Aussie Media : Get your act together

Photo Courtesy of ninemsn.com 

Once again I watched the news bulletins today, both morning shows and evening news waiting, hoping that they would give Simon Gerrans' yellow jersey and Aussie team Orica-Green Edge's TTT win the coverage it deserves, only to be disappointed...yet again.

I shouldn't be surprised. After all the Tour de France is in July smack bang in the middle of football season. You would think that something as prestigious as the coveted yellow jersey and an Australian-owned cycling team leading the biggest annual sporting event in the world would deserve 30 seconds of coverage headlining at least the sport. But no, it was relegated to last in the bulletin receiving about 20 seconds of dismal footage.

The sad thing is, if one of the cyclists was found guilty of doping there is no doubt that would be top headline news, even leading the entire news.

No wonder there are so many skeptics dismissing our great sport when the only coverage considered newsworthy is negative.

Do you think cycling deserves more coverage on our news?

Stage 5 Tour Down Under 2013 - Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

You couldn't have scripted a better outcome for today's 5th stage of the Tour Down Under - if you were an Aussie that is!

We headed up early in the crisp morning air and arrived on top of the hill around 9:30am to find our spot. 25 meter mark of the finish line, and right in front of the big screen. Perfect! It really is a great day on top of the hill. You get to watch the race all day on the big screen and then of course see the riders as they make their way up for the first time and then the final climb to the line. And there is food, coffee, ice-cream, toilets - everything you need to keep the little tackers happy!


And the Queen stage where the riders tackle Old Willunga Hill including a hill top finish delievered everything and a little bit more. There were break aways, attacks and then just when you thought the break may just hold on the big boys pulled out all stops and the excitement began.

As the day went on the crowd swelled in anticipation for the riders and on the first lap up the hill the atmosphere was electric. But it was the final burst to the finish line that sent the crowd into a frenzy!

Simon Gerrans, as Aussie as you get, jumped from the peloton and stormed towards the line. It was a battle between himself and young dutch superstar (who?) Tom-Jelte Slagter but Gerrans had more fight to get over the line in first place with a tremendous roar from the crowd especially those in Gerry Ryan's & Orica Green-Edge's corporate grandstand overlooking the finish line.

Gerrans winning on Australia day was our version of a French man winning on Bastille Day during the Tour de France. Epic!

And let's not forget Slagter's effort in ripping the Ochre Jersey right of Geraint Thomas' back. Team Sky tried everything to protect the jersey but it was to no avail. This young dutch kid has gone from who? to wow! I look forward to watching him in action over the next few years. I think he's something special.

Again, I don't have any photo's to show just yet. But as soon as I rectify my technical issues I will post them.

Tomorrow is the final stage of this year's TDU. A mere formality for Slagter which will see his Team Blanco simply protect him for the entirety of the race keeping him out of any trouble so he can take the podium. As for the sprint, well that's most likely a formality too. Can anyone beat Greipel? I'm really don't think so! Go Greipel!

2013: A big year for cycling

image courtesy of here

We've welcomed in the New Year and said goodbye to the old and for many cycling fans it is a huge relief to say goodbye to 2012.

Unfortunately for cycling, 2012, despite a great year of racing, will go down as a very dark year indeed. Of course I speak of the demise of the once great Lance Armstrong.

I'm still deeply affected by the events that unfolded last year. Torn between feelings of despair and disbelief, shame and humiliation. I'm sitting on the fence witnessing a once hero hunted, victimised and torn to shreds, and on the other hand feelings of justification weigh on the other end of the see-saw in my mind. There is no room for drugs in sport, that I am certain of. But I am also certain that there are heroes and great human beings who with or without artificial assistance will always be out of their competitors leagues. As I said, torn.

No doubt the fall out from the Lance Armstrong saga will continue to develop and unfold during 2013, but ultimately I am looking forward, which is something all cycling fans should do.

The summer of cycling and start to the 2013 cycling calendar has begun here in Australia with already the Bay Crits having taken place, the Jayco Herald Sun Tour currently underway and the National Road Championships next on the agenda. And then the big one - the Tour Down Under.

My first taste to savour will be when we travel to Buninyong for the National Road Race which is going to be a very exciting event indeed. Then we head to maginicient Adelaide and surrounds for our 9th consecutive trip to the Tour Down Under. I am hopeful that the mood at both will be as exciting as ever, and going by crowd numbers during stifling heat at the Sun Tour it should be.

So here's to 2013, may it hold more ups than downs and begin a momentum of pedals turning in unison for the future of cycling.

Are you heading out to any of the summer cycling in coming weeks?

Women's Road Race: UCI World Championships

There was little doubt that Maryanne Vos would take out the Women's Elite Road Race at the UCI World Championships in the Netherlands.

The golden girl of Women's Road Cycling didn't disappoint, but it was Australia's Rachel Neylan who excitedly took the silver medal ahead of Italy's Elisa Longo Borghini.

Congratulations Rachel! Awesome job. Another Aussie to be proud of!

image from here

"At no stage was I told I was going to be a great cyclist or that I was talented but that is the best recipe as it just keeps you trying for more and wanting to prove to people that you can do it." - Rachel Neylan

Time Trial Not An Easy Pick - London 2012

Wednesday sees the time trial specialists head out on the road to race against the clock.And it is going to be a good one.

Unfortunately for the Aussie's we will only be represented by Michael Rogers due to Cadel Evans' withdrawal due to fatigue.

Many have said Luke Durbridge should be given a chance and I totally agree. I actually think he should have been selected in the squad. He is young, talented and capable, however many a selection in recent years has left me scratching my head.

