checkpoint no. 38 (summer 2008-09)

No. 38 Summer 2008/09The endurance cyclist’s magazine

Mallee RoutesAn easy 600?

RobertsonSocial riding, challenging riding

Gran Tourissimo South AustraliaA Super Series in nine days

The Great Southern Randonnee Spectacular, fantastic, great!

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Episode JerseysWe have a range of second hand cycling tops of European origin sourced from Episode Clothing in Brunswick. Our range changes every month and according to the season. These items look stunning, and are exceptionally well priced.

Acrylic knit short sleeve $45, Long Sleeve $55, Lycra s/s $35, Lycra l/s $55, training jackets long sleeve $60.

Abbotsford Cycles stocks a range of parts useful in framebuilding, and single speed/fixed conversions - including laser cut fork dropouts, cogs, freewheels, cranks, single chainring bolts and chain tensioners.

waterproof bicycle covers

If you need more carrying capacity on your rides, we have the three options listed here that may help you. Above left is the Ortlieb underseat bag which is a quick release waterproof bag weighing around 300g, holding 2.7l with no pock-ets and costing $99. In the middle is the Vaude Off road bag which weighs 450g, holds 5l is extendable with two side pockets. It has a stiff frame which clips onto the seatpost and can be removed in sec-onds. Costs $110. The third option is the Topeak RX Trunk Bag with the RX Beam rack. The bag slides onto the rack and can be removed leaving the rack available to carry other items. Weight is about 1100g including the bag which holds 2.8l.

Dynamo Hubs and LightsThe new Shimano N80 is now available in 32 hole version. It is lighter than the dynamo it replaces and is less than half the cost of the Schmidt hub. We also have a full Shimano 700c road wheel with the N71 dynamo hub for only $225 Supplies of the Lumotec IQ Fly and Super-nova E3 should be available by the time you read this.

Sykes hand made wooden mudguards are on the way.

Price reduction!N gear jump stops now $18Cue clips now $10 Why wood? Because it‛s cool!

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Need your bicycle serviced or repaired in Melbourne?

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Bags for Bikes

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Custom made bicycle Mudguard flaps made of hard wearing black plas-tic with reflective white logo. $25

MirrorsWe have the best range of handlebar, helmet and glasses mirrors in Australia - Third Eye, B&M,Zefal, Bikecorp, Prodanti and Mirrycle. A Mirrycle for Shimano Road Levers will be here soon!

Checkpoint Summer 2008/2009 1

The Audax Club of Australia Inc. Association No. A0014462N

President Garry Armsworth - 0411 252 772 [email protected]

Vice PresidentBarry Moore - 03 9803 6529 [email protected]

Secretary Roslyn Russell - 0412 482 400 [email protected]

Treasurer Stephen Chambers - 03 5952 5969 [email protected]

Membership Secretary Lorraine Allen - 03 5783 2427 [email protected]

Brevet Secretary Simon Watt [email protected]

Committee Members Russell Freemantle - 03 9395 4963 [email protected]

Martin Haynes [email protected]

David Minter - 0419 755 [email protected]

Region Presidents ACT Marea England - 0432 275 074 [email protected]

NSW Chris Walsh - 02 9924 2200 [email protected]

QLD Vaughan Kippers - 07 3376 6761 [email protected]

SA Ian Peak - 0417 834 525 [email protected]

TAS Paul Gregory - 03 6229 3811 [email protected]

VIC Gareth Evans - 0408 497 721 [email protected]

WA Nick Dale - 0400 300 850 [email protected]

NZ Duncan McDonald +64 (0)3 732 3030 [email protected]

No. 38 Summer 2008/09

The endurance cyclist’s magazine

Mallee RoutesAn easy 600?

RobertsonSocial riding, challenging riding

Gran Tourissimo South AustraliaA Super Series in nine days

The Great Southern Randonnee Spectacular, fantastic, great!

Damian Mills thoroughly enjoying the fourth Great Southern Randonnee. Coverage of the GSR begins on page 17.

Photo: Judy Scanlon (surfangle.com)

ContentsPresident’s Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Alpine Classic a “Must Do” . . . . . . . . . . . .3

A great ride at Wagga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Randonneuring may be addictive . . . . . .6

Families and Randonnees . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

A weekend at Robertson. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Where are all those riders?. . . . . . . . . . 10

The Reluctant 300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Gran Tourissimo South Australia . . . . . .12

Interview with Mark Thomas . . . . . . . . .14

Featured Ride: Mt Wallace 150 . . . . . . .16

Australia’s First Audax 22.5. . . . . . . . . . .16

Great Southern Randonnee . . . . . . . . . .17

Discovering “Audax Spirit” . . . . . . . . . . 20

Souvenirs of four GSRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

The Road to 1200. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

The Vollies’ GSR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Training Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

My first brevet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Who was…? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Mallee Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Brevets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Backpedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Noticeboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

I had several responses to my request for views on balancing randonnees and the family. Sadly not all of them made it into this issue, but I think the extensive coverage of the Great Southern Randonnee plus a number of other rides more than makes up for the shortfall. And I’m sure that’s a topic we will return to in future issues.

Also in this issue I’m pleased to introduce the ‘Featured Ride’ column, open to ride organisers who want to draw attention to their upcoming events. If you’re organising a ride in April–June, perhaps you’d like to submit 200–300 words (before 1 February) outlining the route, notable features of the ride and any specific entry requirements.The Featured Ride in this issue is the ‘new improved’ Mt Wallace 150 on page 16.

It’s an interesting time for Audax Australia, with the introduction of Audax 22.5 and permanent brevets. Also on page 16 we have a report on the first Audax 22.5 in Australia. I’d be pleased to print more reports of members’ experiences of these new ride styles, so if you’re giving them a try drop Checkpoint a note with your thoughts.

I should record my thanks to everyone who contributed to the production of this year’s Calendar booklet—ride organisers, coordinators, committee members, database administrators and everyone who did a little proof reading. My apologies to members for the slightly late arrival of the booklet and I hope that didn’t cause any inconvenience. All being well, the 2010 calendar will arrive in plenty of time!

While I’m handing out the bouquets, have you seen the online photo album for the GSR (picasaweb.google.com.au/Victoria.Audax/GSR2008)? There are some terrific shots there and I’ve dipped liberally into the pool to illustrate this issue. I wasn’t able to track down the owner of every single photo, so if you see one or two of your shots in these pages, please accept my thanks. I’d particularly like to thank Judy Scanlon who provided our cover photo and several other shots throughout. I recommend her web site (surfangle.com) for her excellent photography of the Surf Coast.

Finally, I’d like to wish all readers and their families the complements of the season. Indulge well, ride hard, and keep your helmet up and the rubber down.

Trevor

Editorial

2 Checkpoint Summer 2008/09

Editor & Producer Trevor Gosbell [email protected]

Brevet Editor Stephen George [email protected]

Distribution Ian Boehm [email protected]

Subscription Enquiries Lorraine Allen [email protected]

Contributions, especially those accompanied by photos and graphics, are always welcome.

The closing date for the next issue is 1 February, for publication in March 2009.

Please send to: [email protected], or

Editor PO Box 12144 A’Beckett St Melbourne VIC 8006

• • •

Disclaimer Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the respective authors, and not necessarily those of the Audax Club of Australia Inc.

Borrowing this copy? To receive your own copy, simply join the club at www.audax.org.au/membership.htm or write to the above address.

Free backissues: You can download backissues of this magazine from the club’s website at www.audax.org.au > News > Magazine.

• • •

Website www.audax.org.au

Webmaster Mike Boehm [email protected]

Did you miss my non-appearance in the last Checkpoint? I must confess that I was too busy having a good time on holidays to motivate myself to write my piece. My holiday included about three weeks cycling in France and it was the first time I’d cycled in France other than in relation to a certain event held once every four years. While Barry kindly suggested in Checkpoint that I write about things you don’t know about cycling in France (perhaps hoping I’d keep of the boring admin stuff), I am afraid I don’t have anything startling to say but cycling in France is as good as everyone tells you.

In my Autumn column, I highlighted some of the decisions that came out of the National Executive Committee strategy conference in April. Notably among these was the addition of the “fixed” pace Brevet Audax 22.5 events (as we are now officially calling them) and Brevet Permanent events.

By the time you read this the first Audax 22.5 events will have been run and no doubt some members will also have completed their first permanent. Over the years there have been several calls for the introduction of permanents and now that it has happened, I am particularly keen to see if it results in an increase in the number of brevets completed. If permanents replace rather than augment the completion of BRM events, the committee will have some concerns. I personally would be very disappointed to see the Audax spirit of camaraderie and adventure, which is encouraged by people coming together to ride the calendar events, dissipated by members opting instead to ride permanents on their own.

The 2006/07 year was the first time in recent memory (if ever) that we undertook

an analysis of the national ride data and it showed that a relatively low proportion of members actually complete more than one BRM event in the Audax year. And 2006/07 of course was a Paris-Brest-Paris year. While only preliminary data is available for 2007/08 and notwithstanding that participants have racked up well in excess of 300,000 km of Audax rides over the course of the year, the percentage of members riding BRM events has fallen. Perhaps that is to be expected in a post-PBP year though. But we pride ourselves on being the endurance cycling club in Australia, so why aren’t we out there riding the events in increasing numbers?

Keeping on the riding theme, I noted with interest that despite the animated discussion earlier this year on the email list on whether the Club should limit the number of longer rides (i.e. 1000/1200 km), only two 1000 km and no 1200 km rides have been scheduled for the 2008/09 year so there was no need to impose any date changes to avoid clashes. Hopefully, there will be some pent-up demand for the supported Sydney to Melbourne 1200 to be jointly organised by the Victorian, ACT and NSW regions in early November 2009.

Congratulations to all of those involved in the GSR—riders, organisers and volunteers—I’ve heard nothing but great reports.

Enjoy your cycling.

New season, New events

President’s Pedalswith Garry Armsworth


In 2005 the BBC invited listeners to vote in an online poll to determine what they thought were the most significant technical innovations since 1800. The humble bicycle streaked home with a massive 59% of the vote, followed by the transistor at 8%. Other useful inventions such as the radio, computers and the Internet were included in the top ten. In an earlier survey along similar lines the bicycle had also ranked above the jet engine, electricity and the internal combustion engine.

It wasn’t long before the question was asked, “How could it be?” Naturally, an accusation was made that the bicycle lobby had swamped the vote, but the simplicity of the invention that has remained basically unchanged for 187 years was probably one part of the answer. The passion of its users was the other.

In June last year I received a letter from the RACV informing me that a member of the public had nominated the Audax Alpine Classic as part in an online poll to determine the 101 “best tourist things to do in Victoria”. A quick look at the list of over 300 entrants showed the “Classic” at position 145 wedged between the Abbotsford Convent and a local café.

My initial thought was that the poll would be flawed. Idle people could vote repeatedly for their favourite experience. However, further inspection showed the technical aspect of the polling was impressive. The system would only accept one vote per computer address.

By email I invited all Alpine Classic participants and Audax members to vote if they thought the event was worthy of the title. When voting finished I was confident we were in the top ten and waited for the result to be shown on Channel 9 as part of their travel show Postcards.

When the 3rd most popular entrant was announced with still no mention of the

“Alpine Classic” I realised the seriousness

of the possible outcome and immediately thought of the BBC survey.

Second place was secured behind “Drive the Great Ocean Road”, and in the following days I fielded calls from regional newspapers and radio stations, all asking the same question, “How could it be?” Passion for the event, the bike and the Alpine area was my answer.

Since the announcement we have received a credible request regarding sponsorship, a wide range of publicity in newspapers throughout Australia and a quick search on the internet shows reference to our little bike ride in travel sections of newspapers in UK and USA.

The “Bicycle Victoria Great Victorian Bike” gained number 10. Given the inclusion of two cycle-related events in the top ten, maybe State and Federal government tourism agencies might finally accept that cycle tourism is a sustainable and viable section of the tourist scene in Australia and can only grow given our concern for the planet.

Thanks to all who voted. The online comments left regarding our event were a great endorsement of our volunteers, our event and our future.

The Top 10:Drive the Great Ocean Road1. Audax Alpine Classic2. Ford Discovery Centre3. Wilsons Promontory4. The Blues Train-Queenscliff5. Walhalla-experience the rich history6. Skandia Geelong week7. Grampians National Park8. View Mt Sturgeon from the Royal 9. Mail HotelGreat Victorian Bike Ride10.

See www.101victoria.com.au for all of the listings.

Audax Alpine Classic

Alpine Classic a “Must Do” Phil Bellette NancyBoy’s

15 Minutes?

Peter “NancyBoy” Annear

Phil sent me an email to say we’d done well in the 101 best tourism experiences in Victoria poll and that Channel 9 was doing a special to promote the highly ranked attractions. Would I help out as the

“talent”? I tried several ways of shimmying out of it but without any effect. Phil is a hard man to say no to once he’s set on something. After a few phone calls and several emails with the producer, Selina, it was clear that I was fully roped-in.

The day of the shoot started in a restaurant with the presenter, Brodie, talking to camera and a bunch of locals doing rent-a-crowd in the background. It took about a million takes to get the 30 seconds down due to noise from the passing traffic and the chap across the road who would reverse his fork lift with attendant “beep-beep-beep” every time they started shooting.

Following this was the start of my involvement. It was clear that the whole thing had been carefully scripted and that was the way it was going to be done. The best I could manage was to perform on queue and try not to stuff it up too much. Brodie proved to be a real professional, managing to get her lines out while riding up hill for the 20th time to the top of Tawonga Gap. It was about 0°C and while I was dressed for the weather, she was wearing the skimpiest of outfits. By the time we finished she was shivering and blue.

The best fun was the closing sequence in the brewery. It also took a lot of takes to get just right. They’d dragged a group of skiers from Queensland in to fill the scene. Being a stickler for detail the producer insisted that everyone’s glasses were filled between each take. It took only two takes for the boys to realise that if they downed their pints really quickly, they’d be filled again after each take. By the time we’d done 10 or 12 takes they were completely smashed.

On viewing the show, I make three observations:• The camera really does add 10kg (or more).• They seem to have tweaked the tonal level of my

voice. I sounded much more pleasant than usual.• I hope that wasn’t my 15 minutes.

Congratulations to all those who voted for getting the ride such great exposure. I just don’t understand how we came second. Having recently ridden the Great Ocean Road (twice) I can only say that it’s a pot-holed, car-infested nightmare and the hills aren’t much to write home about.


The Alpine Classic, Australia´s toughest non-competitive mass ride and the highest placed cycling event in the RACV’s Top 101 Tourism Experiences, offers you the opportunity to contribute your skills and/or learn new ones by investing a little of your time in helping the Club put on this event; the Club’s highest profile event and a major attracter of new members.

Again there will be the usual teams looking after each of the major checkpoints at Mt Beauty, Falls Creek, Bright, Mt Buffalo and the start/finish in Howitt Park, plus the water points Watergap, Waterland and the new Waterfalls. In addition are those responsible for the administration in general (e.g. entries, brevets, weather, t- shirts, shop), equipment, food/beverages, transport, signage, traffic control and the Bonjour Bright Festival plus the `outsourced´ First Aid, Ambulance, motorbike riders, and the like.

What sets the Alpine apart from other events is the level of support provided to the participants, largely by those `who know the pain´ and can relate to the what they are experiencing, providing words of wisdom, encouragement and empathy and giving practical assistance.

So…we need your help. In particular on the day of the ride we need folk to look after Watergap (between Mt Beauty and the Tawonga Gap) and the new Waterfalls (between Mt Beauty and Falls Creek), plus some more members for the teams at some of the checkpoints and traffic control.

There is also the particular need for a person to work with Keith Lowe with a view to `inheriting´ the great job Keith has done over the years in the ongoing design, manufacture, location planning and inventory of signage for the event.

At the rides hub, Howitt Park, there is the greatest need for help to be rostered (for two-hour periods or longer) over both the Saturday and the Sunday. On the Saturday, food, equipment and signage is distributed from various locations around Bright and in Howitt Park a range of things go on from providing general information about the event, registering riders, troubleshooting entries, handing out t-shirts, staffing National Audax promotion and the like. On the Sunday the day commences with setting up the start at 5.30 am through to processing rider arrivals, monitoring garbage, overseeing the bike parking, providing post-ride refreshments and finishing around 9 pm with the cleaning and pack down of the checkpoint and its equipment ready for storage on the Monday.

Bonjour Bright is a separate entity being managed by Jorgen Bobenko with the Howitt Park site being set-up and dismantled by the Bright Lions Club.

The team leaders currently in place include: Debbie Elliott, Don and Enid Halton, Peter and Robyn Curtis, Kaye Frank, Kim Travers, Derek McKean, Peter Horsley, Phil Bellette, Eryl Lowe, Martin and Libby Haynes, Ron McInnes, Stephen George, and Peter Martin.

To answer “the what’s in it for me?” apart from the satisfaction of being part of a great event and assisting riders achieve their personal goals, there is a volunteer package that ranges from transport reimbursement, meals and accommodation, t-shirt, cap, pre-ride dinner, and depending on the individual’s contribution.

What next: Register your interest before Christmas on the web at tinyurl.com/5mlsmr, or send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 0415 746 449 and a volunteer pack will be sent to you.

Help the Alpine Classic reach new heights

Alan Tonkin

Received by email:Hi Phil.

Just returned from doing the GSR. The time and effort put into running this successful event made me think that it was time I did some volunteering for the club. We have decided that we would love to be volunteers at the Alpine rather than be riders this time around.

I would therefore like to withdraw from the ride, hopefully allowing another keen rider to have a position on the start line. We look forward to working with you to make this yet another successful Alpine event!


My partner Toni and I were very pleased that we travelled across from Canberra to Wagga to do the 100 km option of this year’s ‘Canola Canter’. The Canter has been an objective of mine for years, after going through this area on lots of Tumut Audax rides in the second half of the 90s, but another event or commitment always seemed to get in the way.

This year the 100 km option gave Toni her Audax ‘Nouveau Randonneur’ series and a much needed confidence boost after several months off the bike due to illness and injury. While she has ridden 200 km three times before in non-Audax events, she easily forgets these achievements.

We were very impressed with the scene at the start and with the organisational efforts of Ray Stenhouse and his team to cope with the large number of riders: 35 riders for the 100, added to a further 30 evenly divided between the 50 and 150 km options at different start times. Numbers we can only dream of in Canberra!

After riding out through North Wagga we settled-in a few bike lengths behind a friendly group of eight riders who were constantly chatting away while doing a revolving paceline at a relaxed pace. All but one of them were women (and the

other a friendly bloke from Junee), and as the ride went on they collected stragglers from faster groups. It was obvious that there was a great camaraderie amongst this group from previous Bicycle Wagga Wagga touring and Audax rides, and along the way we learnt lots about those other rides.

The roads on this ride were more like very wide bike paths; we saw very little traffic as we meandered through lovely undulating countryside. Unfortunately the canola had flowered early this year (apparently due to the unusually warm spring), so we missed what must be a gorgeous sight of endless yellow fields.

We chatted with various members of the group at ad hoc stops along the way, including at the top of a few hills, and again at the first checkpoint at Marrar while enjoying the cakes and sweets provided. After regathering with the group after the fast section to Coolamon, we rode with them to the other supported checkpoint at Millwood (more cakes and sweets!) and on to the finish at Wagga Beach, following which we enjoyed a great lunch with the group at the nearby Romanos pub.

Canola Canter

A great ride at Wagga Greg Cunningham

Geoff Marks checks off the riders at the Millwood Control

Toni and Greg seek the shade at East Millwood Road

Phot

o: Ja

net H

ume

Phot

o: Ja

net H

ume


ApathyFirst, a note on apathy. Biking is one of

only two things my randonneur gets excited about these days. He’s always hustling to get on his bike, research the next route, repair his ride, or recount tales of the last adventure—he’s in search of his next fix or reliving the high.

