Blog Archives

Track Carnival

30/12/2011

Yesterday afternoon I worked on the entrance gate for the Wangaratta Cycling Club who were holding their track carnival. It was a pretty warm afternoon and although I wasn't really doing much, by the end of the Juniors I was stuffed and ready to head home for a BBQ and a quiet beer on the verandah. Before I left I took a few photos of the Juniors going around and I'll post the best of them.

I reckon this will be my last blog post for 2011 unless I get some divine inspiration at the last minute before midnight, so to anybody reading Happy New Year, I hope it's a healthy,happy and prosperous one for all.

Merry Christmas

25/12/2011

Greetings to all this festive season. Thanks for reading the blog and for the feedback and suggestions. Looking forward to continuing in 2012.

Our Spotted Gum Christmas Tree.

2012 Calendar is here.

19/12/2011

I'm very pleased to be able to announce that the 2012 Cycling Photography Calendars have arrived and are available to purchase. The Calendars would make a unique Christmas gift for cyclists. Copies are available for $20 at West End Bike Hub in Wangaratta or online here .

Weekly round up and a trip to DISC

17/12/2011

It appears that after the Tour of Bright I am suffering from some form of riding hangover. Talk of the Audax Alpine Classic 200km makes me feel like going on a cruise or the thought of riding 3 hill repeats of Mt Donna Buang with some of the captains crew, had me heading for the flat,busy and over lycra'd Beach Road with another few members of the crew who didn't want to go climbing either. For a country boy who rides mainly on deserted country roads I would suggest Beach Road is the exact opposite of my regular riding experience.It's certainly nice to have some company and to check out so many cyclists on the one road outside of an organised event,this surely must be a very unique experience anywhere in the world. For me it's nice to visit and have the experience but I'm glad it's not my usual training ground as it's far to busy for me and a little dangerous I reckon. It would be pretty easy to get taken out by inexperienced riders from what I saw not to mention cars flying past your right leg. I must confess to being pretty happy with all the options for a coffee and I had to venture in to the famous Cafe Racer just to soak up a little of the Urban Cycling scene. Not much different to home really but multiply the riders by a few thousand and the bling factor too.
In the afternoon I had the chance to venture into DISC to have a look at some Junior racing where a couple of local lads from Wangaratta were competing. I had a chat with Dean McDonald who filled me in on some of he rules and how things worked. Dean's son Thomas was racing as well as Tomarsh Loki from Wangaratta whom I have often raced with on the road.I had never been to a Velodrome before and found it very interesting. The steepness of the banks at each end of the track are what really stood out for me. I would love to have a ride on the timber track to feel what it's like. I don't think track racing is something I want to do myself but certainly from a spectators point of view it is very exciting. I'll add a few of the images I took below.The other exciting news is that my 2012 Cycling Photography Calendar has been sent out by courier from the printers on Friday so should be arriving in Wangaratta early next week. Already more than half of the Calendars have been sold so I'm hoping I have enough for everyone who is yet to purchase one. They will be available to purchase at West End Bike Hub as well as directly from me.

Tomarsh Loki in action

Thomas McDonald at the start of a handicap race

Tomarsh Loki

Thomas McDonald

The Home of Cycling Victoria

Make your own Chai

13/12/2011

oops, forgot to put the black tea in the pic.

After last Wednesday's Beechworth ride whilst having lunch with some of the guys the conversation turned to beverages and who was having a coffee etc. I had already had my quota of 2 coffees a day but decided I would indulge myself for a third. This started a discussion on who drank what when,after I commented that I allow myself 2 coffees in the morning but in the afternoon I make Chai it was suggested I add the recipe to the Blog.

So below is the way I do it but there are endless other variations. I learnt how to make it from 2 of my sisters and have pretty much stuck with their recipe ever since. I generally make around 1 litre each batch and that way I've got enough for a couple of days.

Ingredients for my brew,you don't have to be exact with this.

700ml water
300ml milk
40 cardamon pods
1/2 stick of cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
Black tea.
Big tablespoon honey.

I put around 700 ml of cold water in a decent size saucepan and whilst it's coming to the boil I roughly crush the cardamon pods and the cinnamon in a mortar and pestle but you can also just roughly chop them up with a knife,I also cut up the ginger finely but don't make too much work out of it. Add the cut/ground up ingredients to the water and simmer for around 5 minutes.
The add the milk and the black tea ( 4 tea bags works well) but I like loose leaf tea and put in around 3 decent teaspoons. Heat the mixture back up but don't boil it. When hot add the honey more or less depending on your taste. You can also use sugar if preferred. Then strain the liquid into a jug and pour yourself a cup and enjoy. You can fiddle around with the quantities of the various ingredients depending on your taste

So now, next time your at a folk festival and walk past the Chai tent, you can take comfort in the fact that you know how to make the real stuff or maybe go in and see how they it.

