Tag Archives: Paris-Nice

Looking at circled dates on MMT’s Calendar…

Dear Rouleurs,

MMT is just back from the Emerald City. Team MMT took their adorable 21 month half pint daughter to visit her grandparents. She promptly charmed the socks off them. MMT guesses that she has now slipped into poll position as No.1 favourite grandchild ;-). MMT digresses. Whilst in Sydney, MMT did his usual morning ride in the eastern suburbs, cranking out laps around Centennial Park and avoiding potholes, divots, crevasses in the back streets of the inner west.

Honestly, Marrickville and Sydney City Councils, when will you spend some of your ratepayers money on roads?? Have any of your councillors ridden a bike down McEvoy St lately?? Its Australia’s own version of pave/stet/cobble.  Speaking of pave, MMT is waiting with abated breath for March 17 and the start of the Classics/Monuments. Here’s the list of key dates:

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Date

 Event
 1. 17/3  Milano-San Remo
 2.  22/3  Richmond vs Carlton at the MCG…opps… not cycling 😉
 3.  23/3  E3 Harelbeke Why name cycling race after a highway?? Honestly you would think the Belgians would have a more imaginative name by now.
 4.  25/3  Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields
 5.  28/3  Dwars door Vlaanderen
 6.  1/4 Tour of Flanders
 7.  8/4 Paris-Roubaix
 8.  15/4  Amstel Gold – at least the Dutch have sense of humour, naming a race after a brand of beer. Looking at you E3 Race Organisers….
 9.  18/4  La Fleche Wallonne 
 10.  22/4  Leige-Bastone-Leige

One wonders how Michael Matthews at Team Sunweb will go this year. MMT can’t wait to see Messers Gibert, Van Avermaet and Valverde go round in the bergs and cobbles.

Change of topic, how good are the Yates boys riding for Mitchelton Scott. Here’s some copy stolen directly from SBS Cycling Central.

Double Trouble – Take 1 with Simon,  Paris-Nice Stage 7

Double Trouble – Take 2 with Adam, Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 5

I wonder when Team Sky will poach these guys? Mind you with the Gods of Anti-doping staring intently at Team Sky and the British Olympic Team, they may not be that keen 😉

Until next time, ride safe avoiding McEvoy St, if you can

Marv

Porte, Matthews…Marv…spot the odd one out

Well Dear Roulers,

The thing that I do in working hours to pay for all things bicycle-related is interfering with my ability to write blogs…Boo.  How dare my employer expect me to work, while at work 😉  I have to say how much I enjoyed the recent Paris-Nice 6 tour, particularly days 4, 5 and 6.

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Not the least of which being that 3 of the 6 stages were won by Australians and the Jeune Malliot was won by Richie Porte.  Porte managed his  second overall title in three years in the Paris-Nice ‘Race to the Sun’.

When he crashed on the descent off the Cote de Peille…I really though he was done for. That landing must have hurt.    Hats off to Frenchman Tony Gallopin who showed some enterprise to win stage 5.

Congratulations should also go to Michael Matthews who won Stage 3 and doubled up for a 3rd place in last night’s Milan-San Remo.  I’m annoyed that I missed the Milan-San Remo Classic last night.  I’ll have to read the news on SBS Bicycling Central  to see how the race unfolded. Unfortunately my personal time is being consumed by moving house which meant that I forgot to timeshift the event…damn.  I won’t make that mistake again.Mike Matthews finishes third in the Milan-San Remo 2015

Speaking of riding I’m really enjoying the cool, sunny Autumn mornings. The last two Saturday mornings have been fantastic. I’ve been wheel sucking on local club pelotons and this has really helped my times and average speeds.

Last Saturday was my fastest 40km round trip to Blackrock in a time of 80 minutes. This makes me only 20km/h slower than the pros.  I was pretty chuffed about that, particularly as meant passing a large number of fellow MAMILS with bikes to two three times the cost of my 2010 Villier…chuckle 😉

Until next time

Marv