SleepThe second thing my randonneur is

exuberant about is getting to bed (but not in the way I’d like…) My diligent randonnerd, oops, I mean randonneur, has to turn in early since the next ride begins at oh-God-o’clock in the morning; and in order to log more miles he will awake extra early so he can ride to the start. (You can imagine how much you will appreciate the alarm clock sounding at 5 am on Saturday, a day of rest!) If he’s not in bed before the neighbourhood children because he’s riding the next day, it’s because he’s too pooped to party, since he was on his bike for the past 12–24 hours. Between biking and being in bed, there’s not a lot of room for anything else in the world of the randonneur. Which brings me to my point about amnesia.

AmnesiaWhile one of the more immediate and

serious side effects, the amnesia is selective. It affects only all non-randonneuring related information. The amnesia is especially acute around social engagements and household chores, particularly those that conflict with the ride series or special training events. The randonneur quickly loses the ability to recall previous commitments and he/

she cannot transfer new engagements from short term to long term memory. The result is a long list of neglected friends and family, an overgrown yard, dilapidated home and a slew of unfinished projects.

NarcolepsyNarcolepsy is the last in the trinity

of insidious side effects. Fortunately, narcolepsy claims only a subset of addicts. Unfortunately, my randonneur is among the casualties. Narcolepsy (bouts of spontaneous sleep) occurs in the seriously addicted. Arduous ride schedules and ride-induced sleep deprivation make the randonneur prone to falling asleep at any time and anywhere. Common situations to avoid, since they seem to elicit narcoleptic attacks, are live theatre performances, dinner parties with long-winded friends, movie theatres and extended conversations that do not make mention of bikes, biking, etc.

While it is too late to save my randonneur and our life from these ills, it is my hope that this message will help bring your loved one back from the edge. Let them ride at your own risk!

First published in the March 2008 issue of the Seattle International Randonneurs Newsletter. Reproduced with permission.

Spousal alert

Randonneuring may be addictiveShelley Balanko

If you know some one who is “experimenting” with randonneuring, please be warned that there is no such thing as “recreational randonneuring.” Randonneuring is a drug with serious addictive properties, not to mention some very detrimental side effects. Chief among the pesky adverse consequences are apathy, amnesia, and, my personal favourite, narcolepsy.

The Homefront

Families and Randonnees

Tony Bolduan

I’m coming out the other side of family restrictions. For me, the issues were, in no particular order:

1. Taking the family car.2. Time away from kids duty.3. The perception of danger.

The perception of danger was that not bike riding is dangerous. It was more, “I don’t want you driving home from [insert remote location] after riding 200/300 km. You’ll fall asleep at the wheel on the way home and kill someone.”

To get permission to do a 200 or 300 km I have to be able to do it in a day, without taking the car. Therefore, the start has to be either within 25 km or so of my place, or within cooee of a train station, starting after the first train arrives.

For me the solution is in the calendar. Recent events in Victoria seem very car-centric.

If a ride starts in Stratford, Cowes, Bendigo or Hopetoun, I can’t get there. Not without major grovelling. If a ride starts at a station (e.g. Pakenham, Frankston) it is better if the ride starts after the first train arrives.

A quick check of the calendar for next year reveals that there are about 30 200/300 randonnees in Victoria. This is good. I will be able to get to about four of them. This is about the same as in 1987, when there were only 11 events on the calendar. This is bad.

As far as bargaining with the wife, try this argument, “I can do the odd ride, or I can stay home and watch the cricket and drink beer with my mates. It doesn’t matter that I weigh 130 kilos, does it?”

Sadly, during the years I was ‘required at home’, I found it much more convenient to go racing with the Vets on a Sunday morning. I only got back into Audax when some of my racing buddies wanted to do an Oppy.


SaturdayBy far the most challenging of the

two rides was on the Saturday. It started gently enough under beautiful clear skies, descending from Robertson down Macquarie Pass and down to the coast. The coastline was followed along mainly cycleways and paths to the Blowhole at Kiama. More than 60 km completed already and there we were eating cake and drinking flat whites in the sunshine.

At this point everyone thought the route was terrific and thanked us for organising the weekend. We in return thanked them for their praise and said we would gladly take it now before it was forgotten in the ensuing 40 km of mostly climbing that was to follow. A final warning to all on departure not to

“dawdle” too much as the hills may eat into the time left to complete. Oh, how true this proved to be. Within a few kilometres we started the ascent of the Saddleback. Thank goodness we were doing the “easier” side! A series of incredibly steep pitches in the now blasting winds under hot sun. An optional climb to the summit was the grand finale, a distance of 500 or 600 m at 23%+ gradient. The descent was fabulous and we were soon in Jamberoo.

Unfortunately three riders pulled out, all securing lifts back to Robertson. With only the briefest of stops to buy more water in Jamberoo, we headed out for Jamberoo Mountain, another road with some very steep pitches which led to some riders walking sections after already being caned by the previous climb. A slight descent at the top led to yet another long climb to the Illawarra Highway in now very difficult riding conditions, the wind almost bringing riders to a standstill at times. All riders made it to Robertson Pub inside the time but everyone had to work hard to do so.

According to Geoff Farnsworth’s GPS the route climbed 2,065 m most of which came

in the last 40 km and this did not include the climb to the summit of Saddleback.

Incidentally, the “hardest” side of Saddleback Mountain has an average gradient of 17% and the final climb as stated is 23%+ gradient, although the only description of the summit climb when Googling was written by someone who didn’t make it!

Once faces had returned to a less alarming colour and everyone could sit upright, drinks were had all round. Most agreed that this was one of the hardest 100 km road rides we’d ever done.

Saturday night was a great social occasion at Sentinel Farm. Everyone contributed with food and drink and many animal forms were barbequed. It was a good time to farewell departing riders and welcome

new. Probably too much wine than was good for us was consumed.

SundayThe next morning was another beautiful

one, with a cooler temperature and more moderate wind, in fact perfect conditions for cycling.

The route, though certainly not flat, with more than 1200 m of climbing for the day, was much easier than the Saturday with hills more evenly spread and was in general, undulating.

From Robertson, we took quiet back roads through East Kangaloon and on to Mittagong, then along the Old Highway to the checkpoint at Berrima. The group felt well relaxed after a long lunch as we continued along quiet roads able to enjoy the beautiful rural backdrop of lush green

A weekend at Robertson

Social and challengingHoward Dove

The weekend turned out to be a great success. There were 100 km rides on Saturday and Sunday, both of which started and finished in Robertson.

Bill Surgeon enjoys the view from Saddleback. Or a rest. Or both.


Bec Morton and Howard Dove organised a wonderful weekend of socialising and riding out of Robertson in the incredibly green Southern Highlands south of Sydney. Michael and I joined them, and Douglas and Jason in a delightful B&B. Other participants stayed in an associated old dairy and the local hotel. Some others came up for the day on Sunday.

Saturday’s ride had us plummeting from the tops at close to 800 m down Macquarie Pass to sea level. What a great road: nice bends, smooth hotmix, good gradient—it’s a shame they let cars and trucks use it. Once across the coastal plain, we crossed the railway at Albion Park Rail and hit the coast. Then it was a delightful tour of discovery as we followed the cue sheet down back roads, over pedestrian bridges and onto bike paths

A weekend at Robertson

Time for socialisingKerri-Ann Smith

Not all Audax riding has to be rough, tough and incredibly Audacious. There can be occasions for mixing it up with some more leisurely riding and socialising over a few drinks and a more languid meal than the usual snatch and grab.

hills. It’s no surprise that this location was chosen to film “Babe” and today the scenery was at its best.

With only 47 km left to cover we followed quiet roads firstly to Moss Vale and on to Fitzroy Falls, around Fitzroy Reservoir and then climbed back up to the Illawarra Highway.

We rode through Robertson to the famous Pie Shop two kilometres out of town in order to complete the hundred. With dozens of pie choices everyone soon found at least one to suit. It seemed like a fitting way to round off the weekend. Everyone finished well within time and the group arrived more or less together.

Then it was back to Sentinel Farm to shower and pack. Everyone, it seemed, had a great time. I know Bec and I certainly did. It was a most social but at the same time challenging weekend.

I think we’d better stop here—might is right (in this case) at Albion Park Rail


running besides recreational reserves along the waterfront around Lake Illawarra to Shellharbour.

It was a magnificent ride from Minnamurra to Kiama. The scenery was magnificent, the weather fabulous and the company great fun. The council must have got funding to put in a cycle route. But we quickly learned their creatively painted bicycles at the edge of the gutter did not necessarily mean much provision had been made for actual bicycles! But we ended up on a beautiful headland and fantastic bike path. Then it was into Kiama for a lovely selection of cakes and coffee at tables under the umbrellas. Time ticked away. Someone suggested there were big hills ahead. Were there? Oh dear, we might be out of time…

We were quickly over the expressway on a high bridge and the climb proper started. Up Saddleback Mountain. It was a big bare hill, the sun drilled down onto our backs. We were glad it was only September. A head wind had sprung up. The steepness was immediate. We each tackled it at our own pace. Some hopped off to push or rest. Some decided they didn’t have the

kilometres or hills needed in their legs to get back unaided.

The steepest pinch came just before the optional extra sidetrack to the actual summit at around 400 metres. Two ventured up. The rest recovered in the shade. But leeches in the damp grass cut short any thoughts of resting longer. We hurtled down the other side. I have never ridden such a steep decline. There was a sensation like being on a roller-coaster as the hill dropped away beneath our front wheels. What a ride!

Before long we reached the village of Jamberoo almost down at sea level again, topped up with drinks and headed off on the next climb up Jamberoo Mountain. We had to climb 800 m in about 20 km. The rise was relentless from the start. Sharp edged switchbacks through the forest. Then through the lovely bushland of the Budderoo National Park. The hill finally eased off. But it was really just a teaser; as Bec called the terrain, some downdulations followed by updulations. All made more troublesome by the brisk headwind that had strengthened in the afternoon.

First to enjoy a drink at the Robertson pub were the riders who called on a support car to get up the hill. Then the others rolled in one by one, two by two. Some with only moments to spare before the clock ticked them out! We enjoyed quite a few cold ales, while some indulged in wedges and hamburgers for afternoon tea. Later that evening, a large party gathered together at the B&B for a great evening of shared salads and breads, whatever individuals wanted to fry up on the BBQ, and pastries and ice-cream.

Next day, Bec cooked up a storm of scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and toast for breakfast and Howard put the Atomic into service for a great latte. Another 100 km loop, this time out through Glenquarry, Mittagong, Berrima, Moss Vale, and Fitzroy Falls. Still hilly, but without the big climbs. More riders joined us from Sydney and Canberra just for the day. Such a pretty area for riding.

Thanks Bec and Howard for a great weekend.

Bec Morton rises to the challenge of Saddleback


The challengeA few years back I was doing the ‘roving’

controle for the Opperman All Day Trial in Victoria. Apart from a ride plan submitted by each team a few months beforehand, I had little up-to-date information on where any of the riders were in real time. It was a serious challenge trying to find teams especially if they had been underway for more than 15 hours and the likely position could vary by as much as 100 km. Not surprisingly, there were some teams I couldn’t find at all. I did get an occasional update from ‘Mission Control’ in Rochester but as there was no pre-defined arrangement, it provided only a glimpse of what was happening out on the course(s).

Other randonnees of varying distances and participation rates also present similar issues for those trying to keep track of the riders. The longer the course or the more unattended controles, the greater the potential is for having riders ‘off the grid’.

PossibilitiesBeing able to reduce the gaps in the

knowledge about rider location would benefit all concerned. One single point of coordination of rider status would be logical and also be able to provide the most relevant details, in turn, to those that may need or be interested in them. On simple rides this is obviously the ride organiser. On larger rides a nominated person to deal with all the comings and goings may alleviate some load from the ride organiser.

Having read this far, you’re probably thinking, “That’s what happens now, isn’t it?” While that may be true, consider how it is usually done; phone calls between

attended controles, multiple lists being kept by different ride support staff, word-of-mouth from other riders, unreliable sightings from passers-by, and so on. All of these sources can provide valuable insight, but unless someone (the ride organiser) has formalised the ‘system’ for collation and further distribution, it can get confusing

to the point of no longer being useful. The term ‘Chinese Whispers’ comes to mind.

If you ‘watched’ the GSR on the web, you would have seen that the organiser (or at least some of his tech-savvy lieutenants) had thought of coordinating and publishing it all. A single rider progress sheet and a rolling log published on the Internet enabled just about everybody to figure out where most of the riders were. This arrangement would seem to be the tracking utopia but looking

closely, it only ever formally covered the supported controles. Riders’ progression through all the minor controles was pretty much invisible (to the Internet-bound spectator anyway). Notwithstanding that, it gave anybody with a connection to the Internet the opportunity to have access to the same single list.

Riders know where they are!My inclination whilst being a roving

controller was to devise a formal arrangement for riders themselves to advise a ride coordinator of their progress. Unless they get lost the rider is always going to have the best idea of where they are. This is not a flippant point. Each rider will always be the ‘source of truth’ for their own location and status. Getting that particular truth to the coordinator with the least amount of handling along the way is the goal.

Use of SMS text message rather than phone call seemed the obvious way to convey this advice for a number of reasons:

An SMS tends to be the last level of communications functionality to disappear where coverage is low.

An SMS will quite often make it through where a phone call will not. It’s sometimes easier to have a ‘text conversation’ than to try and deal with a voice call with poor reception.

An SMS will ‘wait’ on the network until you get to an area with reception.

Technology

Where are all those riders?Steven “Whatto” Watson

Reading the blog scroll on the Great Southern Randonnee recently, there was a post which suggested tracking riders using GPS. Helping the support staff keep track of riders is an endeavour which I have spent more than a healthy number of hours pondering. You know how it is when pedalling over those long distances. Way too much time for random thought.

What follows is not a silver bullet for locating riders but just a few ideas on how we might be able to get some good value out of the technology most of us are already carrying in our pockets.


An SMS doesn’t require an immediate action by the recipient. This will ensure that a busy ride coordinator can prioritise their workload and not be interrupted by a voice call.

An SMS is less likely to be misunderstood or misinterpretted. Being in written form can make it a more reliable record.

A generic SMS template can be created by the rider to ease the task of sending multiple messages over the course of the ride which will all look very similar.

Any formalised arrangement for a particular ride would need to cover some mandatory elements to be effective. Of most importance would be the agreement between the rider and the organiser of the content and frequency of the messages. At minimum, name, time, location and direction of travel would be required but any supplementary information could be transmitted this way as well. This could include (but not be limited to) advice of: sleep stops, breakdowns, abandonment, traffic, nesting magpies. Given that the organiser (or their delegate) knows where each rider should be anyway, getting and recording the odd SMS content to confirm that progress should not be a huge overhead.

An arrangement of this type will never be a formal requirement for running a ride and could only ever be introduced to have voluntary participation. Using text messages to supplement what we do anyway is only ever going to be a ‘nice to have’. Those of us who have ever organised a ride will probably agree that more accurate and frequent information about where all those riders are would significantly reduce a lot of the coordinating effort!

From a club perspective, any sort of help (perhaps in the form of a skeleton arrangement for using this technology) in managing rider location is perhaps worth exploring. An easy way to learn about using different methods is by starting small and sharing our experiences to fine tune and expand them.

So next time you organise a ride, consider formalising an arrangement with your riders to send you an SMS from each of the controls.

On the 20 May my stupidity rose to new heights. Returning from a training session at Homebush I reached down to adjust the cadence sensor on the frame of my bike and my glove caught the tyre on the front wheel wedging it in the front fork stopping the bike but not me. I landed on my head, destroyed my helmet and face, and needed plastic surgery to return to the human race.

This injury put a bit of a dent into my enthusiasm to ride Chris Walsh’s Hawkesbury Valley Randonnee 300. However suitable pressure to participate was applied by Stuart DeLongride (nee DeJong) and Bruce McMillan.

A bit a subterfuge was required as I always get into trouble from the Chief when I go on an Audax 200 km ride. “Ridiculous”, Marie says every time I mention an Audax 200 km ride (and I am a bit inclined to agree). So I told the Chief I was doing an Audax Ride and did not mention the distance.

I slipped out of bed at 3 am and picked up Stuart and then met Bruce at Hornsby. Chris had agreed to a 4 am start from Hornsby as we did not think we could average much more than 22 km/h on the bike and we wanted to finish before midnight.

We got underway about 4.10 am as Stuart was still trying to dress himself and got to the M2 about ten minutes later. Very fast ride down the M2, M7 and M4 and this put us at Springwood by 7 am. It was very cold especially at the start of the first climb at Lapstone. This is a steep ascent to Glenbrook but then it follows the railway line making it an easy cycle to Springwood.

The Hawkesbury Valley Road from Springwood down to Richmond is a cracker and as the sun had finally come up it was a delight to ride.

More delights were in store when we finally got to River Road that follows the Hawkesbury River from Lower Portland to Wisemans Ferry. Great ride and there is a

beautiful café about half way along. I knew if I stopped there I would never start again so I kept going and finally reached Wisemans Ferry. Why do you always find lousy food at these places when you need a good lift for the climb to Mangrove Mountain?

With 170 km on the computer we had a very long and difficult climb to Mangrove Mountain and Kulnura. I hated this section but as it was in the middle of nowhere we had to keep going. For me the easy bit was the actual ascent of Mangrove Mountain but before and after it was always uphill and kept my speed to 16 km/h when I wanted to be doing 22 km/h.

We arrived at Kulnura General Store where they made us a fantastic ham and salad sandwich and the worst/best cup of coffee I have had the pleasure of drinking—terrible coffee but nice and hot and it revived our bodies for the remaining 70 km. We knew we would finish.

From Peats Ridge to Brooklyn was the first real test of my Nite Lite. This little light puts out as much light as a car headlight with the rechargeable battery that lasts seven hours. It was a wonderful experience riding through the countryside at night actually being able to see the road. I didn’t think night riding could be so good.

The compulsory flat happened just after Peats Ridge and much to our surprise and pleasure, a car driver stopped and gave us the car headlight to change the tyre.

When we rolled into Hornsby Station I felt in need of a complete body replacement but was amazed that I had done it so soon after my fall.

On Monday morning Marie set about revenge and by Wednesday I realised what I had achieved. Great ride and thanks to Chris, and to Stuart and Bruce whose support was always there.

Hawkesbury Valley Randonnee

The Reluctant 300Lindsay Harvey


Then I had the idea of advertising in the Audax calendar. If I bribed the riders with the promise of brevets, and the possibility of riding a Super Randonneur Series in nine days, then I would have a captive group of riding mates.

Well it worked. Four riders signed up for the whole series: Allan Dickson from Adelaide, Peter Heal from Canberra, Colin Anderson from New Zealand and me. A number of Adelaide and Victorian riders signed up the weekend bookend rides.

PrimoThe first ride, starting on Saturday, was

the choice of a 200 or 400 km loop from Adelaide, or a 400 km ride from Adelaide to Cape Jervis. As well as the Fabulous Four locals, Oliver Portway and Richard Thompson lined up for the 200, and Matt Rawnsley and Garry Wall signed up for the Adelaide 400 km loop.

It was not an auspicious start. We met at Adelaide GPO at 6 am, in the rain, and set off towards Belair. Allan and I survived two sets of traffic lights before the high-speed peloton disappeared into the distance and up the hill. From Belair it was roughly east through Strathalbyn to Wellington, then 100 km north through Murray Bridge and Mannum and beyond before turning west for 20 km, and a long haul of 160 km south-west to Cape Jervis. A raging northerly made life very difficult for most of the day, but of course there would be a huge tail wind to take us home.

