Tabla de contenidos para Issue 40 en Cyclist Australia

THE ULTIMATE MTB STAGE RACING EXPERIENCE The Great Australian Outback, for visitors and locals alike, is what makes this giant island nation so unique. But the bush is just one aspect of Far North Queensland that makes the Crocodile Trophy arguably one of the most true blue experiences you could have on a bike. From sun-scorched trails through to lush rainforests filled with world-class single track and even a final stage along Port Douglas beach, this year’s eight-day Crocodile Trophy or three-day Croc Elements is one to seriously consider. Celebrating its 25th edition, this iconic event isn’t just for the die-hard off-road racers, the Croc is a cycling adventure that is about far more than just what happens on the bike. From the first night in camp – in your…

Cyclist: What is your earliest memory of cycling? Fränk Schleck: As a kid I used to go with my family to Alpe d’Huez to see the Tour passing by. My dad [Johny] was a cycling fan and a former professional who had cycled Alpe d’Huez during his career [which included eight Tours de France]. We went there on family vacations to see and feel the ambience of the Tour. I remember standing at the side of the road and being amazed at the emotion and the passion for cycling that people have, especially on all the corners and switchbacks. It was something great. Cyc: What was the single best day of your cycling career? FS: It is strange to think that after going to Alpe d’Huez as a child, many…

It’s hot. Really hot. And I’m zigzagging all over the road, in a world of hurt. To make matters worse, both of my bottles are empty, and there’s still five kilometres’ worth of climbing left to go. My unzipped jersey is doing little to negate the heat radiating off the sheer rock wall to my left and the shimmering tarmac below. Sweat drips into my eyes, and the power in my legs is fading fast In short, I’m suffering. My riding companion, Alex – who, by inviting me on this trip to Victoria’s High Country, is really to blame for my present state – has long since dropped me and disappeared up the road. What I wouldn’t give to be back in town, enjoying the air-conditioned comfort of our motel…

Both Tam and Alex wore 100% eyewear with the ‘Sagan special’ Speedcraft in Acidulous and the S2 in Matte White/Geo Print getting a solid workout during the multi-day trip. Both the Speedcraft and S2 feature a high-impact resistant and polycarbonate lens with Ultra-grip temple tips and replaceable rubber nose bridge. Given the high levels of UV during the summer months – when this ride took place – the Purple Multilayer Mirror Lens fitted to the Speedcraft was great for the early mornings when the 24% light transmission allowed plenty of vision. During the main part of the day, however, the Hiper Blue Multilayer Mirror Lens fitted to the S2 was the winner with light transmission levels at 15%. Recently announced across both models are Photochromic Lens models ($349) that automatically…

You have to be a cyclist to understand the appeal of the Mortirolo. It’s too narrow and poorly surfaced to be fun in a car or on a motorbike, and the main road provides a faster and easier route between Mazzo and Monno. Unlike the nearby Stelvio and Gavia, there are no real views for the traditional tourist to stand and gaze over, mouth agape. No Michelin-starred cuisine or site of special scientific interest awaits you on the summit either. A compulsion to don Lycra and pedal is therefore imperative if you’re to be inspired by these slopes. Take anyone else over the Mortirolo and they will have forgotten all about it as soon as they finished descending it. Even the world of cycling wasn’t aware of the Passo del…

THE SPEC Model BMC Timemachine Road 01 Two Groupset Sram Red eTap 22 HRD Deviations None Wheels DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 62 Finishing kit BMC ICS Aero bars and stem, BMC Aero Post 01 seatpost, Fizik Arione R1 Carbon saddle, Vittoria Corsa 25mm tyres Weight 7.99kg Price $12,999 Contact au-en.bmc-switzerland.com Famous time machines have often proved troublesome. Dr Who’s Tardis has always required a kick to get it working properly. The DeLorean was forever running out of plutonium, and Bill and Ted’s phone booth accidentally brought Napoleon back from the past. BMC’s original Timemachine TMR01 was similarly a wonder of science and physics, but had a few glitches. It was in essence a time-trial bike repurposed for the road. That meant it was blisteringly fast, but it was so…

