2012 Winter Racing Season Recap

Shipwreck Classic (l-r): Ned Powell, Chris Zucchet, Hamish Middleton, Clive Silcock, Tom Christie, John Prince.

The Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic and Shipwreck Coast Classic marked the end of the 2012 winter road racing season, which is the first road racing season I've raced in. It's been a good experience, with lots of trips out to the country and lots of Saturdays taken up with racing.

I wrote a blog post a few months back covering the earlier part of the racing season, so I'll cover the rest of the racing season in this post.

Pop Stewart Memorial Handicap (Northern Combine Race at Balliang) (August 18, 2012)

I got a late entry to this race, and Tom and I drove out to Balliang, north-west of Melbourne. The weather was pretty cold, windy and wet, and I was surprised by how much water there was lying on the sides of the roads and in the paddocks on the plains as we drove out there.

Tom wheeling his bike out to warm up before the race.

The race involved three laps of the 25 km circuit, which included a 2 km gravel section and multiple spots where there was water across the road, making for an unusual race, one for the hard men.

Water across the road during the Pop Stewart Memorial Handicap 2012. Steve Duggan is second from the right.

Water across the road on the gravel section of the Pop Stewart Memorial Handicap 2012. Steve Duggan on the left.

I was last to head off in the scratch group with three Kosdown guys (Nick Smith, Luca Giacomin and Kosmos Samaras), while Tom Christie and Jason Stirling were in the two-minute bunch up the road.

My group worked well together and we made up a fair amount of ground on the other groups in the first two laps. Jason Stirling had to pull out because he had a problem with his free-wheel, and Tom Christie also pulled out because he was quite sick with the flu. My bunch collected a few others in the third lap who did some work for us but that meant we slowed down a bit and never caught the front group. 

Ned Powell and Luca Giacomin climbing the Granite Road climb.

L-R: Kosmos Samaras, Luca Giacomin and Ned Powell.

Several kilometres from the finish with four of us together, Kosmos attacked, forcing me to chase and dragging Luca along behind me. I was then isolated with the two Kosdown guys. Luca then put in a solid attack but I was able to chase him down. I threw in a counter-attack which Luca was able to follow but we dropped Kosmos, leaving Luca and I to fight it out. Luca then attacked again, but I was right on his wheel, and stuck to it as he slowed down and we rounded the corner into the final straight. He kept looking behind waiting for my inevitable attack. I gave it all and put in one final attack which Luca wasn't able to go with, and finished well clear crossing the finishing line. Despite all this effort, I missed out on fastest time - that went to Vincent Geluwie in the two minute group, which meant the lead group of ten riders must have finished at least two minutes ahead of us. So I finished in 11th place, but still collected an envelope since Vincent wasn't given two envelopes for fastest time and 6th place overall.

Here is my Strava file for the race.

After the race, the trophy winner Nick Edwards at the front.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012 (Harrison St Velodrome, Brunswick East, August 26, 2012)

Only my second cyclo-cross race, after racing the DDCX 2011 Prologue on my Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bike (although it wasn't loaded up). In that race I finished second in the open category, and had a great time and was keen to get into the cyclo-cross racing. I got a CX bike from Lewis Rattray at St Kilda Cycles at the end of the season and was going to race all of the DDCX 2012 series but I missed the prologue because entries filled up, and I missed the Darebin Parklands race because I was sick with viral meningitis and tonsillitis. 

Cyclo-cross bikes hanging up at the Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012 at the Harrison St velodrome.

I was quite looking forward to this race and it certainly didn't disappoint. It was harder than I expected though; in cyclo-cross, you're pretty much at your limit for the whole race; my average heart rate was 189 beats per minute for the 45 minutes of the race, as you can see from my Strava file here.

There were forty-four people lined up for the A grade race; the faster guys like Lewis Rattray, Allan Lacuone, Luke Fetch were given positions right at the front, while riders like me were stuck at the back. So it was pretty hectic at the start with all the traffic trying to get through the narrow winding course. Actually just after the gun went, one of the guys right in front of my missed his pedal and did a superman, taking down a couple of other guys with him; I was right behind it and managed to avoid it. I then spent the rest of the race overtaking people, and eventually got overtaken myself by Lewis Rattray who managed to lap me, and take out a well deserved win.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012 A grade race start

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012 A grade race start:  Jeff  Curtes doing a superman right in front of me.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012: Lots of traffic in the early part of the race.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012: Grant Hay with his amazing pile up into superman on Pavlis' Hill.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012: Descending Pavlis' Hill with an off-camber.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012: Ascending Pavlis' Hill.