I arrived at my northernmost point, Sedan, at 8 pm, an hour ahead of the clock. Not too bad considering the wind. I nicked into the noisy pub for a drink. I really was not there that long, but when I came out a cold change had come through, and there were gale-force winds and rain from the

south-west. As well I had to climb a very steep winding road up onto the ridge of the Adelaide Hills. The combined wind and rain and gradient were beyond my matchstick legs, and I was soon straining to even push my bike up the hill. Even though I had put on my full winter gear the wind-chill was so severe that I was violently shivering as I laboured up. When I reached the top I looked at my watch. It had taken me nearly two hours to get 18 km, and I was now 20 minutes behind the clock. I tried to get back on my bike, but couldn’t find my pedals, and was starting to shiver uncontrollably. I could hear hypothermia calling my name, so staggered into the bush, found a wombat hole, and hunkered down in my space bag. My fingers were so cold that I couldn’t unfasten my helmet. The wind was raging in the trees above. Every couple of minutes a huge gust would start raging through distant trees, and advance with a roar—as much joy as a B-triple that barely misses you on a county road. I wished the wombat

was home and would come and give me a nice warm cuddle. My ride was over.

I dozed, in my helmet, till dawn. The wind was still strong, and I packed and rode off. In less than a kilometre I came to the village of Keyneton, with a nice little primary school, with shelter sheds… I rode the 100 km to Adelaide, had a lovely shower and feed, and good sleep at the YHA. Next morning I had a delightful ride down to Cape Jervis. I was only 27 hours late at the final checkpoint.

Allan was caught out by the weather as well. He huddled in a shop doorway, watching metal advertising boards outside shops being blown along the road like pages of a newspaper. He was only seven hours late at Cape Jervis.

Garry arrived in Mt Barker, and seeing the writing on the wall, booked into a hotel for the night. At least he had a good sleep.

Gran Tourissimo South Australia

A South Australian HolidayChris Rogers

It seemed like a good idea at the time: a week’s holiday on the bike in South Australia in springtime. But none of my riding mates were available, and I really did fancy some company. At first I followed one of those links on my computer promising “companions for all adventures”. On the first day I received 245 marriage proposals from women in Russia, and found that I had 35 billionaire uncles in Nigeria. But no bike riders.

Having conquered Kangaroo Island, Pete, Chris, Colin and Allan return to the mainland


Peter and Colin arrived at Cape Jervis about 4 am. They crawled into their space bags, and waited for dawn in the wind and rain. Peter had tried to open out the state-of-the-art space bag that had served him so well on PBP. The silver lining had fused itself together, and separated from walls of the bag, so he spent several hours trying to keep warm in a clear plastic bag.

By this time Matt, Oliver and Glen were all nice and warm in bed after successfully finishing their rides.

SecondoBy Monday the four series riders had

all caught the ferry across to Kangaroo Island and regrouped at the Penneshaw YHA. There was the chance to relax, catch up on the Internet, and do some minor maintenance on the bikes. Allan, never missing a chance, had spotted some cans of degreaser on special at the supermarket, so decided to give his bike a thorough clean. Not having his home workshop at hand he needed to improvise. Deciding that a stiff brush would improve his cleaning efficiency he reached for the nearest one he saw: the dunny brush from our ensuite bathroom at YHA. I am not sure what colour the bristles were originally, but they were black when I saw them.

The four of us headed off on the 300 km circumcyle of the Island at 6 am Tuesday. It was a pleasant spring day, with light winds. After a stiff climb to get out of Penneshaw the rest of the ride was as flat as a pancake. I found the ride through Flinders Chase National Park a delight. The sections burnt out in recent fires were as barren as a desert, but adjacent unburnt pockets were lush and green, full of wildflowers and the sounds of birds. We all finished this ride in good spirits.

TerzoThe four of us caught the 10 o’clock

ferry over to Cape Jervis on Wednesday for a leisurely ride through the Fleurieu Peninsula and down to Victor Harbor. The countryside was lush and green and a delight to pedal through. We stayed in real luxury in a unit at a caravan park in town.

We left at 6 am on the Thursday morning for the 200 km ride through Goolwa, Strathalbyn and Murray Bridge, and then along the old Princes Highway through the hills to Adelaide. It was pleasant riding, though traffic became a bit thick at school pick-up time in the larger towns. Flying down from Stirling and around the National

Park to Belair, and then down to Adelaide was a nice finale to the week’s riding.

On his return to Adelaide, Peter was horrified to see that his front wheel was starting to self-destruct. That certainly put paid to his 80 km/h down Belair Road. On a standard bike it would be a matter of walking into the nearest bike shop with a credit card in hand, but with his recumbent this was not an easy option for Peter. Fortunately there exists a brotherhood of recumbent riders, and by telephoning one of the true believers he was able to borrow a front wheel for the last ride of the series.

QuartoAfter a rest day on Friday it was time

for the 600 km ride. Hans Dusink, Oliver Portway, John Evans, Richard Scheer and Matt Rawnsley joined Allan and Peter for the ride up to Balaklava and Clare, then across to Berri, and back to Adelaide. Colin and I, and Glen Thompson went for the 200 km latte option.

The weather on the Saturday was brilliant. Once again Allan and I lasted two sets of lights before the peloton faded into the distance. The 600 km riders had a glorious day. Apart from Allan they had booked into motels or caravan parks at Loxton and Berri. Hans says that he had the longest sleep he has ever had on a 600 km ride. Sunday was a bit windier, with light rain at times, and a tough climb up onto the ridge, but most riders finished comfortably in the middle of the afternoon. Allan only got lost once, but recovered brilliantly, surviving on power naps and a huge counter tea in Morgan, to finish with half an hour to spare. Colin, Glen and I were back in Adelaide by mid afternoon, having done our bit for the coffee bean growers of the world.

So our holiday in South Australia had come to an end. It had not worked out quite as hoped for some of us. But Peter rode brilliantly to complete a Super Randonneur Series in nine days in a foreign land. Thanks to the South Australians for letting a Victorian encroach on their patch. In the planning stages there were helpful suggestions galore. When I asked for help parking my car for the duration I had many instant offers (thanks Glen for your assistance here).

But thanks above all to Pete, Colin and Allan for their warm companionship over nine days.

THE TOP END RIDE ROCKHAMPTON TO DARWIN

July 28 – August 24 2009

3000kms in 28 days

• Follow the Tropic of Capricorn into the Outback.

• Longreach, the birthplace of Qantas

• Winton, the town where Waltzing Matilda was penned

• The Mt Isa Rodeo

• Katherine and the spectacular Nitmiluk Gorge

• The cosmopolitan Port of Darwin

• Along the way visit quirky Aussie Outback

• Pubs in tiny Historical Towns

• Small friendly cycling group

• Limited vacancies

Visit: www.cycleacrossoz.com.au Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 9583-5414


About MarkTell us about yourself and your cycling

background.I’m 48, married to Chris, and have two

children, Philip (19) and Elena (17), neither of whom share my love of long-distance cycling; all three are convinced that I’m bonkers. I’ve been a physics teacher, a tax lawyer, a corporate executive, a consultant, and a bike shop owner. I’m still wondering what to do when or if I grow up. I started cycling a lot twelve years ago and completed my first brevet in 1998.

What attracts you to Audax riding?That’s hard to say. I enjoy the challenge. I

like the camaraderie, but I also like riding alone, hearing only my wheels and my breathing on a perfect starry night away from any towns.

How do you balance endurance cycling with family and work commitments?

Through the tolerance of the former and studious ignoring of the latter.

What’s the cycling scene like in Seattle?We have it all: road racing, MTB,

cyclocross, commuting, casual recreation, and best of all, the biggest randonneur club in the US.

And that club is…Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR),

one of the top local randonneur clubs in the world by participation, comparable in many ways with Victoria in Australia and with the British Columbia Randonneurs in Canada. We usually organise two full series of ACP brevets (200 km-1000 km) and a fleche each year, in addition to a few

populaire events of 100 km, and some other events. Every other year, we put on the Cascade 1200. SIR has been in existence for about 15 years and consistently adds new members to its distinctive blue wool jersey-wearing ranks.

About GSR and other 1200sCascade and the GSR are both fantastic

rides and very different from PBP. Why did you come to GSR orginally? And why did you come back?

I came to the 2001 GSR looking for my next challenge. Found it. As for coming back, here’s what I posted in my blog: Since 2001, the gut-gnawing memory of the DNF

(to date my only DNF among ten 1200 kilometer or longer events) and the happier memories of riding and hanging out with the Australians have together exerted a strong pull to go back and ride the GSR again. (Read Mark’s GSR story at: rusa64.blogspot.com)

What other 1200 km rides have you done? What is the stand-out memory of each?

In addition to the GSR (2001 DNF, 2008):

Paris-Brest-Paris (1999, 2003, 2007): glorious for the assemblage of riders from all over the world. The more riders that I’ve met over the years, the more fun it is to go to PBP and meet up with them again.

Boston-Montreal-Boston (2002, 2006): scenic and hilly. Very hilly.

London-Edinburgh-London (2001): miles and miles of country lanes, pages and pages of route sheet cues. Only time I remember getting off my bike to walk down a hill (steep grade on cobbles).

Rocky Mountain 1200 (Canada) (2002): spectacular mountain scenery, great support, my only sub-80 hour 1200.

Cascade 1200 (2005): mountain pass-climbing extravaganza; felt like most difficult of my 1200s.

I’ve also completed eight 1000 km events, mostly SIR events, but also including:

Vancouver Island (1999, 2002): bears.

Interview

Twenty questions with Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas, outgoing president of Randonneurs USA, president of the Seattle International Randonneurs, an organiser of the Cascade 1200, veteran of many Audax rides, and all-around laidback guy, came to Australia recently for his second attempt at the Great Southern Randonnee. This time he was successful, flashing home in a time of just over 80 hours. (Some uncharitable folk suggested he may have been attempting to get away from Peter Donnan’s jokes.) We thought we would seize the opportunity to interview this Audax luminary, so that he could share his valuable thoughts with all of us in Audax Australia. The interview was supposed to be over coffee with Hans Dusink and Barry Moore on a post-GSR recovery ride. In the event, the interview was completed via email.

Mark focused on the task ahead


Portland-Glacier (2007): best and most varied scenery of any long ride that I’ve done.

How did the Cascade 1200 wind up?Only one hospitalisation.

A fine showing by all Australians not named Moore.

About RUSATell us about the structure of RUSA.

How does it work?Randonneurs USA is our national

organisation. Our rides are organised by more than 40 Regional Brevet Administrators (RBAs) that are approved by RUSA. Our members elect six members to our Board of Directors and the RBAs select the seventh. The President and other officers are chosen by the Board of Directors. Directors are limited to two consecutive three-year terms on the board. The work of the national organisation is mostly done by a core group of about three dozen volunteers. The local work of ride organisation is done by the RBAs and their many local volunteers.

So far, the organisation has worked well. For better or worse, our structure relies on individual RBAs, not on a federation of local clubs. This recognises the diversity of local organisations, but does not readily allow for formal recognition of local clubs. This is an area for further development.

RUSA recently celebrated its tenth year. What have been the biggest changes over that time?

We are a relatively young organisation born out of dissatisfaction with a previous national group. RUSA’s founders had the opportunity to learn from the predecessor organisation’s mistakes. Since 1998, we have added a permanents program, added locally homologated events to complement our ACP event calendar, created numerous awards for our members, and increasingly have automated our back office functions.

Audax Australia is introducing the Year Round Randonneur Award, similar to the R-12 award that RUSA has offered for a few years now. What impact has that award had on participation and recruitment of members?

It’s a nice award because it is accessible to riders who may not want to ride over 200 km. It keeps riders engaged in the sport year round. And it has had a synergistic relationship with our permanents program.

Why have permanents taken off in the USA? How do you find they fit with scheduled brevets?

Permanents are popular in the US probably for two main reasons. The first is that permanents create the opportunity for a structured randonneur experience like a brevet, but with scheduling convenience. Riders can supplement their local scheduled calendar with permanents.

The second reason stems from an interplay with a number of RUSA awards. Permanents are frequently used to achieve our R-12 award, granted to riders who complete a 200 km (or longer) event each month for twelve consecutive months and are also used to achieve our 1000 km,

2000 km, 3000 km, 4000 km, and 5000 km distance awards.

What other awards are popular among RUSA members?

The ACP awards (Super Randonneur and Randonneur 5000).

RUSA awards for distance (1000 km to 5000 km). RUSA Ultra-Randonneur Award (recognising completion of ten full series).

The astonished co-worker look on Monday (“but I get tired going that far in a car!”)

What are the particular successes of RUSA recently?

Continued membership growth. Sending 600+ riders to the most recent Paris-Brest-Paris.

What challenges is RUSA facing?Managing our growth and bringing in

both new members and new volunteers.

Randonneur clubs seem to experience a drop-off in numbers in the year after PBP. Is this happening to RUSA this year?

Yes. We’ve seen it after every PBP. I figure some riders get interested in the sport because of the legend of PBP and only come out and ride the events around PBP time. After devoting PBP year to qualifying for, obsessing over, and then travelling to PBP, they then have to do household chores for the next year.

In what ways do you think RUSA and Audax Australia are similar and different?

As noted above, RUSA is organised locally through individual RBAs, not local chapters like you have. The two organisations look similar in their support for the sport and for their members.

We’ve recently had some Australians doing long rides in the US and Canada and some Americans came out for the GSR. Can we do more to get some interaction between Audax Australia and RUSA?

Perhaps if we shared a common language.

And finallyWhat do you think attracts people to

randonneuring?Some are drawn to the challenge; some

are just too slow to race; some have very little common sense.

Anything else you’d like to say in your own defence?

I’d like a last meal, no Vegemite, please.

Mark congratulates Audrey Alder at the end of the GSR


The six starters comprised Mike Clare, Sue May, Duncan McDonald (visiting from New Zealand), Dino Morgante, Martin Pearson and the brevet organiser and peloton leader Dave Minter. Starting and finishing in Rosewood, the route can be followed at tinyurl.com/6mredp.

It was a pleasant ride past Mt Walker and through Harrisville, avoiding the many dirt roads in the area, with views of the Great Dividing Range. These low mountains divide the region, with rainfall either flowing 100 km east to the Pacific Ocean or 1500 km south-west to the Southern Ocean. Most place names on the route, other than the villages of Harrisville and Peak Crossing, comprise only two or three houses, without the delightful bars and patisseries discovered while cycle-touring through Normandy and the Loire Valley after PBP Randonneur brevets. Helpful

winds meant maintaining the schedule was quite easy.

The rest stop at Peak Crossing allowed riders to add more sunscreen and fill their bidons for the return through Mutdapilly. Sightings of a family of kangaroos and a herd of American bison on adjacent farms resulted in a couple of unplanned short stops for photographs.

Some entrants found the return trip quite difficult and a rider used to cooler temperatures withdrew when the thermometer climbed over 30 degrees with headwinds in excess of 30 km/h, even though it was not yet summer. Another, only recently recovered from knee surgery, withdrew rather than cause damage. Sue (a veteran of endurance horseriding competitions but fairly new to cycling) was ably assisted by Mike, Martin and Dave to

finish together in Rosewood in five hours ten minutes total time, only a few minutes slower than planned.

The first Australian 200 km Audax 22.5 brevet took place a week later, also from Rosewood. This year, other Audax 22.5 events up to 300 km will be held in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Next year, Audax Australia hopes to run Audax 22.5 brevets up to 600 km, with an eye on the 2011 PBP Audax. Audax 22.5 events can be found on the Audax Australia website calendar, together with many randonneur brevets (audax.org.au/calendar).

Many thanks to UAF Cycling President Bruno Danielzik and UAF President Jean de Rudnicki for their help in allowing UAF cycling brevets to be held in Australia.

Audax 22.5 First 100

Australia’s First Audax 22.5Dave Minter

Despite its name, since its beginning in 1981 Audax Australia had only organised ACP-style randonnees, never UAF-style Audax 22.5 rides. That situation changed on Saturday 8th November 2008 when the Queensland Region ran the first Australian Audax 22.5 brevet of 100 km to the west of Brisbane.

The Mt Wallace ride has been changed from a classic 100 mile (163 km) to a standard Audax 150 km. About 15 km of flat riding has been cut out of the return trip and the route is even more scenic. This ride is designed and timed to provide suitable training for the Alpine Classic. The start is at 7 am at Country Loaf Bakery 76 Old Geelong Rd, Hoppers Crossing (Melways 206 K2) on Saturday, 19 January.

The routeAfter riding through Werribee and a

steady climb to Balliang the ride becomes serious with a very hard 8 km climb (category 4) from Glenmore to the top of Mt Wallace followed by a brisk descent to

the town of Mt Wallace and a glorious ride through Anakie. After Anakie turn left into Staceys Rd for a fast sweeping ride towards the You Yangs. With the distinctive granite peaks of You Yangs on their left riders head to Werribee and the Werribee Beach, taking in views of Port Phillip and riding through flat market garden countryside before returning to the start/finish.

There are two controles, the first located at the top of Mt Wallace (closing time 10.20 am) and the second at Werribee South Beach (closing time 4 pm).

For a detailed route map see www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/MTWALLACE150.

EntryRegistration is from 6.30 am to 6.50 am.

To save time and for your convenience please fill in the entry form in advance (one form per rider) and have correct entry fee on the day. The entry fee is $10 (entrants who not members of Audax or Cycling Australia will need to pay an additional $5 for temporary membership).

Contact informationFor further information contact the event

organiser, Russell J Freemantle:

Phone: (03) 9395 4963 email: [email protected].

Featured Ride

Mt Wallace 150: New route


My preparation had been poor to say the least. Six weeks before I’d ridden a really tough 400 km alone at Hopetoun and was feeling like my training plan was on track. The next two weeks saw me do no riding due to my organising duties for Mallee Routes. I sneaked in a couple of rides before coming down with the cold from hell. I managed to get in a ride here or there but struggled to average 150 km a week as opposed to the 400+ I’d been betting on prior to Mallee Routes. As the ride approached, it became

clear that I had a persistent chest infection as well. I denied this to everyone of course. Especially myself.

Boom. Off the start line the pace was on. A tail wind and a few hills meant the temptation to match it with the likes of Leigh Patterson and Matthew Rawnsley was high but not irresistible. I let them go only to see them wait for a bunch to form a bit further up the road. The pace out to Queenscliff was hot but not hard. The

tail wind making for some good going and hitting the checkpoint at close to opening time. The food at Queenscliff was sensational and went down quick. We put on some warmer gear and reflectives and the bunch was off again.

The pace wasn’t so hot now but we kept things ticking along. The hills out of St Leonards busted the bunch up a bit but not too much. Through Geelong and back to Aireys Inlet was without incident and I

Great Southern Randonnee

Suffering in stylePeter “NancyBoy” Annear

It had been 22 years since I did a long ride. All I clearly remember about that ride is that it was hard. Really hard. In fact my memories of every ride I’ve ever done of longer than 600 km are of suffering…a lot. So it was with a fair amount of fear and trepidation that I rolled my wheel to the line for the 2008 GSR.

The traditional gravel start. At the front row of the grid: Richard Rossiter, Russell Freemantle, Matthew Rawnsley, NancyBoy, Howard Dove.

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managed to make it back without spending too many of my chips. This was to be our first meeting with the GSR blogging dynamo that is Simon Watt. Inside ten minutes he sucked the contents from our digital cameras and managed to distil the last 209 km into 150 words. The food was again sensational.

At Apollo Bay Gordon and Simon had set up shop in anticipation of our arrival prior to the servo opening which was just as well because we also beat all the shops at Lavers Hill. It would have been a very long session between drinks from Aireys to Port Campbell. The hills through the Otways did their best to bring solid rain but could only drizzle at us. As usual they were tough but not unbearable. Even better, we didn’t have to beat into a ripping headwind from Gellibrand to Port Campbell.

