Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June 2021 i Bicycling Australia

SOOTHING, REFRESHING, REWARDING. No, I’m not talking about cresting the top of a climb and starting to bomb down the other side, but arriving home from a big day at work to find the latest copy of a favourite print publication in the mailbox. While many aspects of our lives have changed significantly over the past few decades, one staple I still thoroughly enjoy is boiling the kettle, pouring a cuppa, switching off the screen(s) and tuning out of life and into a great magazine. And despite spending copious hours, days & weeks working with our fine contributors in compiling each edition of Bicycling Australia, just like you I really enjoy to totally relax, read and absorb the wide-ranging content the latest copy delivers. Speaking of wide-ranging, that aptly describes…

INTERNATIONAL CYCLING PHOTOGRAPHER BEARDY McBeard focuses on one of his favourite Australian climbs: Jacobs Ladder in Ben Lomond National Park in Tasmania. What is it about switchbacks that captivates us as cyclists? There are few examples of these majestic road formations in Australia, with thousands of Aussies heading abroad every year to get their fix of the twists and turns of tarmac laid out across the mountains of Europe. With International borders locked tight due to COVID, I thought I’d focus on a place that serves up switchbacks equal to many iconic European passes, but with a distinctly Australian flavour. JACOBS LADDER, TAS From the moment I first laid eyes on Jacobs Ladder in the Ben Lomond National Park I knew I had to visit and experience this spectacular climb…

IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE WE WERE SO comparatively close to Sydney; yes we were over the hills, but not so far away. Just over 70km from Australia’s biggest city, the gravel road was pretty well ours and ours alone. Leaving the CBD around 8 am, in less than an hour we were passing through the Hills district before weaving our way along the ridge and down to Wisemans Ferry. Driving down the final dreamy descent, the sleepy little village divides greater Sydney with what feels like frontier country. Steeped not only in history but its fair share of undulations, the roads are quiet and the region is a cycling enthusiast’s paradise. THE MAIN ROAD NORTH “…OVERALL THIS IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE AND CAPABLE VEHICLE. It’s a born and bred…

THE RISE OF ZWIFT AND INDOOR training has been nothing short of stratospheric over the past year; all we need now is autocorrect to stop changing it to swift and I would be very happy! I have just opened up Zwift for today to count the number of races and group rides available to choose from, and just between the hours of 11 am and 7 pm there are a whopping 73 events on offer. With this vast array of events to choose from it can be bewildering to choose something that is right for you. There are a couple of questions you should ask yourself. Do you want to: 1. Train, be sociable or race? 2. What time of day do you want to ride? 3. Do you want…

IN AUSTRALIA, THERE ARE approximately 485 AusCycling registered clubs spread right across the country. The state-by-state breakdown is ACT 10, NSW 137, NT 11, QLD 94, SA 30, TAS, 20, VIC 125 and WA 58. Of course, I am biased as I’ve been a member of the St Kilda Cycling Club for 20 years and was a former President of the Club. You would think I would be fully supportive and encouraging or everyone joining a cycling club—almost, but not quite. If you want to race, there are no two ways about it: you have to join a cycling club because you’ll need a licence to race. Since Cycling Australia became AusCycling, things have improved for riders who like to mix it up and do multiple disciplines—like road riding and,…

FIVE YEARS AGO, AT OUR FIRST Bowral Classic Gran Fondo event in 2016, less than 5% of the 3,000+ riders were female. It was glaringly obvious something needed to be done, and we immediately set out to make changes in how we communicate and encourage more female participation. Today I’m pleased to say that female participation is more than 30%, and not just for Bowral but across all four of our Classics events. The start lines and event villages are far more balanced and bright, and those distant days of a boys trip away are long gone. And about time. To meet that large group of passionate female riders at Bowral and the impressive posse Alison McCormack mustered from Melbourne to Noosa, well it was so good to see. Women…

Driving a new Isuzu D-Max provided by Isuzu Australia, we had a Polygon Siskui D7 MTB on board along with a 3T Exploro gravel bike. Light years ahead of the harsh and rigid ride of their forebears, dual cab utes have evolved markedly over the past decade or so. One of the most popular sectors of the new car market, competition is rife. Luxuries, that a few short years ago were optional extras, now come standard. The 3-litre turbo diesel Isuzu is one of the most sought after dual cabs available these days, and when you sit inside and push down on the pedal you’ll find out one of the reasons why. The power plant pumps out 450Nm of torque, 140kw of power and drinks a moderate 8L of diesel…

A MILLION MOJITOS MAY SOUND more like the boast of a long-established bar on a tropical island resort. Alas no, it’s not the lime, mint and rum refresher we’re talking about here, but the legendary helmet from Italian manufacturer Kask. The Mojito 3 is the third generation of Kask’s best-known helmet, an offering now in its tenth year and yes, now with more than 1 million units sold around the world. The Mojito X was the update for the original offering, that helmet featuring 26 vents and a rounder, less curvaceous styling. The latest update actually features 1/3 less ventilation and exhaust ports, however Kask claims better and more efficient airflow with the 17 vents. This, Kask say, is due to improved shaping and positioning. There has also been an…