The simmering spices before the milk and tea are added.

Now why would you want to go out to a restaurant when this keeps coming up day after day

2012 Cycling Photography Calendar.

10/12/2011

My 2012 Cycling Photography Calendar is currently being printed and should be available very soon. I have been promised they will be available before christmas so I have added a shopping cart to the home page as well as to the 2012 Cycling Calendar Gallery so they can be purchased online for $27 which includes postage within Australia. I will be able to deliver them locally for free so the cost without postage is $20 so you can contact me via email to organise this.Below is an image of the front cover of the Calendar. I really have not printed very many and expect them to sell out pretty quickly. I will be able to get more printed but that would likely be after Christmas.

2011 Tour of Bright

4/12/2011

Friday night was registration time.

Wes pins on his race number. No turing back now.

Bikes fitted with race numbers and transponders.

The Tour of Bright one of Australia's biggest and best cycling races was held over the weekend. It was my first attempt at the race after spending the 2010 version photographing the action.There was a large contingent of local riders competing and it felt a little like an extended family as we all checked each others progress on the excellent results website which updated the moment you crossed the line. You can view the results website here.

Stage 1 on Saturday morning saw my group of Masters 4/5 start last at 8.45am and I had been awake for hours raring to go. After deciding to drive out to the base of Tawonga Gap and ride into Bright as a warm up. I figured after the stage I could save myself the 10 km ride into town.For the 90km stage I had some company in my group with Gavin Frawley,Stephen Fields,Ray Jarratt who had all raced the TOB before and Tony Barton who was like me a first timer. The highlight of the stage was flying down the Ovens Valley in a big peloton and feeling like you were almost a pro at speeds up to 50kmh. The lowlight was getting dropped by the main bunch up the Rosewhite climb. That being said I wasn't the only one and forged a small working group of around 8 to ride to the bottom of Tawonga Gap. Just after starting the climb the A grade bunch motored past like we were standing still. I did the climb in around 33 mins and was greeted at the top by several local riders waiting at the finish line.

Stage 2 on Saturday afternoon was a 16km time trial which is 8km out the Wandiligong Rd and the turning around and riding 8km back. My start time was 16.48 precisely. Riders start every 20 seconds and you even get to roll down a proper starting ramp . The out leg is a gradual climb up the valley punctuated by a couple of small hills particularly the first one which takes the wind out of your sails. I had a decent ride and came in just under 26 mins which was a little slower than I'd done the course in practice but after stage 1 in the morning I could live with that.

Stage 3 on Sunday morning was The Queen stage from Bright to the top of Mt Hotham. Due to pretty bad weather on the top third of Mt Hotham the race organisers made the decision to end the race and the end of the false flat near the ticket box about 10km short of the summit. My bunch was still together at Harrietville after all the breaks were kept well under control, but as we rounded the first hairpin the sounds of chains being shifted up cassettes into easier gears for climbing could be heard reverberating throughout the peloton. The first part of the climb is really tough and any disappointment felt from not being able to finish at the top quickly evaporated into relief. After the initial pinch it settles down for quite a while until the Meg which is a real gut buster section albiet quite short but enough to make the legs hurt and the heart rate climb skywards just to maintain forward momentum. After a few more kilometers of 5-6 percent gradient the road levels out to around 2-3 percent for around 10km and in this case the end of the race. It was great to be cheered on at the end by the local riders and their families who had made the journey up to watch the finish of the race.

It's been fantastic to have had support and encouragement from heaps of people. All the local riders who have had to put up with me asking endless questions about racing and gear etc. The health professionals who looked after my injuries when about 2 weeks out from the race I thought I would not be competing. Also the help of all the volunteers that make events like these possible and the Alpine Cycling Club for putting the race on.For the record I finished 53 rd out of about 70 riders in masters 4/5. As I sit here this morning typing my legs are sore and I'm feeling pretty stuffed but I reckon I'll be back again next year.

A few little anecdotes from the weekend.

Watching all the riders sizing each other up on our Friday afternoon ride around Bright.

Having a chat with Bridie O'Donnell at rider registration but at the time not being quite sure it was her.

Meeting Wade Wallace from the CyclingTips website in person after some of my photos from the Bright race last year were used in his race report.

The constant surging of a big peloton and the smell of burning carbon under heavy brakes.

When Wes said "you know when you think you might well be right on the back of the bunch but don't want to turn around and look just in case you are" and knowing exactly what he means.

Ashley Baines screaming out "Reeeeeckmaaaan" as he blasted down Hotham as I struggled up.

Shane Miller the leader of The Mount Buffalo Challenge saying he is not riding up Buffalo again on Monday.

Seeing some of the older guys in your group fly up the hills leaving you in their wake.

Watching Laurie Lyster climb onto the podium several times during presentations.