2013 Satalyst Tour of Margaret River - Stages 1-3 & 5

The Satalyst Tour of Margaret River is, without doubt, one of WA's top-shelf cycling events with this year's format attracting some of the big names of Australian cycling mixing in with teams at all levels (literally). Names that demand respect such as Phil Anderson, AJ Giacoppo, Jack Bobridge and Michael Freiberg took their places among amateur and sponsored teams attending four competitive stages around Cowaramup and down through rolling terrain to Augusta along the South West's famous Caves Road in the final stage. Personally, I would be riding in a lead role for the Hall Cycle Training Men's Team while Unicorn-Specialized, having lost the services of Craig Pennel for the event, had recruited a hard hitter to fill out the team.

This Blog is on the Move!

To all my readers and followers, thank you for taking the time to read my posts and race reports over the past few years. I hope that my reports have been informative, insightful and motivating to those who have considered racing and taken the step to get amongst Westerna Australia's cycle racing scene. It's been great to receive feedback from some of you and to hear that my reports have demonstrated to you what racing is like without going into technical and tactical detail.

From here on, I will be posting my reports to the Unicorn-Specialized Cycle Team blog located at http://unicorn-specialized.blogspot.com. My reprots will be accompanied by reports posted from my team mates which should give you additional perspective of the local racing scene with some write-ups going into a little more tactical aspects of each race.

Once again, many thanks for your interest in my blog and please continue to follow my future posts on our new team blog over at http://unicorn-specialized.blogspot.com.

WCMCC Age Division Road Championships :: 15th September, 2013

Racing in Western Australia sometimes offers no racing at all on any given weekend, while on others there are simply too many options. The latter was true today with Bicycling WA hosting the annual Hell of the North in Lancelin, Peel Districts Cycling Club hosting the Pinjarra Classic and West Coast Masters hosting their Age Division Road Championships in Chidlow. Couple these with quite a few local riders heading to Italy for the UCI World Cycling Tour Final, and numbers would be stretched across all of these events. Plenty of deliberation among the newly renamed Unicorn-Specialized Cycling Team eventually had 5 of the 7 team members heading to Chidlow for the WCM event.

WCMCC Wandi Road Race - A Grade :: 8th September, 2013

Today would be my first race since Collie-Donnybrook three weeks ago and so much has happened training-wise since then so I was keen to get down to Wandi and put everything I have been doing to the test. This included a good one-on-one with the Coach in relation to my hill climbing technique, an area that I have given special attention in terms of required improvement. Brad was more than enlightening in this department after I bombarded him with questions on how best to approach and execute a hill climb (short or long). But for some reason, I was feeling a little uneasy about this race...

Collie-Donnybrook Classic Road Race - Collie Cycle Club :: 17th August, 2013

The Collie-Donnybrook Classic represented the first open event I have competed in since the Pemberton Classic in early March this year. I've never raced the event before so was not familiar with the course and coupled with the event being a handicap, it was certainly going to be a first for me in both elements of the race. I was hoping for a favourable handicap and a group that would be willing to work together to either keep a gap on the rest of the field for the duration (for as long as possible) or allow each of us to conserve the energy needed to go with the chasing groups when they collected us.

WCMCC Mount Helena Road Race - A Grade :: 4th August, 2013

I've been racing with West Coast Masters for a couple of years and now I finally get the chance to race on the Mount Helena course for the first time. I've ridden all of the other regular WCMCC courses and I'm used to each of them so it was a little strange to get that sense of venturing into the unknown again. A quick study of the course elevation showed that there wouldn't be a huge amount of vertical metres to get through and while they would certainly still be a test of my hill climbing ability, I had been refining my technique to help better stay with the group when the uphill attacks would inevitably come.

WCMCC Autostrada Vespa, Dog Hill Kermesse - A Grade :: 28th July, 2013

Dog Hill was the second of three longer races for the WCMCC 2013 Road Race calendar with 100km of racing scheduled for the day's event. And along with good results, the learning experiences continue to come at a bewildering rate. It's important to note at this level that the individuality in racing that I used to know when competing in C and B grades has completely gone by the way side and the team unit is King when it comes to riding in A grade events. I've heard people suggest that any B grader can ride A grade if their fitness is there but I'm not sure that this applies any more. Yes, you can ride A grade if you want but the complexity of A grade Masters racing has seriously changed and while I can only comment on this from an observational perspective of early A grade racing, I doubt there would be many that would argue the fact that it might not be what it used to be.

