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Jville Cycles - Whats new!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
We had some awesome fun last weekend at the Wild Wellington 12/6 hour MTB race set in the Mt Vic Hills near Haitaitai.
We were racing in the "Legends class" . Thats over 40 years old each.
The Jville Cycles Legends team had 2 past national masters champs in the team, the current champ, and an Adventure Racing specalist in the form of Jerome Sheppard . Jerome is more famous by being related to his daughter Samara, who just happens to be Jville Cycle's most competitiive rider, and the NZ and Oceania XC champ in the womens under 19 class. This was a legit team of Jville riders. Actually, we may have been the first team of non ring-ins truth be known.
You would think we would have had a competitive chance, but its been a long time since Francis and myself have graced the podium at the national level, and there was a new batch of legends dealing to us in the form of Ian Paintin and his hand picked team.
After a while we decided that we were outclassed so the effort went into:
1. Having more fun - and
2. Doing some testing on the array of bikes that Francis from Jville Cycles had for us to try out. Its just so happened that we had pretty similar in-seam measurements, and we were all running Time pedals, except for Jerome.
I have to admit to being a bit of a hardtail person, and largely of the belief that full suspension, disc brakes and tubeless tyres are the efforts of bored marketing execs, and American MountainBike magazines trying to force new product on us.
The course was about 17 mins climbing and 3 mins descending for most of us, so on paper you would think it was a hands down hardtail course.
The uphill was nearly all smooth middle gear climbing though, so if you had a smooth spin, or a lock out on your rear shock, there was no bobbing happening anyway.
The first bike I tried, (other than my old 93 Litespeed hard-tail) was Francis's Jamis XCR full-susser. This is what he uses when he is in "race mode" and is also what our team-mate Trevor Woodward used to win the Master-2 national series, and one-off Champs this year. Trev had opted not to bring his one in, but had brought his Jamis hard tail and his Cannondale Rush Play-bike just for a laugh.
The ride on the Jamis XCR was my first time on a fully, and first time with discs all round. You can take anything I say with a grain of salt, as normally I cant tell the difference between my Mag 21s and my SIDS, but this bike felt pretty sharp. I no longer had to pick a line around the rough stuff, I just took a stab and bombed through it!
It felt a bit heavier on the climbs but then on the descents it was way less sketchy than my hard tail which was shod with the Michelin Jets, and the discs pulled me up in a real hurry. The modualtion on these discs (XTR I think? ) was pretty sweet to a v-brake user like myself.
I shot into the pits and recorded a time substanially faster than my hardtail's best time. This was a big surprise to me. 
I swung my leg over Francis's other bike, the 08 Commencal Meta and shot out for my next lap. The first tiny descent into the single track had me experiencing some serious over-braking. These brakes were powerful. Overkill in this situation for sure, but ideal in this bike's intended environment which is bombing the big stuff. This was a seriously fun machine. Even climbing felt very relaxed, and it always felt like I was running a gear lower than any of the other bikes. It may have been the more relaxed set-back position, I dont know, but it was by far the "funnest" bike. It had a 120mm fork on the front with 100mm at the rear end. My second lap was substantially slower on the Commencal, but thats probably mostly a lack of fitness. 2 laps was a long way with my current form. Francis pointed out that the way he had the Commnecal meta set up was not standard for such a play bike, but it seemed to be well balanced for what we were doing with it on the day.
Trev convinced me to give his alloy Cannondale Rush a thrash, so after I lowered the seat 12 inches I was away.This machine felt a bit ponderous to start with but the standout feature was the Lefty fork. It was so solid and really seemed to hold its line amazingly well. It seemed to be fast without feeling fast. I hated the crazy shifters that you change with the backs of your fingers, but Trev had bar-ends fitted so this made it easier to change up to an easier gear. The bar ends felt great actually, and it made me wish I still had them on my hard tail.
Something that Ricky Pincott said was worth noting. The Cannondale Lefty is very cheap to rebuild, unlike some other shocks which seem to be pretty expendable. So if you are not the kind of person that changes their bike every two years, then a lefty equipped bike might be a good investment.
When I got back onto my hard tail I suddenly wondered what had happend to my brakes. They were very average. The old hope disc front I had fitted seemed about as good as a poor v-brake.
As we got the track dialed in we found our favourite steeds. I eventually went back to my hard tail, Trev just got faster and faster on the Rush to get our fastest time by a long way, and Jerome just lapped it up with the Commencal. Francis stuck with the Jamis XCR , and the Salsa Juan Solo missed out on a ride from our crew, although I think one of the other teams may have given it a thrash? All in all a great days riding on a physically demanding but not technically challenging course. Very well oganised too.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Welcome to early summer everyone
Yes the sunny days are here again!! We have certainly had a taste of some fine weather and as the days get slowly longer the tan line under the lycra will become more pronounced.. Oh yay for that.
This ramble starts with a look to the northern hemisphere which is falling "good pun" into winter mode … the end of the European summer cycling season finalises with the world champs for MTbikes and Road bikes, the big buzz at the MTBike worlds was the preview to the 06 Rotorua event !! bring it on.. No rainbow jerseys for the Kiwi contingent this year some great racing and im sure we will have some advantage on home turf next year. The roadie worlds Wow that was some collection of riders, NZ’s top male rider Julian Dean put on an impressive end of season ride to make the top ten with a ninth placing, pretty impressive!!
