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?

Did you enjoy the track cycling? London 2012

Photo from http://london2012.olympics.com.au/ and courtesy of Phil Walter/Getty Images

The world has stopped. Or so it seems. It is Olympic time if you didn't realise. For those of you into all things sports it is a time of salivation, for those of you who aren't it can be a torturous two weeks.

For me I am not hugely into the Olympics, there are a few sports that I like to watch; the swimming, rowing, some of the athletics, and of course the cycling - road and track.

The road events were over pretty quickly being placed in the first few days of the Olympics and last night the track cycling wrapped up with Aussie Anna Meares taking a Gold medal in the Sprint and Annette Edmonson Bronze in the Omnium.

The Aussies have had a less than successful Olympics which the Australian media has had a field day with, and the track cycling has been no different. We have certainly been outclassed in a lot of the events with the Brit's thoroughly taking advantage of their home town crowd (and enormous budget, and talent pool yes,) to ride brilliantly.

I must admit although I love the track cycling, I haven't been able to stay awake to watch it in the early hours of the morning. Who's idea was it to have the Olympics in the Northern Hemisphere??? So I have been following the action on Twitter and the Australian Olympic site to catch up each morning.

I did make it up this morning to see Sally Pearson take Gold for Australia in the 100m women's hurdles. Did you see that? Now that was a close one. Well done Sally!

And it was great to wake up to the news that Anna Meares had taken the Gold in the Sprints on the velodrome against none other than Brit Victoria Pendleton. Vicky is amazing but our Anna, even more so. If you don't know the Anna Meares story you must read it now.

So well done to Anna, Annette, and all our other cyclists on the track - you have done us proud. You have competed at the Olympics and medal or no medal that is something that the majority of us will never, ever experience.

Did you enjoy the track cycling?