Kona Results out now..

Check them out here..

http://www.fullgaspromotions.com.au/new/results.html

Nice effort Vietzy 11th Fastest Day lap...

And Jacqui 7th & 14th fastest female..

Well done..

Kona 2006

We were blessed with the weather, but not with the dust. Added to the energy zapping head cold Im getting over, Im now coffing up bright yellow dusty flem from the bottom of my lungs..Hmm nice..

The Chamois Royale lads put in a good effort given how slack we are when it comes to training. We came fourth after a close battle for third. We faded towards the end but the BSC lads were too strong for us this time. There was of course no chance competing against the professional outfit Felt, they were farken fast.

Flynny thanks for lending us your magnificent tent. It stood the test against the strong winds not only from Bondy's arse but mother nature. Thanks mate for that, we all really appreciated it.

Mim thanks for coming up and giving us all some support and bringing the Saturday paper too.

Em thanks for the pics which follow.

Below - The lads minus Vietz who was out on course.
Below - The Plough - Luke on the gas.
Below - Some sun screen may have been a good idea you idiot!
Below - Rocco - The strong man again. 7 laps on a single speed...Below - Rocco after his last fast lap in the heat.
Below - Em pointed this out on my front Specialized issue tubeless tire. Check the spelling from the Thai made tire..
Below - Pip as gracious as ever but had some pace on the last downhill section. She took the same very wide line as her hubby but manage to pull it together.
Below - Mocha posting a last lap of 51 mins (Only because I had to impress Em)
Below - yeah it hurt - Its not good to push yourself when you have a cold.
Below - Dimitri.. This guy is fast. Farken fast. I tried so hard to catch him and then when I was next to him going up a big hill, he looked at my number notice I was in the same category and took off. I worked hard to almost catch him at the finish. Great riding mate on the Single Speed!
Below - Dimitri again.
Below - Nathan - Oops! Nearly lost it. I think we all put him off?Below - Jackie & Nath
Below - I dont know this guy?
Below - Nice change over boys.. Nice arse Vietz.Below - Bondy & Vietz (on the Croc) resting up.
Below - Campsite - Rocco chilling out. Kate & Geoff chatting.
Below - Yes nice style. After two flat tyres on his last lap and nearly losing it on the last fast corner after the downhill Vietz managed to finish in form on the last corner. Leave the outfit at home next time mate.
Another great weekend. Check Kona website for results when posted..

See you all at the Anaconda. Come watch me drown in the swim.

MG

Human Power - The only way to go!

"The bicycle is a tremendously efficient means of transportation. In fact cycling is more efficient than any other method of travel--including walking! The one billion bicycles in the world are a testament to its effectiveness. The engine for this efficient mode of transport is the human body".

"Because bodies are fueled by food, diet plays an important role in how the body performs. Different muscle groups and types provide the power. Genetic inheritance, intensive training, and a competitive drive help top athletes push the boundaries of endurance and speed on the bicycle.How Far Do You Want To Go"?

It takes less energy to bicycle one mile than it takes to walk a mile. In fact, a bicycle can be up to 5 times more efficient than walking. If we compare the amount of calories burned in bicycling to the number of calories an automobile burns, the difference is astounding. One hundred calories can power a cyclist for three miles, but it would only power a car 280 feet (85 meters)!

Taken from - http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/humanpower1.html

Two quotes for today..

"Pain is a big fat creature riding on your back. The farther you pedal, the heavier he feels. The harder you push, the tighter he squeezes your chest. The steeper the climb, the deeper he digs his jagged, sharp claws into your muscles."

Scott Martin

And for alls those crazy fixed geared bike riders...

"I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft... As for me, give me a fixed gear!"

Henri Desgrange

Is Woodend good? Yep its good alright!

I had never been to Woodend and the guys kept saying how nice it was to ride. Well it lived up to my expectations for cross country riding. The "big" loop I think is 18kms? Its fast with tight corners, narrow escapes through the trees, logs, logs and more logs, (you will get used to them once you work out how to ride them fast), some ups being only small (nothing a single speeder couldn't handle) and some nice fast medium technical downs.

