Wednesday, August 20, 2008

A Couple of Articles About Me

This article was written by a Melbourne journalism student, at the end of the 2006 season:

FIND YOURSELF ON THE ROAD
By Jennifer Dawes


With all the recent issues concerning cyclists on the roads lately it was time to see one of Australia’s upcoming stars to remind us what the sport is really about – the love of the road.
Tommy Nankervis is an example to all young Australians aspiring to become professional athletes. At 23 he is a professional cyclist about to head out to the States for his second pro season. He shows us what it takes to become an elite athlete, and how to achieve it.
Melbourne born Nankervis first discovered his talent on the track at 13 and was encouraged from the start by cycling legend Sid Patterson. His dedication to the sport had him competing on the track from the start. It was only 2 years ago he changed to the road and in doing so turned pro. “There was never any variation on the track you can go around the world on track but it will always be the same, I’m limited on the track on the road I can work much harder”.
And much harder he did work, after grueling training sessions and road races Nankervis decided it was time to tackle the US. With another cycling legend Baden Cooke’s encouragement Nankervis headed out into the unknown territory of the US cycling scene. Only ever having competed in Australia, Tommy set out to get some US races under his belt. Entering independently he made a name for himself, which led to him getting signed to Team Priority Health based in Michigan. For many cyclists the dream is to get to Europe, and America is the best way to get there. “It was a huge step out of my comfort zone and a huge learning curve the entire year. Every race is going into the unknown each week”.
To get to pro level you have to work hard, a typical training week in the pre-season would involve riding 900-100kms week, averaging 30-40hrs per week on the road, plus core strength training. Riding to Sorrento and the Dandenongs are regular day trips for Tommy.
But then he got signed to the US and he traded in the beach for the country roads of the States. Competing in races all around the US he earned himself the honour of being awarded Best Young Rider USA Crit Series 2006. “It was a shock to get the award. I had no idea I was even in the running” Tommy laughs. A highlight of the tour for him was the Athens Twilight race. “Pitch black, 50kms per hour with 6000 Uni students cheering from the sidelines, it was the best atmosphere!” Athens made quite an impression on Nankervis, in February he will sign with Athens team Jittery Joes for another season in the US. Tommy's highest achievement in the US to date would be placing 2nd in the Tour de Leelanau. His closest mate on the team took out first. “It was one of those times when the team worked perfectly together, when everything just came together”.
So why the change to Jittery Joes? “I'm a sprinter, and at Priority Health I wasn't reaching my full potential, there are a few Aussies on this team, everyone is mates, they're happy to sacrifice themselves for each other if that's what's best for the team”.
It's this value system that is refreshing to see in the world of professional sport. The controversy surrounding drugs in cycling recently has tainted the sport's reputation and true values. The love of cycling itself is the reason why Nankervis is where he is today. To take performance enhancers and get where you want to be by not working on your own merit is just cheating the system as well as yourself.
Cycling Australia has worked hard to reestablish its reputation after the lead up to the Athens 2004 Olympics when a young Australian cyclist was found to be using drugs to enhance his performance. It's a shame when people like Tommy who work hard to get where they are today and promote a positive aspect of the sport and health don't get the recognition or the media coverage that controversy does.
“Australian cyclists do not get nearly enough media attention for their achievements as they should” Nankervis says “there are guys out there like Baden Cooke who are winning the green jersey in the Tour de France beating the best cyclists in the world, and no one in Australia who wouldn't follow cycling closely would know it”.
Cooke encouraged Nankervis to get out there and make a name for himself in the cycling world. “He's a good mate, he would offer me advice, and just encourage anyone who needed it. He is a flat out champion, but doesn't look down on anyone. Helps anyone just because he's a good guy”.
These are the kinds of stories we want to hear about professional athletes. If you asked, anyone can list an athlete with an oversized ego. Its people like Cooke and Nankervis that show what being a true athlete is about. Doing what you love, because you love it. You don't need drugs according to these true athletes, the high of being out there in your element is what you live for.
With the recent death of an elderly man on Beach Rd, caused by a cyclist running a red ligh, Australian cyclists are again fighting for their good reputation. The majority of cyclists on the road know the rules, they obey the rules. It's the select few that cause the problems that keep arising. Historically there has always been problems between motorists and cyclists. Now, cyclists are facing a new opposition – pedestrians. Every Saturday and Sunday morning Beach Rd is filled with people out to improve their health and spend a fun morning on the road. The majority of these cyclists should not even be brought into this debate. One group though that is being questioned is the infamous 'Hell Ride' group. The Hell Ride is a group of about 200 cyclists all riding together usually from Black Rock to Frankston and back. They string out a fair bit and usually take up an entire lane, but sometimes two lanes of traffic, causing motorists to be frustrated until they can pass which can last anywhere between a few minutes and 15minutes. This group has been told to curb their ways a number of times and complaints have dropped considerably. With the recent accident though, calls are again up to place more laws upon cyclists.
Cycling is a social activity though. When heading out on a long ride, companionship is not only comforting but helpful and encouraging. Nankervis talks about the social scene when out on a ride “we're talking the whole time” he laughs “we are guilty of gossip, and ragging on each other, it's just a big catch up”. Cyclists encourage each other to keep going, in today's sedentary lifestyle that can only be a good thing.
So what is his favourite race? “It's definitely Melbourne to Warnambool, you ride 299km in one day”. No aspirations to do it this year though, it was time for a break back in Aus and to catch up properly with family and friends. “One day my ultimate goal would be to compete in the Paris-Roubaix one day race in Europe. One day I want to be good enough to start on the race”. With aspirations like that we can be expecting big things from Tommy Nankervis.