WCMCC York-Beverley 50km Group Handicap - A Grade :: 14th July, 2013

Who would have thought that a shorter road race (by WCMCC standards) would have been so debilitating? Make no mistake, just because a road race is shorter in distance does not make it any easier to complete. With just 50km between start and finish along with some hills that I figured might test me, I just wasn't prepared for the all out smash fest for the first 20km which was compounded by a nasty cross wind at the bottom of the course which became a head wind all the way home. This was yet another lesson in how bicycle racing can catch you out and have you begging for it to be over.

WCMCC Pickering Brook Road Race - A Grade :: July 7th, 2013

In the inimitable words of our illustrious leader and coach, "Rarely in cycling does everything just go to plan" - Brad Hall, Personal Blog, Tour de Perth, Stage 3. If I were to sum up today's race in my own words, it would simply be to say that it was a clear demonstration of how, when everyone digs deep and plays their role, good teamwork is impossible to overcome, no matter how good or strong an individual might be. Pickering Brook would be the playing field of some fantastic Masters racing which would see the first race of the season not being won by a break away.

WCMCC Wandi Durbridge Kermesse - A Grade :: 30th June, 2013

A Kermesse is a style of road racing that might normally be seen in Western Europe, typically around Belgium, and is most similar to a Criterium but over a longer course and overall distance[1]. I'm not sure that today's WCMCC Kermesse resembled much of a Criterium but certainly brought back memories of the UCI World Cycling Tour Qualifier at Perry Lakes earlier this year given the 100km+ distance and the intensity of the race, but with a somewhat flatter course. I'm not sure if it was the first time WCMCC had held a race over such a distance but it was certainly the first time I would ride such a distance with the club and was really looking forward to it.

WCMCC Neerabup Road Race - A Grade :: 16th June, 2013

They say you learn something new every day and racing certainly marries into that. There always seems to be something new to learn in every race I compete in and today was one of those "learn from your mistakes" races. I love racing at Neerabup and I've enjoyed success on this course more than once but today would mark my first time up there among A grade ranks. I'd also had two weeks solid off the bike after which I spent the best part of this week trying to build a little form and conditioning to even be able to consider racing let alone prevent suffering an explosive early exit.

WCMCC Dog Hill Road Race - A Grade :: 26th May, 2013

Not my usual punctuality with my race report this week due to travel commitments so this post comes to you from Hong Kong and includes as much as I can remember about Sunday as I can. I warn that lap descriptions may be a little hazy so I will avoid trying to tell you what happened on a lap-by-lap basis and just point out the main events of the race. I certainly recall looking forward to getting down to Dog Hill and joining the other members of the Unicorn-Hall Cycing Team (men and women) and to finally get the chance to race alongside Brad for the first time at WCM.

PDCC Dog Hill Road Race - B Grade :: 11th May, 2013

Today's race would be my first attendance at a Peel Districts Club event and it generated a similar sense of "Oh my God, I'm such a noob" as I drove down to Dog Hill wondering what this event would be like. Yes, I drove down because I had already put 75kms into my legs with my usual Saturday morning group trundle around the river. I was not the only one as I had passed Mel Robinson giving Paul Foxwell a run for his money along Victoria Ave and she had come down to compete in the C grade event. The question would be how well I would handle having these kilometres in my legs when it came to the crunch.

MCC Stan Gurney Memorial Criteriums - B Grade :: 25th April, 2013

A race of only 25 minutes duration plus 2 laps is not something I can write a lot about, especially when you're coming into the race already fatigued and find yourself out of it pretty quickly. It was the first time I'd ridden a "hot dog" course for a criterium and I learnt quite a bit from the experience and once again I can report on how NOT to ride such an event from personal experience and explain the definite "rookie mistakes" I made.

WCMCC Herne Hill Road Race - A Grade :: 21st April, 2013

When I first moved into A grade, I was a rather hopeful individual riding in a grade that was dominated by teams. I'd ridden with other HCT athletes where we would scratch together a rough plan, but today was very different. During the week, I'd been afforded an invitation to join team HCT/Unicorn Brewery and I approached this morning's race with a new vigor and an enthusiasm I hadn't experienced before. I would be truly riding for a team that was hopeful of a result and had me in as a race finisher in a sprinter's role. This would be the first time I would be racing with expectations from others and at the same time, be riding for my team mates as well. It's hard to explain the feeling but it was very different to previous road races I'd participated in - including last week's UWCT Qualifier. I just hoped I could fulfil the expectations of others and justify my place in the team and the sponsors that now laid over my shoulders on my new kit.

UCI World Cycling Tour Qualifier Perth 2013 - 40-44yo :: 14th April, 2013

Pain and suffering redefined - again. On Friday the 5th of April, I attended a motor pacing training session on the this UWCT course with Mel Robinson and I knew after just 7 laps of chasing that scooter that this course was an absolute brute and was going to be just as difficult, if not more difficult than the Kings Park course last year. But I was better prepared this year and ensured that I was hydrated and loaded with carbs during the three days leading up to this event. What I wasn't prepared for were the conditions in which we would ride!

