the-way-to-the-centre » Cycling http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog a Lazlo Woodbine thriller Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:20:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 tour de pie III http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/09/13/tour-de-pie-iii/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/09/13/tour-de-pie-iii/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:25:50 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1327 A couple of hours by train south of Sydney is the Illawarra Region. This area is well known by cyclists; primarily for two things – big climbs and tasty pies!

Click for larger images.


[Route Profile]

Nick was over from the UK to sort out some visa things, so since his folks live down that way he invited me down for a ride. At this point I would like to point out that Nick has spent the Australian winter last four months touring France and Spain by bike; riding many of the big mountains and racking up the miles whereas I’ve been doing a few weekend rides and running during the week instead of sitting on the turbo (anything is more fun than turbotraining).

After a perfectly timed meeting at Bombo Station – I was walking down the platform ramp as Nick rolled up, we had a couple of kilometer spin through Kiama before turning away from the coast and heading for the hills.

Saddleback

First up was Saddleback Mountain, which starts while still in Kiama, but doesn’t really get going until you have crossed over the Pacific Highway. With a name like Saddleback, it is somewhat unsurprising that the profile resembles, well, a saddle. 1.5km around 9%, a bit of a dip, and then another 2km pitch at around 10% and then a flatter top.


[Saddle-shaped Saddleback]

The scenery on the way up is particularly impressive, with views to both sides as you climb along the ridge line.


[At 520m, started down there by the sea]

An additional (optional) section of Saddleback Mountain takes you up Hoddles Lane to the lookout. This section was extremely steep, averaging about 19% for about 500m but I saw 25-30% on a few occasions. I think I was cranking about about 45rpm, and doing 7kph while winching myself up a half turn at a time.


[Climb to the lookup - % gradient on the right).

After stopping briefly at the lookout platform, it was time to tackle the descent back down to the main road (25pkh with the brakes on and off the back of the bike) before the equally fast and extremely rough drop down Fountaindale Road towards Jamberoo. The last section of Fountaindale is slightly smoother, and it was a chance to try and relieve the cramping hands. The sooner hydraulic disc brakes are on road bikes the better!

Jamberoo

Since we were out for a fun day rather than hardcore training, we refueled on espresso in Jamberoo before setting off again towards the escarpment and the climb up Jamberoo Pass. There is a gentle grade direct from the turnoff onto the pass before you hit the hard stuff - about 2km where the gradient stays at around 13%. After that the gradient ramps up and down between 5 and 10% for a few kilometers - i found this section much worse and struggled to find a rhythm on the fluctuating slope. Fortunately Nick didn't have too long to wait at the Jamberoo Lookout before I arrived. I checked my computer and we had managed just 36km in two hours, though we did have 1,400m of climbing under our wheels already.

I had thought that it was a short (i.e. 3km) run from the top of Jamberoo to Robertson, but I was somewhat mistaken. We cruised along for about 12km before we hit the bottom of a short 2km climb up to Robertson. I was lacking in power by this point so just span my way up enjoying the scenery, no records were going to be set by me today.

At Robertson we made a stop and for fuel (pie and espresso); I particularly like the wildberry and apple, though I would have preferred it without cream (they normally ask), and it would have been even better steaming hot. After 20 minutes or so we put on gilets and arm-warmers for the descent of Macquarie Pass; the downhill starts soon after leaving the pie-shop so there is no chance to warm up.


[Tasty tasty pie]

Macquarie Pass

The road surface on Macquarie Pass is fantastic and the corners are perfectly cambered so you can rail around them without worry. The Descent is around 11km in length and took a touch over 14 minutes; we didn’t get any hassle from cars as we outpaced them, and actually got caught behind a couple towards the base of the pass. Out of habit I turn on my Superflash for descents like that – I use the whole lane for such a fast descent so it’s good for a little extra visibility.

Heading Home

At the bottom of the escarpment it was significantly warmer so we used up our momentum before pulling over and stripping back to summer riding attire. The remained of the ride heads back towards Albion Park (the station there makes a good start/stop for a shorter ride), then heads for the coast at Kiama via Swamp Road and Jamberro (village not mountain!).

This section is undulating with a couple of hills and fast descents on good roads with some really nice views. Unfortunately as we got closer to the coast the sea breeze picked up and we battled into a headwind. Finally though, we made it to Minamurra Station where I would head back to Sydney. A quick look at the timetable showed the next train in about 45 minutes; plenty of time for another coffee at the nearby cafe.

