Centennial Park update

 

Centennial Park rangers, Eastern suburbs police and cycling groups met yesterday to discuss a Code of Conduct for cycling in the park.  In past years, complaints about cyclists in the Park have escalated.    There are a few simple actions that we can take immediately to alleviate some of the Rangers’ concerns around cycling activities in the Park.   Hopefully, these actions will be noted and mean that we can achieve some concessions towards bunch training in the future – although this is by no means guaranteed. 

The worst complaints come from pedestrians and dogwalkers who feel intimidated by the training bunches and that cycling in the Park is “out of control”.  The areas where cyclists and pedestrians meet mostly are Carrington Drive and Parkes Drive – which is basically the road along the top (parallel to Oxford St) and the kiosk hill.   These are the main areas of concern and the actions that we must take are :

• All cyclists to either stop or significantly slow at the Stop sign where Hamilton Drive joins Grand Drive (to the left of the Cannon’s triangle).  This is going to be enforced and there are plans to put a speed hump on that corner to force all traffic to come to a stop.   
• Preferably no U turns at the junction of Parkes Drive and Grand Drive (what is called Café Corner) and any U turns at the top of Parkes Drive (the top of the kiosk hill) are not to be right in front of the gates.  U turns should be made at a safe distance from the Paddington gates so as to minimise the risk of accident with cars turning into the park.
• Speed going down Parkes Drive either to Café Corner or down Hamilton Drive must be restricted.
• Carrington Drive will be one way east to west – ie from the Woollahra to Paddington gates only – for the duration of the Moonlight cinema and parking will be restricted to one side of the road only.
• The Stop sign where Dickens Drive meets Parkes Drive (in the middle of the park before the coffee van) is going to be changed to a Give Way sign.
• Could all cyclists report incidents to the Park and the rangers – ie any riders down, any incidents with dogs as well as abusive and obstructive behaviour by pedestrians or others.  Currently there are no complaints from cyclists about other users of the park – so the statistics are stacked against us at the moment.

 

I do not feel that we should have any problem in adhering to these guidelines or traffic rules.   The Rangers’ main concerns are safety and liability.   The Carrington Drive road change will probably have the most impact to us as we will no longer be able to turn right at the top of the kiosk hill.  

I think I can safely say that no members of Steam contribute to the discourteous behaviour towards other park users or rangers and I would like our club to continue to be polite and safe in the park around other park users – both pedestrians and cyclists.

 

 

Calling all Steam members, Peloton members, friends, family and anyone else who wants to come along ….

 

There will be

 

• Fantastic lucky door prizes
• 2005 club awards
• Plasma screens
• Hawaii DVD
• Hell on Wheels
• Tour de France footage
• Coffee machines
• Food and nibbles
• 2005 Steam photos
• Footage of Hamill cup
• Lots of fun

 

So no excuses – come along and meet your club members out of their swimmers and bike gear and celebrate the festive season Steam style.    Let’s make this the best Steam Xmas do to date. 

RSVP ciclismo@tpg.com.au

 

 

 

 

Steam Christmas Ride

As part of the festive Steam weekend, we will be holding our annual Xmas ride on Sunday 18^th December to Waterfall.  Please wear your Steam gear (and see Daniele if you haven’t got any) and decorate your bike.  There will be a prize for the best decorated bike at the Xmas party that afternoon.   We have had some classic decorations in years gone by so let’s keep the tradition going.  Back in the park by 9:30am for a muffin and glass of champagne.

 

 

 

Club awards – People’s Choice

 

Everyone vote now – we need your votes ….

This award was introduced last year and we had a huge amount of nominations.  So this year, we are awarding the People’s Choice award again.  This is a chance for the club membership to vote for two people in the club (one male, one female) who have had some great results or gone out of their way to make the Steam experience better for you or just generally been a helpful, positive person.   

The only rule is that it cannot be awarded to those who got it last year – so Daniele Vanolini, Rod Knutson (joint awardees) and Anna Murray are out !    That still leaves 153 club members to vote for.

