It's with a tinge of disappointment I write this post on the eve of the above titled event.Four days cycling in Victoria's High Country, all in the name of Charity,and sneaking in some fantastic riding and maybe a quiet beer or two at the end of the day
would be just the tonic to kick start 2013's Cycling training.I'd reserved my spot as soon as I was informed of the event but a strained left hamstring has left me unable to ride my bike.  

This will be the first time this ride has been held and from what I understand from the BDA crew this is a "pilot run" with the hope of it being an annual event.And from the enthusiasm I've seen from all involved I'd suggest there will be a queue waiting to register for next year.

The riding in the Victorian High Country will be awesome and you can have a look at the itinerary on BDA's website here Also look at the sponsors of the BDA crew who are involved in helping getting this inaugural ride up and running.  

From what I understand money raised from the event will go to the Amy Gillet Foundation which is inspired by the life of Amy Gillet,the foundation's aim is to eliminate cycling related fatalities. 
 Sam Miranda has shown once again, how keen he is on promoting cycling in the Wangaratta area by giving a large donation towards the event.The ride officially starts from Sam's Winery in The King Valley tomorrow morning. 

So if you see the guys out on the N.E Victorian roads over the next few days,give them a friendly wave and any donations would be more than welcome too.

I received an email this afternoon from Tom Barry regarding the upcoming 2nd launch of the NRS Bicycle Superstore team this weekend in Albury.I've copied the majority of Tom's email into the post below which contains the relevant information.
Sounds like a great opportunity to catch up with these inspiring women some of whom I've had the pleasure to meet.

I don't think I'll be able to do the ride but may try and head up for the presentation of the team at 4pm.The Granya Grind (135km) would be awesome training for the BDA charity ride coming up pretty soon too.

Hi Tony, 

The NRS Bicycle Superstore team is having their (2nd) launch in Albury this weekend at the BSS store in Lavington and I was wondering whether you could let people know around Wang. 

It is comprised of multiple local ladies, including my wife Lisa Barry, Flick Wardlaw and Clare Dallat (Alexandra- but we will claim her!) and a lot of the horsepower on both the technical side (Osteohealth doing the bike fitting, strength and conditioning, injury management and Peter Collier from Riverina Podiatry Group assisting with lower limb biomechanics and Solestar orthotics) and the management/logistical side comes from the North East.  It is a great endorsement of the skills and talents of this region and one of their reasons for existence is to help promote women's cycling in the region. 

They will be riding the 'Granya Grind' on Saturday morning http://www.bellbridgerotary.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=39 (a 135km charity ride through the stunning Granya/Tallangata region) before the presentation at 4pm in Lavington. 

There will be some interviews with the girls, a bit of a chat from the people behind the team and just explaining their goals etc. The women are quite amazing with their time management and dedication and if they can expose a few more women to the sport it would be a great thing. 

Anyway- thought you may be interested and if you could pass on to anyone who you feel may be keen for a ride with the BSS NRS Women's team or to meet them and listen to their stories feel free to do so. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bicycle-Superstore-Womens-Road-Team/422702464423539?ref=ts&fref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/BicycleSuperstoreFlemington?ref=ts&fref=ts

I guess I shall catch up with you at the next major bike race!! 

Regards, 
Tom Barry

We had something different occur during yesterday's Beechworth Bunch Ride. Alan Thrum's seat post broke clean off forcing him to ride the rest of the way into Wangaratta with no seat(around 40km).I wonder how his legs are feeling today?Many thanks to Ash for this video clip showing Thrummy's new position.

Every year the Wednesday bunch ride to Beechworth has a xmas ride.Which involves the same ride as usual but with a detour to the Miawa Cheese Factory for lunch and a quiet drink.Below are a few pics of the day's activities. 

What about purchasing a copy of my 2013 Cycling Photography Calendars?I've set up a page here with all the information.
Also happy to work with people to avoid postage costs where possible.Great Xmas gift for cyclists.  

Often the only thing we hear about in the media is animosity between motorists and cyclists.It's nice to be able to report the other side of the coin.On last Wednesday's Beechworth Bunch ride, a peloton of 16 cyclists came upon a lady with a flat tyre. 
Whilst I wasn't present on the ride, John Myles sent me this photo of the group in action helping change the flat tyre.The very relieved and grateful motorist was very thankful for the assistance.I did hear it was the older members of the bunch that did all the work, but can't confirm or deny this particular detail of the story.  

Todays bunch ride was well attended and the weather was pretty good.It was so foggy when I left my house I wasn't sure I'd be able to find Wangaratta,let alone be there by 7.30am for the Beechworth Ride.In an unusual event the fog completely lifted by the time I got to Boorhaman.Usually the Ovens River flats are thick with fog and I was expecting today to be no exception.
But luckily for us we had completely clear roads and skies for the whole ride.The only thing we seem to have to contend with was worms.Yes Worms,my bike looks like I've ridden through a worm farm.It appears the worms have gone on the rampage after the late storms yesterday and decided the road was the place to be.A few pics of the boys below and even a couple from Cafe Derailleur  where we have our fantastic lunch on our return. 