I’d definitely recommend a ride or two in the area, although it is really for experienced cyclists only; the hills are steep and some some of the descents can be fast on poor surfaces. I’d also recommend a compact/ triple unless you are particularly fond of pain.

the numbers

Overall stats: Distance: 65.9 miles (88.03km)
Time: 3 hours 58 minutes
Average Speed: 13.8mph (22.1kph)
Climbing: 6,109ft (1796m)
Average Heartrate: 150
Average Cadence: 73rpm.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/09/13/tour-de-pie-iii/feed/ 0 Team Ag2r http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/23/team-ag2r/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/23/team-ag2r/#comments Sat, 23 Jul 2011 12:51:22 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1275 This year Ag2r La Mondiale are again headed up by Nicolas Roche, son of Giro D’Italia & Tour De France winner Stephen Roche. Unfortunately Nico’s leutenant John Gadret withdrew fatigued after a strong Giro.

Nico has had an up and down tour, finishing with the gruppetto on the Alpe and finally slipping out of the top ten over all.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/23/team-ag2r/feed/ 0 painting le tour http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/20/painting-le-tour/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/20/painting-le-tour/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:46:44 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1288 Rob Ijbema of Painting le Tour has been doing a daily painting of the Tour and most other major races for a few years (I think this is Rob’s 4th Tour). I really like the dynamic style and the way that Rob doesn’t just do the ‘obvious’ winning shot.

I finally succumbed to temptation and bought myself Stage One from this year, with Gilbert away from the peloton on the Mont Des Allouettes.

Rob is actually not shipping mine quite yet, just incase pick another one or two (assuming they are not snapped up before I see them!). Maybe I can get one of Cadel in Yellow for my Australian friends.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/20/painting-le-tour/feed/ 1 thomas voeckler http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/17/thomas-voeckler/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/17/thomas-voeckler/#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:47:41 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1284 Thomas Voeckler is confusing those with a short-term memory by hanging on to the yellow jersey as he did in 2004. The only difference this time is that instead of loosing time to the big guns up Plateau de Beille he was climbing with them and indeed pulling back some of the attacks.

If things stay the same all the way until the final time trial in Grenoble it is going to be very close. Ti Blan leads Cadel by 2’06″ and Evans put 2’12″ into him in the TT.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/17/thomas-voeckler/feed/ 0 jens voigt http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/16/jens-voigt/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/16/jens-voigt/#comments Sat, 16 Jul 2011 13:14:33 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1278 At 39 years of old Jens is one of the quintesential hard men of the peloton. Always happy dishing out pain on the front or escaping for a long range breakway there can be few riders who enjoy their time on a bike more.

Jens has just signed up to twitter (@thejensie) and garnered over 30,000 followers within the first 24 hours!

Some other facts about Jens Voigt:

  1. When he crashed, sparks were seen flying from the pavement. They were from Jens’ face because he is a Terminator!
  2. Jens Voigt once challenged Lance Armstrong to a “who has more testicles” contest. Jens won… by five.
  3. Eddy Merckx was actually a neo-pro at the same time as Jens, but Jens dropped him so hard that he shot backwards in time to the 1960?s, where he became a great champion.

Jens is also blogging daily during the Tour De France for Bicycling Magazine here.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/16/jens-voigt/feed/ 0 team movistar http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/08/team-movistar/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/08/team-movistar/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:19:47 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1255 Team Movistar have had a tough season this year. First the tragic death of Xavier_Tondo in May and then a horrific accident involving Mauricio Soler in the Tour De Suisse from which he has only just come out of an induced coma

Perhaps motivated by these incidents, Joaquin Rojas Jose is mixing it up in the sprints and currently sitting in second place in the Green Jersey competition.

Movistar have one of the longest team lineages – first as Reynolds in 1980, then becoming Banesto, Illes Balears and finally Caisse d’Epargne after which they came close to folding before last minute sponsorship by Movistar.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/08/team-movistar/feed/ 0 bernard hinault http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/06/bernard-hinault/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/06/bernard-hinault/#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:56:19 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1244 In each be@rbrick series, there are around ten different ‘public’ models (their pictures are on the side of the box) and a number of secret designs too. The chances of finding each one are typically different, ranging from something like 15% to 0.5%.

I think Be@rnard Hinault would definately be a rare secret!

