Cycling Blog, Cycling Community, Dirty Torque by Apres Velo

Big Test Icicles Train for The Mont

Monday, March 01, 2010

The story so far.....
There are 6 Test Icicles.
One is currently hanging in suspended animation (traction) in hospital for 6 weeks! We had 4 ambulances yesterday attending our training session. I kid you not. One Test Icicle has a pelvis with 2 breaks. This same Big Testicle was showing us his wheelie skills last Wednesday night for a TI night ride and went RIGHT over onto his hydration-pack-armadillo-like-protected-back. He is NORMALLY such a cautious and CAREFUL rider so it was a huge surprise to see him lying upside down doing a turtle with his bike in the air.....I picked the carbon bike up exclaiming how light and wonderful it was, ooohing & aaarghing...... while he waved a bloodied elbow about saying "excuse me, over here, HURT, hurt!"

Big Test Icicles Team Training Session.

Another one is recovering from broken ribs.While another rearranged his face with a little dermabrasion on a track in January. There are 2 who haven't crashed: Bernd -the-beer-brewer and Andy-the founding-member of ITNMTB (in the nude MTBing). Andy lives in the Blue Mountains and has his own dirt track so it really doesn't matter what he chooses to wear. Or not wear. He's gone a bit feral and may be crashing madly as I write? He proved to be a mad keen bonker at last year's race - I have it on film.

Then there's me: Crash test Mummy. What can I say? It's looking pretty bleak for a podium finish. Last year we came 2nd.
(out of 2 teams -ssssshhhh). So we WERE hoping to improve and set out yesterday for a BIG training session.
Over a very sad coffee yesterday after our team mate had been taken away full of morphine with a drip hanging out of his arm with a BIG smile on his face....we talked tactics.

If at first you can't win, improvise.
(Cheat. Do what ever it takes to have fun and drop the 0 out of Over 40. We're gonna act about 4 years old. )
Liquid FUEL: Bernd will ply our opposing teams with home brew and get them so sozzled they won't make it out of transition.
HIgh Fibre FUEL: Hans will fill them up with Goood German Bread with lots of seed & big German sausage so they'll be worried about leaving the vicinty of the semi-trailer-toilet block.
SCARE Andy will flash past in the nude and they'll wish they never left the campsite.
Just RIDE: Bri is the fastest on his super Yeti so we'll just let him ride super fast, zippy laps, shout encouragment and throw coffee down his throat if he happens to stop. He has mentioned he'd like to give the 24hour solo a go. Here's his chance.
Scare & Distract 2: Me....i'm supposed to distract our over 40's opposition by doing the Underwear lap. The stress of it all...can i fill a bra out? Will a pair of lace knickers suffice for a lap or will I be suffering from saddle rub? I did promise to wear the lace knickers for the Highland Fling but 100kms in them was too worrying to attempt.

Test Icicles and the wonderful Ambulance Crew.

SO, there are many things to ponder here - we welcome any suggestions to our dilemas: advice on lace knickers, team tactics or riding technique. We think we may also need another team mate......any offers?

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Jonathon commented on 02-Mar-2010 11:11 AM

xmas 2008 while riding with "fatso" and friends i fell and fractured my hand (its still weak) and stuffed up the nerves in my neck, took me months to recover.
Last weekend read what happened in the blog and also note about all her other team mates and their crashes!
I am thinking "next time she suggests riding, i'm going to be elsewhere"!
j

Dibbler commented on 07-Mar-2010 01:30 PM

Love the strategy. In the lack of any plan let chaos rule. Despite a few physical shortfalls I know the team is mentally tough (or is that just mental) and if it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger, so I was once told.

My time at the tour - George T Adelaide

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

January is the most exciting month in Adelaide because it's the month when the boys and their bikes arrive.
Everyday the excitement builds as the teams arrive through Adelaide airport !
About 7 days before The Tour begins, I start carrying my camera everywhere I go - just in case I see a team out & about on their training rides. The Cancer Council Classic - The excitement is almost at boiling point. I can't even sleep the night before it starts !
The morning of the classic, we packed our standard TDU kit (that we have carried with us, us being Dad and I since about 2007)
"The Backpack" contains water supply to survive long walks in the dry Adelaide heat, the programme, which starts off very clean and flat and ends up doggy eared and drawn on. And finally the most important thing - stuff to get signed !
In the morning, my Dad raced in his veteran race and was on the front every lap & got 4th (cut off by C grade).
After his race we got to Cancer Council Classic quite early, to get a good seat ! The first voice I heard over the sound system was none other than my absolute favourite rider - Robbie McEwen. Though admittedly and little grumpy he is a very talented bike rider.
Just like every year, the 1st lap is AMAZING! I love the wind as they wizz past, at what seems like 100km/h and every year I forgot not to stand so close ! The sky team didvery well at this Classic, winning their 1st pro tour event at their debut.
Stage One - The only time of year I don't mind getting up at ungodly hours is Christmas and The Tour Down Under.
Stage One was no different, Dad and I were up at what people his age call ' a sparrow fart' which still perplexes me alittle.
We drove to Clare, which was a strange place to hold the offical start but I thought that would definately mean less people...Boy ! was I wrong. That would have to be the most people that have EVER been in Clare at one time. Huge amounts of people swarmed around Lance Armstrong while he sat in a van with the door closed and the windows up(?). Strangely there was no one around our home grown champ - Cadel Evans, Dad & I waited by his WORLD CHAMPION bike for him to come over. I had, in my hot little hands, a 1980 collectors world champion cap for him to sign (Dad always sent me to get things signed because he figures I have more chance of getting it than he does). Cadel came over, signed my hat, I was so nervous I barely spoke and I had a photo with him (Dad was very jealous) !!! After the start, Dad and I took off and tried to beat them to the feed zone. We just made it (after walking about 4kms)!
We watched as they went past (got hit with a drink bottle) and we collected a team Sky feed bag which Dad was very proud of.
We, after walking 4kms back to the car, took off again, while trying to find the commentation on the radio, we also were tryingto beat them to the finish line and we made it with plenty of time to spare.
There was, again, thousands upon thousands of people at the finish, and being from little ol' Adelaide, I'm not used to that many people. The Jolly German Machine, Andre Griepel, won this event with no trouble and as much as I love my Aussie riders, you just can't go past someone like Griepel. (other stages to come soon) !!!

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Rachel Neylan joins the Apres Velo Family

Thursday, February 18, 2010

APRES VELO is pretty stoked to announce its sponsorship of RACHEL NEYLAN who just 2 short years ago competed in her first cycling race. Green & gold, stage races, the European peloton and world cups and were only a distant vision.

The late transition from elite runner to international cyclist was sparked by will, spirit and a few remarkable life changes in late 2007 – Sydney to Adelaide, full time profession turned to hours in the saddle and running shoes to pedals.

Rachel Neylan is a fast progressing road cyclist climbing the ranks of Australian Women's Cycling. In 2010 racing on the international professional European circuit with Italian Team System Data and the Australian National Team.

“I am a passionate about elite competition, and all that it entails - the daily physical challenges, the technical ability, the mental discipline, and the camaraderie with other elite athletes. I enjoy the ability to share my journey with others, engaging people along the way. Through the medium of rachelneylan.com. I hope to take my family, friends and sponsors around the world with me from ambition to accomplishment in the exhilarating sport of world class cycling. This is a gesture of my appreciation for all your support along the way!"

The APRES VELO team and its Cog-regants wish Rachel all the success in the world and look forward to sharing all her accomplishments and victories along the way.

Visit www.rachelneylan.com for more details