Rapha/DDCX Super Cross 2012: I'm pretty knackered by this stage.

The great thing about the cyclo-cross races is the atmosphere, with all the spectators cheering you on, heckling and having a good time. Plenty of people taking photos too, and Rapha also put together this cool video which I think really shows what cyclo-cross is all about. Check out Dirty Deeds race report here.
I ended up finishing 13th out of the 44 starters, not bad for my first cyclo-cross race on a cyclo-cross bike.

Northcote Trophy Race/Keith McLaren Trophy Race (Broadford, September 1, 2012)

My trusty team-mate, Tom Christie, drove us up the Hume Freeway to Broadford. We were racing in A grade, and Jason Stirling and Clive Silcock were also racing so we had quite a strong Unibicycles contingent. I'd raced on this circuit once before a few months earlier, and got dropped on the third lap on a hill (but that's because I was sick). This time I was feeling alright. 

Keith McLaren Trophy Race 2012: L-R: Cameron Clamp, Luca Giacomin, Jason Stirling, Brad Wright, Tom Christie, Ned Powell and  ?

The race consisted of three 33 km laps, including a couple of kilometres of gravel. Clive was prominent in the early part of the race, instigating a number of attacks. I attacked in the middle part of the race which was really just a tactic to get a head-start on the hill to avoid the risk of getting dropped on the hill and reduce the hard work of climbing the hill by being able to take it slower. The tactic worked well because I was joined at the top of the hill by three guys who'd attacked and broken away from the bunch - Rowan Dever (John West), Luigi Vecchio (African Wildlife Safaris) and Luca Giacomin (Kosdown). I thought the break would do well, but we didn't last too long as the peloton promptly chased us down, knowing it would be a dangerous break to let go.

Later on in that second lap, another bloke attacked which most of the bunch was able to follow. Since I was still feeling strong, I decided to counter-attack and get a head-start on the upcoming hills. The peloton didn't seem interested in chasing me down, and left me out the front on my own. I was eventually joined by Rowan Dever who crossed the gap, then the race was on. 

Rowan Dever and Ned Powell in the winning break of the Keith McLaren Trophy Race 2012.

Rowan was significantly lighter than me, and therefore a much better climber, but we would have to work together for the third and final lap of the race because Rowan would have been unlikely to be able to ride out the front solo for 30 km. This meant he had to take it easier up the hills to avoid dropping me, until about 10 km to go when he must have been confident of riding to a solo victory, and dropped me up one of the hills. I was pretty exhausted by this stage, I knew I was running out of steam and although we'd built up a significant gap on the peloton, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold them off until the finish line.

I plodded along as best I could as the bunch slowly gained on me. By the last hill, they were hot on my heels and it looked like I was going to get caught. I put my head down and didn't look back, just gave everything I had left and managed to hold the bunch off to cross the line in second place, well behind Rowan, and a few seconds ahead of the peloton. Tom Christie did well finishing in fourth place. Clive, Jason and Tom must have timed the bunch sprint perfectly to avoid chasing me down, but still finishing strongly with Jason also coming in sixth place.

Check out my Strava file here.

In Broadford after the race, L-R: Jason Stirling, Tom Christie, Daniel Cahill and Clive Silcock.

In Broadford after the race: Jason Stirling and Peter Wilkie with his traditional post-race flavoured milk and trophy after sandbagging B grade.

Sunbury Trophy Race (Kyneton, September 8, 2012)

Another early start on a Saturday morning and a drive out to the country, this time to Kyneton for the Sunbury Trophy Race. Tom Christie, Clive Silcock and Jason Stirling were all racing again, and there were only 20 odd riders in A grade. The race consisted of five laps of a 21 km circuit, with a climb of 500 metres at 7.4 % at the end of each lap.

Sunbury Trophy Race 2012, L-R: Nick Smith, Peter Wilkie, Brad Wright, Ned Powell, Rowan Dever, Luigi Vecchio.

