Dear Rouleurs,
It has been a while since MMT posted a good cycling infographic. Happily, MMT stumbled across one, yesterday, in the FLAB group on Facebook. Some FLABer must have seen it on Twitter. As a happy plagiarist, MMT provides a link to the original content here Copenhagen Cycling Signals. MMT particularly likes the disapproval and bike stolen signals.
Until next time, ride safe.
MMT.
Dear Rouleurs,
As MMT’s age creeps towards the big….5…0…. sigh, he’s noticed that days just keeping slipping by at an increasing rate…boo. There is so much to do and so many places to ride. However, summer 2018 style has been a particularly pleasant and January was an excellent month for cycling, with lots of sun, some rain and strangely, quite a bit of humidity. The humidity came care of some heat trough that lodged itself over SE-Australia for a few weeks. Some mornings, MMT could close his eyes and feel the warm warm moist air and think that he was in Thailand. Ah…that’s proof that MMT is in desperate need of a holiday 😉
January was significant for a couple of other events. First, MMT completed the ridiculous flaming, dog poo covered, jumping hoop, obstacle course that was re-applying to work with his current employer. More on that in March, MMT hopes. Second, MMT returned back to the RCC crew and completed a number of speedy south side rides. Finally, MMT completed the 65km course of Cadel Evan’s Peoples Ride on a very muggy Saturday morning down in Geelong. The last two points contributed to a bumper result for January. Here’s my monthly graph for Janaury 2018. Already, MMT is up on monthly target, achieving a very productive 800km even. That’s a pretty good start.
On the back of that work, MMT’s Strava graph is also very consistent. As stated before the weather has been very good so, riding 21 out of possible 31 days, means really solid workouts on the bike. This makes MMT very, very happy :-). MMT’s ride log can be found here.
Before signing off, a digression about this log. One of the things that MMT was ruminating over during the Christmas holidays was what kind of target, he should set for 2018. Afterall, whilst MMT was YAFFed many times in 2017, he still managed nearly 8,000km. Which is not bad for a 48 year old “Clydesdale” with a bad back, who is desperately trying to keep his weight down to something that starts with a ‘9’. So what to do?? Well, part of the answer lies in doing a few Strava challenges to keep motivated and continuing to ride with RCC. The final annual MMT decided on was 7500km, or approximately 145km a week.
Whole point of this effort, was three fold:
So really, the 145Km target is meant to be way of getting to those goals, rather just counting kms. So there it is, why MMT keeps churning Kms and blogs.
Until next blog, ride safe.
Marv
Dear Rouleurs,
Last Saturday, yours truly completed the middle distance course (65km) on the Cadel Evans Peoples Ride. MMT did the 111km version last year, which in hindsight not the smartest of ideas, given he was still recovering from pneumonia. That experience and the threat (and actual occurrence…) of some truly dreadful weather, scared MMT off this year. The last 15 km of last year’s ride is something that still lingers in MMT’s mind. Oh well.
This time MMT drove down on the morning of the event, parked in the back streets and just got to the start line ot 7am. MMT then had to hang around 30 minutes, before being able to roll across the startline. There were some 3,500 fellow cyclists there for the event. Honestly, it looked a lot more than that. This photo has been creatively stolen from the Cadel Evans Road race site. Yep, C’est moi, right up the back. Next time MMT be there at 6.30 am, to get a better spot.
The actual 65km ride is ride is a pretty straightforward course. MMT is surprised that its supposed to have 365m of climbing. The course and profile are provided below.
This is what MMT’s Strava account had to say about the ride.
so here’s MMT’s photo gallery.
 Getting ready for the big event… |
 Waiting at the start line. |
 Still waiting at the start line |
 Crossing the start line…finally after a 30 minute wait. |
 Feed zone at the beach. |
 View along 13th Beach. |
 Another view of the feed zone. |
 On the road to Geelong. |
 How cool is this racing trike? |
 Finish line in sight..hooray 😉 |
 Main stage in the village. |
 In the the village, is this Puff’s cousin? |
 Team BMC signing autographs. |
 Looking towards the merchandising tent. |
Overall, the 2018 event was really well organised. The event seems to be growing, year to year, which is a great sign for cycling in Victoria. MMT thinks that short course of 35Km may have attracted larger numbers of recreational cyclists as opposed to Wannbes or MAMILs like MMT ;-). About the only negative MMT experienced was the event merchandising. The move to Santini has resulted quite nicely designed kit. But the fitting was skin tight in the jersey which is a) a bad look on MAMILs and b) became a sweaty plastic bag after 10Km of riding. MMT was really unimpressed with the $30 price tag of the event’s cotton cap. MMT even overheard a fellow cyclist complaining about the quality of the cap, whilst in the Merchandising Tent. Last year’s kit was much better value.
Until next time, ride safe.
MMT
Dear Rouleurs,
MMT has realised that he hasn’t been paying much attention to the world of competitive cycling over the Christmas break. It was only when he watched the end of stage 4 of the 2018 TDU, that he realised that Orica Scott/Greenedge/Bike Exchange had in fact changed name to Mitchelton-Scott, back in early December 2017. Its amused the hell out of MMT as the press announcement/PR is still be published on the Greenedgecycling domain name…huh??
Anyhow, sponsor naming confusion aside, well done Daryl Impey in winning the first UCI event of the year and the 20th edition of TDU, for whatever the hell your team is called this year 😉 Tell the truth I’m not sure how he did it, between Richie Porte’s now telegraphed attacks on Willunga Hill and Peter Sagan blowing up. Mind you, you had to feel for the European riders doing a stage race in the middle of a typical southern Australian heat wave. Well…not really….
Here’s what the paragon of Australian cycling print media, Melbourne’s very own Herald Sun, had to say. Given its silly season for cricket and tennis, MMT is amazed that this event made it into the newspaper.
Even Daryl is a South African, MMT supposes that Australians will claim this victory, as he races for an Australian team. Like Esteban Chaves, he should be added to the list of people that should be made Australian citizens. Unlike our High Court and its interpretation of the Australian Constitution, no one will give rat’s bum they retain dual citizenship 😉
Until next time, ride safe
Marv
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