining riders ahead of him and on to his 3rd stage victory. The top 5 starts to take shape with Nibali on top followed by Valverde, Bardet, Pinot and Van Garderen. With 3mins separating 2nd to 8th the intrigue remains as to who can move up into a podium spot. At this stage Nibali’s 3:37 advantage over everyone seems like a pretty safe margin.

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Stage 14: After losing hope of a GC win when Contador exited the Tour early, Tinkoff-Saxo could have hung their heads but after a win with Rafal Majka on Stage 14 it would appear they still have a part to play. Attacking out of the breakaway

IMAGE: FLICKR MARC

group when the lead contenders were closing in on him, Majka’s efforts were written all over his face. As a last minute addition to the team and only five weeks after finishing 6th at the Giro, Majka’s maiden Pro Tour win must have felt pretty sweet. Valverde got dropped but rallied to limit his losses. The race for the podium became even tighter, with a scant 1:31 separating 2nd to 6th. Stage 15: New Zealand’s Jack Bauer rides 222km in a 2-Up breakaway only to be caught by a rampaging peloton, intent on sprint victory within 25m of the line. As heart-breaking as it was for Jack and all his fans, his reaction gained him a lot of respect and probably as much fame as the eventual winner. Kristoff takes his 2nd stage victory, proving fastest of the fast men remaining after the late crosswinds caused some splits. Stage 16: As the peloton heads into the Pyrenees

the breakaway was to prove successful, with Tinkoff-Saxo tasting more success in the form of Michael Rogers. In the run in to the line, the antics of fellow breakaway companion Thomas Voeckler would be his undoing and he would cross the line disgusted with himself in 2nd place. No cigar today. Of the GC favourites Van Garderen was the first to be dropped and slipped to 6th on GC. Bardet was next to suffer and would lose 2mins on the day, sliding down to 5th on GC. Stage 17: With a finish atop the legendary Pla d’Adet in store, Tinkoff Saxo would make it two days in a row and two victories to the impressive Rafal Majka, who also secured the KOM jersey. With a mature display Majka was content to follow Rodriguez over all the early climbs and give away some points in the fight for the mountain points, but with double points


2 Stage s i r de Nibali ow ll into Ye Jersey

IMAGE: GRAHAM WATSON

l Marce g 'Kin Kittel ing' int of Spr

IMAGE: FLICKR MARC

e Froom ut o s crashe jury with in

IMAGE: GRAHAM WATSON

on offer at the top of the final climb, that is where the real prize lay. Nibali extends his lead over Valverde to 5:26 and the battle for the podium gets ever closer. Stage 18: Nibali shows why he is known as the shark. With no real need to gain any more time on his GC competition, he goes on the attack up the final climb of the day to Hautacam and proves that he will be a deserving winner of this year’s Tour, gaining 1:10 on his nearest rivals. Nibali now leads by a whopping 7:10. Pinot moves up to 2nd ahead of Jean-Christophe Peraud who both edges ahead of Valverde who couldn’t respond to attacks up to Hautacam. Valverde had earlier tried an audacious attack on the descent between the Tourmalet and the Hautacam. It’s probable that this is what caught up with him towards the finish.

Stage 19: Garmin Sharp finally get their stage win after some near misses, in the form of a late attack by Ramunas Navardauskas. Attacking from the peloton with 13km remaining to pick up his team mate from the early break, Jelte Slagter, the Garmin rider would use him and then ride through the torrential rain to post a solo win ahead of a sprinting main field. Stage 20: With only 54km of Time Trialling in this year’s Tour, one could mistakenly feel that it wouldn’t have much impact on the overall. The top 5 gets a bit of a re-shuffle with Peraud moving up to 2nd, Pinot down to 3rd, Valverde not having a great TT but holding on to 4th and Van Garderen moving past Bardet into 5th. Nibali rode like a true champion, to finish 4th on the stage and further cement his place at the top of the podium. As expected, the machine that is

IMAGE: GRAHAM WATSON

Tony Martin dominated, taking the stage win by a massive 1:39. Rolling a 58 chainring, Martin would overtake his 6min man, Rodriguez in a storming display of power riding. Stage 21: The usual procession into Paris never changes the GC, so celebrations started before the stage even began for Nibali and his team. Marcel Kittel would storm to another stage win, making it seven for Germans at this year’s Tour. Jean Christophe Peraud and Thibault Pinot (winner of the young riders competition) round out the podium, no doubt pleasing French supporters no end. The last time a Frenchman made the podium was 1997. Peter Sagan was unstoppable again in the Green Jersey competition and Rafal Majka would take the Polka Dot jersey all the way to Paris.•

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

IMAGE: FLICKR MARC

Greg rson Hende er out aft 4 Stage

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ROAD CYCLING

SUMMER SERIES OF CYCLING Are you up for some great rides this summer?