“Every day you have to perform to your best, there is no middle ground. You start something and you'll finish it, for me it's all or nothing” Tommy explains how he won't ever bail on a race “that's why I know I will win one day, others will crack but I won't”.
Cycling is a culture, when you learn how to cycle you aren't learning about a sport you are learning about a culture, one that will shape your mind to help you become the best person you can be. “I'm living the life, there is not one easy minute of it, but you just gotta love it!” Tommy flashes a cheeky grin.

Out there on the road, it's all down to you, “you're pushing your limits every day, and when you get to that place where everything just happens and you don't think, that's where you find yourself on the road”.

This is a personal reflection written by me for a university assignment:

I learnt to ride a bike when I was four years old, and never had the opportunity to learn with training wheels – it was straight to the two-wheeler for me! I don’t know how that compares to other youngsters, but I used to ride to kindergarten on my two-wheeler when I was four.

I come from what you might like to call a ‘cycling’ family. My Dad used to race when he was growing up, his Dad still races, and his Dad raced also. With that connection to cycling, I guess I always wanted to be involved in the sport. I used to love watching the Tour de France on TV, and the Olympics etc. Having said cycling is in the family, I was never encouraged to begin from family members at any given time – even when I asked if I could start racing, the response was usually the same “save up a lot of money to pay for bandages, because you will have a lot of crashes”.

This was somewhat of a dilemma for me growing up, and I wanted to change from the other sports I played – football, and track and field – to be a cyclist. I used to love going to bike shops and looking around at all the flash bikes in my spare time, and I always wanted to be a track cyclist. My favourite shop to hang out at was owned by Australian cycling legend and four times world track champion, Sid Patterson. One day Sid asked me if I would like him to take me down to the track and get me started racing… I was over the moon!

Sid took me down the following week, lined me up with a bike, and introduced me to all the people at the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club, of which I am still a member today. It was a great sporting club to be a part of while growing up, and I got to meet heaps of great people. I was so happy to be involved in the club, and most evenings after school were spent down at the track, training or racing.

Once I got to seventeen years old, I had won a state championship and was starting to think about taking cycling more seriously. I was lucky enough to go to the youth Olympic festival in Sydney, following the 2000 Olympics, and had the time of my life. While I didn’t have much success in the races, it gave me a hunger to do well at the National Championships a few months later. I trained really hard for these Nationals, and was finding for the first time in my life I was really serious about achieving a goal. I came home from those National Championships with a gold and silver medal, and achieved my childhood dream of winning an Australian Championship. This dream applied to whatever sport I could imagine it may be possible, so I guess cycling was where it was meant to happen for me.

After the National’s joy wore off, I found that I was lacking extra passion. After speaking with a sports psychologist at university while I was studying Exercise Science (at Victoria University), he told me that I needed to set new goals, and always have something to aim for. With that in mind I set myself new goals, and it is something that I always remember to do.

The great thing about cycling, and any sport at an elite level for that matter, is that it will train you to set your mind to a task, and set stepping stones to achieve a goal.