I took my camera with me and carried it around in the heat on Saturday 18th November, but of course its hard to stop and take pics when you are trying to keep up with Geoff, Nick and Rocco.

We had a great crew there. Jen & Chris 'Davo' Davidson came through with the goods at the end, with a bbq & beers.. Unfortunately we were all too dehydrated to have the beer. Thanks Chris and Jen for that!

Woodend is only 1 hour from Brunswick East. Much better going there than to Lysterfield.
Here's some pics.. Lets get back there soon..

Below; arriving

Below; Chris

Below; Nat, Belinda, Jen & Nats friend Mark in the climbers jersey. Oh year of course Rocco in blue trying to get in on the pic.

Below 3/4 of Chamois Royale; Bondy, Geoff & Rocco.

Below; Tristan on his very nice single speed.

Below; Roc on the fast log ride.

Below; me

Below; Bondy out of focus.

Below; Geoff the master log rider.

Below; B, Jen, Chris & Tristan at the car park with the bbq.

MG

Who skied in November 2006?

Yes Vietz you & Roc did!! WOW. That was one hell of a cold front that passed by our little state on November 16th 2006.

Here are the boys pics..

Thanks for the pics boys..

Our recent Pub Ride

What a fun night we had. Thanks to all who came along. Im keen to organise another pub ride, where we actually do a little bit more riding than drinking.

Here are some pics I managed to take without a good flash..

Mocha on my way (a long way from North Fitzroy to the top of Smith St) on my trusty Dragster..

Dave.. One of Daves newest finds superbly reconditioned by Matt. Nice work bringing this old bike along! Two more of Daves recent finds, which Matt & Shell rode on our night..

Mocha & Matt..

Matt, Emma & Shell (just after her crash into Mocha) @ Empress..

Matt..

The gang - Emma, Shell, Dave & Matt...

The gang again...

Matt & Em at Kent St eating the fantastic Japanese meals we had...

Dave (The Baker) & Em..

Jen & Ben @ the marquee of Lorne Pub..

Chris & Jen outside Radio...

Geoff, Bondy, Dave, Matt & Shell outside Radio..

Shell, Dave & Em while cruising down Brunswick St...

Chris & Mel at marquee of Lorne...

A friendly pair - Pip & Nat...

Mocha, Matt & Shell...

Matt & Dave @ Empress... (before heading home for 2 more bottles of Red!!

Thats it guys.. There will be another even great ride coming soon.. Stay tuned..

The Gravity 12 hours Solo.....

Below; getting ready to race.. Nice campsite..
It was hot, very hot. Here are some pics that Em took of Matt & myself. The deal I made with Matt was that he could use my geared dual suspension bike if he rode the 12 hours Solo. He has never ridden before on mountain bike for more than 2 hours and also has never raced. Well done Matt on riding 8 laps and no crashes. Top effort in the testing conditions that were.

Below; Matt spent most of his time here...

Below; so did I...

As for me, well... some say I started out too hard. But no, I was just cruising very comfortably with Andrew Bell for the first 4 laps. On the 3rd I crashed while chatting to him and not concentrating on a sharp fast burmed corner. It hurt and grazed my right hip and elbow. I kept going though, as I knew with the lack of training I was going to suffer later on in the day with the increasing heat and the difficulty of keeping up on a single speed bike on this course.

So without pushing myself too hard and taking in some needed breaks, I managed to ride 12 laps on the 13km course. I wasn't happy being on my Single Speed as from the start this was a disadvantage. My initial goal was to complete 15 laps but I soon threw that idea out, as I was only doing this for a training session before the Kona, so why should I bust my guts when Im not prepared. I didn't want to suffer from heat stroke like I did in the Alpine Classic when it was 43 degrees!

Well done to everyone else who had a go. Its great to know your friends are out their giving it their best shot and hurting too.. It was nice to see Roc go hard to catch up to me on one lap and be hurting again too. Chris (standing in for Bondy) and Belinda also rode extremely well, who where in Roc team. Their mixed threesome team came 2nd!