I decided to employ my old tactic again, and attacked near the end of the first lap before the climb. No-one came with me, and I built up a decent gap without too much effort. The tactic worked well again as I was able to take the hill at a fairly leisurely pace, before being joined by Luigi and a Kosdown guy on the decent. Shortly afterwards the three of us were caught by another seven riders which meant the race was split into two groups of ten, and that's how it stayed for the rest of the race. I was surprised not to find any team-mates with me in the lead group - Jason, Clive and Tom were all back in the second group.

Sunbury Trophy Race 2012: the lead group of ten, minus Peter Wilkie who punctured at the 70 km mark.

Sunbury Trophy Race 2012, L-R: Rowan Dever, Ned Powell, Cameron Clamp, Simon Macaulay and Brad Wright.

Luigi made a bold attack in the second last lap, and ended up riding solo out the front right until the final climb in the last lap. As expected, Rowan Dever, Luca Giacomin and Nick Smith attacked on the final hill and easily formed a break. I tried to go with them and was actually struggling to hold on, they had a slight gap on me as we crested the top of the hill. Interestingly at this point, the Kosdown guys seeing that they had a gap on me urged Rowan to "keep going, keep going!" Rowan, thinking it unwise to listen to his opponents, let up on the pace a little, which had the desirable effect of allowing me to catch up to the three of them. The chasing bunch was well back, so that enabled some interesting tactics to take place. No-one wanted to be in front, in order to save themselves for the sprint. Eventually Nick Smith attacked, and the three of us followed, with me second wheel, Luca third wheel and Rowan fourth wheel. Nick selflessly led us towards the finish line, hoping to set Luca up to sprint home for the win. The idea for me in this situation is to attack and open up my sprint as late as possible, but before anyone else does. Unfortunately I left it a little too late as Luca went around on my left and Rowan on my right. I followed them around Nick and tried to come through the centre but unfortunately I was boxed in, probably intentionally, without enough space to get through. 

Sunbury Trophy Race 2012: L-R: Rowan Dever, Ned Powell and Luca Giacomin sprinting to the finish line.

So Luca was just ahead on the line, and Rowan was just behind me; there was probably only a wheel length separating the three of us. I was disappointed not to take the win, but happy for Luca to take it after his team-mate led him out, and happy to beat Rowan after he beat me convincingly the week before; it would appear he's a better climber than he is a sprinter.

Check out my Strava file from the race here.

Mario Giramondo Handicap (Carlsruhe, September 15, 2012)

I was put in the scratch group again, along with Luca Giacomin, Nick Smith, David Edwards and Alistair Odonahue. I didn't have any team mates racing; Clive and Tom were racing the Goulburn to Sydney which is part of the Nation Road Series. That meant that I didn't have Tom or Clive to give me a lift, and not owning a car myself meant I needed to devise another plan of getting there. It just so happened that my sister Leah had left Gran's car at my house while she flew to Darwin, so I was hoping to use that. However, Leah had unfortunately taken the car keys with her to Darwin, so that plan fell through. 

"Not to worry," I thought, "I'll just hop on the train." So I rode down to Southern Cross Station at 7:30 am, bought a ticket with ample time, and went to hop on but was refused entry. It was one of those old red V/Line trains where you're supposed to store bikes and other large luggage in the compartment right at the back of the train. Unfortunately there were already another six bikes in there, belonging to a group of mates who were heading up to Woodend for a ride. I tried to argue my case but to no avail. I was so disappointed with V/Lines service (or rather, lack of service) that I wrote them a letter of complaint:

Dear Sir/Madam,

On Saturday September 15, I arrived at Southern Cross with my bicycle, purchased a ticket to Woodend for the 8:36 am Service to Swan Hill, and went to get my bike put on the train. There were six other bikes already loaded in, and the staff there told me mine wouldn't fit, and that they "needed to keep some spare space in case some other people got on at other stations and needed to put their luggage on". I felt this was unsatisfactory since I was already there with my luggage (the bicycle) and wanting to board there at that station (Southern Cross); it was as though my luggage was inferior to other peoples luggage and that I was discriminated against because I was a cyclist.