After racing the track for years and spending a fair bit of time with a certain coach who I really had a personality clash with, I decided it was time to try and focus on the road. I met a great bunch of friends through racing the track, and they have had a big influence in shaping me, not only as a cyclist, but as the person who I am today.

A few years ago I had a big crash where I was hit by a car. I got screwed over big time and came out of it with absolutely nothing except a broken bike I was still in debt for. I decided I had had enough of cycling and that it was not worth working so hard for something that can be taken from you in a split second. Well as I said I have a great bunch of mates, and they rallied to get me back riding again. They lined me up with a new sponsor who gave me a new bike and a fresh start in the bike game – I have never looked back since.

I am ever grateful for all of the great people who I have met through cycling, and that is one of the main reasons why I think it is such a great sport to be a part of. People are always willing to help out, no matter what their standard or yours is. Cycling has long been known for the image of having the world champion sitting on a bench beside the thirteen year old junior. I too have experienced this on many occasions, and have been lucky enough to have one of Australia’s best professional cyclists write emails to every professional team in the USA, with my resume attached, in order to try and gain me a position in one of their teams. Gestures like this are what I reckon separates cycling from any other sport.

Along with assistance in getting onto teams, there are also countless people willing to offer help in other areas of the sport, such as coaching or financial assistance. I have a coach who takes a day off work each week so he can take me for a five to six hour training session, which is just awesome, and the time and passion he puts into making me the best I can be is just priceless.
I have been sponsored by a local shop, Fitzroy Cycles, who have been looking after me for a couple of years now, and they work on my bike for me, and help out with all my cycling needs at an affordable price. The shop has also given me work when I was in need of employment through various periods, and the loyalty of the owner has been brilliant. He does everything he possibly can to help out, and his generosity and enjoyment out of seeing those he helps out means a great deal to the aspiring cyclists of the local area.

I have had a few negative experiences in cycling, but they are very few and not enough to weigh down my passion for the sport. My early negative experiences involved coaches more so than anything else. I would get really down when one particular coach would always give me a hard time, and it sometimes felt as though he was trying to drive me away from the sport. It didn’t take me too long to realize though, that cycling can still be enjoyable just by training alone, or finding a new coach.

I guess the thing that everyone always sees cycling in a negative light by, is its association with performance enhancing drugs. I hate it that this is somewhat of a reputation cycling has with the general public, and in my experience, cycling is a very clean sport. Sure, there are the rare instances where someone will go positive, but I don’t think there is a greater incidence of positive tests in cycling as in any other sport at a professional level. I am now racing in a professional team, and I can guarantee that there is absolutely no chance anyone is involved in performance enhancing drugs in any way, shape, or form. That behavior is absolutely not tolerated.

One of the other things we do have a bit of trouble with as cyclists is traffic, and all too often we don’t get the respect we deserve. I am sure that as this great activity continues to grow, we will get more recognition, and with that, respect will follow.

Cycling has had a big role in shaping the person I am today, and I guess things could have been very different had I chosen a different sport, or career path for that matter. I am very pleased to have become the person I am today, and I know cycling has played a big part in that. It is great to be active everyday, and it is a great lifestyle to have.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

New Blog for Tommy!

Howdy loyal readers,

I have now got myself a new blog: www.tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com so please go there to see my latest updates. I hope you continue to read, and enjoy the new web page as much as i do.

The new blog is still in the development process, but in the next few weeks it should be all good, and up and running.

Please re-direct your home pages to my new page! .....and don't forget to keep the comments rolling!!!!

Thanks y'all,

Tommy

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Jittery Joe's Training Camp

Howdy!

We have been kicking it at our training camp in San Diego, California for the last week, and have been having a ball, getting all our new gear, and most of all, getting in some great training. Our team mate, Neil Shirley lined up accommodation for everyone, and also the training routes for each day, which was great, because there were thirteen people who had to be looked out for!


Last Wednesday, i met Cesar the Fijiian, and headed off to the airport. We met in a car park and picked up our car for the drive, some fancy BMW, which was brand new, which made the 1 degree celsius, 5am start to the day seem somewhat alright! It was good to get to have a chat with the Mexican, and get to know him a bit better (Cesar made a name for himself when he beat Lance Armstrong up the Brasstown Bald hill top finish in the Tour of Georgia a couple of years back).


Here is the Beamer we got to drive. It went about 200 miles per hour when we went hard.

Here is a picture of the crew for 2007, minus Aussie Chris Jongewaard. This isn't actually the team photo, just taken while we were getting ready for it. The sun was pretty bright, and it was early morning, so that could explain the squinting eyes on everyone!