These competitions are the pinnacle for our competitive cyclists and even competing for NZ is a worthy highlight for many riders…congratulations to all the NZ representatives..
Ok OK
Europe. but wait I havnt finished ‘the most dominant athlete on earth’ yip that’s what Playboy magazine called Lance Armstrong now that’s a title I believe he deserves !! the worlds toughest sport and almost a decade of dominance, here’s the link to the article hope you enjoy like I did ..
http://www.playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/lancearmstrong/
On the home front now, our own Road Nationals where recently completed in Ashurst just north of Palmerston North, tough weather coupled with equally tough courses made for some serious grovelling!! Jville.Cycles had a few riders there representing there centre..In road cycling you represent your area or club… So congratulations to our supported riders…and again for you up and coming riders this is the biggest local road event of the year and a step towards competing for your country..
for results check out …
http://www.roadnationals.co.nz/
On the local Dirt scene the PNP series has been another great success with 200 + riders at all events so far again Jville.cycles has been well represented and our shop shirts are extremely obvious by there number. Check out the PNP website for more info and links to pics.
Then there is the Tour De Peak Wellingtons annual Makara park challenge…the boys and girls are training for this one already!!
http://www.pnp.org.nz/index.html
PNP have also started there summer Track season with last Tuesday the first nights racing Sunday afternoons again fro training with bikes available for anyone to ride…if you want to learn more about track racing Sundays is worth going along too, remember marshals and timekeepers are always in demand helping out is a great way to learn the mechanics of track racing. Again any young riders who want more speed and experience this is a great discipline to learn!!
Well the big buzz in the store currently is the annual round taupo event coming up in late November. This event never fails to amaze me it brings people out of there non cycling lives and into our world of pedals, lycra and suffering oops I mean funn!!.
Their excitement, enthusiasm and passion is very admirable! We have riders doing everything from 1 leg of the relay all the way to 3 laps wahoo then there the teams of riders, our biggest group is 35 strong!! With matching outfits as well…Id like to wish them all well and may the day be a great one for all of you…a quick reminder if you are going to get your bike serviced prior.. Please don’t wait till the last week!!
Also in store is the new models for 06 arriving!! And oh boy is there some nice bikes and wheels coming in…of the new stuff Im liking the new Diamondback full carbon-fibre road bike!! come in and check it out and the price WOW!! You will be impressed..
Other new products worth checking out:
PVM protein bars...$4.50 Blair rates these!!
New big squeeze from Leppin great value !!
New 06 Rock Shox first models in store now..
Last call to for 05 Bike specials!! The very last!!
Ok this is a quikkee and I will get back here soon…remember too... now that summers here.......wednesday nite rides...and Saturday afternoons…ring the shop for details..
PS…Rider safety!! Be Bright.. Be Seen…Be safe..
Friday, September 16, 2005
Spring time in the Capital…. Hello fellow cyclists it has been wonderful to feel the warmth of spring again, the odd ride without layers of thermal clothing and even some windless days !! WAHOOOO
I want to make a special mention of a fellow cyclist who passed away recently. Kevin Smith who was the previous PNP club president passed away while out on a training ride. For any of you, like myself who had some contact with this gentleman I'm sure you would have been rewarded by his company, a well spoken, well mannered hard working cycling administrator and keen as cyclist, for me personally I will miss his passion and leadership…for the miles and the smiles thanks Kevin..
OK back to the business at hand…my monthly ramble abit late this time as I'm spending a couple of weeks in nelson with whanau and more windless days on the bike…I'm reminded on arriving here how tough Wellington cyclists are to survive and even get to the top of their game,, I have always said since arriving in Wellington that your natural geography and weather conditions will make you a far more hardy cyclist and when the hammer is down and you are racing somewhere else in this beautiful country.
Your time training/surviving Wellington conditions will be an advantage…for the recreational cyclist this unfortunately makes it tough finding ways to grow young and new cyclist is hard work…here in Nelson its flat, almost windless and there are cycle paths, so there is a recreational advantage …for all you up and coming cyclists I would recommend finding easy areas to get some miles in …such as up the Kapiti Coast over the Wairarapa for the roadies and for beginner MTBikers the Hutt river trail / Rimatuka incline will help develop the basic pedalling / handling skills you need before throwing yourself headlong into the hills, wind, traffic and Makara peak Mtbike park…stay committed its all there in front of you and long term you will have an advantage..
On a positive note regarding the rising fuel costs!!It has certainly brought out a few of those stored bikes, the workshop is ever busy with folks looking to drop their fuel bill. As we know fuel will always be on the rise give or take a few fluctuations, which long term means that the price of new bikes will increase…however for now we still have some of the best value product the cycling industry has ever had..