By this time Michael Bentley and I had teamed up and were feeling good about working together. Our basic plans were similar and involved not relying on a whole lot of sleep.

Annoyed at missing breakfast at Lavers Hill, we took the clever option of stopping at a café in Port Campbell for a large greasy breakfast of bacon and eggs. Unfortunately this took forever to arrive so we limped into the controle later than we’d wished only to find that Merryn and the gang were putting on bacon and eggs for breakfast. Drats!

We headed off again, Michael, Matthew, Russell Freemantle and I making reasonable time through the rolling terrain to Cobden.

The ride back to Warrnambool was starting to get hard and we picked up our first persistent head wind, the small hills seeming much harder than they should have. Michael, Matt and I caught ten minutes sleep under a tree in Warrnambool while Russell bought a new headlight to replace the one which had bailed out (in about 200 pieces) during the night.

From there a quick run out to Port Fairy to beat the incoming rain squall and clock up 500 km in just on 24 hours. The good news was the nothing was hurting too much and I didn’t feel too bad. Michael and I set our wake-up time for 10 pm, piled in the food and hit the sack.

At 10 pm I was awoken, started to get dressed and realised I couldn’t hear Michael rousing in the next room. I ran to the kitchen to ask if they’d called him only to hear that he’d been up and waiting for me for an hour. Damn. I threw down more food while dressing, and we were off into the night.

The trip to Hamilton was uneventful with a 15 minute nap in a ditch next to a lonely CFA shed. Hamilton to Dunkeld was a grind into the wind but relief came on the trip through the hills to Halls Gap. This was the best part of the ride for me. Following another short nap in the gutter to keep out of the wind, the sun began to reveal the mountains around us as we rode. The sun touching the tops of the peaks to our left told us that warmth wasn’t too far away. We negotiated the run down to Halls Gap among the myriad wildlife determined to knock us down to be greeted by fantastic porridge from Grant and Pam.

The run out to Moyston and back was nondescript but now we were able to see many other riders on the road and at Grant and Pam’s checkpoint on our return.

The trip back to Dunkeld showed that the distance was taking its toll. The knicks I’d chosen to wear this day were chafing me badly and I was losing concentration. This all came to a head when my bike developed the death wobbles at 80 km/h on the run back down into Dunkeld. This totally threw my confidence and broke my resolve for a few hours. I had difficulty concentrating and made some bad decisions, eventually

Michael Bentley: generous, supportive, strong as an ox

Approaching Mt Abrupt

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dragging into Port Fairy at least an hour later than I should have. I’d managed to bot some cream for my bum, but generally my spirit was low at this time. To be quite honest I was really scared by the nearness of being dumped onto the road at very high speed. Michael was fantastic and dragged me through this patch despite the fact that my woeful progress was keeping him from food and sleep.

At Port Fairy we took another three and a half hours sleep and lots more fantastic food before heading off again into the night. The night was a slog into Cobden just in time for the bakery to fill us with yummy food again. A morning run down into Port Campbell was much easier than I’d hoped and yet more lovely food and repartee from the vollies who’d had much less sleep than us since we’d seen them last.

More head wind to Gellibrand and then up the hill to Lavers Hill, I thought the worst was over. As we headed down from Lavers Hill, we hit a warm patch of air and I realised I was over dressed. The final big climb out of Hordern Vale was hell on earth wearing full long bib-knicks in winter Roubaix fabric. I stripped everything else off and I was still baking from the inside out. I did however get mad and pushed it hard to not lose too much time.

At Apollo Bay I was stuffed and it was only Andy’s toasted tuna, cheese and tomato sandwich which revived me. Michael and I headed off into a stiff headwind me dressed in long bib-knicks and a wind vest only, but feeling much better. The first 15 km was a slog but we were moving. Just after this point Stephen said, “I think the wind’s dropped”. Sure enough it had, and within a couple of minutes we had a rip-snorting tail wind. It ebbed and flowed right through to Aireys but in the main it remained behind us. At times it threatened to knock our wheels out from under us but never seriously. The final climb up to the motel seemed like floating on air and the crew out front cheering us on like sirens calling us onto their rocks.

I must confess, my first thought on finishing was disappointment that it had to end. Yes, it was hard. Yes, my bum had nasty blisters on it. Yes, my legs were aching in places I knew they shouldn’t but I just wanted to do it some more. The reasons for this are many and complex but I’m sure the main ones are Michael Bentley, the support from vollies and other riders and the magnificent route itself.

Michael is the kind of person you always want to find yourself riding with. Generous, supportive, strong as an ox and most importantly able to put up with my instability.

The vollies and other riders were nothing but fantastic. The help in checkpoints in particular made the ride ridiculously easy. Normally eating enough to keep going is my biggest challenge on these kind of rides but on this one I had on offer such a wonderful array of choices that it was never impossible. This was added to with cheerful, witty, intelligent and supportive repartee at every

stop, regardless of the fact that the best I could respond with was often, “Errrr”.

Finally, the country through which we ride is nothing short of awe-inspiring. It’s not hard to soar like an eagle with such wonderful inspiration all around.

On making it home, I’m dealing with the chest infection slowly and trying to earn back a few brownie points from my long suffering wife, Kerrie. Please, no-one tell her about the PAP, just yet.

Suffering in style—NancyBoy savours a reviving red cordial back at Aireys Inlet

Feedback on GSR

I am absolutely awestruck with the spirit of the volunteers who assisted me along the route with their good food, care and attention and humour at every Control. This past Sunday over drinks the conversation wandered to the best Control food. Was it Pam’s homemade bread pudding, or Don’s custard and icecream and peaches, Libby’s pancakes? No matter the favourite, there was an extensive supply of food and good cheer at every stop.

I feel very fortunate to have come so far to meet so many wonderful cyclists and their families. My thanks to all of the organisers and volunteers and to my cycling friends for making this 1200K one of the most special events I have ever participated in. I loved riding in what has to be one of the most beautiful areas of Australia, and I was lucky enough to see an emu, wallabies, a koala, a few lizards, magpies, a kookaburra, and to hear the myriad bird song of the Australian bush. What a wonderful experience! Thank you all so very much.

Plus the GSR medal is really beautiful! I look forward to seeing many of you in Perth in 2010.

– Carol Bell

The ride was spectacular, of course, but what made it really special was the magnificent volunteer support. The food was wonderful and the good cheer of the volunteers was infectious and invigorating. From the sandwiches at Queenscliff to the beer at the end, there was little for a rider to want (spare legs before Lavers Hill on the way back, I suppose, but that’s all right). Nothing for the rider to do but turn the pedals and enjoy the scenery.

Thank you to Peter Moore and all the volunteers for the terrific hospitality.

– Mark Thomas

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Discovering the meaning of “Audax Spirit”

Howard Dove

Riding into Halls Gap right on midday on Wednesday with Kathryn Temby and Steve Lee still feeling strong, it was hard to imagine what was to follow.

After refuelling at the checkpoint I headed out towards the 30 km turn around at Moysten. Within 10 km I started feeling ill and tried to be sick several times. Immediately on arrival at Moysten the first signs of the virus started to show. My body heat was rising and I started to feel weak. Thought I’d cruise the 30 km back to Halls Gap with the wind behind me. Within 5 km my energy had completely drained. By 10 km I was hardly moving and the last 6 km took an hour, constantly stopping and dropping by the side of the road.

Until now I’d never met Damian Mills. Damian selflessly shepherded me back to the checkpoint all the way from Moysten. He ignored my pleas for him to not jeopardise his own ride plan. He got me and my bike off the road every time I lay down (as I was now too sick to care) and patiently stood by without showing any concern about the time.

Once I reached the Halls Gap checkpoint Pam and Grant Palmer took over, doing everything they could to make me feel comfortable. Within minutes the violent bouts of vomiting started and even worse the constant diarrhoea which went on for the next 48 hours accompanied by a very high body temperature.

I informed Bec (my partner) of the situation who had only two hours before she was to start her 600. She refused to start and insisted on coming to pick me up, driving 300 km to get to Halls Gap at around 10 pm. She took over from Pam and Grant and got me through the night, which was spent mainly in the bathroom. We spent the night at the checkpoint, drove back to Anglesea in the morning and spent most of that evening in the bathroom there also.

We joined the others on Friday evening to help them celebrate their achievements at the pub in Anglesea. We’d been there less than 15 minutes when Bec went from 100% to completely white. We made a quick exit to the cabin and within ten minutes the whole process started all over again for the next day, this time though it was Bec. It took us all day to get back to Sydney on Saturday, Bec was in the back seat with a bucket!

Why am I telling you all this? It is because initially I was feeling only the disappointment that any of us go through when not completing, especially when it was my first failure. Then it became a very humbling experience. I’d like those that made sacrifices and helped me to know my gratitude.

Damian, you are truly a gentleman—thank you. Pam and Grant, you could not have done more to help me. You are both beautiful people. Bec, I’m so sorry that after sacrificing your ride to come and collect and nurse me you ended up with the same virus.

I suppose each of us has their own interpretation of what is meant by the term “Audax spirit”. I usually dismissed it as sounding rather starchy, with a kind of military connotation, like the “ANZAC spirit”. Anyhow, from here on “Audax spirit” will mean to me the type of selfless acts that these people performed. In my heart they truly embodied the Audax spirit and I’m very grateful to them for it.


Photos this page1. Service with a smile: Simon Watt sorts out Wayne Hickman’s paperwork.

3. Nick Dale and John Retchford at the start.

5. Hans, Carol (USA), Lisa and Richard really enjoyed the Cobden Bakery.

7. Tom Nankivell, Bob McHugh and Pete Heal at the Moyston turn around. (Yes boys, you may go home now…)

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Souvenirs of four GSRs

Peter Moore

Here are just some memories of the four Great Southern Randonnees so far.

First, and most important, the cheery willingness to give of all the many people involved in checkpoints over the years.

Second, the agony and the ecstasy, sometimes very evident, sometimes sublimated, of all those who have so far attempted the GSR.

And third, the varied countryside. A ride which dips its lid to the lights of Melbourne, skims the Surf Coast, crosses the forests of the Otways, touches the Shipwreck Coast, then pastoral valleys and farms around Cobden. After Port Fairy, almost moorland up to Hamilton, where the views of the Grampians dominate the skyline, drawing the riders into its majestic valleys.

Poor Stig and Bjarne, Danes who came to our great south land in 1998 dreaming of sunshine, but found themselves riding over the Otways in a snowstorm, with just fingerless gloves for protection (who told them the temperature would never drop below 10°C?). Bjarne riding a low gear of 42/21, dragging on a fag at checkpoints.

But for Stig, and Canadian Grant McLeod just behind him, the second and third International Super Randonneur 1200 awards.

At Port Fairy, Lyndon Stacy from Adelaide and his mate Dippy, stringing fairy lights around the hostel front door, partying for three days while the riders came and went.

In 2001 at 4 am, the westerly gale sweeping the rain across the Port Fairy–Hamilton road, conditions no-one should be asked to cycle in. At midday, John Evans, first into Halls Gap, sitting down in the first glimmer of sunshine for two days, remarking on how good the weather had been.

“Bicycle Jim”, from the US, frenetically touring the country as far as the Flinders Ranges—by car—then pulling out of the ride after 200 km to sit on a mountain top in the Grampians.

Oliver Portway riding through the night from Port Fairy to Halls Gap, but unable to drink because his water bottles had frozen.

Colin Mildwater from England and Jorgen Bobenko, stranded in Apollo Bay with broken thumb and broken bike respectively, sharing a room, meals and op shop clothes, before catching the bus back. (No sag wagon!)

Paolo Bagatini, the Brazilian who travelled overseas for the first time, landed in Sydney and rode to Melbourne, on an MTB so heavy no-one could lift it off the ground. Rowan Burns selfless assistance to Paolo, endangering his own chance of completion, until Paolo finally stopped and lit a fire in a fallen tree to keep warm. (Pity we never saw a translation from the Portugese of his story!)

John Evans, bumping across the grass on his fixie to the finish on the oval in Anglesea, packet of fish and chips under his arm.

Michael Bentley taking up the invitation to split wood at Halls Gap, 700 km into his ride.

Latterly we also heard of Damian Mills’ selfless help to an ailing Howard Dove, shepherding him back to Halls Gap from Moyston. Then Howard’s partner Bec, giving up her ride to collect Howard (and getting a dose of the lurgy herself!)

Well done to all!


Photos this page2. Ride organiser, Peter Moore, and Judith Swallow (UK).

4. An interstate group: Tim Stedwick (Tas), Howard Dove (NSW), Dave Minter (Qld), Joel McFarlane-Roberts (ACT).

6. After 700 km, Michael Bentley thought he needed some exercise.

8. Rus Hamilton and Jan Erik Jensen (Sweden) reach a milestone.

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After investigating the Audax Australia website, I clicked on the event and entered without hesitation. I find this spontaneity at entering challenging events works with me, because once I’m entered, I’m committed to the event. The entry fee is paid, the course

description has been read and now the competitive juices begin to flow. I started training for the ride proper in June, leaving myself 4–5 months to harden up and get fit and focus all my training on hills. Long hills, short hills, steep hills, easy hills, hills

at night time. I knew the majority of the ride was hilly and with this being an out and back ride, the hills I’d encounter early on heading south, I’d encounter them coming back between the 1000 km and 1215 km marks. So the ride really had a nasty sting


The Road to 1200Richard Rossiter

The whole idea came about one mild March morning in Albert Park, Victoria, when a good cycling friend enthusiastically informed me of an endurance cycling event coming up in seven months time that was being held along the Great Ocean Road. She openly stated it was 1200 km, and she knew it was something that would capture my imagination. I instantly got excited without knowing basically any information about it. I had no idea of the route, what hills I’d need to traverse, what towns or cities the ride would pass through. Given it was still months away, I’d have ample time to train and give myself a realistic chance of completion. I regard myself as a person who jumps at difficult sporting challenges without really thinking them through first, then just a couple of months out from the event amid some desperate training, actually finally realising just the enormity of the challenge I’d set myself months previous.

Bob McHugh cruising the Great Ocean Road

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in its tail, and I fully realised proper hill climbing strength was essential.

I arrived to the start with plenty of time to spare and all too soon 5 pm rolled around and the start of this epic ride was upon me. We gathered in a group to the entrance of the Aireys Inlet pub, and with little fanfare after some quick clicks of our cameras and a few words of encouragement from friends and locals we were off, heading north along the GOR towards Anglesea.

From the very first pedal stroke the pace was ridiculous. It was as if we were all doing a 15 km individual time trial with $500,000 for first prize, plus a house in Monaco, plus a Ferrari. My speedo was averaging 40 km/h to Anglesea and once up the hill on the other side of town my speedo remained in the high 30s. Gee, I’d be done by tomorrow night, great! But thankfully after 15–20 km commonsense prevailed and a good bunch formed and we rolled eastward toward Barwon Heads and Queenscliff sitting on a more subdued 30–35 km/h.

It truly was a glorious night, moderate tailwind, setting sun on our backs, clouds turning pink and purple as the sun descended and with shadows lengthening myself and seven others rolled into Queenscliff to our first checkpoint after 83 km of comfortable but quite quick cycling.

Riding through St Leonards and Indented Head the lights of Melbourne were clearly visible across Port Phillip to my right, maybe some 50 km away. I can clearly recall thinking my friends will be there, either home in bed or out at the pubs somewhere. As quick as you like Portarlington and Drysdale were behind me and the lights of Geelong were the next on the horizon which was the location of the next checkpoint.

Back to Aireys where I rolled in at 1 am with the same bunch of seven riders after 209 km and seven hours of biking. I opted to sleep for a couple of hours, but was difficult knowing the other riders would leave and create a sizeable gap while I’m hunched up in my car going absolutely nowhere. But I realised too, that this was a very long bike ride and there was hours to play catch up and I know my body and know how good I feel after some sleep. I had to think of the latter stages of the ride and imagine how hard it would be if I wasn’t feeling fresh.

So after two and a half hours I was up and raring to go and left at 3.50 am, but not before quickly checking the number of

bikes still here just so I could get a grasp on what’s going on with this ride. From what I could make out in the dark only three solitary bikes remained. I thought, “I really am left behind.” I knew it’s not a race, but it’s always good to be riding near the pointy end of the field or just with someone. I headed off into the night, where just before Lorne the rain started and actually got quite heavy. Great!

One advantage of riding at night is being able to see bike lights up to 5–10 km away in order to gauge where other riders are, and the open coastal nature of the GOR is no exception. But as I rolled into Apollo Bay 64 km on from Aireys, not another rider had been spotted.

It was on the climb up to Lavers Hill where I met my first rider in five hours, Peter Heal on his recumbent. It must be hard climbing steep hills like these ones, when sitting back in a chair not really being able to exert much power to the pedals.

Not long after arriving at the Port Campbell checkpoint, I was gone, knowing you go nowhere by sitting around and by now the heat of the day was playing its part. As I ascended the long climbs up towards Cobden I was acutely aware that this short stage between checkpoints could be tough with the rough road surface and the long grinding climbs, but I got into a rhythm

and maintained a high cadence, and before long was getting my brevet stamped at the bakery in Cobden.

On to the long straight road to Warrnambool which stretches for 52 km in a south-westerly direction. Every second vehicle that passed me was a truck over 40 m long, with a driver who has little regard for cyclists on his road. Sometimes I felt it was safest to ride among the grass on the side of the road. That stretch to Warrnambool was one of the worst sections on the entire ride, but once Warrnambool was reached only 26 km remained to Port Fairy. Then this bizarre coastal sea mist began to roll in and was as absolutely soaking, something not unlike standing beneath a thunderous waterfall. I had to stop immediately and put on my GoreTex rain jacket. It really was a bizarre phenomenon, but probably an occurrence that happens on a regular basis with its close proximity to the huge expanse to the wild, untamed Southern Ocean.

I rolled into Port Fairy at 6.35 pm and was welcomed by the Audax caterers and the time keeper who allocated bunks to sleep in and he was mine and everybody else’s very own alarm clock. You named the time at which you chose to get up and this guy never let anyone down, so I told

‘alarm clock man’ I’d like to be woken in three hours. The men and women from Audax who were cooking the meals and

Richard Rossiter and Leigh Paterson tackle a railway crossing

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keeping the whole checkpoint functioning were absolutely fantastic. They’re all riders themselves so understand what food and drink we all crave for once we reach these checkpoints and understand how we were all feeling.

Once I demolished more macaroni and pumpkin soup and chased it down with two cans of creamed rice it was time to go. I left Port Fairy right on 12 am and rolled through town and realised I was the only person out here. One kilometre out of town I spotted two flashing red tail lights in the distance and gave chase. I caught Tim Stredwick and Kerri-Ann Smith and joined them. They were riding at a good constant, comfortable pace talking all the time and obviously extremely experienced in this form of endurance cycling. The cycling was easy here, slight tailwind and a very mild night made this section enjoyable.

The lights of Hamilton reflected in the sky never seemed to get closer, but eventually we made it to Robco’s 24 hour Caltex store and the next checkpoint. After a pie, a coffee and a Red Bull, all three of us stretched on the not-so-clean floor and got weird looks from truckies wondering why the hell are three adults dressed in lycra with reflective vests on stretching and lying all over the filthy floor of a servo at 5 am on a chilly Wednesday morning.

After a while we ventured outside and it became very apparent the temperature had dropped considerably. Battling into a stiff northerly headwind made the uphill grind that little bit harder. Kerri-Ann and Tim were riding well and were strong, plugging away into the teeth of this wind but I felt like having a powernap. The temperature

dropped a couple more notches as we all rolled into Dunkeld. Now we were all tired. It was time for a quick powernap. Kerri-Ann and Tim took the rock-hard floor of the baby change toilet, while I had ten minutes sleeping on the toilet in the men’s. It must’ve looked hilarious, sitting on a toilet, fully clothed, bike helmet still on, lights on my helmet like some creature from outer space with my elbows resting on my thighs with my head resting in the palms of my hands.