Bernard Hinault in the 1985 La Vie Claire team Jersey.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/06/bernard-hinault/feed/ 0 philippe gilbert http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/03/philippe-gilbert/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/03/philippe-gilbert/#comments Sun, 03 Jul 2011 09:50:16 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1218 One of the many things Japan does well (along with food on sticks, diminutive accomodation and fast trains), is the Collectible Toy. These come in a wide range, from bento phone danglies to pimpin’ robots.

My personal favourite are the MediCom Be@rbrick series since they are pretty cheap (around ¥400), and sold in blind boxes which adds to the fun.

Bearbrick (spelled Be@rbrick) is a collectible toy designed and produced by the Japanese company MediCom Toy Incorporated. The name is derived from the fact that the figure is a cartoon-style representation of a bear, and that it is a variation of MediCom’s Kubrick design. The at sign in the place of the letter a is a visual device that is a part of the Bearbrick brand, and as such, a trademark of MediCom Toy.

The figure is an anthropomorphized bear with an extremely simplified form and a pot belly. Each plastic figure features nine parts (widely referred to as tools in the toy industry): head, torso, hips, arms, hands, and legs; These nine tools allow eight points of articulation: swivel head, swivel waist, ball joint arms, swivel wrists, and ball joint legs. [wikipedia]

Be@rbricks are often created for special events, movies, stores and the like. Being a fan of both Be@rbricks and cycling, I thought I would have a go at designing some Tour De France style be@rs – after all, what is the peloton if not a rolling morass of graphic design?

In honour of Philippe Gilbert’s emphatic win on stage one, I present ‘Phillipe Gilbe@r’:

Phillipe Gilbe@r in the Beligan National Champion (road) strip. (Yes I know that Omega Pharma Lotto wear Ruby Project and not Oakley, but Gilbert is also not a bear in real life).

  1. Be@rbrick template courtesy of toysrevil.
  2. I have in no way, shape or form aquired any licensing for the above image, it was done for fun.1
  3. I’m not planning to release a-Be@r-a-day, but stay tuned for moar Be@rs!
  1. Though if Medicom would like to do a Tour De France set I would be most happy to be involved! ↑
]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/07/03/philippe-gilbert/feed/ 0 tour de east http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/05/21/tour-de-east/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/05/21/tour-de-east/#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 04:22:30 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1113 This is one of the most popular rides for road riders in Sydney – taking in a full lap of the Eastern Suburbs, it passes many of the beaches and features a good number of short descents and climbs in and out of each of the bays.

Botany Tamarama Maroubra Harbour

Traditionally the route is riden anti-clockwise, initially heading south to Botany and La Perouse before heading north through Maroubra, Bronte, Bondi and Watsons Bay. I throw in a few laps of Centennial Park at the end too to bump up the mileage a little.

With 4 laps of Centennial Park at the end, total distance is 80km with a ride time of around 3 hours.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/05/21/tour-de-east/feed/ 0 the return of mr orange http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/04/06/the-return-of-mr-orange/ http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/04/06/the-return-of-mr-orange/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:44:50 +0000 Ian http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/?p=1026 The clocks have changed, the Spring Classics have started and the clocks have changed. It can mean only one thing; summer is here and long evening rides are once again to be enjoyed. For those north of the equator.

Unfortunately, I currently live in the southern hemisphere so the clocks have just moved the wrong way so its now getting dark around 6pm and the weather is what scientists would describe as ‘a bit pants’. For me, this time of year means I get really good at changing tyres and get reacquainted with Kurt; my turbo trainer.

 

(The orange tyre is a heavy-ass turbo specific one. It would be lethal out on the road, but it stops my fancy GP4000s from immolating themselves as things get pretty hot on the trainer (you can see the heat sync in the above picture).

Last night didn’t really have a planned structure to it – it was more to get used to the suckfullness of trainer rides. They are without a doubt boring and unpleasant. After 40 minutes I was thinking about getting off, so it took some effort to stay on for the hour – as well as fitness the turbo is great for training mental fortitude.

Last night was roughly broken down into:

  1. 00:00:00 to 00:07:30 – Warm up
  2. 00:07:30 to 00:30:00 – Tempo Z3
  3. 00:30:00 to 00:40:00 – TT Z4
  4. 00:40:00 to 00:45:00 – Recovery Z2/3
  5. 00:45:00 to 00:50:00 – TT Z4
  6. 00:50:00 to 00:60:00 – Cool down

 

[Click to enlarge]

This was more for entertainment and passing time than any real science. I’ll get around to more structured sessions soon.

]]> http://the-way-to-the-centre.org.uk/blog/2011/04/06/the-return-of-mr-orange/feed/ 0