Sept..Spring here Autumn in Europe, the winding down of the season over there, the tour of Spain has been another enthralling tour and fabulous to see Julian Dean back on the bike at the top level. Meanwhile the worlds elite roadies are preparing for the world road racing champs..a one day all out nations versus nations event and NZ has some great opportunities…
Go the Kiws.. The World MTBike champs has just concluded unfortunately this year no rainbow jerseys to bring home…still a great showing by our athletes and the world got to preview the 06 event to be held in my old home town of Rotovegas…yes Im kinda proud that all my years of making Rotovegas into the Mtbiking mecca that it is will host this even….So what else the Junior world track champs had some top results!!
Rainbow jerseys for the pursuit team!!
Watch these young guys in the future..and world Tri-athlon champs more great results..sorry to no to have all the details !! hope you all have access to good news sources for your results fix.. My daily page to visit is www.cyclingnews,com..and the NZ site www.cyclingnz.co.nz and the mountainbike scene..www.mountainbike.co.nz…www.vorb.org.nz
Local scene…PNP series up and racing..Makara Peak first round great numbers in attendance a beautiful day and some excellent racing. Unfortunately poor arrowing meant a big chunk of the field went the wrong way and lost time. Which was later adjusted across the board. Hopefully the organisers get on top of this one. It's a tough job I understand..still there are ways to combat these problems anyways sounded like all had a great ride..loads of Jville Cycles clothing out there and more great racing to in the rounds to come!!
The roadies are back into full rock and roll mode as I write this the two up time trial is on this weekend…that's gotta hurt!! and their program is being well supported with good numbers of riders. Event Marshalls are always a big deal at local bike races so if you aint riding!! get on down and wave a flag or help out some way…its often the best way to get close to the action and is rewarding to give something back,,
For more info on the PNP events>>http://www.pnp.org.nzTaupo..Taupo..Taupo..well its in full cry again the mighty great lake challenge brings thousands of cyclists out every spring and this year will be no exception get your entries in early to avoid missing out and get those miles up!! Please don't wait for the last week to get your bike serviced as our mechanic will be running on maximum for at least a month prior…
Taupo also hosts the Day night Thriller and it is the next national MTBike event that will see huge numbers competing in teams for the 12 hour honours and the sheer pleasure of Mtbiking with mates and colleagues…get a bike or 5, Get some mates, do this one its loads of fun..Jville cycles has won categories here b4 and there will be several teams travelling up, if you havnt hooked up a ride...pop in and see us..
Shop stuff…Don't panic… Don't panic Don't panic lol…Jeez with the closure of the PacknPedal shops the Jville.cycles store has been frantic, fine time for me to be in sunny Nelson…however the team is surviving,New 06 bikes arriving all the time, some awesome 05/04 bike deals have been going out the door, there may still be a few left in odd sizes so ask Francis or Blair if you are interested..
To finish with I would like to wish all the best to two of our avid cycling customers who recently agreed live in married harmony. I wonder if they will get a tandem!!…all the best to Wendy and Andy…may your life be full of joy with plenty of sunny miles and adventures….
PS..if you have something of interest to place in here…email it to the shop and I will do my best to include it…be well..safe cycling…
Freddy
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Nearly spring time in Aoteoroa
Hiya there everybody, welcome to Mid August …slight delay last week to get this up !! The potential of spring/summer has already shown itself…oh yay!! Did I say Daffodils!! Wahoooo I do love springtime…new bikes…fertility and bike-rides without thermals!! Well soon anyway
July has been and gone…a special thanks to Sky TV for live Le Tour coverage… I know some seriously tired people!! Well - without much an issue Lance Armstrong and his Discovery team dominated Le Tour as we kinda expected!! His team the "Disco boyz" later to be known as the fearsome five-some, ripped the tour apart day after day!! And like many cyclists of the peloton and greater world I am looking forward to 06 as Lance strings guitars for his partner Sheryl Crowe and Le Tour is wide open….
Did I mention what a tour it was!! Breakaways…breakaways! Don’t ya love them!! I can only imagine the emotions of being away from the bunch for most of the day and get caught in the last few k’s or metres even!! what a great race it was!!….
Jville.cycles have had several customers who have been away to be part of Le Tour packages and eagerly look forward to hearing their stories ….
Now Yellow jerseys!! Lance now holds second place in the all time number of yellow jerseys!! Not only does he leave cycling with new records 7 wins….cycling has certainly benefited from the Americanisation of the once European dominated sport!!...
Meanwhile life continues yer right!! On the world scene…there has been heaps of racing with kiwis doing well and keeping the flag flying, I’ve been following Sarah Ulmers progress as a roadie!! Wow what a talent she is and still very aggressive in the heat of racing…
The 05 BMX worlds was held in France last weekend of July….yip thousands of BMXers from around the globe doing there thing, with BMX making the 08 Olympics there is much interest in our potential future cycling stars progressing thru the ranks…My star of the show Trent "the boss" Woodcock, Trent won the 12 yr boys class!! Marc Willers made the final for the elite men!! Now that is classy he finished 6th wahoooo Mark is potentially a NZ rep at the next Olympics .
In the woman’s divisions Sarah Walker made two finals…6th in the under 18 cruiser and an amazing 2nd in the 18 and 20inch class final !!! to round out the great NZ results Scott Hoskings finished 2nd in the 16yr boys class, another future star for NZ for more info http://www.bmxmania.com/uciworlds05.htm
Local scene….spring seems to be getting everyone excited!!
