How far do you ride?

[il padrone]

You have plenty of time to decide if you:
a) have the physical attributes
b) can stay committed to the goal
c) really want to do the hard work.

A good friend of mine did become a Pro. Rode nationally then won Bronze in Seoul Olympics Team Time-trial, and went on to race in Europe on a pro team. Later he was Australian MTB Champ for a few years.

He was a touring cyclist then began racing at about 19 yo. He did live right next to the Dandenongs so would ride to and from work (as an apprentice electrician) then do a couple of hours of hill work in the mountains after that.

Four years before he won the bronze he did a tour with me in the Snowy Mts. He discovered another rider had a ridiculously high gear, then committed to climbing using no lower than 50", despite carrying 25-30kgs of camping gear. He rode from Buchan right to the summit of Kosciuszko on that minimum gear.

[15wilsonwu]

Thanks for the support guys.
As for how much im willing to sacrifice, well, basically everything excluding my family and possibly a few friends cause you really only get 1 family
I will not however sacrifice cycling. What I mean is that I really want to sustain the passion for cycling instead of turning it a job (which would probably be a mission impossible)

[15wilsonwu]

You have plenty of time to decide if you:
a) have the physical attributes
b) can stay committed to the goal
c) really want to do the hard work.

A good friend of mine did become a Pro. Rode nationally then won Bronze in Seoul Olympics Team Time-trial, and went on to race in Europe on a pro team. Later he was Australian MTB Champ for a few years.

He was a touring cyclist then began racing at about 19 yo. He did live right next to the Dandenongs so would ride to and from work (as an apprentice electrician) then do a couple of hours of hill work in the mountains after that.

Four years before he won the bronze he did a tour with me in the Snowy Mts. He discovered another rider had a ridiculously high gear, then committed to climbing using no lower than 50", despite carrying 25-30kgs of camping gear. He rode from Buchan right to the summit of Kosciuszko on that minimum gear.

Holy shiße! That would be exactly what Im aiming for but my mom promised me, whatever I do, i MUST go to a Uni.
Guess i'll get a late start, or if im really good, i'll be a Pro before finishing High School

[il padrone]

What I mean is that I really want to sustain the passion for cycling instead of turning it a job (which would probably be a mission impossible)

Be aware - pro cycling, especially the European circuit - is very much a job. I didn't join my mate in racing (despite doing the same first race that he did) because I wanted to keep doing the cycle-touring that I loved. Race training made it impossible for my mate to continue with this.

whatever I do, i MUST go to a Uni.

Win/win
http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/cy ... holarships
http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets ... Coach_.pdf

[15wilsonwu]

What I mean is that I really want to sustain the passion for cycling instead of turning it a job (which would probably be a mission impossible)

Be aware - pro cycling, especially the European circuit - is very much a job. I didn't join my mate in racing (despite doing the same first race that he did) because I wanted to keep doing the cycle-touring that I loved. Race training made it impossible for my mate to continue with this.

whatever I do, i MUST go to a Uni.

Win/win
http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/cy ... holarships
http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets ... Coach_.pdf

Actually, I would be happy enough if I could have a job related to cycling.
ie. Bike shop, mechanic, or perhaps work for a team?
Oh and, that was EXACTLY what I showed my mom and she was like, WT? IS DAT SHEET?

[mitzikatzi]

..snip...
Actually, I would be happy enough if I could have a job related to cycling.
ie. Bike shop, mechanic, or perhaps work for a team?
..snip..

1.Go to Uni. Study Engineering. Make Mum happy
2. Learn to TIG weld.
3. Become a frame builder eg like Baum. Or get into designing full suspension mountain bikes or bike repairs eg Gripsport.

There are a number of course you could do at Uni that would let you work with cyclists or other sports.
Physiotherapy
Sport Science
Law or Business become a manager of an athlete.
Dietitian

[15wilsonwu]

..snip...
Actually, I would be happy enough if I could have a job related to cycling.
ie. Bike shop, mechanic, or perhaps work for a team?
..snip..

1.Go to Uni. Study Engineering. Make Mum happy
2. Learn to TIG weld.
3. Become a frame builder eg like Baum. Or get into designing full suspension mountain bikes or bike repairs eg Gripsport.

There are a number of course you could do at Uni that would let you work with cyclists or other sports.
Physiotherapy
Sport Science
Law or Business become a manager of an athlete.
Dietitian

Im leaning towards physiotherapy, its eqsier to rip people off

[il padrone]

One for you 15wilsonwu

[15wilsonwu]

One for you 15wilsonwu

Lol wut?

[il padrone]

Archetypal young 'scorcher'

[15wilsonwu]

Archetypal young 'scorcher'

[15wilsonwu]

Speaking of Pros, can anyone here reccomend any Cycling Clubs in the Inner Eastern 'burbs of Melbourne?

[il padrone]

That'd be St Kilda Cycle Club I guess. Or a bit further east to Carnegie Cycling Club. There's also Hawthorn Cycling Club.

I have no knowledge to offer about any of them though.