 

Please send all your votes and any accompanying words to ciclismo@tpg.com.au by 10^th December at the very latest.  I would very much prefer it if everyone could send in their votes in the next couple of weeks.   This award will be given out at the Steam Xmas party.  

 

 

 

Speedy recovery to ….

Tony Browne who has some broken ribs after a fall last week.  Best wishes and hoping for a quick and full recovery to you.

 

 

 

 

   

Shoalhaven weekend report

 

A totally epic day was had by all on the inaugural Steam Shoalhaven weekend.   All in all the gods were kind to us but we had four seasons during the whole weekend.  Everyone completed the ride which was 105kms for most people and a little longer for one person.   It was a hard ride and we climbed 18kms in all and had 18kms of descent too which was fun. 

Saturday dawned miserable and wet and by 8am Rowan had flashed Col (who had to lie down) and Rod had mooned Kerry and I was wondering what on earth to do with 22 cyclists and a wet weekend ….. Luckily, it cleared up and we were on the road by 10am (Italian time).   The ride was made more challenging by 2 stretches of dirt and the first was pretty muddy. 

We started the first climb under a really hot sun and very humid conditions as the countryside dried up after the rain.    After a quick regroup in Kangaroo Valley, we tackled the Barrengarry climb – needless to say it hasn’t got any better since the last time I did it but everyone made it up.

After 40 mins at the Fitzroy Falls visitors’ centre, we eventually noticed that Colm was not with us.  Daniele and Breeda set off in the car to look for him in vain.  Just as we were all wondering what to do, Colm reappeared having apparently thought that the coffee stop was somewhere in Bowral.   Finally the group set off again with some dread as we reapproached the Cambewarra climb out of Kangaroo Valley.   Some wit in the Roads Dept has decided to make the first steep few 100 metres dirt and this psyched some of the bunch out and didn’t make the climb any easier.   Pete and Daniele hit the climb hard and I somewhat foolishly tried to keep them in sight.   Now this climb is hard – and I mean really hard.    Luckily it was a bit shorter than all the rest but the last 1.5kms has to be one of the toughest climbs around.     I was watching Pete looking for another gear and he appeared to be starting to crack (I think he was just toying with me though) and luckily for him the top appeared and we descended down one of the best descents in NSW.    The Steam team regrouped at the bottom – well actually crashed out on the grass and must have been a fairly amusing sight to passing motorists.

From there it was a flat, windy 20kms home to the caravan park where we went for a paddle in the river and the more audacious amongst us went for a swim with the pelicans (obviously not me though as it was a bit nippy being under 30 degrees in the water).

The night was spent eating, drinking and being merry and watching the massive southerly come in.   It was going to get very interesting when the lights flickered on and off at one point.    Col was given the award for riding straight through Fitzroy Falls without even noticing;  Greg was given the award for whingeing the most all day (mainly about “happy and gay girls” going past him on the climb) and everyone else rode sensationally.   Well done to all for getting up the last climb and completing what was not an easy 105km by any stretch.   A huge big thank you to Amanda for saving us all out there on a hot day and driving the support car giving assistance to those who wanted to bail on the last climb and of course thanks to our trusty ride captain Daniele who went down most of the climbs and did them again to help the tail end of the bunch up.  Apparently though Daniele failed in this duty on the last climb and just phoned Amanda from the top and told her to put the stragglers in the car as even he didn’t want to do repeats of Cambewarra !

And when it was pouring with rain and freezing cold on Sunday, noone seemed to mind driving to coffee in the great bakery in Berry before heading off back home.

I think this one could be a repeat on the calendar – so get the climbing practice in now.

 

AM

 

Steam hard at work after the Cambewarra climb – riders appeared to be stuck to their bikes

 

 

 

 

Pilates for cyclists

 

Pilates highlights two specific areas needed for cycling: power and correct posture. It is important that the cyclist has a lean and strong physique and increased endurance for long rides. Correct posture is crucial to cycling and neck, lower back, abdominal, arm and leg strength used to maintain proper positioning assists in reaching optimal pedaling rate.

In addition, cyclists need to constantly practice exercises that will correct the constant curve of the spine to avoid deformation (kyphosis).