The staff suggested I catch the next service, but I told them this would not work for me because I had to get to a cycle race in Woodend by 10 am and would miss it if I caught a later service.

So after being turned away, I decided to check the unreserved carriages at the front of the train and found there was plenty of space, with the carriage being only about one-third full. I walked in and sat my bike securely in the wheelchair area since there was no-one with a wheelchair on board.

The train left, and the conductor came through and told me that this was not allowed and that I had to disembark at the next station. I was surprised at the request considering no-one was being inconvenienced; I offered to stand by the bike to ensure it was secure, and to disembark if the space was needed by a disabled person, but I was still requested to disembark at the next station. I felt this was unfair and defied common-sense, and indeed the passengers observing the situation saw it as unreasonable and one of them told me as much. I was made to disembark at Watergardens Station, and left to find my way around in a suburb I'd never been in, and cycle the remaining 75 km to Woodend to miss the start of the race by 45 minutes.

I was very disappointed by this very poor service provided by Vline; surely a bike should be allowed to be carried within a carriage if there is sufficient space, just as they can be in the Vlocity trains, especially when there is no issue with other patrons using the space for their large suitcases, prams or other luggage. Also, I was unaware of any rule against this, and it seems inconsistent. Why are cyclists apparently discriminated against? Please look into allowing bicycle carriage in this situation to improve customer satisfaction.

Regards,
Ned Powell.

Quite a polite complaint too, I thought. I figured I would be more likely to get a positive outcome if I was polite rather than just getting angry. Plus I think I'm naturally polite rather than angry.

I received this rather unsatisfactory response:

Dear Mr Powell,

Thank you for contacting V/Line regarding your experience when you travelled on the 8.36am service from Southern Cross to Woodend on Saturday, 15 September 2012.

I have referred your feedback to our Conductor Services Manager for investigation.

I have since been advised that the conductor has been interviewed. The conductor explained that she told you that there were already six bikes on the train and there was no more room for bikes as putting on any more bikes would have made the area unsafe.

On behalf of V/Line I apologise for the inconvenience and frustration you experienced as a consequence of this event.

Please see below the extract from the 2012 Fares and conditions of Travel for the carriage of bikes on V/Line services.

“Bicycles can be carried free on V/Line trains at any time. On V/Line trains, bicycles must be stowed in the location(s) designated by the conductor. V/Line has several different train types and V/Locity and Sprinter trains in particular have limited space for bicycles. If a V/Line conductor determines that there is not sufficient room to carry a bicycle on a V/Line train, it will not be able be able to be carried on that train. Bicycles must not obstruct passageways or doorways and must not inconvenience other customers”

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concerns.

Yours Sincerely,

 Sarah Nagle | Customer Relations

The reason I'm not satisfied with that response is because I proved there was sufficient space for the bike by the very fact I already had my bike on the train. I even took a photo to prove it:

Clearly there is insufficient space for this bike to be in the train.

And I was going to send a response to Sarah Nagle arguing that, except she cunningly sent her response via a no-reply email.
Anyway, I rode to Carlsruhe (past Woodend) and missed the start of the race by forty-five minutes, so I just stood on a corner and watched, while chatting to a friendly fellow doing marshaling  whose name was Peter from memory. He was volunteering in place of Cameron Clamp, I think it was, because he was still recovering from a back/hip problem which he told me all about.

Mario Giramondo Handicap 2012.

As it turned out, the scratch group caught the lead group with only about 500 metres to go, and Luca pulled away from the bunch in the sprint for a clear victory. I like to think I'd have given him a run for his money if I'd been racing.

Luca Giacomin winning the 2012 Mario Giramondo Handicap at Carlsruhe.

Having not raced, I thought I'd still get a good days training in, so after the presentations I rode over Mount Macedon before riding back along the Calder Freeway to Northcote for a healthy 172 km round trip.

Midlands Tour (September 22, 2012)

The Midlands Tour this year was held on a new course out at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) which is out near Anglesea. I got a lift with Tom Christie again; the AARC is only accessible by gravel roads/tracks, which made for an interesting trip in the little Volkswagon Golf. And we very nearly hit a Kangaroo.

Driving to the AARC for the 2012 Midlands Tour.

The Australian Automotive Research Centre.