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The 2014/15 BikeNZ Summer Series consists of ten iconic New Zealand cycling events over six months from October to March. In its fourth year, the series has already seen more than 75,000 riders of all levels enjoy participating in cycling events that offer the chance to: Test yourself (or enjoy a recreational ride), get out and about with mates, make new friends, see New Zealand’s stunning scenery, do something healthy that’s good for you and the environment. Why not enter one, or more, of these iconic cycling events? Visit bikenz.org.nz

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Date

Event

Location

To enter

19 October

Strata Group Tour of the Bay

Hastings

tourofthebay.co.nz

1 November

K2

Coromandel

arcevents.co.nz

16 November

Bike the Bridge

Auckland

bikethebridge.co.nz

29 November

Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge

Taupo

cyclechallenge.com

17 January

SRAM Tour de Ranges

Auckland

tourderanges.co.nz

24 January

Taranaki Cycle Challenge

Taranaki

cyclechallenge.co.nz

31 January

Around Brunner

Greymouth

aroundbrunner.co.nz

28 February

Rev Cycle Festival

Hamilton

therev.co.nz

21 March

Le Race

Christchurch

lerace.co.nz

28 March

Forrest Graperide

Renwick

graperide.co.nz


SRAM TOUR DE RANGES

K2

Auckland

Coromandel

MS BIKE THE BRIDGE

REV CYCLE FESTIVAL Hamilton

Auckland

CONTACT LAKE TAUPO CYCLE CHALLENGE

TARANAKI CYCLE CHALLENGE

Taupo

Taranaki

STRATA GROUP TOUR OF THE BAY Hastings

FORREST GRAPE RIDE

AROUND BRUNNER

Renwick

Greymouth

LE RACE

Christchurch

In the lead up to Christmas….

OCTOBER 2014 19 - Strata Group Tour of The bay - tourofthebay.co.nz This iconic cycling event is open to anyone with a bike and will take cyclists through magnificent countryside on peaceful Hawke’s Bay country roads. This year, the Strata Group Tour of the Bay starts in Taradale and offers 115km and 65km solo and tandem rides on revised road courses. Two new shorter pathway rides using the Puketapu Loop have also been added this year and will run alongside the on road courses. A 18km ride travels along the Tutaekuri River to the infamous Puketapu Pub, while the 6km ride, which is aimed at younger riders, is again free to enter. The day will be filled with fun and entertainment with fabulous spot prizes and giveaways up for grabs.

NOVEMBER 2014 1 - K2 - arcevents.co.nz The Cranleigh K2 Classic is arguably one of the most challenging and scenic one day cycle events on the New Zealand calendar. This year’s challenge starts and finishes in Coromandel town and includes 192km of riding, plus seven significant climbs and descents. The course includes the bush covered hills of the Coromandel Ranges, the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and the pohutukawa lined coastline between Coromandel and Thames. This event, in its 13th year, has become the event that many cyclists aspire to complete, and one that certainly tests your mind, body and soul!

16 - Bike the Bridge - bikethebridge.co.nz

29 - Contact Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge - cyclechallenge.com Whether you’re a weekend rider, a mountain bike enthusiast, cycle the café circuit with your mates, looking for some family fun, or a weekend away with the girls, this event has a ride for everyone – long distance, short distance, on road or off – it’s a challenge and it’s achievable and you’ll find an event that suits your cycling style best. There are options galore at New Zealand’s Biggest Cycling Occasion, which begins with a single turn of a pedal. Every year thousands come to give one of the 20 event categories a go. Join with others from 20 countries around the Globe and make 2014 your Cycle Challenge year!

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

Whether you’re a serious cyclist or someone who just enjoys a ride with the family from time to time, Bike the Bridge offers a great opportunity to take part in an iconic cycling event. There are courses to suit all abilities, from the challenging 105km circuit, a 50km mid-range route or the short and sharp 20km distance. Each one of these routes includes the unique experience of riding over the iconic Auckland Harbour Bridge and the full length of the Northern Busway. All participants cross the same finish line at the North Harbour (QBE) Stadium, where primary school children ride on the closed ring road and toddlers can enjoy their own dedicated track inside the safe confines of the oval. There’s a fantastic festival waiting for you at the stadium, with entertainment and hospitality creating one big party for everyone to enjoy. Bike the Bridge is also a great way to raise money for a fantastic cause, with over $170,000 already raised for Multiple Sclerosis from previous events.

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TESTING CONDITIONS IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES ROAD RACE

IMAGE: MARC FLICKR

Jack Bauer

MAN OF THE MOMENT A tenacious Jack Bauer picked up a hard-earned silver medal in the men’s road race in atrocious conditions at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, following a successful Tour de France campaign

Jack Bauer DOB: 4/7/1985 Birth Place: Takaka, New Zealand Current Residence: Girona, Spain ROAD CYCLING

Nationality: New Zealand

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Height: 191cm Weight: 74kg Strengths: Time trial