WCMCC Kewdale Criterium - A Grade :: 7th March, 2013

One of my most satisfying races today - undoubtedly! I learned a lot about myself and my responsibility to my team mates while on course. I've had some fantastic experiences in my short cycling career but today really was a race I feel that I can be really proud about. I was going to today's race with little expectation after a draining week of training so I was hoping that I could go into it working for and supporting any other of my Unicorn/HCT team mates.

WCMCC Age Division Criterium Championships :: 10th March, 2013

The last time I raced a criterium down at Rockingham was the same event for 2012 - the WCMCC Age Division Criterium Championships. Last year was a very hard ride amongst a 40-44 year old field loaded with A graders. This year, there were 15 riders scheduled to make a start in the same division with half the riders being A graders, including Doug Steward and Roger Knight to name a few. However, this time around I would be among team mates in Paul Foxwell (great rider) and Craig Pennell (strong TT rider). I went down to Rockingham with a race plan but would also wait to see what Craig and Paul had planned.

Pemberton Classic - C Grade :: 2nd & 3rd March, 2013

2013 has seen me participate in more Cycling WA sanctioned events and March 2nd & 3rd was my first participation in the Pemberton Classic. For those not familiar with the Classic (I'm sure there aren't many), this event comprises 2 races, a Criterium event on the Saturday afternoon and a Road Race on the Sunday morning. AP had arranged some amazing accommodation for Saturday night which was to provide a comfortable night's rest between the Crit and the Road Race. We opted to drive down on Saturday morning to arrive by around 2pm. I expected that the drive might not be the best preparation for a Criterium but this was not really a concern as my focus was more for the Road Race and whatever was to happen in the Criterium was fine with me.

Cycling WA State Criterium Championships - C Grade :: 24th February, 2013

The 2013 State Championships were my first involvement in State Titles racing so my tension this morning was a little understandable. I was racing in my designated grade which I was not going to underestimate given the strength of the field at the Australia Day Criteriums at Technology Park a few of weeks ago. I would have some support from Simon again making two of us representing the Unicorn Brewery/Hall Cycling Team. It was a small field of only 10 which meant nowhere to hide and every attack would need to be covered as I expected little help if a chase down was required.

SPR/RCCC Summer Criterium Series Race #3 - B Grade :: 10th February, 2013

Today's racing involved a venture back to the SPR/RCCC Summer Series Criteriums and a decision to get back into B grade again after a half respectable effort in Masters A grade last week. I wasn't sure what to expect field-wise given there was quite a bit of racing on over the weekend with a number of riders heading down south for the City of Busselton Criteriums. I expected it would either be a large field involving lots of work or a small field involving lots of work. Either way, it was going to be interesting racing given a hard hit out with Simon early on Saturday morning.

WCMCC Kewdale Criterium - A Grade :: 3rd February, 2013

Today represented my return to racing with West Coast Masters since my crash late last year. I was in two minds during the week as to whether or not to ride A grade or to moderate my return and ride in B grade. A little persuasion from one Chris Singleton helped make the decision last night to ride A grade and I'm glad I did as it was a great indication of my current fitness and form and if I'm serious about being competitive in A grade, I need to get amongst it and eventually claim a result.

RCCC Australia Day Criterium - C Grade :: 26th January, 2013

With ribs feeling practically 100%, the Venge back in the stable and looking like new and an eagerness to get back into racing, I arrived at Tech Park and signed on as soon as I could, took a photo of the start list and began studying it. As expected, I new about 3 people on the list - including me. Simon arrived not long after me and queried me for a race plan. I had to be honest as I watched D grade zipping around the course and said, "no idea really." It's rare that I don't have some kind of game plan for a race but with such a large field (48 riders) and all but two others being an unknown, it was pretty much just going to be a "take it as it comes" type of race.

Back in Time for Australia Day Criteriums :: 24th January, 2013

While I have not posted anything of it, most of you who follow me on Strava or read this blog will know that on the 29th of December, 2012 I suffered my second crash for the calendar year and given it put me off the bike for the following week, it was certainly going to be my last one of the year. Of course, I've made a new year's resolution to ensure I keep the bike rubber side down for at least the duration of 2013 and preferably well beyond. The result of the crash was a fractured left seat stay and minor weave fractures in the top tube of the bike frame while personally, it was bruising to the pelvis and surrounding soft tissue, my fair share of bruised ribs and at least one fractured rib as a result of cleaning up a damned solid piece of kerb at 45km/h!