PnP have started there Saturday morning road races!! Great attendances….get out there if you haven’t tried one of these races, a great way to see the regions best roads and meet the locals..
With lots of riders back on there bikes and spring and summer events in mind, training rides are in full swing as well and while the mornings are still quite cold a few warm winter sunny days has the roads full of cyclists!!
On the MTBiking scene you locals need to be getting ya bikes ready for the upcoming PNP series…we will see you there!!
Up country the Rotorua N-Duro series is up to rnd 3 and again lots of Welly peoples making the trip to Vegas for a weekend of cycling and Vegas fun!!
Of course..Round Taupo..and the annual 12 hour Day night thriller are enticing riders to get training and organised for these wonderful events…
Shop stuff….
Safety Vests!! while its getting past the depths of winter we do recommend these glow in the dark cycle accessories …yes something to be seen with….we have some new ones in store with battery powered light strip on them!! Great for being obvious and not for you stealth riders!!
Last of the 05 bikes..as mentioned in the last newsletter… the last of the 05 bikes have been going out at some very good prices the first 06 bikes are already here and it wont be long before the new colors and stock brighten the premise…be quick if you are interested…limited sizes and options apply…
Fruity bits that have arrived recently
Bontrager Vibration dampers…for you roadies!! Really quite a cool thing for the rider who needs more toys…
Bontrager… Carbon spacers, ahead-set compatible and LIGHT!!!!
Nite lites…Topeak have been supplying some phat technology to cycle lights if you are doing a regular commute or want to get into nite riding, these babies rock!!
Stans Goo..if you don’t know what it is come in and chat to the guys ..this product is inserted inside your tubes and self heals flats…great for Welly riders who get regular thorn punctures…while in that mode we also have self healing road tubes…same deal, a little more weight however for training on its all good, getting home without flats isn’t a bad look…
And Bloc eyewear in store now this UK based company has supplied us with a great new cycling glass comes with 3 lenses…and all for $99…come in and check’m out
www.Bloceyewear.com
So while you are all considering, the above we are busy with new bike and accessories displays … Diamondback, Jamis, Rock shox and Bauer to name a few have got there pre production models travelling the country for us to see….ok its not quite like the Avanti show who fly all there dealers to fiji to see the new products…if ya want to know more you will have to ask J
be well…stay safe and see you either in store or at the races soon…
Freddy, Francis and Blair…
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Winter time at Jville…
Yer yer….its winter…so that means Tour De France…priorities aye! And as long as Lance stays healthy it’s hard to see him getting beaten…So it’s long nights…and pics of summer from France!! Allez Allez
So winter clearance of bikes from wholesalers…So if you are interested in any new bikes over the next few weeks…give us a call…several of our wholesalers are clearing there 05 product range and there are a few odd sized great deals available….as well as some of our own stock that needs moving before the new models start arriving in September…
Whats new….night riding is in full swing around the country and really popular in Wellington!!..The new HID lights are proving immensely popular and reliable come on in and check them out..…the annual Day night thriller in Taupo is next on our list of events!! If you would like to be part of a team or are doing your own thing call in for a chat…other events we will be attending include the Enduro series in Rotorua... www.n-duro.co.nz
On the local scene..PNP are gearing up for there winter/spring mountain bike series keep a check on there website for more details…. http://www.pnp.org.nz hope to see you all there….last year Jville riders had a good showing at all of these events and we are happy to support the series!!
Results: The Jville/Jamis team romped home to a mighty win at the recent 05 Cateye Moonride and we are all still fizzing…our team consisted of Francis! the boss gets all the glory…Myra Moller..a new rider for Jville.cycles and Jamis bikes watch for her this summer back at nationals…Allison Gaudaur our ace mechanic Blair Webbs partner in cycling adventures…Jon Hume..yip the 7 times national XC champ and current national Xc champ Mike Northcott…so it was a great weekend away and we all had a great time…
On the Wellington scene…team Jville Cycles took vet team honours in the annual Crazyman Multisport event… This makes 6 wins in that category over the history of the event…a great result to all team riders !!
Well done the team Barry Prosser, Bill Bristow and Francis….
Ok shop stuff…..workshop has been busy as ever!!..So get your bike in early for servicing if you have an event on or in need of work done…please remember that we do not offer a cleaning service and that bikes are best brought to us in clean condition it saves you money as well..
Best in store special…last of bulk purchase Continental Vertical tyres size2.30 $30 ea
Keep it sunnyside up..and look forward to seeing you all at the races sometime..
Francis, Blair, Freddy and the crew…
Thursday, October 07, 2004
J'ville cycles Spring rides ……
Weekly
Every Wednesday PM …
phone the shop for directions..leaves 6:15
Saturday pm …
Meet Karori skate park at 3:30 pm or top
of Varleys/Zacs 4pm ring the store for more details...
Please phone 478 3042 to confirm each ride!