Team Unibicycles at the start of the 2012 Midlands Tour: Hamish Middleton, Calum Middleton, Ned Powell, Tom Christie, Clive Silcock.

The early break in the 2012 Midlands Tour.

The first five laps were around the inner circuit which was mostly flat. Tom and I went out in short-lived break on the second lap; as soon as the break was established, with a couple of other guys, I noticed my tyre was going flat. Conveniently we were just approaching the service tent, and laps out were allowed. However, I hadn't brought any spare wheels because I had to ride to Tom's place in the morning to get a lift with him. Thankfully Tom had his spare wheels there and offered for me to use them if I punctured. So I switched over the tyre, and hopped back into the race as it came past again. I was allowed by the commissaire  to rejoin the break since I'd been in the break when I punctured. Neither of us realised, but as it turned out, it was a different break from the one I'd had to pull out of. The commissaire was none-the-wiser though, and I wasn't about to drop back to the peloton, so I stayed in the break and the five of us built up a gap of around one minute.

Following the first five laps, the race took the larger circuit which included a substantial hill. Check out my Strava file to see what I'm talking about. Four laps in, just as another four riders had bridged across to our break, I experienced the phenomenon again of a tyre becoming bouncy and absorbing more bumps than it should, signifying another puncture :( Luckily there was a van designated to bring riders who punctured back to the pits area, and they picked me up straight away and dropped me off. Unfortunately it was the back tyre that punctured again and there were no more spares I could use, because Mrs Middleton wanted to save Calum and Hamish's spare wheels in case Calum or Hamish punctured. I couldn't believe I'd gotten two punctures in less than 50 km! I was very disappointed since I had been in the front group and was feeling strong. So that was race over for me; I was forced to watch from the side of the road as Calvin Watson, Jason Spencer and Matthew Clark took out first, second and third positions respectively.

Victorian Cyclocross Championships (Bundoora Park, September 23, 2012)

The state cyclocross championships were conveniently held at Bundoora Park, which meant I could easily ride there from home. The location reminded me of running state cross country back in high school so it was appropriate that I was back at Bundoora Park again for some high intensity endurance activity.
All of the cyclo-cross races seem to be near-by where I live, which is one of the good things about cyclo-cross races - they're usually held in cities so they're easier to get to than road races out in the country, and it's easier for spectators to get along too.

The A grade race was the last to depart, so we'd been able to learn from the earlier races that many people were getting pinch flats at the creek crossing, and it was suggested we pump up our tyres. I pumped mine up to around 65 psi to ensure I didn't puncture, but that was probably over-kill, because it gave a pretty bumpy ride. 

Victorian Cyclocross Championships 2012: the creek crossing at Bundoora Park.

Victorian Cyclocross Championships 2012: it looks quite pleasant but it was painful.

I started off at the back, and gradually overtook people in the early part of the race before settling in with another two riders - Hayden Kerr and Neil Robinson. I was mostly sitting in but did a little work on the front as well.

Victorian Cyclocross Championships 2012, L-R: Ned Powell, Hayden Kerr, Neil  Robinson

Neil and I eventually dropped Hayden, I took the lead for a few laps which gave Neil a rest, then he took off on my on the final lap to beat me to the line quite comfortably.

Victorian Cyclocross Championships 2012: me with my pain face on.

Victorian Cyclocross Championships 2012 A grade podium L-R: Alan Iacuone, Lewis Rattray,  Adrian Jackson.

So I finished 9th overall - ninth in the state for cyclo-cross isn't bad, I thought. It was so tough though, I had an average heart rate of 181 for the hour, and still got lapped by Lewis Rattray. Check out the full results here. Lewis had a tight battle with Alan Iacuone, a former national champion (in 1994) and did very well to take out the race and become the state CX champion. He's planning to head back over to Belgium again this year to race cyclo-cross, and it's very competitive over there; cyclo-cross is like their national sport.

SKCC Kermesse (National Boulevard, September 29, 2012)
This race was just like the summer crits held by Coburg Cycling Club; just on some quiet industrial streets up in Campbellfield on a course known as National Boulevard. There were plenty of attacks throughout the hour long race but it all came back together to finish in a bunch sprint.