[15wilsonwu]

That'd be St Kilda Cycle Club I guess. Or a bit further east to Carnegie Cycling Club. There's also Hawthorn Cycling Club.

I have no knowledge to offer about any of them though.

Do you belong to any clubs?

[il padrone]

Yes, but not any racing clubs. Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club. Also on Facebook. We're probably mostly your grandpa's age group though

[15wilsonwu]

Hey! I found a member!
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/200 ... n600.1.jpg

[Mulger bill]

One for you 15wilsonwu

Thanks for reposting this Pete, magnificent pic! Young feller has one amazing race face happening

Shaun

[foo on patrol]

Thanks for the support guys.
As for how much im willing to sacrifice, well, basically everything excluding my family and possibly a few friends cause you really only get 1 family
I will not however sacrifice cycling. What I mean is that I really want to sustain the passion for cycling instead of turning it a job (which would probably be a mission impossible)

Read this and it will tell you what commitment and sacrifice stands for. This bloke Nikolai is on here sometimes and remember, he ws 17yrs of age and doing this type of training.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fulls ... est%20News

Foo

[15wilsonwu]

Bloody hell, went up Mt Dedenong today, it's the first ever climb I did that gets cold up there.

[Lukeyboy]

As long as I got water in the water bottles my legs will keep pumping

[15wilsonwu]

Mt Dandenong and 1 in 20

Now that I'm home i can do a full report.
The way to Mt Dandenong scared the living sheet outta me, well, half of it. The first part was all relaxing and stuff but the second part was truly terrifying. The cars were literally passing by with 1mm of space left between us, i had to ride on the gravel in fear of being knocked over. Oh, I was on Canterbury road.
When I got to Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, everything got a lot better. The cars were less aggressive and the climb was magnificent.
I started to pant, well, semi-pant about half way up there (dont judge me )
It was my first time going up a "proper" mountain, so I was kinda shocked by the scenery
When I got to the top, I was quite literally freezing despite the fact I've been riding for like an hour or so. I didn't bring any arm warmers or jacket cause I didn't in ANY WAY expect that the temperature would drop so dramatically. I then decided to have my lunch to warm myself up, BIG mistake. As most of you would do, I went to the cafe with the most cyclists so I can be more confident with leaving my bike out there.
I had a sausage roll and a latte and to be honest, the roll was sheet. The coffee was good though
Remember how I said it was a big mistake? Well here you go. On the way down, i swear to god it was like -500 degrees, the water molecules in my skin was literally hardening my skin to a level where I cant even move my arms ( exaggeration applied )
On the way down (still), i decided to go via Mountain Highway (1 in 20) to reach the bottom instead of continuing on Tourist Road and GOD I WAS SHOCKED. You probably already know why, but if you don't, let me tell you. Descending through it was like descending in the French Alps, the roads were smooth, the scenery was staggering, theres hardly any cars and the best of all, the corners was just... Ummm, find a word yourself .

The way back was a lot better than the way to Mt Dandenong, probably because it not really a main road.

Heres a link to my ride
http://app.strava.com/activities/37204303

[kb]

Mt Dandenong and 1 in 20

The way back was a lot better than the way to Mt Dandenong, probably because it not really a main road.

Heres a link to my ride
http://app.strava.com/activities/37204303

Nice ride. From where you started you can get to the Basin almost entirely on bike paths. Koonung ck -> Mullum Mullum -> East Link -> Dandenong Ck which sort of peeters out into a few blocks of Mountain Hwy. Let me know if you'd like me to dig up the link to my last ride that way.

[edit]
PS. I had similar temperature issues one afternoon. 25° when I left work, 8° at Sky High. The hand dryer in the public toilets up there got warm enough not to freeze completely on the way down

[15wilsonwu]

Mt Dandenong and 1 in 20

The way back was a lot better than the way to Mt Dandenong, probably because it not really a main road.

Heres a link to my ride
http://app.strava.com/activities/37204303

Nice ride. From where you started you can get to the Basin almost entirely on bike paths. Koonung ck -> Mullum Mullum -> East Link -> Dandenong Ck which sort of peeters out into a few blocks of Mountain Hwy. Let me know if you'd like me to dig up the link to my last ride that way.

[edit]
PS. I had similar temperature issues one afternoon. 25° when I left work, 8° at Sky High. The hand dryer in the public toilets up there got warm enough not to freeze completely on the way down

Haha, I would definitly appreciate it if you'd kinda share the Strava link.
Strangly enough, I never saw any public toilets Probably I was enjoying my ride too much

[kb]

http://app.strava.com/activities/28765269

Just be careful not to miss the corner after Canterbury Rd (@36km in above ride), it can feel a bit odd doing a u-turn after crossing the creek (at least if you have a bad sense of direction like me)

[15wilsonwu]

http://app.strava.com/activities/28765269

Just be careful not to miss the corner after Canterbury Rd (@36km in above ride), it can feel a bit odd doing a u-turn after crossing the creek (at least if you have a bad sense of direction like me)

Guess ill have to toughen up to do the extra K's
And you did Kew Boulevard in 12 mins?!
The best i can do was like 15 mins.