Monday, September 20, 2004
J’Ville.Cycles Newsletter SPRING 04
Please Read: Recent hard drive failure *swear words go here* has seen the shop email list disappear into the Billy Gates world of microspace…so if you haven’t received…would like to receive or would like to send our regular rant and ravings to someone else... please send us your email addy and we will be back in touch….Cheers Francois
Ok whats been going on!!
Crikey what hasn’t been going on!!! On the back of a huge European summer!! *Wishes he was there* International Cycling has been huge as far as results and press coverage of our sports!! …..The Olympic lead the way and many Congratulations to all the Kiwi Olympic Cyclists from all disciplines of Road, Track Mountainbike and Triathlon and following the O-games the Paralympians are now having there turn…You made us all very proud!! and while we here in the shaky isles have been besieged be late coverage and freezing weather the northern hemisphere turned on Idyllic hot Mediterranean weather for the athletes….it sure looked nice!!!
The #1 Highlight !!
Sarah Ulmers ride in the 3000m pursuit where she smashed world and Olympic records as well as opposition!! GOLD Medal!! the Macdonalds hamburgler people must be very happy. Timely that Invercargil concurrently released details of NZ’s first fully covered Velodrome so you *Trackeez* can have a wonderful facility to train with all year round all be it at the bottom of the main Island!!
The #2 highlight!! Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty giving the world a two piece of Kiwi…. On the bike they dominated the opposition - no doubt there guys you where in a class of your own!!
To the Road racing, First up was the woman’s 118k event, it was once underway, a hard fought, aggressive and very tactical affair and when one of the favourites defending Olympic champion Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel hit he deck the race was wide open to the 3 rider per nation competition. An intelligent break on the second to last time up the hill by Aussie Sara Carrigan and German Judith Arndt managed to gap the field with the Little Aussie battler Sara easily winning from the angry German whom was later fined after denying giving the bird to the world!!!
the bunch sprint for third was won by the Russian Olga Slyusareva. 2 Kiwi riders finished amongst the madness and well done to them it certainly looked like a tough day out.
17 Joanne Kiesanowski
56 Michelle Hyland
DNF Melissa Holt
The men’s Road race the following day was really tough! held in blistering heat. Julian Dean backed up his outstanding tour De France result with a strong ride and the only kiwi finisher. Post race reports came in that this was one of the toughest road races ever! Big Kiwi hopeful was newly signed Credit Agricole rider Jeremy Yates, his career certainly looks like it has moved to anew level. again the pace was just to much for him and he DNF’d
The race itself changed quickly with the early departure of World Champion Igor Astarloa, he hit the deck quite heavily and never returned to the racing. The big Swede Magnus Backstead took off for a few quite a few laps early on before the peleton decided he had had enough TV coverage and reeled him in…from then on lap after lap small breaks attacked but never to any real advantage. almost in a carbon copy of the woman’s race a break with two laps to go by one of the favourites Italian Paolo Bettini with Spaniard unknown Sergio Paulinho gapped the field. 04 World Cup contender Bettini easily won the cat and mouse game for the sprint win…Axel Merckx also managed to escape the main bunch on the way to the finish line to grab 3rd spot and a medal.
15 th Julian Dean Go Jules we love ya!!!
DNF Jeremy Yates
DNF Heath Blackgrove
Mens ITT kiwi rep Heath Blackgrove, was severely outclassed and finished 5:48 down in 33rd position, while the upset of the games so far belonged to Non Le Tour finisher Tyler Hamilton his angry ride to blitzed the field to take the Gold. His return to form was well enjoyed by all and an average spped of just over 50kph was very impressive. Tyler also paid very good odds at the TAB…and I know of one Wellington rider who profited very nicely from a wager on that result. The great Jan Ulrich failed to pickup a medal yet agian…its proving to be a tough year for the German..
1 Tyler Hamilton (USA) 57.31.74 (50.062 km/h)
2 Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia) 0.18.84
3 Bobby Julich (USA) 0.26.45
Woman’s ITT. Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel returned to racing after her road race crash to add a fourth gold medal to her impressive collection, winning the 24 kilometre women's time trial. USA team member Deirdre Demet-Barry took the silver with swiss rider Karin Thuerig in bronze mode.
Back to the Track racing and the super fast Velodrome had some exciting and amazing competition all be it at 2 in the morning crikey Im only just recovering from Le Tour…the high-speed racing effectively meant that all competitors had to go better than record speed to even make finals which unfortunately meant kiwi riders appearances where rather short lived…still they must be real happy with their opportunities and even getting there in these sorts is a worthwhile commendation!!
A special mention to my old friend and long time NZ Track Team mechanic Dale Hollows …Over the past few years the track squad has had some fantastic results!! and he is there number 1 guy…if you are ever in RotoVegas call in to the Rotorua Cycle Centre and give him a big hug!! “he da man”
Greg Henderson’s spirited ride in the points race. Well it was spirited to say the least. his TVNZ interview afterwards was in true Greg form just !! good on ya GH…Unfortunately this event was to be followed by a disappointing result for Greg and Hayden Roulston in the Madison which was dominated by our Aussie cousins, and all round legend Stu Ogrady leading the charge with the win…I’m a real fan of Stu with his le tour results and a world cup win this season the Gold medal was worthy of non other!!