As a nation of fans tuned in to watch Stage 9 of this year’s Tour de France, they were well aware that their general classification hope had crashed out on that very same day for two years running. Thankfully, things were different for Richie Porte this time around. The stage came and went without incident. At time of print, Tassie's finest had slipped out of the overall contenders race, but remained committed to finishing it out just as he has planned for the last five years. For a nation far more passionate about footy than cycling, we can count ourselves lucky to have such an endless pool of talent. In addition to Porte, another of our modern greats is Simon Gerrans. He won stages in all three Grand Tours during…

It’s funny. Since I’ve stopped, I’ve been in all of the places I would have loved to have been in when I was working as an artist,’ says Caren Hartley. The one-time silversmith, artist and sculptor began building bicycles professionally in 2014, and her creations have been exhibited in the V&A, the Design Museum and the Barbican, and most recently in the Homo Faber exhibition held last September in Venice, which is where this particular bike comes in. Nicknamed ‘Ex Machina’, it was commissioned by a customer named Austin and was inspired by his love of engines and machinery, in particular the Rolls-Royce Phantom I of 1925. That car was a rolling cathedral of sharp chrome lines and deep lustre coachwork, and while Austin’s bicycle rolls on two wheels, not…

Download this route at strava.com/routes/16430757. Beechworth Bakery is the logical starting point. From there, take C315 Sydney Road north-east. Just before the 17km mark turn right onto C532 Yackandandah Road and begin a fast descent. Leaving town, turn right onto C527 Myrtleford-Yackandandah Road; then, turn right onto Back Creek Road. Enjoy 10km of backroads before the busier C527. Turn right at Dederang Road, and 6km later make a right onto Tunnel Gap Road before rejoining the C527. Turn right on to Stanley-Myrtleford Road as you hit the foothills of the major climb of the day. Just over 10km of sweaty work later, you’ll descend slightly to the town of Stanley. Turn left onto C525 Stanley Road, and after one more brief rise, it’s downhill all the way back to Beechworth.…

Catch the 7:30am Northern Line Tube from Clapham Common to Bank station, Monday to Friday, and among the army of commuters travelling into the City of London, cycling fans will see a familiar face. In a well-tailored suit provided by old friend Jeff Banks, and still looking trim and tanned, Australia’s greatest-ever one-day rider and double Monument winner is on his way to his new job. ‘I’m officially on the Sports Internship programme at Goldman Sachs,’ says Simon Gerrans when we meet on a weekend near his London home. ‘My old agent, Andrew McQuaid, told me about this scheme that came off the back of London 2012, but it kind of fizzled out. I contacted them about sparking it back up and they said, “Yeah, why not?”’ Gerrans has been…

‘If you can follow me, I am never square and logical – I go for successive waves.’ So says Antonio Colombo, sovereign-ringed fingers making the gesture of rippling water while his bright blue Nike Air Max bounce under the table. ‘I do not want to be a museum curator, but next year is 100 years, so a sort of bicycle museum has to surround us.’ He’s referring not to the bike brand of which he is president, but to sister brand Columbus Tubi, a subsidiary of the AL Colombo steel tubing company founded in 1919 by his father, Angelo Luigi, and which Colombo junior united with fellow Milanese operation Cinelli in 1978. The story of events leading up to this merger could fill a book on its own, involving seaplanes,…

In this day and age it seems absurd to come to the Alps and not take a disc bike, especially given the likelihood of damp weather. Similarly, fitting the widest tyres possible also seems a smart move, despite the extra weight. Thus, furnished with Campagnolo H11 disc brakes and 28mm wide Continental GP4000S II tyres, the Leggero SL was every bit the mountain goat I was looking for. At 7.23kg it was light but not flattering up inclines, but I’d trade that weight twice over for the confidence the Leggero presented down washed-out descents that even included cobbled hairpins. The Campagnolo Bora One wheels were also an excellent addition, their mid-sectioned 35mm rim profile and 1,483g weight (claimed) providing rapid acceleration and good rolling speed yet being shallow enough to…