The problem is that Olympic rules state that participants in the Time Trial must also be included in the Road Race squad, therefore leaving Durbridge, this time ineligible. With Goss, O'Grady and Gerrans certainly not time trialists unfortunately the fate of Australia's Gold medal hopes lies with Rogers.

The other topic of conversation is Fabian Cancellara. After crashing out of the road race with a suspected broken collarbone, Fabian has since been in doubt. Thankfully, it was not broken as poor Fabian tweeted:

"Looks like a hard night with a lots of pain.happy is not broken but the pain will be on!For the timetrial nothing is shure yet 50/50change"

As Spartacus is one of my favourite riders I surely hope that he is right to ride.

Along with Cancellara, the other top contenders each bring their own 'baggage' to the time trial. Tony Martin hasn't had the best preparation after a few untimely crashes and Bradley Wiggins comes off a tough Tour de France and also Sunday's Road Race.

I think that there are a few riders who can well and truly challenge the major favourites. Names like Taylor Phinney, Christopher Froome, Silvain Chavanel and Luis Leon Sanchez all come to mind.

All in all the 44km circuit will prove challenging and offer some great racing. I'm looking forward to it.

Who do you think will take the Gold?

Is Cav right? - Men's Olympic Road Race 2012

Alexandre Vinokourov, Gold Medalist.

If you didn't stay up to watch Channel 9's so called 'coverage' of the Men's Olympic Road Race last night it would have been a little surprising to wake up to this news.

For those of who did stay up, we were lucky enough to see one exciting race. There were attacks galore, a couple of crashes, and a standoff that lead to the break surviving. Then Colombian Rigoberto Uran attacked with Vinokourov following close behind, but in the end the Kazakh's experience won out and he took the gold.

It was an interesting race indeed. The group of 11 riders who established a break early on, which included Australian Stuart O'Grady, were in the box seat, whilst Team Great Britain were left to fend for themselves on the front of the Peloton. Noone was willing to help pull the break back, when they knew that if it ended in the bunch sprint Mark Cavendish was almost assured to be victorious.

After the race Cavendish had a few words to say including: 'We did everything we could. The crowd was tremendous the whole way around, but the Aussies just raced negatively.'

The fact is, (ducking for cover), Mark is quite right. And believe me, it is not very often I agree with Cav!

It is true noone wanted to help out, the peloton were riding defensively all that is, apart from Great Britain. There was a little help from Germany, but it was mainly left to Great Britain to do all the work.

Yes, Mark was probably going to win in a bunch sprint, but isn't that a defeatist attitude.? 'Oh well, we can't win if we bring Cav to the line, so stuff that' Last I knew there were three medals up for grabs at  Olympic events. Isn't Silver and Bronze better than nothing? I'm sure Uran and Kristoff think so.

For the Aussies, yes Stuart O'Grady was in the break, but seriously he was never going to win. Perhaps the Stuey of ten years ago may have had a chance, but against the likes of the break which included Vino, Cancellara, Gilbert and LL Sanchez it would have been a tough, tough ask for O'Grady.

Again I question the tactics of Matt White. The question has to be asked. Why didn't the Aussies join in the chase? Why didn't the Germans do more?

The truth comes too little too late, and of course hindsight is a wonderful thing. But there are also other factors to consider that contributed to the outcome of the race, such as the smaller team sizes (5 riders) and of course no race radios.

But, as much as I'm not really a Vino fan (remember he stole the win on the Champs Elysees from Robbie in '05 when I was there to see my Robbie win!!!), he deserves the Gold. He rode smart, he took his chance and now has the Glory.

Do you agree with Cav? Do you think the Aussies should have harder raced for a medal?

Olympic Road Race Preview

This weekend London will become the sporting mecca of the world as it hosts the 2012 Olympic Games. One of the first events will be the Men's Road Race.

The 250km course set down for the race has been a topic of much discussion (you can see the course here). Many are divided on who this type of course will suit best, but even so, Mark Cavendish seems to be the undeniable favourite to win on his 'home' soil.

I am not so sure that it will be such a clear cut sprinting course. There is the much talked about 'Box Hill' to be navigated nine times, and the circuit is narrow and bumpy. There is serious doubt that it will end in a bunch sprint and if it does Cavendish will still have to contend with the likes of Sagan who may fair better at the end of the long lumpy race.

There is the other opinion that perhaps a break will survive with Aussie Simon Gerran's well suited to that scenario.

I believe though it won't be a small break that survives or a bunch sprint. I think there will be a split in the peloton and will come down to who is the strongest rider to survive the course and still take the sprint at the end. Or who has the guts and the legs to steal a break and 'go for gold'.


Aussie's are heading into the race with a good five man squad (did Matt White actually get something right? That's a post for another day), with Stuart O'Grady, Mick Rogers, Simon Gerrans, Cadel Evans and Matt Goss. The rider in for the best chance in my opinion is Simon Gerrans, providing he has pulled up okay after the TDF where he didn't have the best of times. He will need full strength in his legs and his cycling brain in tip top shape and with some good team work from the likes of Stuey, Mick and Evans, could well be in the hunt.

Unfortunatley, if it does end in a sprint finish I don't think Goss will have the legs to overcome the likes of Cavendish, Sagan or Greipel. But I don't mind being wrong either!

All in all I can't say who will win. It is too hard to call with too many factors in play. Even after narrowing it down to the likes of Cavendish, Gerrans, Sagan, Freire, Cancellara, Boonen, Hesjedal, there would still be another ten or so riders that are capable, in form and hungry enough to win.

Who's your pick for the race? And which Aussie do you think is our best chance?