I ventured outside and Tim’s and Kerri-Ann’s bikes were still lying on the ground beside the road. I decided to leave with 64 km to go to Halls Gap and an uphill battle on my hands. The time was 6.45 am when I entered the magpie stronghold along the Halls Gap and Victoria Valley Road. These two frisky magpies swooped and dive-bombed me for 500 m and they managed to get a few good pecks at my helmet. Reports from the road stated that almost every rider suffered a similar fate at the wings of the magpies.

I reached Halls Gap at 9.45 am on Wednesday. After more fantastic Audax hospitality from our hosts at Halls Gap with pasta, bread and butter pudding, and toast with a choice of about six jams, tea and coffee. This place was like an oasis in the middle of the bush, a beautiful little home nestled

amid the gums and grass. I continued on for 35 km into a nasty headwind to Moyston and the turnaround point at 712 km, when 10 km out Peter Annear and Michael Bentley cycled past me in the opposition direction. I waved and yahooed to them and they did the same back to me. They were going well and obviously enjoying each others’ company and the great scenery.

At Moyston, my brevet stamped, I turned the bike around with the knowledge I was now on the run ‘home’, even though home was 500 km away. During the return journey back to Halls Gap, a huge gaggle of riders were making the trip out to Moyston. I ate a big lunch and drank a lot knowing the day was going to really heat up and I also needed to think of tomorrow.

Before this ride, a friend who did Paris–Brest–Paris in 2007, asked me if Matthew Rawnsley was doing the ride. I didn’t even know who he is, and it wasn’t until eating lunch at Halls Gap that I worked out who this Matthew Rawnsley is. You can’t help but respect someone who’s ridden 11 × 1200 km rides. This ride was his 12th. Incredible.

I left with a belly full of food, feeling great and making good progress back towards Dunkeld. I looked behind and made out a figure on a bike closing-in rapidly. “My God, this guy’s flying”, I thought. He caught me and we chatted for a short while. It was Matthew Rawnsley. Quite obviously his pace was much quicker than mine and I told him don’t wait for me and he shot off like a scud missile. Two minutes later he was a dot on the road and five minutes later I had an empty open road in front of me again.

I found a superb magpie protection branch that I held above my head as I

zoomed through the danger zone. Not a magpie in sight?

On the road to Hamilton Leigh Paterson passed me and looked smooth and comfortable. I limited the size of the gap to maybe 40 m and we both then rolled into the caravan park in Hamilton to another checkpoint. Kerri-Ann, Tim and Matthew were all there eating and relaxing.

Peter Heal and Stephen Chambers set off, cheered on by Chris Rogers

Volunteers at Port Fairy: Libby Haynes, Helen Lew Ton, Enid Halton and Don Halton

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Eighty-two kilometres lay between here and sleep and I biked this section strongly. The lights of Warrnambool were bright out to my left, but I was more interested in the lights of Port Fairy and they weren’t getting any closer. The road just zig zags its way to Port Fairy rather than taking a nice direct route. I’ve never known a ride to drag on like this particular section. Anyway, 23 hours and 426 km later I reached Port Fairy and got my brevet stamped and begin to eat with Matthew on the other side of the table from me digging into whatever’s on offer from the kitchen. So 925 km had been covered with just one more day left to ride. I climbed into my top bunk, which was an effort, but knowing if I have a good sleep I’ll

be strong and well rested for a good final day tomorrow.

I biked strongly to Warrnambool and that’s when the rain came but the temperature was mild so it didn’t matter and the lure of the Cobden Bakery was like a jewel at the end of the road.

At Port Campbell, I saw Kerri-Ann and Tim leaving the checkpoint, so I knew that once I’m done with all my eating and loading up my backpack, they’d be maybe 20 minutes up the road ahead of me. Matthew was sitting at the table eating with a few others. I filled my backpack full of gels, bars and bananas and refilled my water bottles

then ate some soup and left before Matthew had moved from his chair.

I planned on drinking all my water and fluids before the Twelve Apostles which is 10 km up the road, then stop and refill them for the long climb up to Lavers Hill. That plan worked well until a whole bus load of Japanese tourists decided to use the toilets at the exact same time as me. I had a fight on my hands—I was ambushed and couldn’t get to the hand basins to fill up my water bottles. There was about 40 of them and me in a very confined space and they didn’t understand I was in a bit of a rush.

The long steep descent down to the Gellibrand River was a thrill, and once across the bridge the long climb followed that led up to Lavers Hill. That’s where I came across Kerri-Ann and Tim making their way in the heat and I offered words of encouragement as I biked past.

The last big downhill before Marengo was a blast, but couldn’t race down at full speed due to dangerous crosswinds. I didn’t fancy coming off my bike at 75 km/h with just 64 km remaining to ride. I arrived at Apollo Bay and carried my bike upstairs into the surf club so no one who steal it from outside. I didn’t have enough money for a cab fare back to Aireys Inlet. Peter Heal was sitting at a table eating. He must’ve done well pushing his recumbent up and over all those steep hills. Matthew arrived about 20 minutes after me at 6.30 pm.

I left dead-on 7 pm with 64 km to go. What a beautiful night it was, quite mild with a southerly tailwind and a gold coloured setting sun directly behind me. I passed Peter just past Kennett River as he was switching on his lights. The road surface is superb and the hills aren’t bad after what we’ve all had to deal with over the previous four days. I reach Lorne with 15 km to go. Under the Memorial Arch which marks the beginning of the GOR I biked, then up the hill to Fairhaven, across the river then up the final hill of the ride and into the last 200 m I could see the sign that said “Lightkeepers Inn” which signified the finish. I rolled in and got my brevet stamped at 9.11 pm on Thursday. The ride was truly fantastic. It’s a wonderful course and I thank all the guys from Audax for working so hard and making the whole event a huge success. And thanks to all the riders for battling through the course and anyone who completed their respective distance be it 300, 600, 1000, or 1200 km you are all champions. See you all next time in 2011.

In the gathering dusk Richard rides the last leg from Apollo Bay, near Mt Defiance.

Phot

o: Ju

dy S

canl

on


In a moment of inspiration the National Committee has decided to allow ride organisers and volunteers to complete the ride in a window two weeks either side of their event being run. Some weeks beforehand one of my riding mates, Martin Haynes, said that he and Libby would be doing support on the GSR, and that he wouldn’t mind riding the 1200 km before the real thing. Would I be interested? Would I be interested! So there it was: the best of two worlds.

After discussing things with Peter Moore it was worked out. Martin and I would attempt the 1200 km ride, while Libby would do some research for the GSR. We booked motels and YHA hostels at Aireys Inlet, Port Campbell and Halls Gap for the duration. Libby would do her research, and some touring, then set up the accommodation each day. The plan was that when Martin and I arrived we would ring Libby on our mobiles, and she would let us in for some hot food, a shower and a good sleep.

Martin and I set off at 6 am on a Thursday on the first loop around the Bellarine Peninsula. The weather was excellent. It was overcast till noon, with almost no wind. As the sky cleared a light wind rose, but not enough to cause trouble. We were both in high spirits when we arrived at the Geelong 24-hour café checkpoint. I think that the woman working there must have borne the brunt of the disappointment of a thousand Cats fans for the last few weeks, because she didn’t seem too happy at first. But Martin and I were our usual cheery selves, and she perked up a lot. As we about to leave she said, “Why don’t you stay here all day? I will sign all those spots on your card.” But we were on a roll, so declined.

It was a glorious ride along the Great Ocean Road. Martin and I had dinner together at Lorne. From here on we decided to ride independently to Port Campbell because of our different strengths.

I knew that Lavers Hill was going to be hard for me. In the past I have been able to ride all three approaches, but after having ridden 300 km already there was no chance this time. So I hoofed most of the climb.

It was freezing on top of the hill. I sat for a while in the disabled toilet trying to get warm, but it wasn’t working at all, and I was worried about the coming wind-chill as I raced downhill. I headed off. Libby had warned us that the road downhill was in poor condition, and it was a total shocker with huge pot-holes, and the whole bitumen

surface washed away in places. So it was a slow descent, but at least that reduced the wind-chill.

The ride along the GOR from here with a full moon was magic. I arrived in Port Campbell with just over an hour to spare. Libby and Martin had left the door unlocked, so I slipped into bed for a 40 minute sleep. Little did I realise that this would be my last sight of a bed for three days.

After a quick shower and breakfast we were off again, in a hurry. The road to Cobden certainly is undulating, and Martin and I worked hard to arrive at the checkpoint with a bare two minutes to spare. But a nice hot coffee and snack cheered us up no end.


The Vollies’ RideChris Rogers

On my shelf there are a number of books that almost everyone knows: 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die, 501 Books You Must Read, 101 Albums You Must Hear… I also have a slim volume: 21 Rides You Must Do Before You Die. Trouble is that it is in code: PBP, PAP, AAC, GSR… One ride I really wanted to do was the Great Southern Randonnee. As I am getting on a bit, it really had to be this year or never. There was a dilemma, however. Four years ago on the GSR I worked with Bob Bednarz as a volunteer at the Port Fairy checkpoint, and it was such a great experience that I would have loved to do it again. But one cannot be in two places at once, so in went the ride entry form.

Mandatory flash photo: Martin and Chris prepare to sally forth

Phot

o: L

ibby

Hay

nes


misty rain began to fall. From the bakery I rang Libby and Martin in the motel in Port Campbell saying I hoped to see them as I passed through. Arriving there it was great to see smiling faces and have a yarn and hot food. I have decided that when I write my book 1001 Breakfasts to Eat Before You Die page one will be hot toasted muffins with Libby’s home made grapefruit marmalade.

Because Lavers Hill was looming before me I left straight after breakfast with two hours up my sleeve. I knew I would need it. I did, but was still a contender. After a good hot dinner in Apollo Bay there was only the Great Ocean Road. Sounds easy. It wasn’t. It was the low point of the ride for me. One of my metal pedal clips had broken off, so I basically had only one foot with complete control. In the dark it was up to a headland, down to a creek, up to a headland, down to a creek… I had no idea exactly where I was. But eventually I reached Lorne, and Aireys Inlet was only 12 km away. Libby and Martin were waiting for me, and gave me a Right Royal welcome. Just under an hour to spare was fine by me. I had a midnight snack with Libby and Martin, then a long hot shower, and then a glorious sleep in the vast expanse of a Queen-sized bed.

Being a rather marginal Audax rider in adverse conditions the Great Southern Randonnee was never a certainty for me. But the weather was kind. Perhaps it is the advancing years, and perhaps it was the hills, but the GSR certainly seemed a more difficult ride to me that PBP.

So, thanks to Peter for organising the brilliant GSR, and allowing a Vollies’ GSR. And thanks above all to Libby and Martin for their company along the road, and wonderful companionship over the four days. I am not sure that I would have kept going without their enthusiastic support. At times I had felt like swapping my bike for a surfboard and spending the rest of my life as a surfie bum on the Great Ocean Road.

Jim Chant also completed the Vollies’ GSR in the week after the main event.

The road to Hamilton is long and straight and was a nice relief after the earlier hills. The weather was warming up, but the winds were benign.

We stopped at a servo in Warrnambool for a cool drink and sandwich. The heat was rising, so we stripped down, then headed off, a bare half hour up on the clock. Five kilometres down the road to Port Fairy I realised that something was amiss: no bumbag! No iPod, no mobile phone, no credit cards, no cash, no brevet. I had taken the bumbag off, put it on top of gas bottle cage outside the servo shop so that I could take my longs off, and left it there. There was no way it would still be there. I screamed in anguish, shouted at Martin to ride on, and flew back into Warrnambool. Already some grotty kid would be listening to my iPod—well most of it is classical, that will teach him. His mate would be talking to his girlfriend in Alaska on my mobile—well mobiles cause brain damage, that will teach him. I got every red light into town. I would have to go to the police to report the loss. My GSR was over.

But it was where I left it. Intact. I kissed the sky, praised the Lord, and commended modern youth on its honesty. Then I rode like the wind to get to Port Fairy. I made it with 20 minutes to spare. Martin had long gone.

There was a delightful tail wind all the way to Hamilton, and then to Dunkeld. By then I had ridden 600 km on 40 minutes sleep, but at least now the average speed was down to 11.33 km/h. I had built up over sixty minutes on the clock, and hoped to get to the YHA at Halls Gap for a good rest. But halfway through the Grampians I got really tired. I tried a couple of power naps, but they weren’t working. In the end it was obvious that I needed real sleep, so I unrolled the silver space bag, and slept on the side of the road for an hour and a half.

It was pretty darn cold when I woke, but I felt really fresh and flew up to Halls Gap. There were lots of ’roos crashing through scrub beside the road, and a few crossed the road in front of me. But the greater hazard was smaller dark-brown wallabies which propped in the middle of the road. Twice I had to brake heavily and steer around them.

I arrived at Halls Gap 40 minutes up, still time for a brief rest. I finally found the YHA, and whipped out the mobile to ring Libby to let me in. Good one, no mobile reception.

So I rode back to the post office to use the public phone. Good one, it didn’t accept coins, and I didn’t have a telecard on me. Feeling OK, I decided to roll down the hill to Moyston. There I unrolled the space bag in the picnic area, and had another good hour’s sleep. I was woken by the Hound of the Baskervilles being walked by an elderly couple, and it was not at all happy with a huge silver slug sleeping on its patch. I had a litre of milk for breakfast at the Moyston store, did a U-turn, and headed for home.

Just beyond Halls Gap a familiar white car pulled over in front of me. Ah, Libby, I thought. But four legs got out of the car instead of the two expected. And one leg was clearly limping. Martin had decided to pull out at Halls Gap with very sore quadriceps. Having already ridden two brilliant 1200 km rides this year had taken its toll.

After a wonderful late breakfast with Libby and Martin on the road I continued on. The weather was becoming very hot, but the wind was a tailer. By Dunkeld the heat was intense, and a strong cross/head wind made the section to Hamilton very difficult. It was so hot that the tar in the road shoulder had melted and was filled with air bubbles. When forced to ride on the shoulder I heard a high-speed popping that sounded like Rice Bubbles on drugs.

After Hamilton I just had to get out of the heat, so pulled off into the shade of a huge cyprus hedge for a long power nap. When I woke the wind had swung slightly to the south, and it was noticeably cooler. I rode on towards Port Fairy and into the night, but became very tired again, so slept in the space bag for an hour on the side of the road.

It was quite cold when I woke, with a strengthening south-westerly wind. After a midnight snack in Port Fairy it would be a tail wind towards Cobden, then the undulating ride down to Port Campbell for at least an hour in a lovely soft bed. But once again I had to pull over for an hour’s sleep, in Warrnambool. As I rode on towards a welcome breakfast latte in Cobden a light

Chris on the Great Ocean Road Phot

o: L

ibby

Hay

nes


Again I would like to thank all those who returned a PBP survey (75 respondents). The large number of responses contributes to more representative data. Despite a record numbers of entrants, homologations were similar to 2003. The rate of failure to homologate rose from 13% in 2003 to 32% in 2007!

In the Spring Checkpoint it was revealed that those with the greatest success in homologating were:

84 hour starters (78% vs. 66% • homologation, see chart 2), Riding regular bicycles (68.2% vs. 55% for • speciales, see chart 3)On average about two years younger • than non-homologues (Average age 48.1 vs. 50.2)

Other differences can be seen in previous experience, navigation and equipment choices, sleep strategies

Previous experiencePrevious PBP experience was found

to be significantly lower amongst those succeeding in homologating! (chart 4).

Only 25% of homologues indicated they had previously completed PBP while 45% of the non-homologating entrants indicated previous PBP experience. Similarly completion of 1000 km or longer brevets was also lower amongst homologues. Only 39% of homologues indicated they had previously completed a 1000 km or longer brevet while 45% of the non-homologated entrants indicated previous 1000 km brevet experience.

NavigationWrong turns, extra distance, lost timeFew respondents indicated (or admitted)

they had made more than one wrong turn.

Surprisingly homologues made about twice as many wrong turns as non-homologues.

On average each homologues made approximately one wrong turn compared with about one in two for non-homologated riders. The extra distance due to wrong turns was similar for both at a bit over 5 km, however, homologues reported losing less time as a result of their wrong turns.

Homologues generally indicated more problem with navigating (chart 5), a greater tendency to follow other riders (chart 6) and rely on navigation arrows (chart 7).

GPSOnly one rider indicated they had used

GPS during the event.

Route notesRiders mostly indicated they did not use

the route notes, one entrant wrote that their route notes arrived in Melbourne after they had departed for Paris.

Navigation arrowsThe data indicates that most riders had

little trouble seeing navigation arrows during the day (chart 8). Homologues indicated a little less trouble than the non-homologues. Homologues however found night time location of navigation arrows more difficult than the non-homologues (chart 9).

SleepIt has been said that it is a mistake to

sleep before Loudéac (449 km). The survey responses showed that homologues were less likely to sleep before Loudéac (chart 10). A successful strategy or an indication of a greater distance covered before the need to sleep set in?

On average homologues had significantly less sleep (chart 11), slept less often and when they did sleep they slept longer. Non-homologues had more power naps than

homologues while homologues typically had sleep of over 1.5 hours duration (chart 12).

EquipmentCarrying systemThe responses indicate that large seat bags

were the most popular carry system and in many cases the sole means of stowage, especially amongst homologues. Rack-top bags were the next most popular carrying system. Probably due to the larger sizes now available, bidon storage tubes were also popular both as supplementary carrying capacity and some riders using these as there sole form of stowage. My impression was that generally the homologues appear to have traveled lighter that the non-homologues.

WaterOn average homologues carried a little

less water at 1.72 litres vs 1.075 litres for non-homologues. Water was not in short supply; plenty of water fell from the sky!

Primary lighting systemVery illuminating, clearly LED’s dominate

(chart 13), while 80% of homologues used batteries (chart 14) and 95% of homologues indicated they were satisfied with their lights (chart 15).

Helmet useHelmet wearing is non-compulsory in

most European countries. Whilst only six riders rode without helmets it is noted that five of the six were successful in homologating.

SummaryThe riders that succeeded in homologating

were more likely to:be an 84-hour starter (78% vs 66% • homologation), ride a regular bicycle (68.2% vs. 55% for • speciales) be on average about two years younger • than non-homologues (average age 48.1 vs. 50.2)have not completed a previous PBP, • 1000 km or 1200 km brevethave fewer sleeps but of longer duration• use battery powered lights• travel lighter and carry a little less water • (average 1.72 litres vs. 1.975 litres)

Sante!

More lessons from PBPTraining NotesRussell J FreemantleTraining Secretary

2003 2007

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Chart15:Lightingadequate


The group left Dapto at 7 am under slightly overcast skies and headed south down the Princes Highway towards Albion Park and the looming bulk of Macquarie Pass. Hardly any breeze at this point, and the early hour meant that traffic was still quiet. A rush of blood to the head saw me break away from the group a couple of kilometres from the base of the pass but I stopped to help another cyclist who needed a lend of an allen key as he’d popped a spoke and wasn’t carrying any tools. The group rode past making polite enquiries.

I remounted and followed the path of the group and commenced my own ascent of the pass. I was, at the beginning, nervous; the pass had thwarted me before, it had intimidated me. But this time I was determined to make it. I dropped into my lowest gear and just focused on the road in front of my wheel, and before I knew it I was moving inexorably upward. I’m not sure when I stopped worrying and started enjoying the climb, perhaps near the top, but the view was grand and the sense of achievement was very satisfying. Only 170 km more to go.

From Robertson the route undulates towards Tallong, passing through the quaint townships of Moss Vale and Sutton Forest before the first controle at the Old Bicycle Shop Café in Bundanoon. The overcast conditions of earlier were clearing however a gentle nor’easter gave us a fair ride along the Illawarra Highway before taking the left at Sutton Forest, through Exeter and over some challenging undulations to Bundanoon.