 

Try a pilates class specifically tailored for cyclists on Saturday morning 09:30am @ Centennial Park (after your morning ride).

Cost: $15/class

Exercise mats provided

Email Vix for details on vixbodyfix@ozemail.com.au

 

 

 

 

Weekend Rides 

Sat – 6:45am Crit experience is on again.  This weekend we will be training for the Hamill cup so turn up in your teams for some much needed practice and if you don’t have a team turn up anyway so that we can put the teams together.  Two groups riding out from the park and back by 8:45am.

Sat – 9:30am Pilates at the Musgrave gates. There is a special introductory price of $15 per session.  We need at least 7 starters for a class so if you haven’t tried it please come along.  Highly recommended by all those that have tried it and remember it is open to friends and family too.    Please email Vix on vixbodyfix@ozemail.com.au if you can come this week.  Please see Vix’s tips in the email.  All the regulars have noticed an improvement and have been surprised that they have actually managed to find their core muscles.

So come along and increase that core strength – all the better for riding up hills !!!!!

Sun – 6:15am Two groups going to Waterfall and back – back in the park by 9:30 at the latest.

 

Due to Xmas and lots of other things happening we will be doing shorter rides in December but look out for the holiday schedule which will include a Macquarie Pass ride (from Kiama) and some rides on the north side.  The time trial schedule will resume next year at Calga with a chance to do your best 25km/43km time trial and earn some points for the Steam ITT championship.  A great way to train as well for the triathlon season.

 

 

 

 

LAKE TAUPO NOVEMBER 2005

 

Like most people I can’t train without a purpose or a goal. Having taken up cycling seriously about a year ago  (by seriously I mean something physical  has to be done before ordering the first cappuccino of the day!). I had survived the Adelaide tour  and needed something to focus on this year.  Our Glorious Leader Daniele suggested Lake Taupo - having just completed it himself.  That sounds good I thought and suggested it to my mate Wayne McCarthy who thought a trip to Nevada was a long way to go for a bike ride but what the heck!   So off we went and enlisted sundry others including Andrew Caie and David Bowman plus a couple of non Steam members.

Fast forward ten months , numerous hills and long rides , Wayne’s discovery that we are off to NZ not Nevada! as well as David unfortunately having to pull out.

 

The Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge began in 1977 with 26 riders riding the 160kms around the largest lake in New Zealand . The ride climbs to over 1600 metres above sea  level.  Over 11,500 people took part this year either in the Solo Rider event, which we did or variety of others including relay,  the Enduro  (twice around the lake 320km) or the Super Enduro (500km)! For the latter it is essential to provide evidence of being certified as criminally insane before your entry is accepted. www.cyclechallenge.org.nz

 

The whole Taupo area is sensational. It  is unspoilt, mountainous, the air is clean and it is full of people who are there to train - particularly triathletes. It is a very friendly town. It also a home for trout fishing etc and not that it is of interest to us as none of us drink ( Yeah right –Editor!) but there are some incredibly good wines there also.!

 

The weather is “interesting” . As a general statement it is cold, even when the sun’s out! It is windy, it can rain a lot  and you can see snow on the mountains even at the end of November.

 

To the race.. The race was Saturday and we arrived Thursday. This gave us a chance to get bikes re-assembled and it is always good to arrive with time  to spare as Andrew had had his big chain ring damaged in transit and so that needed repair.  It also enabled us to check out the course on the Friday.

 

All the locals go on about Hatepe hill which is after 140km  and also about the start of the race which is uphill.   Our Friday ride took us out to look at the hill so we knew what it looked like!  The hill is 2.9k which is solid after a long ride and 4.8% which is ok. We also drove the start of the course so by the time Saturday morning came we felt confident the we knew what the beginning and the end looked like, it was the bit in the middle we didn’t know!

   

The morning of the race (which started at 7.45) it was 4 degrees. Little did we know that this year was the coldest day they have run the event in its 29 year history!!  The clouds looked seriously p-----d off and that it was going to rain all day and it was very very windy! The snow was also still there in the distance on the mountain tops that we where riding into. Luckily we had brought some thermals (what did I tell you – Ed).