The conclusion was the woman’s and men’s XC Mountainbiking…AF “after fire” of course! Well unfortunately my mind was already tainted by the thought of having to sit through a what might be an off road time trial and after years of watching televised XC racing *not married either* the chance of having an exciting race is well, very rare!!!!! What happened? In the woman’s race the favourite took the lead early on and rode away!! Gold to Gunn Rita Dahle. TV ones commentator, was left grasping for - words, phrases or anything that made sense as he showed off his limited vocabulary of MTBike racing a real tragedy! Well the funny Side. I turned the sound down and gave my own!! You had to be there!! J
1 Gunn-Rita Dahle (Norway) 1.56.51
2 Marie-Helene Premont (Canada) 0.59
3 Sabine Spitz (Germany) 2.30
16 Robyn Wong (New Zealand) 14.08
Men’s XC Ok by now the O-Games are really wearing thin on me…Ive been up late again *Ohh July was good* watching with a fans passion the worlds best doing there things *some very nice things*…
After the Woman’s XC. Sorry to upset anyone…that type of coverage does not do our sport any favours…So to the race… NZ’s Kashi Leuchs is a contender!! last years mega winner Filip *EPO user* Meirhaghe out!!! There is lots of Testosterone rolling up to the start area.. I’m pretty excited too….This is after all as good as it gets!! Bang..*sound effect* and the worlds best XC MTBike racers blast off at a very quick rate! 150metres in and then the first inevitable pile up! Our guy Kashi off is caught up in it, followed quickly by another incident he’s now doing battle with the mid field not the leaders…bugger!! Out front the pace is on and on pure pace alone this is a great race to watch. !! Im impressed these guys are really hauling! OK OK lets not bash the clumsy commentator too harshly!! Frenchman Julien Absalon gets away from the lead group to blitz the chasers!! He is even getting some air!! Ok so it turns into a time trial !!! the race concludes with exhausted riders making there way across the line…
1 Julien Absalon (France) 2.15.02 (19.240 km/h)
2 Jose Antonio Hermida (Spain) 1.00
3 Bart Brentjens (Netherlands) 2.03
28 Kashi Leuchs {New Zealand}
Low-lights..well the pre Olympic Aussie cycling drug scandal really rocked our world!!!
TV-Ones bad commentary
Ex Aussie now NZer Anthony Peden not even making the games because of ..yaknow yaknow
TV-Ones bad commentary, heres the address to make complaints too ..
http://corporate.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_detail/0,2406,111442-239-251,00.html
Not seeing Poala Pezzo given some decent footage as 3 times Olympic woman’s XC champion..
Too many late nights again!!
Ok still in Europe…it’s the end of summer. and that means World Championships in all cycling disciplines…except them Cyclo crossers…So where do we start…BMX Worlds in the Netherlands...Reports back are that the course was huge and fast!! Wait for it to make the next Olympics!! NZ riders made the finals in several age groups although no Rainbow Jerseys were collected…
results I can find are
Joel Burke 5th in Jnr men’s
Mitchell Wright 7th in 8yr boys
Kurt Pickard 7th in 13yr boys
Tayla Tomokino 4th in 8yr girls
Nicole Wright 4th 10 yr girls
Sarah walker 2nd in 16 yr girls
Sarah walker 3rd under 18 cruiser
Vanessa Quin 8th senior Women.
Local scene….. Jimmy Mitchell “who did ride the worlds” will be refocusing his energy on the Karori BMX track over the next few months, stay tuned there may be working bees..and things that need your help….
Harbour city thunderbolts, held an open day at the Hutt BMX track in early September, if you are keen to do some BMX racing this summer get your bikes out and tuned as there will be regular racing available!!
The 04 MTBike Worlds Les Gets, France.
Don’t be shy now…YAferkinhoooo Two rainbow jerseys in as many days!! Firstly super grom chik Scarlett Hagen scorches the field to win the junior woman’s world DH title by 10secs!! Not since Anne Caro have we witnessed such a domination of that class….look out world…
Then our very own queen of DH the ever bright Vanessa Quinn aka VOK rumbles the best of the Ladies to take her best ever worlds finish and the Rainbow Jersey!!! yes the Fav Anne Caro was out with smashed shoulders and bits…that’s what racing is all about you gotta make the final and following on from Vanessa’s strong world cup finishes ..Her final gate at the BMX worlds Vanessa “mighty” Quinn won by nearly three seconds….absoluteluyfantastico!!!
www.vanessaquin.com
Kashi Leuchs returned to top ten form with fine 7th in the elite men’s XC
1 lap behind
47 Mike Northcott (New Zealand)
56 Tim Vincent (New Zealand)
In the USA John Kirkcaldie didn’t mange a third successive Norba DH title!! bugger two is not a bad number though !!
A crash in the season final of the NORBA series had JK finish in 4th overall for 04…
World Masters Road racing championships, Invergcargil’s John Alabaster has brought home another 04 rainbow jersey John who became NZ famous last year for his stage win in the Tour of Southland recently won his age group”50-54” in the TT and a third place in the road race.
Local stuff!!!