This part of the Southern Highlands is pretty posh and the road is lined with immaculate hedges hiding park-like

grounds and Tudor-style mansions. The anglophilia was a bit incongruous with the temperature nudging up towards 30 degrees and the song of cicadas ringing loudly across the lawns. Maybe winter captures the effect more appropriately, still the locals must like it and there were plenty of nice cafés for refreshments.

The control at Bundanoon was conveniently located at the Old Bicycle Shop Café which gave us a chance to fuel up on coffee, cake and an egg and bacon roll for the road. I was feeling strong at this point and happily sucked Richard’s and David’s wheels for the 25 km to the turnaround beneath the railway bridge. Barry had warned me at the control that this stage would be pretty dull but I enjoyed the view and the changing landscape as the route took us away from the rolling pasture and towards the gorge country with its rockier soils.

The turnaround point was a couple of kilometres past Tallong beneath the railway overpass, and those two kilometres seemed to be the longest kilometres of the morning. The road dips below the railway and taking Dave’s advice to not stop at the bottom of a dip, I coasted up the other side and paused

to eat my bacon and egg roll, still nicely warm from the café in Bundanoon.

It was beginning to get rather hot. As the temperature continued to climb, I began to wilt and quickly fell off the back of the group on the road back to Bundanoon. Being alone was probably for the best as I began to talk

aloud to myself and point out the interesting things around me and the various environmental conditions. I noted that the slight tailwind that had pushed us to Tallong was now pushing me back to Tallong which was really unnecessary and I wished it would stop. Conversely the headwind was having a cooling effect which was welcomed, so I just dropped down a gear and got on with the ride.

I also noted for the first time some orange gladioli growing by the side of the road. At first

I only noticed a few of them but there were hundreds, thousands even! I wonder how they got there. I was also wondering how I missed them on the way out.

These distractions were good at taking my mind off the growing aches and pains that began to make themselves apparent: sore knee, sore left foot, lower back pain and an arse of fire. To distract myself from the pain and the cries of the little voice inside my head begging me to stop, I set myself goals and celebrated their achievement with small rewards. I find this type of thing helps my motivation. For example, if I got to Bundanoon by 12.30, I could stop for five minutes and take some Vitamin I. Sure enough I made it to Bundanoon and had a break, topped up the spinal tap and took the Ibuprufen.

Refreshed and comfortably numb I headed onwards to the second controle at

My first brevet

Tallong Ride, 2008Grant White

I had ridden on a couple of 100 km populaires before but this was to be my first officially sanctioned brevet, and the longest I had ever travelled on my bicycle. The route was a straightforward out and back, along the Illawarra Highway, up Macquarie Pass and then across the Highlands to Tallong.

Grant contemplates the Macquarie Pass


Moss Vale. Rejoining the Illawarra Highway was a sign of progress, but saw heavier and faster traffic as the day trippers emerged and generally less invigorating riding conditions. As a bonus, the skies began to cloud over and the temperature dropped a few degrees. There was even a bit of thunder about as I pulled into Moss Vale and coasted towards the second controle. I found the rest of the group sprawled comfortably on the lawn watching the local teens at play and scoffing down various dietary supplements from the fish and chip shop across the road.

The group slowly left, first with Maria who was promising to plod along then the rest of us. With only a mere 56 km to go it was nearly over and 10 km of that was going to be down Macquarie Pass! Buoyed by that thought I set off with Barry and Martin while Barry reminded me that there were a few nasty-ish, uphill-ish bits before the downhill bit. He was right.

Eventually though, after what seemed like an hour, I had ridden through Robertson and was perched on the brink of the descent of the pass. I pulled over to savour the moment, admire the view, take a couple of photos and check the brakes and load before heading down.

The descent was invigorating, so mentally I felt great but physically, my posterior was a real liability, and I was beginning to welcome the hills, just so I could get out of the saddle. I caught up with Maria as she was just entering Albion Park and rode with her for a while but had to stop at Yallah to rest my bum. So close but yet so far. I trudged on, plodding now up the Princes Highway towards Dapto when Martin and Barry caught me and together we made it back at 5.55 pm, just short of 11 hours elapsed since we began.

It was a great day, my first 200 km. Thanks to Barry, Henry, Richard, Dave, Maria and Martin for sharing it with me. I realised when I got home that the ride also completed my Nouveau. No longer pretending, I could call myself audacious!

History

Who was… … Joseph Pearson?

Born in 1849 in Sydney, in the late 1860s he began competing in pedestrian events and learned to ride a ‘boneshaker’ (possibly the colony’s first cyclist) before marrying in 1870. The year 1882 was significant Pearson: getting a high wheeler (‘penny farthing’), taking up cycle racing and admiring Britain and Europe’s maps and direction signs during a trip. After becoming as a draper in the 1880s (opening a men’s clothing store in 1889), his interest eventually shifted to cycle touring and he began tallying odometer mileages and noting NSW road conditions and accommodation.

Riding over 5500 km in Britain and Europe in 1893, he was inspired to persuade fellow cyclists (and eventually motorists) “…to get into our wide spaces.” In 1896, Pearson lobbied for improved signage and published the first NSW roadmaps (Cyclist’s Touring Guide of New South Wales), also helping found the NSW Cyclist’s Touring Union. He continued compiling the colony’s roadmaps and guides and advised the Government when the Tourist Bureau was formed in 1905. One of the first cyclists to climb Mt Kosciusko and an executive member of many cycling clubs, he’d probably ridden more than a quarter of a million kilometres before quitting cycling at 73. Pearson published Reminiscences Including Cycling Experiences in 1925 and 1933 and died in 1939 in Sydney.

More details about Joseph Pearson can be found at tinyurl.com/6559vn and tinyurl.com/6gg4s9, and in Jim Fitzpatrick’s entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, 1988 p. 187.

… Arthur Richardson?Born in 1872 in Recife, Brazil, his family moved to Port Augusta in South Australia when

he was very young. Richardson worked in agriculture and mining in Western Australia before riding from Coolgardie to Adelaide in 1896, following the Telegraph Line. He was the first to pedal across the Nullarbor, describing the heat as “1000 degrees in the shade” and judging the 24 miles of sandhills west of Madura Station as “the worst in Australasia”. In February 1900, he was the first to circumnavigate Australia; the 11,500 mile ride clockwise from Perth in June 1899 was recorded in his book, Story of a Remarkable Ride. He had beaten Alex White and Donald Mackay to the record by a month. Alex White and brother Frank had started counter-clockwise in July 1899, Mackay joining them in Brisbane after mining commitments had prevented him riding with them from their Melbourne start.

Not much is known about Richardson’s riding after he left Australia. After three years in the South Australian militia, he went to the Boer War as a bicycle scout or dispatch rider but left the service a few months later with a broken arm. He worked in West Africa and South America before being badly injured in World War I, spending two years in hospital. Richardson became seriously disturbed by his injuries and shot his second wife and killed himself in Scarborough, England in 1939.

More details about Arthur Richardson can be found at tinyurl.com/6anjyk and in Jim Fitzpatrick’s entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, 1988 p. 379. You can find a photo of Richardson after his Nullarbor ride at tinyurl.com/5ojjpj.

—Dave Minter

I pulled over to savour the moment, admire the view,

take a couple of photos and check the brakes and load

before heading down.


The day dawned clear and sunny. All riders headed out from the sports ground at Hopetoun together. A peloton of close to 30 riders hummed along at about 28 km/h for the first leg. The only wind discernible was the whirr of the wheels and the banter with fellow riders. Being from the ACT, it was great to chat with and put faces and characters to Victorian and South Australian names we knew from Checkpoint.

First stop Warracknabeal. We drained and refilled both bidons; with a forecast of 28 degrees, we knew we’d have to keep hydrated. Riders with big distances on their

minds got going after a quick refuelling; others stayed to chat a bit more. As we turned north-east, about ten riders settled into a double paceline. A breeze started up off our left shoulders. Pretty yellow canola fields were interspersed with struggling grain crops. The land around was relentlessly flat. Already the conditions were getting tough as the heat and wind both rose. Birchip was a welcome stop–Kirsty had laid out full provisions under the shade of a large tree.

Keen to cover distance, our bunch prepared to move off. The second bunch arrived, looking good. As we headed north from Birchip, we moved closer to the face

of the north-westerly wind. It strengthened. We rolled along sharing the load, the front riders taking the brunt until rolling off anticlockwise and gradually drifting back along the windward side until reaching the relative protection of the right hand line and making their way forward to again become the lead rider. Some dropped off the pace, and others turned west to complete their 200s. We were glad to reach the friendly support of Kerrie at Apex Park in Sea Lake. Never did icy orange segments taste so good. We forced ourselves to eat something more substantial.

Mallee Routes

So much for an easy 600…Kerri-Ann Smith

We had vague delusions of capping-off our GSR training by a nice, relatively easy 600. We’d done the hilly one out of Sydney and the windy one out of Canberra. Let’s head west into the sun and out of the hills. It was organised this year by Peter Annear and a crew of wonderful helpers, with rides from 100 to 600 km.

Returning to Hopetoun


From here our smaller bunch split again. Matthew, Leigh and Michael went ahead. Peppe, Russell and I followed. Mark dropped off our pace. We crossed the tail end of Lake Tyrell, using the term ‘lake’ loosely. The dry salt pan is apparently mined for salt. I wondered how the small grey bushes growing on the lake bed cope with such high salt levels. We formed a tight, three-person echelon across the road to take turns in pushing through the increasingly ferocious wind. Here the conditions were most extreme: high winds and searing temperatures in the high 30s. We heard later that many had had to pull out on this stretch. No surprise. Michael decided the pace was too brisk so waited for us under the shade of a tree. We continued to work together to get through. At times, red sand blew across the road from the west and sandblasted our legs. Peppe was out of water and feeling pretty crook.

We arrived at Manangatang at the same time as the support, Gordon, Leigh and Matthew had not long arrived. While Gordon set up, we got water, ice-cream, coke and iced coffee. It was so hot. We forced ourselves to eat. A young girl showed off her nanna’s bike as she rode rapidly up and down the street numerous times telling us she’d been riding all day and wasn’t even tired! A future Audaxer? Gordon checked that none of us needed any mechanical attendance—we directed him to the girl whose chain was in bad need of oiling and mudguard desperate for a screw or two.

Then the six of us headed off west together. Sadly, the wind did not die down with the setting sun but seemed to be more directly coming from the west now. I decided the pace was too quick and Michael stayed with me. I urged him on to catch the others. As it was, Peppe and Russell sat up for me and the two smaller groups continued. This was our only stretch of main highway and it wasn’t too bad.

At Ouyen, Simon and volunteers were there for us. And another amazing Victorian toilet. It might seem like a little thing, but the quality of toilets in Victorian towns is great: clean, operational and in this case with automatic lights!

Then on to Walpeup and the best supper ever, put on by Les. Riders were getting tired. Although Leigh, Matthew and Michael were already at the caravan park, they were in no hurry to get away. Some even had a kip on the concrete floor (amazing how comfortable concrete can be).Finally, we

headed off south. But has the wind swung towards the south? I’m in remote control now, just turning the legs around. Only a short stop at the Patchewollock checkpoint and we were on our way, bed screaming out to us. The group of six split finally into three lots of two as we headed home at our own pace. Michael and I stopped and turned our lights off, gazing at the incredible stars that flooded the sky and adjusting our eyes to the mallee trees beside the road.

We arrived at Hopetoun at 3:04 am. When I said, “Can’t you just put down 3 am?” Leigh suggested I should have ridden faster! We said a big congratulations to Peppe for his maiden 400 and goodbye also to Russell and Matthew who were (perhaps sensibly) stopping with the 400 under their belts. As they served up a welcome tuna and pasta casserole, Peter reported on the extent of carnage experienced that day, how tough it had been and how so many riders had had to pull out. Leigh, Michael and I then retired for a shower and some sleep before the last 200.

Next day, Michael and I were on our way again sometime near 7:30. We didn’t know which other 600 riders would be on their way again today. The wind had picked up even more overnight. It was a very brisk south-westerly that we pushed into, across the rolling sand dunes, between a verge strip of mallee trees separating the road from cultivated wheat and canola fields. We enjoyed an almost tail wind when we turned north for the last few kilometres into the Wyperfeld National Park; quite a highlight with beautiful yellow and silver

wildflowers carpeting the floor beneath pretty gums. We saw Mark along here, on his way back from the turn around point. Then we too turned back into the wind to retrace our wheeltracks to Hopetoun and creamed rice. Along the way we passed other riders coming out to the turn around, so we knew that (apart from Mark) Leigh, John Evans and John Retchford were still riding the 600.

Then, we were on the last 100 km out and back. It included the ride’s highlight: an actual tail wind for the last 45 km from the turn around at Rainbow, hooting along at over 32 km/h on the flat and hardly pedalling. What a way to finish.

We saw John R just heading out to Rainbow just 14 km from Hopetoun. It was already about 4:30 and we worried about his pace, he was going so slowly into that wind, it was so late. We did some mental maths. We worried for him. Keep going John! So happily we later learned that, with true Audax spirit, he had just kept on turning his legs. And finished with just a little time to spare before 10 pm. Truly Audacious.

Anyone who rode or volunteered that weekend in the Mallee was truly Audacious. It was hot. It was windy. Congratulations and well done to all participants. The biggest thanks to Peter whose organisation pulled it all off and his team of volunteer supporters without whose efforts the riders could not have survived.

Working together under a searing sun near Birchip


ROAD SERIES

50km, 7-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 1Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsLesley Chambers, Hazel Cumming, Daniel Neave, Stephen Rowlands

50km, 8-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 2Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsCraig Elliot, Sean Lee

50km, 9-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 3Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsGeof Bagley, Maie Bagley, Stephen George, Keith Lowe, Jane May, Peter May, Barry Moore, Leigh Paterson, Eu Ho Siew

50km, 29-June-08, VIC, Wandong Winter WanderOrganiser: Lorraine AllenPeter Chen, Ainslie Cummins, Alan Pask, Merryn Rowlands

70km, 27-Jan-08, VIC, Audax Alpine ClassicOrganiser: Phil BelletteIan Alcorn, Matt Allan, Heather Allen, Fred Allsopp, Heather Allsopp, Jason Andre, Mark Attwood

Barry Bailey, Susan Barlow, Andrew Batch, Sally Bennett, Owen Bentley, Michael Block, Kerrie Boogert, Tricia Bowman, Rosie Brandon, John Bresolin, Jim Bristow, Graham Brown, Ann Buchan, Janet Buchan, Heidi Buntrock, Robert Burgess

Julie Cain, Greg Caine, Garrie Carman, Trevor Chick, Ravhel Craig, Howard Crawford, James Cummings, Greg Cunningham

Marita Delany, Jenny Dickinson, Stuart Donaldson, Joan Donnan, Patricia Dorey, Alan Dower, Kevin Doyle, Ben Dunlop, Hans Dusink

Wendy East, Andrew Easton, Mary Edmonds, Michael Elliott, Clarissa Endean, Blanche Evans

John Fitzgibbon

Michael Gabadou, Dana Gottlieb, Margaret Graham, Hugh Greig, Adam Grollo, Leanne Guy

Stuart Harris, Ray Hassall, Mark Henderson, Stephen Henderson, Michael Henley, Glen Hepburn, Stephen Hill, Heather Hoggan, John Hol, John Horton, Scott Horton, Margaret Hurle

Ian Jamieson, Coles Jan, Duncan Jewell, Hanna Jewell, Eileen Johnson

Christopher Kennedy, Iain Kennedy, Bill Kent, Lisa Kitson, Jim Kolesnyk

Salome Labuschagne, Tim Laugher, Scott Lawson, Gordon Lee, Melissa Lim, Terry Lovett

Murray Macdonald, Paula Macmunn, Rachel Macreadie, Edward Mantel, Helen Mantel, Nick Marshall, Emma Martin, Greg Masters, Richard McCarthy, Elizabeth McDougall, Meaghan McDougall, John McGlade, Michael McGlade, Rachel McKittrick, Adam McLean, Hugh McMullan, John McMullan, Helen McMullen, Robert Metzke, Helen Michels, Wendy Miller, Craig Mitchell, Diana Mittag, Marilyn Moore, Rosalyn Moore, Natalie Morwood, Toni Mostyn

Ron Norton

Tim Pappas, Russell Paproth, June Parsons, Alan Pask, Les Passey, Jenny Peachey

Andrew Raadgever, Deborah Richards, John Riley, Janet Robinson, Michael Roth

Maria Salagaras, Carl Schibrowski, Ben Scott, Ann Scown, Peter Seymour, Glenda Signorini, Lesley Skehan, Bryan Slade, Alan Smith, Eddie Smith, Donna Soo, Ron Sproule, Lauren Stanley, Peter Stanley, Jeff Stevens, David Stevenson

Ely Tapp, Greg Taube, Richard Taube, Mandy Taylor, Leigh Thornton, Christine Toohey, Huan Tran

Rebecca Wall, Andrew Watkiins, Andrew Watkins, Evan Watkins, Kate Watkins, Steve Weeks, Travis Wild, Paul Wilson, Marie Wycisk, Gary Wylde

72km, 27-Jan-08, VIC, Audax Alpine ClassicOrganiser: Phil BelletteBridget Aitken, Beverley Anderson

Steven Barnett, Ann Bartley, Ann Bartley, Helen Bean, Gregg Berry, Lisa Berry, Peter Boon, Tanya Bosch, Scott Boxshall, Heidi Brown, John Brownell

Gabrielle Callaghan, Leonard Carey, Linda Clucas, Damien Conisbee, Louise Conley

Geraldine Dessa, Gerard Dessa, Robert Dissington

Sophie Flynn, Allan Foye, Stephen Frazzato, Jodie Furness

Michelle Gallen, Joan Gaughwin, Peter Gentles, Sharon Gill, Sue Gillespie, Peter Graham, Frank Grant, Alison Gricks, Kate Grigg, Stuart Grigg

Darryl Haden, Virginia Hamilton, Elizabeth Haynes, Sue Hendy, Wendy Hodge, Lyn Honan, Sandra Howard

Mel Jack, Richard James, Michael Jeffs, James Jones

David Kay, Angie Kent

Peter Mathews, Robyn Matthews, Aprille McMahon, Anthony Moore, Wayne Moore, Natalie Morgan, Barry Morrice

Carolyn Niovanni

Maureen O’Malley, James Ockwell

Debra Parnell, Joanne Pugh

Diane Robson, Roslyn Russell

Robert Sansom, Ruth Sansom, Zoe Slatter, Jan Smart, Melissa Stanmore, Diana Stojnic

Pauline Thorn, Don Tingey, John Trewin, Colin Trezise, Greg Twyford, Dan Tyrell

Patrick Van Dyk

Dana Wright

75km, 17-May-08, VIC, Wurdi YouangOrganiser: Russell FreemantleMartin Chambers, Richard Freemantle, Russell Freemantle, Richard Johnston, George Judkins

100km, 7-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 1Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsBridget Aitken, Geof Bagley, Maie Bagley, Gary Bunn, Thomas Cumming, Gareth Evans, Helen Lew Ton

100km, 8-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 2Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsBridget Aitken, Geof Bagley, Peter Cameron, Robyn Curtis, Michael Dunstan, Gareth Evans, Helen Lew Ton, Jane May, Peter May, Paul McKenna, Brian Pitman, Eu Ho Siew, David Temby

100km, 9-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 3Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsStephen Brown, Stephen Carey, Martin Chambers, Colin Fraser

100km, 22-Jun-08, VIC, Sea Sea RiderOrganiser: Chris RogersGeof Bagley, Marie Bagley, Hans Dusink, Howard Gibson, Paul McKenna, Pauline Nicholas, Chris Rogers, Peter Weiss

100km, 27-Jul-08, VIC, Diamonds ForeverOrganiser: Chris RogersDerek Nicholas, Leigh Paterson, Frank Preyer, Chris Rogers

BrevetsWith Simon Watt and Stephen George

Contact the Brevet Secretary: [email protected]

Bravo!