I am sure all pro (i use that term loosely) riders will agree, it is always exciting to get the new team kits at the beginning of the year! We all got a wheelie bag full of gear, with nothing spared. It is a complete change of colours for me, from green to orange, but i think i will find the transition smooth, seeing as i now have a complete orange outfit! This is such a professional team, and it is going to be a great year working with such organised and professional staff, and such a great group of guys.

Neil organised a long ride for day two, which turned into an epic. We did a climb called Palomar, which it 16 miles long, or something like that! It was an hour and two minutes from bottom to top, going fairly solid. The view at the top, and the descent made it worthwhile! Unfortunately i didn't get a photo of the great view, but i did get one of the snow at the top. It was freezing up there, which you might expect after climbing for 20km or so! For those back in Melbourne, it was about twice as steep as the 1:20, just for three times as long, it was too hard to do in the big ring!

Here is a picture of the standard views we get here in Southern California. This was actually a wicked good view, and the photo really doesn't do it justice! We got to do another bunch of great climbing on day four, and we were also joined by some dude Floyd Landis, which was pretty huge for us. It's not every training camp you go to where you have a tour de France winner join you for a ride!

We have been doing heaps of stuff on the training camp, like photo shoots, team meetings, and meeting up with sponsors, and lots of great dinners too! This is the first time i have been on a training camp like this before, and it is such a great thing. All of our rides have been together as a group, and we have really come together well as a team. We haven't raced together yet, but if it goes anything like camp has, we should kick some arse, big time!
Here is a familiar sight back in Australia, which i haven't seen much of since being in the States - ocean views! I try not to take it for granted while riding up and down beach road, and it certainly helps appreciate it more when you see it anywhere! Riding up and down the coast between San Diego and Carlsbaad makes for some great beach riding, very similar to Oz.

Skipper Wilson, showing off his time trial position, will be leading Jittery Joe's for 2007 as team captain.

Here i am showing off my time trial position, i will be hoping i can improve on my time trialling from last year, and i have no excuses for bad rides this year - i have my own time trial machine! Today was the first time i have ever ridden a time trial bike on the road, and i have to say, it feels so fast! I only hope i can ride as fast as the bike looks and feels!

Here is the rig, just without the disk wheel and aero front wheel.

Here is an interesting road sign i have definitely never seen before. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it, but it is actually a surfer carrying their surfboard on top of their head (which means it is a long baord)! Just across the road is the surf, obviously!

Here is a nice sunset photo taken from the backyard of where we're staying, very pretty huh?! That is one thing good that can be said for the SoCal smog, consistently beautiful sunsets!

So that's where i am at after the first week with the new team. I am really enjoying this, and am sure that that will continue through the year. I am also itching to start racing, which is coming up this Friday with the Central Valley classic in Fresno. Last year it was cold and wet, even snowing, so hopefully the warmer weather is turned on for this time round!

Hope everyone back in Oz is doing well. Hopefully i will speak to you soon. Also, you may see that i have made some alterations to the blog, which included adding all my new team sponsors, as well as personal sponsors, so feel free to check them out. I have spent hours trying to put a new photo up on the header, in my new outfit, doing the same thing (only better), and can't seem to get it happening, so we'll have to bear with the current (old) one for a little bit till i can figure it out. My team mate Austin King has a cool website, so i may try and get one of them...

Laters...

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Training in the US

Hey y'all,

Just thought i should check in for a weekly update! Check it out, i am on track to be pumping out regular updates, weekly! I am planning, and hoping, to keep it up throughout the season...

I have been kicking it in the Jittery Joe's kit for a while now, and here is a photo while training in Athens, GA (Georgia for the Aussies). This is however, last year's kit, and i am all excited about training camp on Wednesday, when we have "Christmas", and get all our 2007 gear!
Talk about changing weather! The above photo was taken on Thursday, while the below photos are from training in the hills on Wednesday! It feels weird to ride in full winter gear one day, only to shed it all the following day and work on the tan (well, not tan, but just enjoying the sun)!

John and Phil getting their photo taken in front of a cliff which has frozen over. We found this at the top of a climb called Hog Pen, a lazy 12 km climb. Actually, it wasn't lazy, it was more like the Wall times 3 - it is a 45-50 minute climb! I am glad we ascended the way we did, as we went down to the same height above sea level as we started at, down the other side, in just a 5 km descent, at about 95km/h!

