Tag Archives: Geelong

Football, Football, Football, oh the La Veulta and the Ashes…

Dear Rouleurs,

Honestly, MMT’s mind has not been on cycling, at all. No it has been thoroughly preoccupied with the trials and tribulations of his beloved AFL team, Richmond. MMT is still trying to figure out how his team won enough games to be in the final to begin with. At one point, 3 of the team’s best 5 players were out injured. Richmond’s 4 time All Australian fullback, Alex Rance, has been absent the entire season with a knee injury.

Friday night’s Preliminary Final against Geelong is looking like a doozy. The Cats have lost their main forward Tom Hawkins due to a silly suspension. Richmond have a full strength, excluding Rance and Sydney Stack and an in form list to choose from. Richmond’s VFL side is in the VFL Grand Final having beaten Port Melbourne in the Preliminary Final.

The one gloomy cloud on an other wise promising horizon, is that MMT, wasn’t paying attention when the Grand Final ticket ballot was on and missed the brief 2 hour window to register for the ballot. Bother!!! Any how this is the maths that is occupying MMT’s time – will Richmond get past Geelong and will it be Collingwood or the GWS Giants they meet in the Grand Final.

Oh yeah, MMT mention that Primoz Roglic (tell me that his doesn’t sound like brand name for meat smallgoods, MMT digresses!!) riding for Jumbo-Visma, became the first Slovenian to win one of cycling’s three Grand Tours, La Vuelta. Also the Aussie cricket retained the Ashes but its paper thin batting, poor fielding and dreadful use of the DRS system cost it the final test at the Oval. Mere footnotes in history, if Richmond wins the flag in 2019.

Until next time, Go Tiges

MMT

Marv does the Cadel Evans Peoples Ride 2018

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.

2018 Course Profile

2018 Course Route

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

Marv does the Ride the Bellerine

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Dear Rouleurs,

Its been a huge weekend at MMT, with AFL and Comedy Festival in full swing in Melbourne. Sadly, one half of MMT was in Bay M23 watching his beloved Tigers impersonating Greg Norman, circa 1996 USA Masters, when they lost in the last 15 seconds to Collingwood by 1 point.  Enough said…..

Last Sunday, 3rd April, was the third charity ride event on MMT’s calendar, Ride the Bellerine, ac charity event intended to raise funds to end Polio contagion in developing countries. Being organised by the good people of Rotary in Geelong, its a well run event for a very worthwhile cause.

20160404-EndPolio

MMT noticed the inaugural ride in 2015, but couldn’t get his act together to attend.  Apparently, the weather on that day was truly awful, so MMT isn’t feeling too bad about missing out.  However this Sunday’s weather was perfect, cool, overcast and not much wind to speak of.

The course starts and ends in Geelong’s Eastern Gardens and loops around the Bellerine peninsula via Barwon Waters and 13th Beach.  I did the short course 60 km, as I was uncertain of what the various hills in that part of the world.

kiytfiyt_774x80

Apart from one reasonably steep hill between the 10-12km mark, it was a relatively easy ride. The course and gradient chart is shown below.

60km_ride

So onto the some photos, again MMT was fortune to coax the other half of the team into support and photographic duties.  So have a couple of nice photos, plus the ones I took on the ride.

C'est Moi :-) With new Jersey and old Wilier.

C’est Moi 🙂 With new Jersey and old Wilier.

Start line in Eastern Gardens.

Start line in Eastern Gardens.

Feed and Drink Stop at Barwon Waters.

Feed and Drink Stop at Barwon Waters.

Barwon Waters Causeway.

Barwon Waters Causeway.

Posing in front of the event banner.

Posing in front of the event banner.

Wild surf on 13th Beach.

Wild surf on 13th Beach.

I have to say I really enjoyed the day and was glad MMT made the trip down to Geelong. My next planned ride is the BAD ride in Ballarat in May.  Before I sign off, I have to say to Peter Sagan who seems to have shrugged off the ‘curse of the rainbow’ jersey  easily with a very impressive win in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday night.  I really thought Fabian Cancellara was going to catch him there for while.

Until next blog, ride safe

Marv