IN A VERY SHORT TIME, E-BIKES have gone from a fringe product to mainstream. On the mountain bike side of things, I see a few in every race I enter—I’ll admit to a bit of envy when I see one easily ride up a slope steep enough where all of us on standard bikes are pushing to the start line at the summit. But I haven’t had much interaction at all with a proper drop bar road e-bike. When the Editor offered me a chance to spend a few weeks with the new Trek, I was really curious to see what it had to offer. I don’t think I am in the target market for the Domane+. Over the period of time that I had it to test, I either…

ITALIAN GIANTS PINARELLO KNOW a thing or two about designing world-beating super bikes, with multiple Grand Tour victories and numerous stage wins to their name thanks to their heralded Dogma brand. And so it comes as no surprise that the latest incarnation of the bike, the Dogma F12, is as close to perfect as you can get on two-wheels—that is if you have a spare £11,000/ AUS$19,500 to spend on a bike. For many years I eschewed the chance to ride a Pinarello, belonging to the school of thought that once you’ve ridden a bike of such quality it would be very difficult to go back to anything else. Why then I decided to change my mind recently I have no idea, although I do know that ever since it…

“I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO TRAIN or race at the required level that is needed for the WorldTour.” It’s what Cameron Meyer, five years ago in June 2016, said in a statement from his then team, Dimension Data for Qhubeka. Citing personal reasons, he asked for his barely six-month-old contract to be terminated with immediate effect. Many, myself included, wondered if we’d see him race again. On January 23 this year, when Tom Dumoulin announced he too would take time out to “consider his cycling future,” the majority of news outlets made the comparison to German sprinter Marcel Kittel. Both charismatic, fetching and intelligent, they were teammates for four seasons (2012-15) and superstars of the sport when they made their decision to find meaning in life beyond the bike. “Cycling…

SHAMIR EYRES 702 RAZOR COLLECTION VERSATILE. DURABLE, light, and strong. The EYRES Safety Eyewear 702-Razor Collection is designed to offer an unobtrusive wrap around frame with a modern look for perfect vision. Its sleek design is constructed using durable polycarbonate and offers a unique combination of superior strength and flexibility. The technology that supports this cutting-edge designs provides an advanced range of eye protection which assures optical integrity without compromising performance. The hard coat lens delivers a wide, clear field of vision, complemented by soft grip nose pads and high-fitting contour for a secure and comfortable fit, and perfect peripheral viewing. It’s also diverse in its uses with tints ranging from clear to light brown, and all the way through to Cat. 3 sun wear. Being able to focus on…

GRAVEL RIDING—IT’S ALL THE RAGE AT THE moment. Gravel bikes are versatile. A gravel bike on the road is at worst a slightly sluggish road bike, whereas a road bike on the gravel is an incident waiting to happen (even if that incident is only a pinch flat). Gravel bikes and cyclocross bikes have many traits in common, but they are decidedly not the same thing. Geometry-wise, gravel bikes are evolving in the same direction as mountain bikes did back in the ‘80s (when they were fully rigid too), while ‘crossers have very roadie geometry. The critical difference between a traditional roadie and a gravel bike is tyre clearance. If only you could put properly wide tyres on a racing bike, you could ride on gravel with few issues. While…

MIDFOOT CLEAT POSITIONING, how can it help? Cleat position, in terms of fore-aft placement of the cleat relative to the rider’s foot, is one of the least understood biomechanical components of a rider’s position. In years gone by, the centre of the cleat was placed directly under the first metatarsal joint (the ball of the foot) as it was assumed that the best possible power transfer would come from this placement. This overly simplistic view of pedalling mechanics was ingrained into conventional bike fitting wisdom through repetition, and became the industry standard for many years. In more recent times, there has been a shift to begin moving the cleat position more rearward on the shoes in order to stabilise the rider’s foot more on the pedal downstroke, a move which…

MY FIRST SIGHTING OF BONT shoes was many years ago when, racing at the local velodrome, two speedskaters turned cyclists were experimenting with prototype Bont cycling shoes. That they were speedskaters makes a lot of sense, because Bont’s first business was making boots for fast skating. Bont turned their attention to cycling and were working out the kinks in their first design with the help of people who were fast on two or eight wheels. These days Bont still offers fully custom cycling shoes (and skating boots)—at a price—but my review is about the Helix production shoe. In this case the Helix has a single BOA with a twist (pun intended). The BOA wire runs back and down from the dial on the outside before disappearing under the shoe to…

WHO? GIRLRIDEMEL WHERE? MELBOURNE, VICTORIA DISTANCE OF THE LOOP? 26KM AVERAGE SPEED? 24KM START LOCATION? ADMIRAL HO CHENG, ABBOTSFORD FINISH LOCATION? 8 MURRAY ST, ABBOTSFORD DAY EVERY FRIDAY START TIME? 6.15 AM SHARP THE GIRLRIDE MELBOURNE IS one of the few drop rides open to newcomers to the city and all women, non-binary and trans riders in Victoria. Intended to provide a ride that would be both challenging and inclusive of all types of rider, the weekly route is lumpy and offers short punchy climbs perfect for sprint attacks, quiet tree lined suburban streets for those bunch chats, and views of the city that will take your breath away (if you still have it!). Favoured by those who rate adventure highly, the ride starts in the inner city suburb of…