What's this ice about?! I don't recognise it from any training rides up in the Dandenongs!

Fueling up at a service station, while on our "6 Gap" ride, we stocked up on lollies (candy), Powerbars, chocolate bars, coffee, energy drinks, and water! We found it worthy of a photo, and blog material!
John doesn't mind getting the front wheel in the air for a wheelie every now and then, and he pulled this one after ascending one of the 8km climbs we did. If you enlarge the photo, you may see the "steep descent" sign in the background. I have spend hours trying to get the wheelie happening, but i guess it just can't be done by someone with arms as big as mine - that's all i can gather from my hours of trying!

Here is my bike set up on the BT Advanced Training System. Man is this thing good for training! I have been getting on this bad boy for a few sessions, well, one so far, but i plan on doing a few throughout the year, in the build up to the big races. There is nothing all that exciting about this photo, but in a fairly uneventful week, i thought my first session on the ATS was worthy of a blog photo!
I also got off-road this week, finding some trails across the road, and took Keally along for her first off-road ride, so that was pretty cool. It was cold actually, maybe even to the point of freezing! It is so nice though, when it is so chilly, yet the sun is shining - i don't need Summer to come in any great hurry!

We raced on the weekend too, in a somewhat local race, even though it was interstate, in South Carolina. Greenville actually, the home of George Hincapie. It was cool to meet some more of my team mates, and nice to stretch the legs in a race too.

This week i am heading to San Diego for our training camp, where i will meet the whole team, our sponsors, and do a heap of training in the nearby hills. I am pretty excited, and it is going to be great preparation for our first race the following weekend.

That's all for now, hope everyone is well. Get the comments rolling!!!!

Laters...

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Goodbye Australia, Hello USA....

Maybe i should say, "goodbye warm weather and Summer, hello freezing cold US Winter"! Man, it is freezing over here, literally! The deck by our apartment froze over last night, check it out:
It may not look frozen, but you will have to take my word for it...

It is so cool though, because while it is freezing, it is still nice and sunny. I has only rained once since i arrived, and snowed on us once while training, but other than that, it is great training weather. I love it how i can wear a long sleeved undershirt, normal undershirt, jersey, Dad's thermal jacket i borrowed, a sleeveless vest over the top, ear warmer under the helmet, winter gloves, leg warmers, and super duper booties, and not have to take any of it off during training. It is so cool. In Oz, if you start the ride with your jacket on, you usually wish you didn't take it with you, but here, its great, as you don't even sweat too much with all that gear on!

We rode up in the mountains on Wednesday, and it was SO cold! The weather forecast tells you a temperature, then a "feels like" temperature, and for Dahlonega, where we were, it was 35 degrees (Fahrenheit), "feels like 19 (Fahrenheit)"!!!! That, for the young Aussie folk who don't know the old way, means: bloody freezing! None the less, we had a great ride, and it was nice to do some long climbs, even if the cold did mean that my water bottles had ice in them when i took a sip, it was like drinking a slurpee!!!!

I have been training with John Murphy a bit, from HealthNet, and he has been showing me some new roads to ride on out here. Here he is posing by the turn off to the infamous Brasstown Bald, usually the make or break hill of the Tour de Georgia. We didn't go up this time, as it was closed due to snow, but i can imagine we'll make a few treks up it in the lead up to the GA tour. Apparently it is quite steep and hard!
It has been great getting back to the States, and one of the reasons for that being so good was that i got to see Keally again, for the first time in ages! We have been having a great time, and it is nice to be back in each other's company again. We went back to her parents' place for dinner last weekend, for lobster, which was nice, then we had a birthday cookie as we were able to celebrate her Dad, brother Eric, and my birthday's all at the same time, as they were all in the last few weeks. My lobster, who's name was Larry before he was eaten, tried to take off a couple of my fingers with his huge claws.
That is one big cookie!
Keally got a bike for Christmas from The Hub, our Jittery Joe's Team bike shop, so we got to go for a ride together on the weekend, wicked!

Here are a couple of dudes looking at having a successful season in the States this year, and hopefully many more after that too! They shall remain nameless, but one thing i can tell you is that they are both really fast! This photo was taken on the way to the airport, and the helmets have been edited into the photo to hide their identity...