This image was taken along the final climb of Great Dun Fell, on Stage 2 of this year's GBDuro – a four-stage, 2,000km self-supported trek spanning the length of Great Britain from the southwestern tip of Land's End in Cornwall to John o' Groats in the north of Scotland. After 8,500m of climbing across Wales and Northern England, the UK's highest road was cold, foggy and blowing a block head wind – as if this climb wasn't tough enough. Despite his WorldTour pedigree, I think Lachlan (Morton, pictured) found this one hard going. Great Dun Fell is a remote climb, and it was nearing the summit, where the clouds and fog were rolling in, that I captured this shot. The black-and-white image may look grainy, but this is actually the…

WORTH $70 Perfectly crafted to combat those cool weather mornings, the Pearl Izumi Thermal Lite glove features silicone screened finger tips for additional grip, plus reflective highlights for improved visibility in low-light conditions. Wear as a standalone glove in temperatures between 7-13 degree Celsius or layer up and use as a liner when things get frosty! The cooler months are all about keeping the digits toasty, so we’re throwing in a pair of moisture-wicking and warm, even when wet, Elite Wool Socks. Finished with an anatomic arch compression and a mesh vented upper, you’ll be warm, dry and comfortable even when the temperature dips towards single digits. 3 EASY WAYS TO ORDER ONLINE subscribe.cyclist.com.au PHONE 02 8227 6486 POSTAGE-FREE to Cyclist PO Box 161 Hornsby NSW 1630 GREAT REASONS TO…

I have always found Austria charming, much like Switzerland but without having to pay $70 for a cafe stop. Austria enjoys the full bandwidth of the Alps, and through its landlocked state draws on cultures from Hungary to Italy and beyond, yet remains itself very much Austrian. You will find the traditionally rude waiters in the coffee houses of Vienna, world-class orchestras in the magisterial concert halls of Salzburg and the unmissable décolletage of dirndl-clad receptionists in Alpine hotels. There’s nothing quite like the breakfast buffet in a decent Austrian hotel In the most endearing sense, Austria is an almost impossible pastiche of itself, delivered without irony. It is friendly – homely even – but encompasses landscapes that run the full gamut from idyllic to downright daunting, all the while…

THE SPEC Model Cannondale SystemSix Hi-Mod Dura-Ace Di2 Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Deviations Cannondale SiSL2 with Power2Max power meter and Vision rings Wheels Knot 64 carbon Finishing kit Knot System handlebar/stem, SystemSix seatpost, Prologo Dimension Nack saddle, Vittoria Rubino Pro Speed 23mm tyres Weight 7.69kg (56cm) Price $14,999 Contact cannondale.com/en/australia Intriguingly, Cannondale hasn’t produced an aero road bike since the days when its top-end race frames were made from aluminium. While all the other big brands have been busy refining tube shapes to shave off wind drag, Cannondale had defiantly stuck by its traditional-looking SystemSix Evo. Until now. The all-new SuperSix has them very much back in the game. Biding its time, though, has allowed the company to keep track of developments during years of rapid advancement in aerodynamics, especially…

Day one Like many good bike adventures, this one started with a boat ride. In the dark. The moon was still up when fellow Port Moresby Cyclopath club member Andrew and I clambered into an open dinghy at Nusa Island Resort for a short ferry trip to New Ireland’s main city, Kavieng, where our ride would begin. We had arrived the previous night on the last flight from Port Moresby, ready for a two-day cycling adventure riding the full 260km length of New Ireland’s Boluminski Highway. As part of the ride, we would also take part in the inaugural Tour de New Ireland – a 60km race being staged to celebrate the completion of the road late last year, with Australian Government support. Our bikes, assembled in semi-darkness the night…