Night riding, with winter almost over!! the hardcore night riding is nearly over for the year….Regular Wednesday night rides at Makara have been well supported and night light sales have been very impressive….the new LED lights have certainly been the number one seller for commuters and as back up lights for you night riders! We have sold out of the new Topeak moonlight HID systems these $600 light sets are worth checking out at www.topeak.com something to dream about for next year! So with daylight saving nearly upon us and many riders are gearing up for the annual day night thriller in Taupo, “entry forms are in store” Jville cycles will have several teams entered and we look forward to catching up with many friends and associates at his fun event…
Speaking of preparation. with spring time comes warmth and the incentive of training for coming events in the upcoming months is strong! lots of customers readying themselves for round Taupo and summer adventures!! So don’t miss out- get your early season miles in now! and enjoy the sunshine J
New Stuff as the new cycling season springs up on us ha-ha, So do all the new models! So Francis has been busy “poor bloke” travelling around the country to new model release shows from Chch to Ackld he has seen new bikes from Diamondback, Bauer, Raceline, Scott, Haro and Jamis so far….also on the show rounds was the 05 Rock Shox, Avid Brakes, SRAM dealer night held in Wellington. International rock Shox rep Rob Eva hosted the evening which was very informative and we got to play with all the new products!!! stay tuned for more info…the new Rock Shox range can be seen online www.the-red-pill.com
PNP Series.. Hi and thanks to everyone for making round 1 and round 2 of the CB Richard Ellis series
Rnd 1- 110 riders, thats incredible, imagine if it had been sunny!
Its seems a hard call to send recreational riders out on a wet and hilly course where the snow from the day before is still visible on the side of the tracks. The track was in great condition last week and we can only hope that we are not stricken with such challenging conditions again! There were some really heroic performances out there today among the recreational and elite riders alike. The Levin riders got the better of the Welly riders in Round 1 and we can only hope that good competition like this will help lift the standard for any riders preparing for next years nationals. Dont foget the next round at Dry Creek on September 19
Jeff
Rnd-2 Belmont park glorious spring weather greeted the 140+ rider field as they contested for positions on the 8k loop track…
I had received a call from the PNP club looking for helpers on the Friday and as I had planned to go watch the event, I happily turned up to help out as well. Now if you didn’t know where Belmont park was “like me” you could have driven around a while *up and down the motorway* until the flow of MTBikers drew me to the *no signs* event!! Ok once duly equipped with day-glo vest…damn it clashed horribly with my purple shorts!! I was posted out on vehicular management…”car parking attendant” which is always fun as I can say hi to everyone as they arrive and tell them all where to go!! hehehe
Racing commenced at 10am with a short sprint along the tar seal before climbing up into the park area…Laptimes were just over the 30 minutes for the 8 k course with only the senior men completing three laps…Wayne Hiscock win in that category was never doubted, it was the battle for second place between Ex national XC champ Craig Lawn and Upper Hutt rider Gavin McCarthy on a single speed bike that was the highlight for me…Gavin would lead over the hill on every lap with Craig retaking the lead on the way back to down to the finish area….Gavins last lap was very impressive as he managed to create a gap that he maintained to the finish and secure second place, Well done!! !! Prize giving followed and was held in warm spring afternoon sunshine with many happy riders!!
Noticeable was the big contingent of riders from Levin !!
For all results check out http://capitalcycling.org.nz/mtb/ and we will see you all at rnd three….
Single Speed Worlds…Ex Wellington rider Rick “Froggy Woodward yes the brother of Trevor has been over to Germany for the 04 worlds….here is his travel report!!
Hi all, I'm sure there are results around somewhere but here they they are, live and direct. Florien from Germany 1st. 2nd Clint Jackson (last years champ from New Zealand) Womans Cat winner was Linda from USA 1st. Many other people had a great time - racing or just riding around and stopping, having a bier or sausage a good time was had by all. Sorry if my z and y get mixed up - it's not a qwerty keyboard in Germany - it's qwertz. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 trucks for the bikes, 2 double decker buses for the people and off
to a place whose name escapes me right now, but it was an old tank training ground 70 km outta Berlin. Bier and sausage well represented at the sign on - infact special mention of the bier tent - 10/10 for presentation. (coke cost more than bier) Sandy terain, just like Woodhill, but huge congestion straight into the singletrack - no drama, just take it easy. 1.5 hrs later it was all over for yours truely - lapped twice by Florien from Germanz - not only was he dazzlingly fast he was polite as well. Nice
one. On return to the Generator hostel where everyone is staying - this place holds 850 beds apparently, party central in the bar - a nice bbq and then into the prizes. Surly (USA single speed bits and pieces manufacturer) and a few others (Phil Wood hubs) etc. came to the party with some kick ass prizes. Clint Jackson from NZ getting totally naked to claim a pair of FOX
suspension forks worth NZD $2500.00 was the sight of the night !! CSI reports sights of naked chicks on bikes in the wee small hours pulling massive skids in the parking lot. Not encouraged att all by the Kiwis as you can imagine..........................
Today the merry little band of kiwis went on a guided bike tour of Berlin courtesy of www.fattirebiketoursberlin.com - huge tired beach cruisers and a stop for lunch in a bier garden - ask yourself what could be better on a 25 degree Celsius day ??