Check out my new rig for 2007! Well, it is going to be my training bike anyway. It is sweet! Louis Garneau Sonix 6.4, with Cane Creek wheels, Maxxis tyres, Profile bars and stem and post, Zero Gravity brakes, and... SRAM Force running gear... WICKED! Man, it rides SO smooth, and i am already in love with it! Hopefully it will carry me, and the rest of our team to a heap of great results this season!!!!

Before i left, i had to get rid of some of my left over trader cards from 2006. I thought it would be a great idea to stack them all into a picture frame, and give it to The Bus Wilksch as a going away present. One card has been flipped to show my profile and stats, and another card has been signed and addressed to The Bus and his fiancee Nic! It was a bit of a joke, but Mum (who took the photo) thought it looked so great she made one too! Todd thought it was fantastic, and it went straight to the pool room...
The following photos were supposed to be in a previous blog update i wanted to do before i left, but i ran out of time, so i thought i should just load this update with heaps of photos!
Here are some road signs i am unlikely to see for the next nine months, and that the readers from the US have possibly never seen!
White wombats:
Black wombats!:
Lyrebird:
Person on horse:
And the old favourite, kangaroo:
I also should have the echidna road sign, but i didn't have my camera with me when i rode to Mt Martha! Over the next few weeks i will try and get some of the interesting road signs posted that i see here in the States, if they have any!

I must apologise for the delay in getting this post out, i have been a bit slack, and busy too! There have also been a couple of problems with internet connection, so the pictures have trouble loading. Actually, after a lot of fiddling around, i found the problem to be blogger, but it is all sorted now, and here it is!

Get the comments rolling please, and then i will make sure i keep the posts as weekly updated as possible, if that makes sense!

Laters y'all, hope everyone is well...

Monday, January 29, 2007

Australia Day

Hey y'all,

I have re-entered my slack ways and haven't put out an update in a while, but here it is! Updates will be a bit more regular from now on, as i am about to head back to the States, and i will have more interesting things to talk about!

The two exciting things that have happened in the last weeks has been Australia Day, on the 26th, and my 24th birthday, on the 21st! I have now officially entered my mid-twenties, which is a bit of a concern for me, because now i sound old when i tell people my age! My birthday was on a Sunday, and it was a very lazy day for me, short ride in the morning, lounging around all day, watching telly, and then a dinner at home with the family. Not bad to just do nothing all day!
Here i am with my youngest brother Sean, with the birthday cake complete with the Melbourne Demons footballer cake decorations - every Nankervis birthday has the Dees football players on the cake, they take priority over the candles!
Dad, the ultimate handyman, has pulled up the floor in our family room, as we are about to get polished floor boards through the back room and hall way. I was a great help while all of this work was going on...!
With the Australian Open tennis championship finishing over the weekend, and watching the guru Roger Federer play, Sean and i thought we had better go and have a game. I thought it was going to be easy, after watching all the best players in the world, and how they do it, but man, i have no idea how they do it?! Sean was trash talking me all the way down to the St Pat's tennis club, telling me how i wasn't going to win a game, or point! What followed was an absolute white-wash, i won 6-0! Sean said i did to him what Federer did to Andy Roddick, but that couldn't be right, as he is Federer! I must say that i had the most fun and laughing playing tennis, that i have had in a long time! I guess i will play again next Australian Open...
Lisa and her friends have been making the most of their holidays, after completing high school. This is a typical lazy evening, bumming around watching movies. Actually, i am making that up, they have been busy as anything, going out, going away, working, and had just got back from being volunteers at a week-long camp, hence the early night!

As you can see, there has not a whole lot been happening for the moment! Actually, one thing that has happened, is all the boys have left for the year. I have lost my training partners, and now have to go it alone, well, for another week only. Matty, Jez and Cookie have left for the Unibet team presentation and training camp, while Hilton has gone to training camp, and Jonny has left for the Tour de Langkawi. I had a great Summer of training with the guys, and have continued to learn heaps from them all. I am definitely going to miss the fun training rides with Jez, who i did most of my training with. We had a ball. and really pushed each other in all of our sprint training, even though i won all the time! HAHA!!!!

On Sunday, Jonny took me out on his commando loop training ride, and man, if that's not one of the hardest training rides i have done in the hills, i don't know what is! I think we rode up every hill, and i was knackered by the end. No wonder he is so strong!

With all the training i have been doing, i have started to get ripped in the legs, so i took a photo of them and sent it to Todd. He then edited his head onto the photo, and sent it back to me!