Felicitations!

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.

Walter Bagehot


100km, 29-June-08, VIC, Wandong Winter WanderOrganiser: Lorraine AllenLorraine Allen, Bruce Baehnisch, Shane Balkin, Mark Chapman, Charles Day, Pat Dorey, Gareth Evans, Anna Fairbank, Brent Flavell, John Hasouras, Phil Hayes, Ann Lau, Tim Laugher, Jane May, Stephen Morris, Colin Mortley, Malcolm Reed, Gordon Ross, Stephen Rowlands, Bruce Thompson, Leigh Thornton, Adrian Whear, Ewen Williams

100km, 10-Aug-08, VIC, Mike Rossiter MemorialOrganiser: Reg GoltzBill Annear, David Arnup, Alan Beveridge, Gary Cotterill, Shane Dove, Tony Hall, Gary Jago, Neil Luxford, Ruby Luxford, Ros Marshallsea, Kevin Read, Bill Taylor, James Timmer-Arends, Bob Tuit, Judy Whelan

100km, 30-Aug-08, VIC, Thistle and RoseOrganiser: Ron McInnes & Frank WilliamsSteve Agnew, Bridget Aitken, Paul Balchin, Judy Beswick, Steve Blight, Stephen Chambers, Peter Crump, Peter Curtis, Robyn Curtis, Eric Davidson, Ian De Bruyn, Rod Dixon, Stephen George, Mike Goyne, Russ Hamilton, Lyndon Johnson, George Judkins, David Koshade, Peter Kostos, Keith Lowe, Ros Marshalsea, Peter Martin, Barry Moore, Brian Norman, Glenn Pannan, Stephen Rowlands, Hugh Stevenson, Richard Taylor, Allison Thomas, Peter Thornton, Kevin Ware

100km, 21-Sept-08, SA, A Series – Ride 3 - Winery TourOrganiser: Alan CapellVolunteers: Mary Capell, Dennis Brown, Sue CarsonMichael Dwyer, Allan Dickson, Ian Peak, Matthew Rawnsley, Richard Scheer

100km, 11-Oct-08, SA, A-Series Rd 4 - 20th Anniversary RideOrganiser: Alan and Mary CapellVolunteers: Sue Carson and Mary CapellIan Peak

120km, 20-Jul-08, VIC, Whittlesea 120Organiser: Bill Jeppesen & Rodney SnibsonBridget Aitken, Peter Annear, Travis Callandar, Carl Cole, Femi Coppi, Greg Davies, Kim Dewhurst, Gareth Evans, John Hasouras, Ralph Horne, George Judkins, Matt Kent, Geoff Robinson, Gordon Ross, Neil White

130km, 27-Jan-08, VIC, Audax Alpine ClassicOrganiser: Phil BelletteLorraine Allen, Matthew Alston, Hugh Anderson, Dominic Anlezark, Kon Athanasopoulos

Viv Baddeley, Geoff Baggett, Robert Baggio, Sean Baker, Sjirk Bangma, Kurt Bansagi, Kate Bardoel, Peter Bardoel, Eddie Barkla, Joanna Battersby, Nick Bean, Norman Bean, Anthony Bell, Justin Bennett, Michael Berry, Jason Berton, Tim Bertsch, Nick Bethavas, David Bluck, Shane Bobrige, Ian Boehm, Michael Boehm, Jeremy Booth, Joanne Booth, David Boulton, Nick Bourke, Matthew Bradbury, Les Bradd, Sharon Broadley, Danielle Broughton, Chris Brown, Laura Brown, Daryl Browning, Les Bugajski, Chris Burnett, Christopher Burnett, Mike Byers

Dan Callaghan, Andrew Campbell, Margie Card, Brett Carnes, Michael Carroll, Melissa Cater, Philip Catton, Geoff Christmas, Heather Christmas, Melinda Clark, David Cocking, Greg Cohen, Mark Collins, Michael Collins, Harry Commins, Paul Commins, Ian Conrick, Haden Corser, Jake Cowman, Brian Crockart, Anne Cronin, David Crump, Michael Cuddihy, David Cunnington

Bernie Day, Robert De Lazzari, Joe De Luca, Grant Dean, Matthew Dean, Simon Dean, Ben Dempsey, Simon Dempsey, Geoffrey Dengate, Vicki Dessa, Roberta Dockrill, Charles Donahoe, Peter Donahoe, Andrew Donohue, Geoff Donohue, Maurice Dorisio, Tony Douglas, Les Doyle, Phil Draper, Colin Duncan, Soo-Yin Dunn, Mike Dunne, Tim Durham

Graeme Eddiehausen, Naomi Edmunds, Mark Edwards, Shay Elkington, Marcus Ellard, David Ellis, David Epstein, Thomas Eriksen, William Etheridge, James Evans

David Farmer, Catherine Farrington, Grant Feary, Luke Fenton, Alan Findlater, Geoff Fisher, Ken Fisher, Kerrie Fox, Delwyn Franks, Alan Frederikson, Bill Frew, Sue Frost, Bruce Fry, David Fry, Elizabeth Fry, Wendy Fyfe

Malcolm Gamble, Mike Gear, Annalise Gehling, Audrey Gerber, Marius Gerber, Kevin Goh, Bruce Graham, Justin Graham, Maureen Grant, Peter Grant, Craig Greenwood, Michelle Greenwood, James Gribble, Amma Griffiths, James Griffiths

Wolfgang Haala, Bruce Halket, Kevin Hall, Harald Hapke, Thomas Hardy, Vincent Haveaux, David Hines, Ann Holden, Bryan Holloway, Geoff Hook, Andrew Howard, Stefan Huhn, Mark Humphery, Tamara Hunter, Nadine Hutchins

Nick Iamarino, Leanne Irvine

Nick Jack, Amanda Jackson, Shaun Jackson, Stuart James, Prita Jobling, Janelle Johanson

Nikolaos Kallinikios, Martin Kavanagh, Fiona Kelly, Mark Kelly, Pat Kelso, Gerard Keogh, Lauwra Killeen, Richard King, Patty Kinnersly, Adam J. Kliska, Julien Knuppel, Jenny Kozlovski, Richard Kruger, Tarnya Kruger, John Kwan

Mark Lacey, Douglas Laidlaw, Duncan Laing, Chris Laird, David Laird, Jane Lake, Pam Langenberg, Richard Large, Robert Larsson, David Lauder, Nicola Laurence, Aaron Le Dan, Damian Le Dan, Bruce Leech, Ken Legge, Simon Lempriere, Shaun Lewis, Jarlath Leyden, Gavin Lombard, Paul Lonergan, Mary Lovett, Braden Lowe, Mick Lubawski, Gary Lugg, Cherisse Lyons, Ann Lyster, Laurie Lyster

James Maclellan, Vince Mader, Peter Makin, Tony Makin, Andrew Manuel, Ray Marsh, Brendan Martin, Luke Martin, Peter Martin, John Martin , Mark Matthews, Rob Mayo, Ken McAulay, Andrew McBride, Jenny McCoy, Frank McCulloch, Ann McDonald, Danny McDonald, Brian McDonnell, Kirsty McIlroy, Kim McKeown, Stuart McMillan, Michael McMullen, Lindy McNaught, Peter Micos, Danny Mingaars, Janardanan Mohandas, Margaret Mohandas, Aidan Moore, Andy Moore, Elizabeth Moore, Kevin Morgan, Chris Morley, Kai-Lee Morris, James Morrissey, Pam Morrow, Gloria Moscattini, Walter Muller, Jim Murray

Tom Nankivell, Murray Nicholas, Pauline Nicholas, Heather Nijhof, Ioannou Nik , Claire Noonan

Chris O’Brien, Terry O’Brien, Denis O’Callaghan, Sharon O’Callaghan, Arthur O’Connell, Helen O’Hagan, Lindsay Overton, Cameron Owens

Justin Page, James Pattinson, Elizabeth Pearson, Neil Penman, Wayne Pennell, Col Percy, Gary Phipps, Michael Piccolo, Dale Price

Paul Radford, David Rae, Steve Rath, Michael Redshaw, Jennifer Reed, David Riddell, Maxine Riggs, John Robertson, Bruce Rogers, Gale Rogers, Grant Rogers, Ken Rogers, Ross Rogers, Thaddeus Roos, Gordon Ross, Brett Rossiter, Stephen Rowley, Andrew Rubins, Lana Ryder

Heather Sanderson, Bridget Sawyer, Peter Schache, Carl Schiller, Chris Schirmer, Matthias Schwaoz, Renato Sella, Chris Shaw, Chris Sheers, Ray Sheldon, Alistair Shepherd, Rosemarie Sheppard, Richard Sievers, Erin Sievwright, Dale Silver, Peter Silver, Alexandra Sinickas, Andrew Skewes, Neil Skillen, Robert Sloane, Michael Slocum, Andrew Smith, Cliff Smith, Julian Smith, Ken Smith, Clark Smock, Anthony (Tony) Speechley, Katrina Spence, Ernest Spiker, Denn Sporcic, Merryn Steer, Glenn Stewart, Colin Stokes, Clive Summerfield, David Syme, Matt Symmons

Dino Tarquinio, Peter Temopoulos, Peter Terrett, Dale Thompson, David Thomson, Lyle Turner, Russell Tyrrell

Fabrizio Ubaldi

Gino Vairo, Arno Van Der Schans, Jop Van Hattum,

Maya Vasic, Chris Vati, John Velezis, Scott Vildovas, Simon Vincett, Peter Vogt

Chris Wade, Nevan Wadeson, Gerard Wall, Richard Walls, Andrea Maree Ward, Michael Ward, Elizabeth Watson, Richard Webber, Mick Webster, Andrew Wegener, Harold Weinhandl, Stuart Weir, Simon Welsh, Anna Whitlam, Alison Wilkins, Mark Williams, Jeffrey Wilson, Erik Wolfhagen, David Woodman, Philip Woolley, Greg Workman, Richard Wright

Ari Xanthopoulos

Maria Zavlanos

130km, 27-Jan-08, VIC, Audax Alpine ClassicOrganiser: Phil BellettePaul Addison, Simon Albury, Sergio Alderuccio, Gino Aleardi, Ken Anderson, Mark Ashcroft, David Austin

Benjamin Bailey, Rachel Balding, Ctherine Banson, Renate Barrett, Craig Baylis, Barbara Bayliss, Chris Beare, Phil Beaumont, Gigi Blanch, Lance Bleazby, Michael Bloom, Neil Boness, Richard Bourne, Peter Bradford, Peter Brann, Ian Bray, Paul Bridgeford, Winton Brocklebank, Darrell Brown, Leith Brown, Robin Brown, Stephen Brown, Steven Brown, Stacey Bryce, Gavin Burchall, Tim Burke, Dylan Burmester, Frank Burns, Mark Burns, Susan Burt, Paul Burton

Raif Cabbabe, Joel Callaway, Peter Card, Stephen Carey, Mark Carter, Tony Caruana, Mike Cashmore, Frank Catena, Brett Clarke, Michael Clucas, Andrew Colliver, Colin

A paceline coming together out of Warracknabeal (Mallee Routes)

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Collum, Neil Collum, Nicholas Cooper, Sue Cooper, Damien Crawley, Graeme Cross, Jason Cummings

Ash Dall, John Dalla-Fontana, Tony Dalton, Guy De Carli, Fleur Dean, Matt Denatris, Irvine Dennis, Andrew Dentskevich, Jon Dewit, Fausto Di Donato, Ray Dickinson, Chris Dimos, Bob Doak, Eve Dodds, Gordon Donaldson, Glenn Dorning, Frank Draffen, Scott Durkin

Peter Eastaugh, Nerissa Easton, Geoff Ellis, Matthew Elliston, David Elmer, Simon Ernst

Don Ferries, Laurie Fitzpatrick, Nicole Fitzpatrick, Darren Flett, Nick Foley, Tim Ford, Hugh Fyson

Raphael Gaddie, Dave Gannon, Michelle George, Gavin Gleeson, Teresa Goddard, Nevi Gorup, Trevor Gosbell, Peter Goulding, Clare Grogan, Mark Grothy

Adrian Hain, Dennis Hain, Christopher Halabut, Chris Hammond, Bernie Handley, Phillip Harding, Garry Harmer, Andrew Hartnett, John Hartnett, Jeff Hasthorpe, Bruce Haszard, Mark Hayward, Jay Henderson, Heike Hessenberger, Mark Hibberd, Tim Hinds, Ian Howarth, Martin Hrotik, Karyn Hughes, Steve Hume, Deborah Hunter

John Ions

Gerard Jackson, George Javurek, Lance Johnson, Nicholas

Jones, Mark Jordan, John Joyce

Daniel Kalker, Richard Kay, Karen Kendall , Graham Kenny, Roberta Kerr, Pete Kerry, Peter Kilevics, Judith Kinnersly, Ron Kirwan, Andrew Kitson, Matt Kluck, Wayne Kobrin, John Kostiw

Gyllian Lambert, Charles LeFeuvre, Michael Legg, Jonathan Levin, Christopher Long

Keith Maginness, Chris Malthouse, Raymond Malviste, Stacey Manfield, Graeme Martin, John Martin, Aaron Matthews, Lisa Matuzelis, Peter McArdle, Darryl McClimont, Cameron McCormack, Kim McElhinney, Paul McKinn, Megan Mebberson, Wayne Mellis, Tim Menting, Andrew Metter, Graeme Miller, David Mills, Ian Milner, Wade Mitchell, Karin Moore, Chris Morgan, Colin Morley, Steve Morris, Shane Morwood, Nick Mougos

Bob Nagy, Bill Neyland

Anthony Ockwell, Paul O’Gorman, Stuart Opie

Paul Pagliaro, Jen Parker, Chrystalla Parperi, Nicholaas Paton, Carole Patterson, Vaughan Pearce, Carl Peers, Daniel Pelly, Darren Piazza, David Pilley, Jukka Pirkola, Brian Pitman, Ken Pollard, Stephanie Porter, Mark Preston, Tom Probert, Janis Putnins

B Redfern, Malcolm Reed, Marcus Richardson, Paul Riley, Ken Robertson, Jose Rojas, Stephen Rowlands, John Ryan, Keiran Ryan

Anthony Sacco, David Sage, David Sarah, Chris Savage, Brian Sawford, Mal Sawford, Judy Scott, John Scown, Cameron Senese, Dylan Shuttleworth, Bryan Silcock, Christine Sinickas, Karl Slater, Lisa Smallbone, Wayne Smart, Toby Smith, John Sperring, Timothy Stanmore,

Peter Stephens, Stanley Stern, Richard Stevens, Brent Stevenson

Lew Targett, Ben Tatti, Jeremy Taylor, John Andrew Taylor, Sandra Thomas, Colin Thompson, Bruce Thomson, John Thorn, John Throssell, Maggie Tran, Adrian Tritschler

Michael Umseher

Michael van den Bos, Peter Van Duyn

Oliver Wagner, Joseph Wai, Chris Walsh, Michael Waterfield, David Webb, Vaughan Webber, Rael Wertheimer, Neil White, Douglas Widdup, Lucy Widdup, Stuart Wiggins, Andrew Wilkin, Rachael Wilkinson, Robert Willcox, Chris Willey, Noel Winnell

Julian Yacono

Rick Zentelis, Nicola Ziemssen

150km, 7-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 1Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsRodney Cumming, Stephen George, Keith Lowe, Jane May, Peter May

150km, 8-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 2Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsPeter Curtis, David Ellis, Stephen George, John Hagan, Keith Lowe, Leigh Paterson, Kathryn Temby

150km, 12-Jun-08, VIC, Gales East of the PromOrganiser: Stephen ChambersMichael Boehm, Vin Cross, Sonia Degaris, David Eales, Gareth Evans, David Graham, Julie Graham, Roz Marshalsea, Ron Mcinnes, Frank Preyer, Kevin Ware, David Woodman

150km, 19-Jul-08, VIC, Connexions Newport - Western WandererOrganiser: Steve AmbrySteve Ambry, Robert Wilkinson

150km, 29-Jun-08, VIC, Wandong Winter WanderOrganiser: Lorraine AllenPeter Annear, Mark Groth, Sandro Marin, Bill Neyland, Gary Stevanov

150km, 16-Aug-08, VIC, Bunches Down the BayOrganiser: Eryl & Keith LoweBridget Aitken, Geof Bagley, Marie Bagley, Myles Bagley, Steven Brown, James Brownlie, Peter Curtis, Robyn Curtis, Carlos Duarte, Howard Duncan, Gareth Evans, Phil Gigliotti, Russel Hamilton, Dave Harrington, Ewen Hill, Gordon Hollonds, Peter Horsely, Liz James, Leigh Kilpatrick, Conrad Kotnik, Ros Marshallsea, Peter Martin, Jane May, Gavan McCarthy, Pepe Ochoa, John Retchford, Maxine Riggs, Steve Rowlands, Simon Scanlon, John Sidgwick, Graham Stucley, Richard Taylor, Zoe Xue, Carl Zammit

150km, 21-Sept-08, VIC, You Yangs and YonderOrganiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsMiguel Armas, Ian Boehm, Mike Boehm, Mark Chapman, Mark Ellis, Brian Gavan, Chris Harris, George Judkins, Keith Lowe, Ros Marshallsea, Peter Martin, Barry Moore, Myra Morgan, Ken Morgan, Martin O’Halloran, Leigh Paterson, Stephen Rowlands, Graham Stucley, Tim Taylor, Igor Tesic, Leigh Thornton, Adrian Whear

200km, 7-Jun-08, VIC, Midwinter MadnessOrganiser: Russell HamiltonTom Behrsing, Stephen Chambers, Philip Giddings, Russell Hamilton, Frank Preyer

200km, 7-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 1Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsMartin Chambers, Hans Dusink, George Judkins, Barry Moore, Leigh Paterson, Eu Ho Siew, Carl Zammit

200km, 8-Jun-08, VIC, Queens Royal Tour – Day 2Organiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsGeorge Judkins, Barry Moore

200km, 12-Jun-08, VIC, Gales East of the PromOrganiser: Stephen ChambersPeter Annear, Jim Chant, Peter Curtis, Henry Deman, Leigh Paterson, Kathryn Temby

200km, 29-June-08, VIC, Wandong Winter WanderOrganiser: Lorraine AllenIan Boehm, Michael Boehm, Stephen Chambers, Jim Chant, Hans Dusink, Phil Giddings, Christopher Harrison, Ewen Hill, George Judkins, Greg Martin, Leigh Patterson, Kathryn Temby, Stephen Watson, Simon Watt

200 km, 9-Aug-2008, QLD, 6 Bumps and 1 HillOrganiser: Vaugn KippersMike Clare, Derek Collinge, John Fitter, Joe Holcombe, Les Holm, Chris Lewthwaite, Mick McKean, David Minter, Russell Parkin, Martin Pearson, Peter Watson

200 km, 16-Aug-2008, NSW, Wisemans Ferry 200Organiser: Howard Dove & Rebecca MortonJean Viader-Ettienne, Cameron Ainslie, Rick O’Brien, Warren Page, Johan Brinch, Roger Leigh, David Hart, Douglas Kennedy, Rebecca Morton

Seat bags, PBP jerseys, and a recumbent—it must be an Audax crowd (Great Southern Randonnee)