When the organizers tweeted there would be a reconnaissance ride of the course on Saturday it seemed like a nice idea to tag along.A few text messages later and it sounded like a good group would be taking part.I've put my hand up to photograph the road race so would use the recon. to check out possible vantage points.For those needing a refresher on the Sam Miranda weekend of racing and the Gran Fondo I've written a blog about here .
 A group of 12 gathered at Sam Miranda's cellar door,not for partaking in the produce unfortunately,but to ride the 100km course.It was nice to see Glynn Matthey who had made the trip up from Melbourne to ride the course with us. 

I'd ridden about half of the course before,albeit some of it in the opposite direction that the race would go,so was looking forward to the expedition.The first few kilometers are along the Snow Road, before turning left into Kilfeera Road,which is a nice undulating quiet country road.The pace was pretty steady with 5 minute rotating turns on a magnificent winters afternoon with a slight head wind all the way until the Myrrhee (Benalla - Whitfield Rd) turn off.

After turning toward Myrrhee on the Benalla Whitfield Rd you could feel a slight uphill gradient,a false flat,some may call it.Also the wind seemed to be coming right into our faces.There are some good undulations along here and the first KOM point just before Mhyree,although not that long will be tough enough to create some gaps in the field.Not long after the Myrrhee KOM it's time to turn right onto the Benalla Whitfield Rd for the infamous "Strade Nero" which is the dirt road climb included in the road race.Any advantage gained on the previous KOM could be added to here and this climb is long and hard enough to split things up even more.I've previously blogged about the Strade Nero here so wont go into detail about it again.Everybody on the ride was impressed by the dirt road and was looking forward to racing over it when the time comes.
After the climb,descending down into Whitfield is spectacular,forget the brakes,don't need them here.

I would like to be able to report about all the things I saw on the run from Whitfield to the race finnish, back at Sam Miranda's Winery.But in reality, I pretty much had to concentrate on the back wheel of Tully Lyster's bike as he averaged 43.5kmh for the slightly downhill run down the King Valley.We had been following the scooter briefly but just when I asked about the little roller on the rear guard of the scooter it fell off onto the road.As Glenn pulled over to repair it we just powered on.It was a little under an hour of pretty hard riding and come race day should be a very fast pace.Below is the Strava segment thats been created that includes the whole circuit.It was a nice ride with a great bunch of people who all enjoyed the day.The only incident worth reporting is race directer, Marty Tobin, who had organized the ride had 2 flat tyres before we even got to Myrrhee and had to be rescued by friends.

It seems most people I talk to,myself included, are interested in the condition of the "Strade Nero"(the dirt road climb) that will be used in the upcoming Sam Miranda Road Race.I wrote a blog about the race last week and decided that today I would go and investigate this infamous piece of road for myself.
After watching my recording of Stage 6 of the Tour de France the frost had started to melt, although I couldn't get any water out of the taps in my house due to the pipes being frozen,I headed off on my journey.The plan was,drive to Mohyu, jump on the bike and ride up Boggy Creek Road,which the Sam Miranda Handicap Race would come down the day after the road race.
That meant I could kill two birds with the one stone as I'm keen to race the handicap on the Sunday myself and this way I could see a section of the course I didn't know.It was a gentle uphill gradient most of the way to Myrrhee so coming back down will be pretty quick in a bunch.Nice quiet country road,I think I saw 2 vehicles in around 16km,perfect. 

I would then be able to turn into the Benalla-Whitfield Road at Myrrhee.Within approximately 1km I would be on the dirt section.The gradient at the beginning of the climb is very gentle (big ring country) with the steepest gradients being in the middle of the climb(between 5-10% on my Garmin) and then levelling off a little for the last km or so. The following photographs are taken in series moving up the climb from the beginning to where the dirt finishes at the Junction of the Mansfield-Whitfield Road.I've endeavoured to photograph the road surface in a few locations and in various conditions.I will say there was no trouble riding hard up the climb and most of the time you could choose a fairly smooth path amongst the few potholes and stones.There were some corrugations and rougher sections but it's mostly a hard packed pretty good surface.The conditions were sunny and the road surface dry,I imagine it could get slippery if it happens to rain.The reward after the climb is a fantastic flowing descent down into Whitflied on an excellent road.
And,yes,there is even a Strava segment for the "Dirt Berg" which I've included at the bottom of the post.

Don't forget you can keep up to date with the latest news about the race from the official Sam Miranda Road Race Blog

Pencil the weekend of the 25th and 26th of August into your diary.Thats when the Sam Miranda Road Race,Gran Fondo and Handicap will be held. What promises to be a fantastic weekend in beautiful North East Victoria with plenty to keep non cyclists entertained as well.The area is full of excellent wineries,wonderful restaurants and is also just a stones throw away from most of Victoria's Ski fields.Sam Miranda owns one of the areas best known wineries. The Sam Miranda cellar door is open 7 days from 10am - 5pm with lunch available 12pm - 3pm.    