Well that's all for now, and i plan on getting another update up before i head off next Wednesday. I am also selling my bike, so if anyone is interested, email me at the email you can find on the home page of my blog.

Laters...

Thursday, January 11, 2007

New Years and Bay Crits...

Howdy y'all!

I have been back in my slacking ways, so there hasn't been much in the way of updates lately. I have been on the run a bit, and busy, so i haven't found the patience to sit down and load photos, and type.

The first thing that i should report on, is to let you know i got second in the New Years Eve special Hell Ride! I did a lead out for Hendy, just so he didn't have his confidence shattered before departing to Mallorca for the T-Mobile training camp.

Here is a picture of the Hell Ride as it heads off in the morning from Black Rock. The picture doesn't really show the bunch too well, but i did my best considering i was riding, and wanted to stay upright, as well as avoid looking like a tourist - i am not really the type who takes a lot of photos! The USA National criterium champion is showing off his colours here in the front of the picture, complete with his new Champion's Jersey!


Here is another shot of the Hell Ride, a bit clearer, but doesn't show how many riders there are on the ride. Hiltz is again hogging the photo, and trying to show off his jersey!


Cafe Racer is pretty much the most popular cafe for cyclists i have ever come across. This picture doesn't really show how many bikes are usually parked out the front of Racer, there are still a heap behind me. Every morning of the week there are hundreds of cyclists and other locals enjoying the great coffee here.


For the Jayco Bay Criterium Series, the Aussie Jittery Joe's riders, Trent Wilson, Jeff Hopkins, Cody Stevenson, and myself, joined Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole) to ride for the Skilled composite team. We have one other Aussie in Jittery Joe's, Chris Jongewaard, who didn't race the Bay Crits.

The picture above was taken on Stage Three, the Geelong Waterfront crit, where we got on the front and brought back the break, in order to set our team leader Mark Renshaw up for the win. I am leading our Jittery Joe's sprinter Hop into the turn. If i must say so, i reckon we did a pretty good job on the front, and Hop was going like a machine! Unfortunately he crashed out after someone decided to take a dive in front of him - last year's winner of this stage, and my team mate of last year, Rich England. It was a bit of a bummer for Jeff, as he was riding into form, and ended up having to watch the rest of the series from the side lines with a badly sprained wrist.

I am pretty pumped about seeing the team line up like this over in the States this year. This was one of our first races together, and we are already getting it happening pretty well!
All our hard work to get our man, and series leader, up for the win was destroyed when Robbie McEwen stole the win from us! Mark, in the yellow jersey, came very close to rolling Robbie on the line, but second was enough to keep him in the lead on the GC. It would have been awesome if he had won, seeing as we were actually able to help him in this stage, and i must give a big thankyou to the great journalist for the Bay Series, Mal Sawford, who even gave me a mention in the race report for Stage Three...!


Mark beat Sun Tour winner Simon Gerrans in Stage Two, at Portarlington. This circuit is a killer, and i think only about eleven dudes made it around. The win saw Renshaw take the leader's jersey from Stage One winner Jonny Clarke. It was nice of Mark to do so in front of his team mates too, as we were all sitting back in the tent after our early exits from the stage!

Mark went on to win the Overall by a huge amount, and was never really threatened all week. It was nice to be part of a successful team this year, and to be able to ride with a ProTour rider too.

After the series was over, we donned the suits and headed out to the gala dinner, a Bay Crits' tradition. It is always funny to see all the guys we usually only see in lycra, dressing up in suits, and the best dressed was a hands down winner; Jeff Hopkins! He chose the three piece suit for the occasion. Above we are modelling our outfits while hanging off one of the metal statues in Swanston Street in the city. The statue is about to go to work, and wasn't impressed with our behaviour! I should add that while i may look like i was drinking here, i only had one light beer (Australian light beer) for the night, so don't get the idea that i am a party boy or anything!

Get a load of this! If you thought the previous photo showed Hop striking up a bit of a pose, then have a go at this one! Does anyone have a cigar for him? This shot was taken using the candlelight mode of the camera, and really accentuates the lighting and vibe of the place. The lense used was a ......... ! I have no idea actually. I can tell you though, i am looking forward to many more fun times as the year rolls on, and am really excited to be spending the year with my new team mates.

I will shoot out a new update in a few days of the National Road Race Championships held at Buninyong, but for now, get the comments happening!

Happy New Year everyone, even if i am two weeks late!

Laters...