 

Most of the riders are Kiwis and around 100 Australians according the web site results.

OUR BIG MISTAKE was entering  a slower start  group than we should have done . As you enter by predicted finish time we made our ride harder for ourselves by not being with quicker groups who we could ride with or draft off etc. We will know for next time.

 

The race starts with around 16k of undulation taking you uphill and out of town . Its pretty as a ride but was hard to get into a rhythm with so many riders. So there’s a bit of overtaking to do but I was also  conscious of preserving energy.  The course then becomes a series of climbs and descents for the next 80-85 kms!! The hardest thing is also the lack of rhythm  because its hard to settle into an even pace for any length of time. Take it from me New Zealand definitely has more hills than it does sheep!

 

This was where the shortage of people to work with was frustrating because it meant we had to work harder than  we needed to. With the head winds and the now drizzle/cold rain it was as much a mental ride as a physical ride.

 

There where people from local farms by the side of the road cheering riders on and there are plenty of water stations  (in and out!) every 20/30k or so. I don’t recall much about the views because I was watching the road and other riders but one thing that struck me was seeing all these vast forests which are grown to be chopped down for commercial use, many of which are bare and re generating. It looks out place in such an unspoilt location

 

At about 100kms most of the climbing stops and there are some incredible sweeping descents down to the lakeside and these make the whole ride worthwhile. At this point also the road surfaces which had been roughish - not unlike the Bundeena ride we did the other week or West Head - became smoother and really nice to ride on. It also helps with any cramping,which many people seemed to be experiencing. Its mostly flat now until Hatepe hill but the wind has picked up and we are working pretty hard a) to get out of the weather and finish and b) because we are feeling ok. You can also see people starting to hurt a bit and some of the joking around has disappeared!

 

Once up the last hill it started to rain a bit which wasn’t a worry but there are a couple of reasonable descents coming and we”d clocked 70kph+ coming down the day before and I wasn’t so keen in the wet doing the same! Luckily it held off for another 5k then poured! However that made us push harder to get finished ! Finishing was great.  There is big crowd and lots of tents for sponsors, food, massage and all the crap that people market at such events but nobody wants to buy! At this point we avoided the clamour  of sponsors, media and sundry” hangers on” to head for the warm of a coffee shop we had found!

 

I felt pleased that I’d done the race and happy it was over  but pleased with myself because  I felt good throughout the whole time and felt well prepared. Im sure if we hadn’t have stuffed up our start group we would have had a  much quicker ride.

Last but  not least, I want to thank Daniele, Anna and Rod for all of their help, encouragement and training   which enabled us to get through the race in good shape.

 

Allan Marks

 

 

 

Humour corner

( of course Steam riders are not like this ….)

 

 

"I'm not very fit"
Translation: I ride 600Ks a week and haven't missed a day since  Bob won the election. I replace my 11-tooth cog more often than you wash your undies. My body fat percentage is lower than your mortgage rate.

"I'm not into racing. I'm just riding to stay fit"
Translation: I will attack until you collapse in the gutter, babbling and whimpering. I will win the sprint if I have to force you into oncoming traffic. I will crest this hill first if I have to grab your seat post, and spray energy drink in your eyes.

"I'm on my beater bike"
Translation: I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using titanium blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It weighs less than helium and costs more than a Porsche.

"It's not that hilly"
Translation: This climb lasts longer than a 5-Day Test Match. Be careful on the steep sections or you'll fall over -- backward. You have a 39x23 low gear? Here's the name of my knee surgeon.

"You're doing great, honey"
Translation: I'd like to get home before midnight.

"This is a no-drop ride"
Translation: I'll need an article of your clothing for the search-and-rescue dogs.

"It's not that far"
Translation: Bring your passport

 

"You'll be OK in 'A' grade"
Translation: this ought to give me something to laugh about for the rest of the week!

"just sit in the bunch and you'll be alright"
Translation: The bunch will make you do your turn for the 90km headwind section of the ride!

"I don't race any more"
Translation: I found I couldn't keep up with the 'A' grade guys anymore so I just found a local bunch ride of old farts to ride with so I can still get a win every weekend!