I followed the wrong wheel, left my run too late and got caught in traffic and ended up in seventh place,  feeling like I could have given a lot more. The race was taken out by Dean Sanflippo from John West Cycling.

Following the race, Tom, Clive and I decided to ride out to Kinglake to get in a long day of training in preparation for the Melbourne to Warrnambool in two weeks. We aborted the mission and turned off at St Andrews though, due to wet and cold weather. Other than that though, it was a great time for cycling because the roads were so quiet with everyone watching the AFL grand final: Sydney versus Hawthorn.

Tom and Clive seeking shelter on the Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews Road, heading towards home.

Keith Esson Memorial (Dookie, October 7, 2012)

Tom and I were both overly optimistic estimating the amount of time it would take to get to Dookie, and we both struggled to wake up on the Sunday morning so we were running quite late. We got there with just enough time to go to the toilet and grab our numbers, but no time to warm up.

The race was on from the gun, and I was just hanging on the back, thinking it would have been a good idea to warm up. I eventually settled in and took some turns on the front to help chase the break-away which was some five minutes ahead. The race included two major climbs over the Warby Ranges near Wangaratta. The second climb was where the race really split up, and I just managed to hang on to the front group. I stayed with this group of around ten riders for another 30 km, continuing to roll turns, and eventually my legs lost power and I got dropped in a single paceline in a cross-wind with about 20 km to go. A few other riders also got dropped and we worked together to finish a minute behind the chase group we were dropped from and three minutes behind the early break-away group of which there were two men left and which won the race, taken out by Trent Stevenson. Tom Christie and David Kelly caught my group just before the finish, but I led the group over the line to finish in 10th place.

Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic (October 13, 2012)

This was the big one: 262 kilometres from Werribee Racecourse to Warrnambool; the one I'd been training for and building up to for months, because it was quite daunting!

I had to wake up at 4 am, then ate a large breakfast consisting of cereal, rode to Tom's place where John Prince picked us up, then we picked up Clive Silcock and Chris Zucchet and Rod Warrnacke from Melbourne University Sport on the way out to Werribee. There we got our numbers and got organised without any issues.

2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, L-R: Hamish Middleton, Tom Christie and Ned Powell.

2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic: Ned Powell and Tom Christie.

209 riders lined up at the start line and at 7 am we headed off.
The drama started only 10 km into the race when a massive crash occurred somewhere in the middle of the field. I was towards the back of the field and luckily wasn't involved in the crash, but I had to go cyclo-cross style over the grass to get around the crash, then try to chase back onto the front group.
Somebody told me before the race that the first 60 km would be fast, then it would slow down; as it turned out, this was exactly the case. Attacks were being made, and cross-winds were present, causing some riders to get dropped. After 60 km, there was a break well-established, with most of the major teams represented. This meant that there were no teams in the peloton with much incentive to work hard, and so the pace was pretty cruisy for most of the next 110 km to Camperdown. This enabled some groups caught up in the first crash to get back to the main peloton after a 70 km chase. There were a few times when the pace was turned on again, and cross-winds made it difficult to hold on, but I was able to remain with the main peloton and conserve energy up to Camperdown.
My main concern was that I took enough food on board, and thankfully with some team support, this was fairly easy. David Fletch, Jason Stirling and Sair Aitken were helping out and giving us musettes with food and drinks at the feed zones, so I was well supplied with Torq gels and bars and sports drink.
I was a little surprised by how many crashes there were. I counted at least four up to Camperdown. Some involved tens of riders, others involved just a few. There was one right in front of me where a bloke was taking a drink from his bidon, and veered slightly to the right into another bloke. This bloke then pushed the offending rider back in the other direction, who then promptly lost control and went down like a sack of spuds. Poor bloke! "That's his Melbourne to Warrnambool over", someone commented.
There was another crash I was almost caught up in, and just managed to veer around it, brushing past another rider as he fell to the road. Tom was right beside me and I heard him swear as we went around and chased back to the peloton.
The scariest part was when I almost caused my own crash; it was in the second feed zone (always a danger for crashes) and I lifted both hands off the bars to get into the musette, and as I did so, my right hand knocked my handlebars which turned suddenly. I managed to correct, , almost over-corrected and just kept it upright. It gave a couple of guys behind me a great shock; they swore at my, I apologised, and they commented how they were amazed I managed to keep the bike up. On the positive side, it also gave me a good adrenaline shot, which I needed because I was just about falling asleep after the early 4 am start.

