Tag Archives: Michael Hepburn

MMT does the TDF 2018 – part 1

Dear Rouleurs,

MMT can’t wait for the weekend and the bulk binge of SBS Tour de France (TDF) highlight packages he intend to watch.  Sadly, Michael Matthews has already withdrawn from the TDF with some form of YAFF and will not defend his green jersey from last year.  Mind you it looks like Peter Sagan already has this in the bag, with none of the other sprinters really doing too much.  It looks like the changing of the guard is starting to occur.  Yes I’m looking at you Messrs Kittel, Greipel and Cavendish.

However, MMT is much more interested in the fate of the remaining Australian’s competing this year.  To this end, MMT has put together a General Classification focused graph showing how remaining ten Australian’s are going.  MMT had considered including non-Australian members of the Michelton-Scott team eg Daryl Impey and Adam Yates, but thought better of it.  So here’s the graph.

 What this reveals, is that Australia’s only GC rider, Richie Porte is having a fair crack, being 11th on overall time.  The next best Australian is Simon Clarke in 70th.  Everyone else is outside the first 100, which is consistent with these guys being either team captains eg Simon Gerrans or domestiques eg Luke Durbridge.

MMT will update this graph next week. Hopefully Richie Porte is in the top 5 by then.  MMT is really looking forward to stage 9, which retraces most if the Paris-Roubaix route.  While a GC rider may not win the tour on this stage, they certainly can lose it by either crashing out or losing time on the back of pack splitting the peloton.  Either way MMT can’t wait….woo hoo!!

Until next time, ride safe

MARV

MMT’s Analysis of 2016 Olympic Road and Track Cycling

Dear Rouleurs,

I don’t know how to say this…but Australia had a realy sucky Olympics when it came to road and track cycling.  Of the 42 medals on offer, Australia won just 2.  Boo hiss…  So MMT wonders what will occur to the pot of cash Cycling Australia receives in the next round of funding for Olympic Athlete development.  Before dwelling in some really disappointing detail, contragulations are in order for Anna Meares, Bronze in the Kerrin and Messers Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn, Sam Welsford and Alex Edmondson, Silver in the Men’s Pursuit Team.  Here are some photos pilfered from other new outlets illegally of the only happy Australian cyclists at Rio in September.

Bronze Medallist, women's Kerrin event, Anna Meares.

Bronze Medallist, women’s Kerrin event, Anna Meares.

Anna Meares in action on velodrome.

Anna Meares in action on velodrome.

2016 Rio Olympics, Silver medalists for the Teams Pursuit event.

2016 Rio Olympics, Silver medalists for the Teams Pursuit .

The men's Pursuit team in action on the velodrome.

The men’s Pursuit team in action on the velodrome.

So lets look at the results for road and track cycling.  In the road events, the clear winner was the Netherlands who won 3 medals from the 12 on offer.  The rest were spread around fairly evenly.  Whether Australia’s Richie Porte would have figured in the results, after crashing out of  the road race, will remain idle speculation. Similarly Rohan Dennis must be kicking himself for going out too hard in the time trial. So bottom line, Australian cycling zero medals.

2016-olympic-cycling-results

The Track results were dominated by Team GB who won 7 of the 10 gold medals on offer.  Overall they scooped up 11 of the 30 medals on offer.  No other team was even close.  Here are the results and league tables.  The Womens Pursuit team were valiant in even competing on the track given the horrific training accident the team had 5 days before the event.
2016-olympic-cycling-leaguetables

Before signing off, MMT will take time to reflect on the amazing career and palmeres of Anna Meares, who became the fourth Australian track cyclist to line up at four Olympics.  Meares claimed her first of 11 World Championship titles in the 500m time trial in the months leading into her Olympic debut. She backed up her flying form at the Athens 2004 Games winning gold in the 500m time trial before going on to win bronze in the sprint.

Meares made one of the great comebacks in Australian Olympic history when she won a silver medal in the women’s sprint cycling at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Seven months out from the Games she broke her neck in a race crash and after months of intensive rehab ensured she was back on the bike in Beijing. She progressed through to the final where she went down to long-time rival Victoria Pendleton to win the silver medal.

Four years on and Meares had her chance to turn the tables on Pendleton at the London 2012 Games. Meares beat one of the sport’s all-time greats backed by a boisterous home crowd to calim Gold. Along with five Olympic medals and countless World Championship podiums, Meares has also won eight Commonwealth Games medals, including five gold, across four Games.

Until next time, ride safe.

Marv