We even got brave enough to get to the TV tower where the tour starts by Tram. Not an easy task deciphering German ticket machines and then they invite to use your eftpos/credit card only to reject you at the last minute. (we do accept all forms of Euro dollar tho.) Tonight will possibly our last night at the Generator hostel - heading off to Potsdam 2moro to see some castles and hang with the 'Potsdam Potatoes' our newly adopted German friends about an hour down the road. So, hope you all have your fires stoked up well as we bask in the sun over here. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Aufverdersein (excuse spelling)
Rick and Keighlez and Bennz and Clint jackson all from a little countrz 32 hours awaz bz plane.
Roulston to Discovery
23 year old New Zealander Hayden Roulston (Cofidis) is set to sign a two year contract with the Discovery Channel team, according to the New Zealand Herald. Roulston, who has been plagued by injuries for the last two years, hopes to be fully fit by the time he starts his contract in 2005. However, he will shortly undergo an operation to remove a cyst that has been preventing him from riding at full capacity.
"The most important thing is that I'm 100 per cent fit and healthy when I take up my new contract," Roulston told the NZ Herald. Of his plans, Roulston said that he will be riding as a domestique for the team. "I wanted to get into a role where I'm a worker and spend the next two years working and learning."
Roulston doesn't believe that he will be part of Discovery's Tour de France line-up, but there will be plenty of opportunities for the Belgian based professional to shine in the classics and other tours on the Pro Tour calendar.
And its days like this…I’m sooo glad not to live in America
Cyclist attacked by grizzly bear in Wyoming.
-- A mountain biker on Togwotee Pass fought off a grizzly bear that repeatedly charged him until a companion drove the animal off with pepper spray. Kirk Speckhals escaped his encounter without a scratch; he had only four dirt marks from the bear's claws on his forearm, a punctured bicycle tire and a bent rim.
He said he hopes others learn from the mistakes he made during his ride around Pinnacle Buttes - including not making enough noise to warn bears, not riding together and not carrying pepper spray.
Speckhals, 46, and companion Tom Foley, said the grizzly was persistent and backed away only when there was about a second's worth of spray left in the can of deterrent.
Speckhals gave credit to Foley, who carried his can of spray on his hip, for saving his life.
"I was on the ground with the bear on top of me," Speckhals said. "I was waiting for a bone-crunching bite. I was ready to die."
Speckhals and Foley said the day started innocently enough when they left for the loop ride on Aug. 29 with another friend, Mark Wolling, near Brooks Lake. The route traverses a couple of passes on the Shoshone National Forest at the 9,500-foot level.
The area is near the Teton and Washakie wilderness areas and core grizzly habitat in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
Speckhals, a ski patroller and quality controller with a construction company, said he had ridden the loop several times before but had never carried bear spray.
Before taking off, Foley offered his extra can of spray. Wolling took it, figuring if anybody got in trouble, it was more likely to be him since he was bringing along his dog.
Speckhals said he had been ringing his bicycle bell at regular intervals to warn bears of his approach. As he climbed to the second pass of the trip, he pulled away from his companions and stopped making his regular warning.
Speckhals said he crested a rise and heard a noise he knew meant trouble.
"In the woods, 300 feet away, he was in full charge, coming right at me," he said. No question the bear was a grizzly, Speckhals said.
"I got off my bike and put it in front of me and started yelling 'Bear! Bear!'" he said. Foley, some distance back, heard the cries but could not see the confrontation.
Wolling was farther behind.
"All of a sudden I heard 'Bear! BEAAAR!!'" Foley said. "Whoa, God, I better get up there," he thought.
From the screams and sounds of the struggle, Foley realized Speckhals was wrestling with a bear.
Said Speckhals: "I lunged my bike out at him and yelled and he stopped."
The bear moved in again. He charged "six or seven times," Speckhals said, each time deterred at the last moment by the bicycle.
"Finally, he grabbed my bike out of my hands," Speckhals said. "He started stomping on it."
With the bear distracted, Speckhals started creeping away, but the bear immediately left the bike and put its front paws on Speckhals.
In a Greco-Roman wrestling stance, Speckhals sensed he was going down.
"This time he just took me out - drug me to the ground," he said. "I knew I was in trouble. I rotated and got on my chest."
Foley arrived to see the bear sitting atop his friend.
"Immediately, I knew I had to get over there, see what I could do," he said.
With pepper spray drawn, he advanced to within 15 feet and fired.
The bear got off his friend but turned and began circling Foley who was still spraying in the animal's face.
"That's when I got scared," Foley said, adding that the bear's eyes were very large.
"They were full of bear spray - not a blink."
The bear continued to circle as he backed up, yelling for Wolling. Foley's can of spray was running low; "I knew I was almost out," he said.
By now Wolling had made it to the site along with the dog and fumbled with his pack trying to find the second can of spray.
The dog rushed up, barked twice, then retreated down the trail "as fast as his little legs could move him," Wolling said.
With perhaps a second's worth of spray left, Foley tried a new tactic. He yelled at the bear at the top of his lungs.
"I could tell his eyes changed," Foley said. "I knew it was over. All of a sudden he took off."