One of the many crashes in the 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic.

Camperdown was an important part of the race because it included the two largest climbs in the race - the lakes and craters climbs, just over the other side of the town. The race was sure to split up further on these hills. I remained in contact with the peloton over the first climb while many riders were getting dropped, and I was well placed (admittedly towards the back of the bunch but with a good amount of momentum) to remain in contact over the second climb, when my race took a turn for the worse. I'm not sure what happened, but as we hit the bottom of the hill, my gears stopped working, and I found myself stuck in first gear. I kept pushing the gear shifter but the gears weren't changing, and the rear derailleur was rubbing against the spokes. Then suddenly the derailleur got caught in the spokes and before I knew what was going it, the derailleur was twisted round and ripped off, broken, and the chain twisted. Race over. I could not believe it, I was extremely disappointed, especially since I'd been in the front group and was looking good to finish in the top 50.

My broken derailleur and derailleur hanger, which put an end to my 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool campgain.

My broken derailleur and derailleur hanger, which put an end to my 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool campgain.

Riders continued going past in dribs and drabs, with some of them giving me sympathetic looks or saying "bad luck". Eventually John came past in the van and picked me up, and we followed the race for the last 70 km to the finish.

2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic.

Tom Christie finishing in the second group of the 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, seventeen minutes down.

Calum Middleton did well to finish in the third group of the 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic, 26 minutes down, after being involved in a car crash and suffering whiplash only two days earlier.

Clive Silcock was very happy to finish the 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic; he also finished in the third group, 26 minutes down.

The 2012 Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic was won by the Dutchman, Floris Goesinnen from Drapac.

The full results are here, and my Strava file is here.
We were all pretty knackered afterwards, and went to the Discovery Caravan Park where we would be staying for the night.

Tom and Sair in our cabin.

Part of the days energy supplies.

We took a stroll to the beach.

We went out to Bo Jangles pizza restaurant for tea at about 5 pm. We were all pretty exhausted, and I was in bed by about 8 pm - very uncharacteristic of me!

Shipwreck Coast Classic (October 14, 2012)

2012 Shipwreck Coast Classic.

The day after the Melbourne to Warrnambool was the Shipwreck Coast Classic, a 117 km race along the scenic Great Ocean Road and finishing in Allansford. Luckily I was still able to race despite my broken bike, as Dave Fletch had lent me his bike for the race. Most of the riders had raced in the Warrny the day before so there were lots of fatigued bodies, but that didn't seem to slow the race down as we averaged around 48 km/h for the first 50 km of the race.

I just about blew myself up after trying to get into an early break with some of the Drapac and SASI guys, getting my heart rate up to 195 bpm, but I didn't quite make it across the gap, then fell back to the back of the peloton and almost got dropped. I sat in and recovered, and moved up to the front every now and again. There was a 20 man break ahead with most teams represented so the pace wasn't too difficult, but it meant that we didn't catch the break which finished a few minutes ahead and was won by Floris Goessinnen. I finished in 38th position feeling surprisingly fresh, and thinking we should have done some more chasing since Unibicycles weren't represented in the break. Nonetheless it was good experience, and I hope to be competing in more NRS races ahead.

See the full results here and my Strava file here.

A big thanks to the team support for the weekend who we could not have done without: John Prince, Rod Warrnecke, David Fletch, Jason Stirling, Sair Aitken and Hamish Middleton. Also thanks to our sponsors!

2012 Shipwreck Coast Classic.

2012 Shipwreck Coast Classic, L-R: Lachlan Norris, Ned Powell, Tom Christie.

Team Unibicycles after the 2012 Shipwreck Coast Classic, L-R: Clive Silcock, Ned Powell, Hamish Middleton, Chris Zucchet and Tom Christie.

The Melbourne to Warrnambool and Shipwreck Coast Classic marked the end of the 2012 winter road racing season, and now warmer spring weather is upon us and crit season has started and I'm keen to get plenty of racing in. So that's all for now, this has turned out to be a massive post and I've stayed up way too late writing it!