Innholdsfortegnelse for November-December 2024 i Bicycling Australia

What an impressive milestone – 250 editions of a road cycling publication! I’m lucky enough to have been a contributor on and off for about 10 years, and many, many people have been and continue to be part of its success over its more than 30 years of existence. Well done everyone. Over those 30 years, road cycling has changed a great deal in Australia, and none more so than for women. While there are no conclusive statistics, I found, anecdotally, 30 years ago, far fewer women participated in road racing and road riding. There were very few professional female road cyclists competing, and I’m sure they were not paid much, if at all. Skip forward three decades and there are multiple levels of women’s professional road cycling and many…

Some things never change in media … or do they? So here we are presenting Bicycling Australia’s 250th edition, a mixture of celebrating our past and a view to the exciting future. Yaffa Media have been the custodians of BA since 2014, and prior to that it was driven by the founder Phil Latz. Phil did a wonderful job building BA into a formidable consumer magazine, with strong subscriptions combined with commercial advertising support it grew into a household name amongst cycling enthusiasts. I’m not a fan of looking back too much, however, to move forward it’s important to learn from your past and to refine your offering to meet the current market’s expectations and needs. Ultimately, our valued customers will decide if we have a future and it’s our…

First of all, congratulations to Nat Bromhead and the Yaffa Media team on Bicycling Australia’s 250th edition! I feel honoured that Nat has asked me to write about the origins and history of Bicycling Australia and hope that he doesn’t regret his decision after reading the somewhat indulgent autobiography that will now unfold. Founded through a passion for cycling My family weren’t particularly sporting. There was absolutely no history of cycling, but for whatever reason, I was obsessed with the sport of bicycle racing from my early childhood. I began racing on the local velodrome in suburban Adelaide, South Australia from the age of 10. Things were obviously very different back then but we still had bike technology, well a form of it. I recall a cable-linked, handlebar-mounted odometer on…

SPONSORED CONTENT Gradient Blue Cycling has been dedicated to delivering outstanding cycling experiences for enthusiastic cyclists in Australia and across the globe for more than a decade. Focused on road cycling tours, Gradient Blue Cycling is committed to curating tours that seamlessly blend the excitement of conquering Europe’s iconic rides with a genuine immersion in local culture. Guided by seasoned leaders, thoughtfully planned routes are tailored to accommodate each rider’s skill level. On challenging days, support vehicles are on hand to assist cyclists in pursuing their cycling aspirations. Discover the magnificent cycling destinations in Europe A standout feature of Gradient Blue Cycling’s tours is the diversity of locations chosen for each tour. Each base provides excellent access to some of the most breathtaking cycling destinations. Italian Classics Tour: Split between…

It may seem a little odd to see some SPD cleat based pedals adorning the pages of your trusted road cycling magazine, but between gravel, cyclocross, bike packing and more, these once neatly separated worlds are now enmeshed and overlapping. Also, I figure, if SPD pedals are good enough for Lachlan Morton, then they’re good enough for me. Not insignificantly, the Favero Assioma Pro MX pedals represent another step forward in the realm of cycling power meters across all cleat systems. They have been met with anticipation and excitement within the cycling community, and for good reason. These pedals are not just a mere upgrade to their predecessors; they are a complete overhaul that promises to enhance the cycling experience for both off-road adventurers and gravel grinders alike. These new…

Factor Hanzo Track Bike After two years of development the HANZOTrack was tailor made for the Australian national track team and was ultimately made famous with Gold at the Paris Olympics. Factor say the spacey track offering has been ‘optimised according to the latest UCI design regulations for ultra-efficient aerodynamics and maintains supreme rigidity for power transfer.’ A testament to the engineering excellence behind the creation of the HANZOTrack, in the very first qualifying event on Monday evening at the National Velodrome, Team Australia set the fastest team pursuit time of 3:42.958. The Australian quartet of Oliver Bleddyn, Sam Welsford, Conor Leahy, and Kelland O’Brien entered the qualifying round against defending champions Italy with a lot of momentum and full of confidence. Tailor made for the Australian national track team,…

1989 TOUR DE FRANCE Eight seconds separated overall winner Greg Lemond from runner up Laurent Fignon – it’s still the closest winning margin in Tour de France history Phil Anderson’s final GC placing at 38 was the highest finishing Aussie Three Aussie riders in the race GIRO D’ITALIA Two career Giro titles won by Laurent Fignon, who claimed his second Maglia Rosa in 1989 defeating Flavio Giupponi by 1 minute 15 seconds Phil Anderson won Stage 17and finished 13th overall 2024 TOUR DE FRANCE Some years are close, some wide open, and in 2024 Tadej Pogacar finished 6min 17sec ahead of Jonas Vingegaard. In 2024 just 6 Aussies started the race, down on previous years. GIRO D’ITALIA Tadej Pogacar famously won the 2024 Giro and backed it up with the…

Had I ridden though a time warp, one that had taken me back to some pre-biblical era cross haired with the 1970s? No, of course not, I’d simply ridden a few clicks off to the quiet side of the well-trodden central trails of Cappadocia. Already, and with just a few minutes of riding behind me I was all on my lonesome and deep into truly rural Turkey, a place where several time zones had seemingly stood still and merged, and one that was also slightly intimidating in some ways, and yet totally alluring and immersive in most others. For almost a decade now I’ve been drawn back again and again to this surreal desert-like area of central Turkey, often for weeks on end. Cappadocia has seen many transient foreign visitors…