A special thank you to Marty Tobin for providing most of the information and photographs.
I was quite interested Sam Miranda's interest in cycling and Marty provided me with the following.  

Sam has been a cycling tragic for quite a while, long before he moved to North East Victoria from Griffith.
He still has his classic custom made 1990’s Zanella Road bike that he got made when on a trip to Italy, sitting in the shed.  
Sam’s involvement with cycling in the north east came after a chance meeting with some local club members at the winery in about 2005.He then started  donating a few bottles of wine to the Wang CC for the Club tour, then it grew. The next year Sam was the Sponsor of the Wangaratta Cycling Club tour.In 2007 Sam became the major sponsor of the Wangaratta CC. 
Also in 2007 Sam became the major sponsor of the High Country Road Race (Mansfiled to Oxley) a joint club run event with Mansfield CC, in 2008 the race became bigger with a criterium added to make it a weekend.
2010 saw Sam Miranda King Valley take over management of the event. 

There have been some big changes made to the format of the event from previous years with some very exciting additions.A Road Race and Gran Fondo will be held on Saturday with a Handicap Road Race held on Sunday.

"The ROAD RACE has been changed from the point to point circuit to one big loop(See map below). We feel the circuit is just as challenging as the old course. We have kept the distance to 100km, like previous editions, and have incorporated some fantastic roads not previously used."

"This year we have two KOM’s. The first as riders come into Myrrhee (km 50) and the second is the infamous ‘Strade Nero’ which will take riders from Myrrhee up towards Whitlands (km 60) is sure to test and some have said “this will make the race”. Just like the Italian classic ‘Strade Bianche’ this climb is on dirt! The surface is in really good condition so you don’t need your Paris – Roubaix wheels!" 

There will be an intermediate Sprint and a teams category has been introduced for A Grade Men.
Minimum of 3, maximum of 5 riders per team.
Riders who are not part of a team, who wish to ride A Grade will be placed into a composite team by Cycling Victoria.
The Teams Classification winning team will be taken on the combined times of the first 3 riders in each team.

Champion Systems are on board again to provide Race Winners and KOM Jerseys for all grades.

Another first this year is the Sam Miranda ‘Grand Fondo’ over 100km to be ridden over the same circuit(see map below) before the Road Race.
The Grand Fondo is a participation ride and will start at 11:00am  one hour before the first riders set off in the 2012 Sam Miranda Road Race. 
In true ‘Grand Fondo’ style this ride has full event timing and is a mass participation ride preceding the Sam Miranda Road Race. The circuit is a mix of quiet country roads, unique climbs including the famed ‘Strade Nero’ to Whitlands, a great descent into Whitfield and rolling country side and vineyards.


SATURDAY 25th AUGUST
SAM MIRANDA ROAD RACE:
DISTANCE:     100KM
GRADES:        A, B, C MEN
                       A, B WOMEN
                      (A GRADE MEN – TEAMS CATEGORY)
START TIME: 11:00 AM ‘GRAND FONDO’
                     12:00 PM C GRADE
                     12:10 PM WOMEN B
                     12:20 PM WOMEN A
                     12:45 PM B GRADE
                     1:00 PM A GRADE
KOM:             2 PER GRADE
                     50KM MYRRHEE SCHOOL
                     60KM ‘STRADE NERO’
SPRINT:        15 MILE CREEK 35KM
PRIZEMONEY: MINIMUM $5,000 CASH & PRIZES
WINNERS / KOM JERSEYS ALL GRADES
ENTRY FEE:    $60.00 – INCLUDES DINNER SATURDAY NIGHT AFTER PRESENTATIONS.

                       EXTRA TICKETS FOR THE DINNER ARE AVAILABLE FOR $25.00

On Sunday the 26th the inaugural SAM MIRANDA HANDICAP will be held.

DISTANCE:           85KM
GRADES:             Open to all riders U19 and above
START TIME:        10:00AM
COURSE:               Oxley, Moyhu, Greta, 15 Mile Creek, Myrrhee, Moyhu, Oxley(See map below)
PRIZEMONEY:        PRIZEMONEY for the weekend exceeds $6,000 in cash and prizes
                                Prizes for 1st Unplaced U19, Woman, Fastest Time
ENTRY FEE:             $45.00

PRESENTATIONS:    AT CONCLUSION OF RACING 
                                AT SAM MIRANDA CELLAR DOOR

Should you require any further information a race website has been set up www.sammirandaroadrace.wordpress.com

Follow on Twitter - Sam Miranda RoadRace
 
Cycling Victoria’s race listing http://vic.cycling.org.au/?ID=46867