Pip put in a great effort having to take over the race from Geoff who shouldn't have even started the race due to a back problem. But as Geoff is a stubborn bastard he had to be there at the start. Geoffs not the fastest off the start, but 3/4 of the way through the first lap he flew past me! Only for me to find him a second later off his bike and telling me he stacked and bent his derailier. Bad luck mate, but you got yourself going again pretty quickly posting a decent lap time. Geoff pulled out of the race after 4 laps. He will be back for the Kona that's for sure!

Oh yeah Chris, thanks for eating all my potato salad I was looking for each time I came around to the transition. I hope you enjoyed my nice food!

See you all at Woodend on Saturday 18th November and also at the Kona for some action in 3 weeks time..

So here are some pics from the weekend.

Below; Friday night just before bed....

Below; me just after the start of another lap..

Below; Matt - a little exhausted, but ready for a few more laps...

Below; Ribena the drink of champions....

Below; me coming into transition..

Below; Matt coming into transition..

Below; the fast man of Chamois Royale 'Rocco'..

Below; Matt & I on another break... Dam it was hot, so we decided to take it easy..

Below; Matt & I setting of on our last very long lap together... Before my last massive crash off the drop off...

Below; The dude in the middle put in a top effort and came 2nd in Solo pushing Andrew Bell all they way. Well done mate..

Below; Im not gay... Just sore and relaxed..

Below; Im in pain from my crash! Matt & I were pretty tired. In need of a good shower to wash the stones out of my cuts and continue to re hydrate..

Next year Matt top ten position for you and maybe top 3 for me? Gears though and not on my single speed..

Chamois Royale proposed events...

(Chamois Royale with Cheese) is our team name under which Mark, Geoff, Andrew and Nick enter into most events.

Here is what we have in mind for the next few months leading up to the Alpine Classic of 2007.

2nd - 3rd December - The big one - The KONA. - Chamois Royale 4 man - can we do it again? I don't think so? But with rocco firing, we intend to send him out first and fast. See you all there. http://www.fullgaspromotions.com.au/24hour.html

9th - 10th - The Anaconda Challenge @ Lorne. I know there are a few of us doing it so lets work out the logistics just before the race. I believe we may stay overnight at Jens?? Is that still cool with you Jen?
http://www.rapidascent.com.au/asp/Description.asp?e=4

13th & 14th of Jan before the Alpine Classic, we will organise a training weekend based up at Harrietville. I would like to camp down at the pub, ride up to Hotham, over to Omeo and back on one day. Finish with a nice beer at the pub sitting outside, then Sunday morning drive to Bright, park the car and ride up Buffalo. (Potentially). All welcome to join in of course.

Our mate Steve Rath emailed me the profile of the ride. Check it out below. Thanks mate. Here is what Steve had to say...

"Here's the profile for the Hotham-Omeo ride you're planning for the near future.
I did the Audax Alpine Delight ride on the weekend.
Don't underestimate the climbing on the way back from Omeo, 2 tough climbs plus a couple of short pinches.
Carry plenty of water as you have to get to Dinner Plain to fill up each way as there isn't much open at Hotham".

26th Jan - Australia Day Holiday.
27th Jan - The Alpine Classic - make sure you enter for the 6.20am start. Hopefully it is not so hot this year as I cooked myself on the last climb up Buffalo. http://www.audax.org.au/alpine.htm

So that's the plan.

Tuesday night MTB rides ("TNR's") leave the Fairfield Pipe Bridge at 6pm sharp. All welcome. Generally a cruisy ride (Unless Geoff is there), and in most cases a beer is in order afterwards.

One of my local pubs serves up a $10 t bone steak with fresh crunchy veges and wedges. This is where we sometime go straight after the ride. Thats the North Fitzroy Arms Hotel. The proprietors are fantastic and the service is top notch..

MG

My Vintage BSA - Wooden Wheel required

This is the BSA that I need a wooden wheel re build as the front wheel was damaged by heat and is cracked. I would love to get this going again.