From Takaka, Bauer is well-respected on the European professional tours, riding for American team Garmin-Sharp. He has been a pro rider since 2010, previously riding for Endura Racing. In the men’s Road Race at Glasgow 2014, the 140 starters had to contend with torrential rain for much of their 168km journey and conditions were so hazardous the riders had to be really careful on some of the sharp and slippery offcamber corners. For more than four hours of strength-sapping racing the Kiwi riders battled, supporting Bauer for his podium place. Bauer’s teammates covered all the early breaks, with Shane Archbold working to chase down the solo leader. “The whole team

did a tremendous job.” said Bauer after the race as he paid tribute to these efforts. “I felt like I needed to finish it off.” “That was so hard out there, harder than stages of the Tour de France. I was on the rivet the whole time and never felt any good until 100kms.” Tom Scully, Archbold, Jesse Sergent and Michael Northey pulled out when their jobs were done. Bauer, 29, looked good throughout, finally getting in a breakaway group of three with Welshman Geraint Thomas and Englishman Scott Thwaites, before a final dash 11km from the end saw Thomas ride away for the gold medal. Bauer and Thwaites fought it out for the silver, the Englishman leading out in the final sprint, with


TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE ONE 2014

IMAGE: MARC FLICKR

line, I came away empty handed," he said. "It's a childhood dream to win a stage of the Tour, and especially for a domestique like myself because I'm normally working for others. It's especially true for Kiwi riders. Not many of us get the chance to turn professional and not many of us get the chance to start the Tour de France." But the result of that near victory was that people will remember the name Jack Bauer after his ride that day. Bauer dug deep for the remaining six stages to finish the Tour in Paris, alongside his remaining teammates from Garmin-Sharp. "I came out of the Tour and at the time I would have said that's the deepest I've ever dug in my career to get to the end but there were moments today in the final 50km where I really had to repeat that effort," Bauer said after his Commonweaqlth Games ride. In 2006, Bauer earned a bachelor's degree in Physical Education from Otago University in Dunedin, Since then he has compiled a solid CV of performances in major races, without getting among the medals. He was 10th in the road race at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and also at the 2012 London Olympics. He has won stages on tours in Europe and has always appealed as a medal contender at a games. " Professional cycling is one thing it's your day job, it's what puts bread on the table, then Commonwealth Games, Olympics, World Championships, it's national pride, team spirit and representing the nation and my people from the village Takaka."•

Career Highlights 2014 Commonwealth Games, road race – 2nd 2014 Tour de France, stage 15 - 10th 2014 Bayren Rundfahrt, stage 4 - 7th 2014 New Zealand National Championships RR – 2nd 2014 Herald Sun Tour Prologue - 1st 2013 Tour of Britain - 5th overall 2013 Japan Cup - 1st 2012 Tour of Qatar, stage 2 (TTT) – 1st 2012 Olympic Games, road race – 10th 2011 Tour of Utah, stage 2 – 1st 2011 Olympia’s Tour, GC – 2nd 2010 New Zealand National Championship RR – 1st 2010 Tour of Southland, GC – 2nd 2009 Tour of Southland, stage 2 – 1st

NZBIKEMAG.CO.NZ

Bauer coming through to take him on the line. “I had absolutely nothing left in the tank out there.” Gee (Geraint) was too good today but I really wanted that silver,” said Bauer. “It’s a thrill for me in my career and I am always proud to represent New Zealand and race on the Commonwealth Games,” Bauer said. For Bauer, the medal came as welcome relief after some near misses. However, life as a domestique has taught him that professional cycling has far more lows and moments of pain, than moments of success and happiness. In the Tour de France this year he went excruciatingly close to winning stage 15. With team Garmin Sharp’s leader, Andrew Talansky, a dnf after a crash-riddled opening week, Bauer and his teammates were given freedom to hunt for stage wins. So when Swiss champion Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) hit out at the start of the stage, Bauer joined him. For 222 kilometres the breakaway group of two rode in front, but was caught by the charging peloton only 50 metres from the finishing line. Jack Bauer slumped to the ground after crossing the finish line in Nîmes, suffering more from the disappointment and despair of being caught and passed in sight of the finish and denied Tour de France glory, in what could have been a first ever individual stage victory by a rider from New Zealand. "I thought I had it, but then I realised in the last 50 metres that I had nothing" "I really gave it absolutely everything and as you could see from my meltdown at the finish

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GET THE FULL STORY HERE Issue #78 December 2014

Road 51 iRide - Tour of California

72

Schools 52 NI Sec School Road Cycling Champs 54 SI Sec School Road Cycling Champs

Bike Bling 56 Nutrition Feature 60 Bike Fix - Chain Repair

Bmx 62 BMX Club World Championships 64 BMX Rider Report 66 Adam Coker 68 Club Profile - Gisborne

Mtb 72 MTB Profile – Anton Cooper 74 Cycle Tracks of NZ – Pakihi Magic 76 Steve Haddock Africa - Part Four 78 World Cup Downhill 80 Crankworx 82 Club profile – Southland MTB Club 84 MTBO World Championships

Cyclocross 86 CX National Championships 88 Timo St Ano

Regulars 90 Smart Coaching 92 Subscribe 94 Calendar

image: www.photosport.co.nz

Profile Anton Cooper

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86 image: TREK FACTORY RACING

image:

Cyclocross National Championships

Summer Series of Cycling Guide


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