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200 km, 17-Aug-2008, ACT, Tablelands TrotOrganiser: Kerri-Ann Smith & Michael BentleyNoel Johnson-Barrett, Michael Bentley, Michael Carr, Anne Cronin, Greg Cunningham, Martin Graham, Christopher Harrison, Peter Heal, Don Mankewich, Keith McCullock, Joel McFarlane-Roberts, Bob McHugh, Tom Nankivell, Richard Niven, Kerri-Ann Smith, Cherisse Lyons

200 km, 23-Aug-2008, QLD, Crazy Canungra 200Organiser: Dino MorganteMike Clare

200km, 30-Aug-08, SA, Gran Tourismo - PrimoOrganiser: Chris RogersOliver Portway, Glen Thompson

200 km, 30-Aug-2008, Wollongong, Tahmoor AppinOrganiser: Henry BoardmanJean Viader-Ettienne, Cameron Ainslie, Rick O’Brien, Warren Page, Johan Brinch, Roger Leigh, David Hart, Douglas Kennedy, Rebecca Morton

200km, 4-Sept-08, SA, Gran Tourismo - TerzoOrganiser: Chris RogersColin Anderson, Allan Dickson, Peter Heal, Chris Rogers

200km, 6-Sept-08, SA, Gran Tourismo - QuatroOrganiser: Chris RogersColin Anderson, Chris Rogers, Glen Thompson

200km, 6-Sept-08, VIC, Spring into SeymourOrganiser: Carolyn BoltonMarie Bagley, Geof Bagley, Mark Chapman, Carol Cole, Brian Gavan, Phil Hayes, George Judkins, Rodney Kruz, Greg Lanyon, Helen Lew Ton, Ros Marshallsea, Peter Martin, Greg Martin, Margaret Jane May, Barry Moore, Stan Pasztentnik, Frank Preyer, Geoff Robinson, Stephen Rowlands, David Syme, Tim Taylor, Leigh Thornton, Garry Wall, Kevin Ware, Adrian Whear, Neil White

200 km, 13-Sept-2008, ACT, Come Along to BinalongOrganiser: Greg CunninghamAlf Hoop, Don Mankewich, Matt Elliston, Martin Graham, Greg Cunningham,

200 km, 13-Sept-2008, Wollongong, Bundanoon Ride 200Organiser: Henry BoardmanHoward Dove, Greg Lansom, Rebecca Morton, Richard Pinkerton, Barry Stevenson, Jean Viader-Ettienne

200km, 27-Sept-08, VIC, Mallee RoutesOrganiser: Peter AnnearMarie Bagley, Mark Chapman, Libby Haynes, Matin Haynes, Greg Lanyon, Myra Morgan, Leigh Thornton, Adrian Whear, Ewan Williams, Steve Xerri

200 km, 28-Sept-2008, NSW, Central Coast 200Organiser: Malcolm RogersRicky O’Brien, Howard Dove, Rebecca Morton

200 km, 4-Oct-2008, QLD, The Wonders of Glorious MeeOrganiser: Dino MorganteMichael Clare, Andrew Demack, John Fitter, Jane Ann Juhasz, Chris Lewthwaite, Brian Lowe, David Minter, Grant Noble, James Trimmer, Ernie Tye, Duncan Young, Eric Young

200km, 5-Oct-08, VIC, Greendale JauntOrganiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsStephen Rowlands, Jim Chant, George Judkins, Barry Moore, Frank Preyer

200km, 11-Oct-08, SA, A-Series Rd 4 - 20th Anniversary RideOrganiser: Alan and Mary Capell Volunteers: Lexia and Dee Cherry, Sue Carson and Mary CapellAlan Capell, Allan Dickson, Michael Dwyer, Roger Holmes, Dean Lambert, Matthew Rawnsley, Richard Scheer, Glen Thompson

200km, 18-Oct-08, VIC, Noojee LoopOrganiser: Eryl & Keith LoweVolunteer: Jane MayBridget Aitkens, Jim Chant, Jurie Dekter, Peter Donnan, Gareth Evans, Mark Hooy, Peter May, Leigh Patterson, Frank Prior, Judith Swallow, Kathryn Temby, Marcus Theile

300 km, 23-Aug-2008, QLD, Crazy Canungra 300Organiser: Dino MorganteDavid Minter, James Pearson

300km, 23-Aug-08, VIC, Wild Wild WestOrganiser: Stephen & Merryn RowlandsPeter Annear, Stephen Chambers, Jim Chant, Peter Curtis, Henry De Man, Peter Donnan, Hans Dusink, Gareth Evans, Mark Hooy, George Judkins, Ros Marshallsea, Jane May, Pepe Ochoa, Frank Pryer, Chris Rogers, Tim Taylor, Kathryn Temby, Kevin Ware, Stephen Watson

300 km, 31-Aug-2008, NSW, Central Coast 300Organiser: Malcolm RogersRicky O’Brien, Richard Niven

300km, 2-Sept-08, SA, Gran Tourismo - SecondoOrganiser: Chris RogersColin Anderson, Allan Dickson, Peter Heal, Chris Rogers

300km, 27-Sept-08, VIC, Mallee RoutesOrganiser: Peter AnnearDavid Ellis

300 km, 11-Oct-2008, ACT, Crookwell Country Circuit 300Organiser: Tom NankervillPeter Heal, Michael Bentley, Kerri-Ann Smith, Bob McHugh, Tom Nankivell

300 km, 27-Oct-2008, VIC, Great Southern Randonnee 300Organiser: Peter MooreTimshel Knoll-Miller, David Cooper, Rob East, David Ellis, Richard Freemantle, Ian George, Geoff MacFarlane, Pam Morrow, Greg Martin, Allan McKay

400km, 30-Aug-08, SA, Gran Tourismo - PrimoOrganiser: Chris RogersColin Anderson, Peter Heal, Matthew Rawnsley

400km, 27-Sept-08, VIC, Mallee RoutesOrganiser: Peter AnnearPeter Annear, Peter Donnan, Hans Dusink, Russell Freemantle, Pepe Ochoa, Matthew Rawnsley, Robert Reid-Smith

600 km, 23-Aug-2008, NSW, Dungog 600Organiser: Chris WalshKerri Ann Smith, Michael Bentley

600km, 6-Sept-08, SA, Gran Tourismo - QuatroOrganiser: Chris RogersAllan Dickson, Hans Dusink, John Evans, Peter Heal, Oliver Portway, Matthew Rawnsley, Richard Scheer

600 km, 13-Sept-2008, ACT, Riverina Romp 600Organiser: Bob McHughBob McHugh, Michael Bentley, Kerri-Ann Smith, Tom Nankivell

600km, 27-Sept-08, VIC, Mallee RoutesOrganiser: Peter AnnearMichael Bentley, John Evans, Mark Hooy, Leigh Patterson, John Retchford, Kerri-Ann Smith

600 km, 27-Oct-2008, VIC, Great Southern Randonnee 600Organiser: Peter MooreGeorge Judkins, Peppe Ochoa, Warren Page, Eu Ho Siew

1000 km, 13-Sept-2008, ACT, Riverina Romp 1000Organiser: Bob McHughJim Chant, Joel McFarlane-Roberts

1000 km, 27-Oct-2008, VIC, Great Southern Randonnee 1000Organiser: Peter MooreAudrey Adler, Andrew Blake, Rus Hamilton, Bob McHugh, Barry Moore, Tom Nankivell, Richard Niven, Frank Preyer, Richard Scheer, Robert Smith, Kathryn Temby, Lisa Turner

1200 km, 27-Oct-2008, VIC, Great Southern Randonnee 1200Organiser: Peter MoorePeter Annear, Carol Bell, Michael Bentley, Stephen Chambers, Jim Chant, Paul Cribb, Nick Dale, Peter Donnan, Hans Dusink, Julian Dyson, Russell Freemantle, Peter Heal, Mark Hooy, JaneErik Jensen, Greg Lansom, Damian Mills, Dave Minter, Leigh Paterson, Matthew Rawnsley, Christopher Rogers, Richard Rossiter, Kerri-Ann Smith, Tim Stredwick, Judith Swallow, Mark Thomas

RAIDS

1133km, 4-12 Oct 08, Raid CoorongStephen George, Keith Lowe, Ros Marshallsea, Peter Martin, Graham Stuckley


BackpedalBackpedalHandlesWhile riding Noojee Loops prior to the GSR Judith Swallow from the UK, mentioned to Gareth Evans the lack of nicknames in the Australian Club. Each of her anecdotes was peppered with rider nicknames and was curious as to why it was not the case here in Australia.

Gareth reports that the situation seems to have been rectified almost over night thanks to the relaying of stories via the blog during GSR. They include:

Peter “The Legs” Annear Mike “Chopper” Bentley or “The Motor” Peter “Lazurus” Heal

“Lethal” Leigh Patterson Wayne “The Hippy” Hickman Peter “Brevets” Donnan Ronnie “Spank Me” McInnes Tim “The Tassie” Stredwick

Overheard“Audax is the one sport where you

can make up for a lack of ability with a lack of sleep.”

—Peter Donnan

“We’ve seen a lot of bare arses over the last few days.”

—anonymous volunteer at GSR

“I don’t like exercise, I just like riding my bike.”

— Mark “The Diesel” Thomas

“If this is your first ride, welcome to Audax, the club for middle-

aged eccentrics.”

— Grant Palmer

“After a ride we have to hang around and tell each other how

good we are.”

— Lisa Turner

More jersey sightingsThis photo is of Tom Greuvers, from Germany, riding a 1200 in Russia and wearing the Aussie jersey given to him by Bjorn Blasse at last year’s PBP.

Sex and the single cyclist

Well, that’s got your attention, hasn’t it? No, it’s not another one of those stories about “bike love”; rather an anonymous corresponent offers the following tips for single randonneurs trying to become not-single:

Do not post a photo of yourself wearing an • Audax Alpine Classic jersey on RSVP.

Do not say up front you do not own a car • because you ride your bike everywhere. Seems ‘ladies’ expect to be picked up and delivered.

Bitter experience I got a date with a lady who said she “didn’t mind sporty folks, but wasn’t interested in ‘fanatics’”. Half way through the second drink she got up and left accusing me of being a fanatic! Some people have no tolerance.

Audax personalsWanted, French woman for 52yo Australian male. Please provide photo of bike. No time wasters or Shimanos pls.

Icy-poles are bestAn article in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (the Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine) has reached a conclusion that few will disagree with. The article title more-or-less tells the whole story: Cold Drink Ingestion Improves Exercise Endurance Capacity in the Heat. The researchers found, in part:

that ingestion of a cold drink (4°C) compared with a drink at a normal body temperature (warm; 37°C) before and during prolonged cycling exercise…resulted in a longer cycling time to exhaustion…in a hot and humid environment. This suggests that ingesting cold drinks before and during exercise was effective in extending the exercise time before subjects reached the high [body core temperature] that often limits endurance performance in the heat.

Which seems to be a long way of saying, drink cold water on hot days and you’ll ride for longer. Does that mean icy-poles will make you ride even longer?

That’s not really a surprising finding, is it? Their test subjects probably just gave up—everyone knows how unpleasant is the water out of a bidon that’s been in the sun all day.

(See www.medscape.com/viewarticle/579497)


Annual General Meeting24 January 2009The AGM will be held at 4.30 pm at Bright & District Senior Citizens Club, Cobden St, Bright, Victoria. The agenda and other papers were distributed to members in November; if you haven’t received yours please contact the Secretary.

Nominations for office bearers for 2009–2010 close on 25 December 2008.

Ride RulesThe advent of new ride options has meant we’ve needed to update the Audax Australia Ride Rules and we’ve taken this opportunity to make some other changes. Please note that from the new Audax year each front or rear light must now be truly independent of the other front or rear light. For example, two lights which use the same mount are no longer regarded as independent. The updated Ride Rules are published on the website (About Audax > Ride Rules) and members are urged to familiarise themselves with them.

New AwardTo encourage members to ride all year round, the Club has introduced the “Year Round Randonneur” award. To qualify for this award, all you need to do is complete one 200 km or longer Brevet Randonneur Mondiaux, Brevet Permanent or Brevet Audax 22.5 ride each month of the year. Will you be one of the first members to achieve this?

Bound for Baw Baw again14 March 2009Climb through mountain forests, retire to a night in an alpine chalet followed by a full riders breakfast, before descending to the plains below.

Members are given preference due to the limited accommodation available. Book early. Families are very welcome, come to an arrangement with your partner, ride one way, drive the other. Cars can be left at the start and your bags carried to the top.

Training Ride14 March 2009Opperman Team Trial Training provides an opportunity for teams to practice working together, perfecting drafting and pacing.

Training includes 20 km peloton ride from Hoppers Crossing to the Little River, three 20 km laps of a time trial course (timed), 20 km peloton ride back to Hoppers Crossing.

Contact: Russell Freemantle, Training Secretary 9395 4963 [email protected]

Vic Region AGM17 March 2009At The Local Hotel, 22–24 Bay St, Port Melbourne

Dinner begins at 6 pm with the meeting beginning at 7 pm

Contact: Ryan Bath 0413778659 [email protected]

Great Escapade in Western Australia28 March–5 April 2009The 2009 Great Escapade in Western Australia is a magnificent bike riding adventure starting and finishing in Margaret River and taking in the wonderful beaches and forests of the South West. (www.greatescapade.com.au)

OzHPV Speed TrialsEaster 2009OzHPV is planning to run a series of events at the Lang Lang Proving Grounds (about an hour out of Melbourne, on the road to Philip Island) during Easter 2009. Anyone with any kind of human powered vehicle who wants to ride really fast should contact Tim Marquardt ([email protected]) for more infromation and to lodge an expression of interest before 1 January.

Alpine Ascent ChallengeThe Alpine Ascent Challenge is on again this summer (www.alpineascentchallenge.com.au).

Ride to at least four of the nominated alpine resorts to be in the running for a trip to the Tour de France.

Brevets that cover these peaks include:

30 November: The Buff Shuff (Mt Buffalo)

11 January: Higher and Higher (Lake Mountain)

25 January: Alpine Classic (Falls Creek, Mt Buffalo)

14 March: Bound for Baw Baw (Mt Baw Baw)

The Alpine Delight covers both Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain but being held on 29 November, it missed out by one day!

Mini tour for kids18 January 2009Among the events held in association with the Tour Downunder, the “mini tour for kids” must be the coolest (www.tourdownunder.com.au/2009/?q=mini+tour+for+kids). Held on a section of the Down Under Classic Circuit just before the professionals race begins, kids get 20 minutes to ride as many laps of the mini tour track as they can.

Gear Up GirlJoin hundreds of other women in Sydney and Canberra for this fantastic women-only event (www.gearupgirl.com.au). Ride options range from 15 km to 60 km.

• 7 March: Gear Up Girl Challenge, Sydney.

• 5 April: Gear Up Girl Challenge, Canberra.

Amy’s Ride (Victoria)4 January 2009The Amy Gillett Foundation (www.amygillett.org.au/amys-ride-victoria) is offering four ride options in the 2009 Amy’s Ride: 120 km, 65 km, 22 km or 1 km closed circuit, family loop. Starting at Eastern Park, Geelong.

Also on the Amy Gillett Foundation calendar:

22 February: Peter O’Callaghan Mt Dandenong Challenge

7-8 March: Multisport Albury City 09, including the inaugural Amy’s Ride in Albury.

See www.amygillett.org.au/events.

London–Edinburgh–LondonThis famous 1400 km brevet will be held again in July 2009 (www.londonedinburghlondon.co.uk). Entries close soon.

Items for NoticeboardAnnouncements and other items of interest to members are invited for the Noticeboard page. Please submit your brief notice to [email protected] before the 1 February deadline.

NoticeboardSend your notices to [email protected]

Do you want to get yourself and your bike from Melbourne to Adelaide, or Adelaide to Melbourne on the cheap?

You could try flying El Cheapo Airlines, but they will probably cancel the flight as you sit on the runway.

You could try the bus, but if the driver doesn’t like the cut of your jib he will use his “discretion” and say there is no room for your bike.

Train? Not much change out of $200.

No, the only way to go is:

RAID COORONGA new route has been added to our Raid program, available from September 1, 2008. At the Adelaide end there is the choice of starting or finishing points: Adelaide GPO, or Blackwood Station 14 km from Adelaide on the suburban rail network. At the Melbourne end there is the choice of two starting or finishing points: Mebourne GPO or Geelong Station.

From the Adelaide end the route travels south through the Adelaide Hills to the delightful old town of Strathalbyn. After crossing the Murray at Wellington the route heads south along the Coorong, through Mt Gambier, Portland and Warrnambool before joining the Great Ocean Road and travelling through the Port Campbell and Otways National Parks. From Torquay riders can travel up to Geelong, or continue on to Queenscliff and cross the Bay on the ferry before travelling up along Beach Road to Melbourne.

The distances ridden vary from 950 km to 1080 km, depending on starting and finishing points. The total allowable times, worked out at an average of 80 km/day, vary from 12 to 14 days.

Accommodation options are endless, depending on the thickness of your credit card. There are resorts and boutique B&B. There are wonderful YHA hostels at Adelaide, Robe, Port Fairy, Lorne, Queenscliff and Melbourne. All large towns have caravan parks with cabins and tent sites. National parks have a number of designated camping sites.

The route passes through a number of towns every day on average cycling speeds. There is something astray if you can’t get at least two good lattes per day.

All this for $25? You can’t go wrong!

For more information contact the Raid Secretary, Chris Rogers, at [email protected], on 0357269412, or visit the Raids page on the Audax website.

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The Casseroll Single is all about singlespeed gearing. Its horizontal dropouts make for easy chain tensioning. For fixed riding, flip-flop the rear Surly hub and add a track cog.

CHECK THE SPECS: • Surly hubs laced to Salsa Delgado Cross rims • Sugino RD2 singlespeed crankset with 48T ring • Continental Contact 37mm tyres • A WTB saddle with custom Salsa logos • Salsa Moto Ace Short and Shallow bars • Salsa CroMoto stem • Spicy mustard colour.

The Casseroll Triple is ubër versatile and crafted from double-butted Salsa Classico chromoly tubing. Its forward-entry horizontal dropouts let you run fully geared, singlespeed or fixed.

CHECK THE SPECS: • Shimano 10-speed 105 STI brake/shift levers, derailleurs and triple crankset • Tiagra hubs laced to Salsa Delgado Cross rims • WTB saddle with custom Salsa logos • Salsa CroMoto stem and silver Moto Ace Short and Shallow bar • Ginger beer colour.

A cyclocross bike by category, the Cross-Check has proven itself on the streets through hectic traffic, over exhilarating trails and long stretches of back roads.

CHECK THE SPECS: • 9-speed bar-cons • Salsa Moto-Ace Bell Lap flared cyclocross drop bars • Canti brakes • 12-25T 9-speed cassette • Tiagra front & rear derailleurs • 36x48T double crankset • White colour.

The Long Haul Trucker is built for expedition-grade touring, with a frame designed to be stable and supple when fully loaded with gear.

CHECK THE SPECS: • Sugino triple cranks • Shimano XT rear derailleur • Outback-reliable 9-speed bar-cons • Shimano XT hubs with labyrinth seals • Deore 11-34T wide-range cassette • Canti brakes with plenty of mudguard clearance • Comfy tyres (42-54cm: 26x1.5"; 56-62cm: 700x35C) • Olive green colour.

Salsa and Surly bicycles are proudly distributed by Dirt Works Australia | [email protected] | [email protected] 9679 8400 | www.salsacycles.com | www.surlybikes.com

DIRT WORKS IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE CYCLING PROMOTION FUND

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Long Haul Long Haul TruckerTruckerLong Haul TruckerLong Haul

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DWS352 Ad – Salsa-Surly #4 2.indd 1 13/7/08 8:14:57 PM

checkpoint no. 38 (summer 2008-09)

Documents

road bag

bag slides

rack available

abbotsford cycles

waterproof bicycle coversif

quick release waterproof

ortlieb underseat bag

topeak rx trunk bag