It’s no secret that most paint jobs on stock bikes tend to be a little uninspiring. They have to appeal to the masses, and to try to keep as many people as possible happy, brands can’t get too creative with their designs. In fact, I doubt that there’s a single cyclist who hasn’t wanted their own custom paint job on their pride and joy at some point. When it comes to custom painting bikes, Velocraft are absolute masters at what they do. They are a Victoria-based company that custom paints frames, ranging from a simple respray, to a complex multi-coloured design, like what we’ve recently had them do. Steve Gardner worked for 23 years as a painter in the automotive industry, but after losing his passion for cars, he saw…

BIANCHI OLTRE It’s lucky they give me a word count. Otherwise this review could well take up the entire magazine, because from radical aero design features and polarising aesthetics to some decidedly unusual geometry, there are many things to talk about with the Bianchi Oltre Pro. It’s actually a little hard to know where to start. But here goes… Background With origins dating back to 1885, Bianchi may be the oldest active bike manufacturer in the world. But there’s absolutely zero hint of nostalgia in the current Oltre aero platform, save perhaps for the Edoardo Bianchi crest printed on the top tube. When it was first revealed back in late 2022, the top-of-the-range Oltre RC ‘hyperbike’ replaced the Oltre XR4 as the flagship Bianchi racing frame and is currently being…

EDITORIAL Semiquincentennial. Yes, that’s the official name for it, but to keep things simple we are celebrating the two hundred and fiftieth edition of Bicycling Australia Magazine. Starting out in 1989, November 2024 delivers the 35th anniversary of the national title that was born in Phil Latz’s back shed in rural South Australia. Phil has penned an extraordinary feature in this landmark edition of the iconic Australian magazine – he documents the early days of BA and includes fascinating details of key contributors along the way. Legends such as Rupert Guinness, Graham Watson, Allan Peiper, Cadel Evans, Mike Tomalaris, Brad McGee, Robbie McEwen, Rob Arnold, Kathy Watt, Charlie Walsh, Anna Wilson (Milward) … some of the biggest names in cycling. Three decades is a long time in anyone’s language, and…

GRAND TOUR WRAP Australian riders have a long and intrepid relationship with the three grand tours. Despite being a relatively small nation in terms of population, cyclist numbers, and historical cycling culture compared to the long-established European cycling powerhouses, not to mention the travel hurdles and distance separating Australia from the Eurocentric cycling world, Australian racers have been making their grand tour mark for more than a century now, and that mark is growing by the year. The world, and indeed the cycling world is a very different place these days, especially compared to those pioneering days when Aussies would set sail to find their fame and fortune in Europe. Now, Australian riders are a major force in the pro peloton, and we now have the broadest depth of talent…

Suddenly, or perhaps not quite so suddenly, I feel like quite the old fella after reading that Bicycling Australia is turning 35 years old with this 250th edition, and on realising that I’ve been filling the pages here for 30 or more of those years. What a ride it’s been, we’ve virtually grown up together. Memory and details are a hazy combo when you get older, especially when most of those memories predate the digital and internet era, that which so defines our lives now, but that’s where our relationship first started for me & BA. Back in 1993 in Belgium, I was on my way in the Three Days of de Panne, a classic early season stage race, and was to be embedded with the WordPerfect team (Now Jumbo).…

LATEST LIGHTS Every cyclist needs a high quality front light. Whereas some models can feel a little like toys, the Raveman PR2000 is the exact opposite. With a heavy duty aluminium body, Mil Type III Hard Coat Anodising and a maximum IPX8 waterproof rating, it’s a robust unit that will stand the test of time, albeit not especially light at 214 grams. Powered by a USB-C rechargeable 6000mAh/3, 7V Li-ion battery, the dual white LED design (something Raveman calls a HiLo Beam System) can put out an impressive 2000 lumens offering up to 170 metres of visibility in the highest setting. The unit mounts via a simple screw-fixed bracket suitable for 31.8mm and 35mm round handlebars, and also comes with a wireless remote control for easy adjustments, mid-ride. There are…

NEW FROM TREK “Is it a Madone or a Emonda?” That was the question on just about everyone’s lips as the familiar outline of a road bike sat on the stand at glorious Akuna Bay near Sydney. Between the bike and assembled media was a shiny red veil. In reality, what was underneath wasn’t any great mystery, the ‘spy shots’ having been widely circulated around social media in recent months. Oh, and the bike having been raced – and winning a stage – at a WorldTour outing by none other than Mads Pedersen a few weeks earlier. The only real mystery would in fact be the model name, would the six letter word start with an E or an M? The veil was ceremonially lifted, the nerdy bike press swooned…

Thanks for speaking with us champ, let’s start by asking how it feels when I say “Grace Brown, Olympic Gold Medalist?” (Laughs) To be honest, it still hasn’t really sunk in. It’s still a bit of a dream. It’s been a big goal of mine for a long time, but a small part of me thought I’d never achieve it. I’m still coming to terms with it. I thought your Liege-Bastogne-Liege victory was one of your biggest and best, but now you’ve won Olympic gold … how does this compare? It’s just so strange. Liege was super exciting, particularly being so historic in cycling. Plus being a road race where so much is chance. And then, the Olympics is something I really thought I could do, something that was within…