Josh works with 27 engineers in America’s auto racing heartland, Indianapolis. It is a revelation speaking with someone who knows carbon fibre wheels so well, someone who can cut through the myths and the marketing to lay the facts on the table. If you are prepared to let down your defences and indulge in a very technical insight, it is well worth tapping Josh Poertner’s fountain of knowledge and learning a lot more about carbon fibre wheel technology.

A Single Strand of Carbon Fibre

Our journey with Josh Poertner begins with carbon fibre fabrication. I started by asking about the selection of carbon fibre for Zipp wheels.

JP: People are often surprised at how hands-on carbon fibre production is. People like to use the term hand-made and pretty much all of the carbon is hand-made.

The actual carbon production is the graphitisation of the polyacrylonitrile fibre, it’s turned into carbon strands. It’s bundled into a K count, how many thousands per bundle, typically 3K or 6K or 12K and sometimes 24K.

Most of what we use is unidirectional carbon and that is a bunch of parallel running 12K’s or 24K’s that has been pre-impregnated with an epoxy resin and then it’s frozen. The other one that you see a lot in the brake track and the tyre weld of the carbon clinchers is a woven fabric. Typically they have different stiffness properties. When you weave an over-under, the fibre bends. The more bends you have, the poorer it’s going to perform in those directions. If you fracture it, the fracture will run one weave length and terminate at the cross points. Unidirectional carbon aren’t nearly as damage tolerant – it can run the entire length of the strand.

We tend to put woven [carbon fibre] where we drill holes. If you think of drilling in uni-directional [carbon] you can get a run [fracture]  like in nylon. We use woven where we need toughness and also use woven where we have impacts. Woven has higher elongation failure rates, because of the crimping. It can take compression before it actually begins to interlaminar shear.

The range of Zipp Wheels at Ausbike in 2012

Three Dimensional Kevlar Stitching

I am standing with Josh in front of the complete series of ZIPP wheelsets, from the 202 tubular and firecrest carbon clincher through to the 303′s, 404′s, 808′s and disc wheels. Picking up and looking at the construction in more detail Josh continues.

JP: The core of the rim is uni-directional and here, where the powder holes are drilled and the impact zones are, you see woven. Even the tubulars have woven under the ceramic brake surface, just for impact toughness. One of the things that is new on the firecrest wheels is that we have replaced the woven material on the inner diameter with the three dimension stitching technology.

Tens years ago all of the rims were woven; we were really the first to go to an all uni-directional, but we still had woven on the inner and outer diameter. You will notice every single rim on the market today has a [carbon fibre] layup that looks just like my rim. We really set the standard on that. That was a lot of [us] saying “let’s take the woven away from the areas you don’t need it”, which is in the sidewalls.

In the inner diameter we have replaced woven with sewing. The fibre is continuous, tip to tail, so there is no actual seam in the entire rim. Where you have the holes you have what is known as open hole compression, and open hole compression is a hard thing for carbon to resist. You can either drill the hole where the fibers end, and that’s not so strong, or you can push a pin through and mould the hole, and the fibers bend around the hole and they are still not so strong. Nobody has really come up with a great open hole compression solution. If you look at the Boeing 787 they are doing the window surrounds with a three dimensional weave, almost like a grading. It is three dimensionally woven and from that we actually had the idea; what if we three dimensionally stitch or sew?

Conventional wisdom was that you can’t sew prepreg, it’s not going to work. It took about two years to develop the sewing technique, the machines, the coding, and the process.

The stitch on the outside is called the the cover stitch. There are three needles, three puncturing threads and two covering threads. The covering threads give you essentially the same keel resistance as the woven fibre would give you and the added benefit is if the carbon fails, the first thing that fails is the glue. The carbon fibre is ten times stronger than the resin. The failure, whether it is impact, or whether it’s open hole, it is always going to start with an interlaminar shear. You have two carbon parts that are really strong, they are only held together by glue. When there is an impact, or a spike in the load, they shear. What we have done is sown a re-enforcement. Carbon is on the XY [plane] and on the Z is typically glue. We sew through in the Z axis with kevlar, so now to have interlaminar shear you have to physically break those [kevlar] fibers.

3D Kevlar Stitching on the Zipp Firecrest wheelset

It is the nature of wheels, [where] you have to have holes for the nipples, you have to strengthen them. We have found that this [technique] is stronger than any preexisting technology.

The three dimensional stitching is patented, as is the kevlar stitching that runs along the top of the tubular rims for reinforcement, called Carbon Bridge Technology.

The Carbon Bridge Technology allowed this to be the first carbon wheel to finish the Paris-Roubaix and, ultimately, win the Paris-Roubaix. We spent two years developing the technology and trying to convince the riders to try it and the first year we tried it [in 2008] Martijn Maaskant finished 4th, and the next year we won. Tom Boonen later said “I don’t think the race can be won on an aluminium wheel ever again”. We worked with Boonen and Specialized this year where took them into the Arenberg forest, the Carrefour de l’Arbre and to some of the flat paved sections at the end. You could see in the power meter 24 – 26 watts lower at the same speed on the carbon wheel and over the 265km distance, that’s 700 plus calories of energy not burned by riding the carbon wheel.

The Comfort of Carbon Fibre

Just like steel, alumnium and titanium, carbon fibre has material character traits, though it is not necessarily what it seems to be.

JP: People tend to want to always believe that carbon is comfortable and that is not necessarily true. We laughed at the early days when they had carbon seat posts and riders would say it has so much damping. We also make speaker cones out of carbon fibre because it has so little damping. If you want damping, you have to design it in. Take an old school Zipp 440 wheel that we created in 1991, that has a V-shape. It is essentially a triangle and there is nothing more rigid than a triangle. You can add all of the damping you want, if you don’t have the spring rate it really doesn’t matter.

The History of Zip 404 Wheels beginning with the original ‘straight edge’ 404

If you look at our wheels [now] there are no straight surfaces anywhere in the rim. It is all curved and the rim bulges out. You actually have a bit of compliance within the rim section. Now that I have a spring rate, I can then actually add damping. It is really about systems design. Something doesn’t damp because it is carbon.

American Verses Chinese Carbon Production

The majority of the bicycle frames and parts are made in Asia, though ZIPP is one of the few exceptions to the rule with design and production in the United States. Josh Poertner share his position on keeping it local.

JP: The western world has done a really good job of giving its knowledge to Asia in the search for higher profits. We have stayed away from that; everything we sell, we make. Everything we do we consider to be our secret and I consider that to be our advantage. My engineers sit 50 feet away from the guys who actually make the product and that gives us a really different outlook on things. We can move quickly, we can take big design risks in advance development of products.

The original Zipp 303 was a 28mm wide tubular rim with sidewalls that intentionally give about 1.5mm radial compression within the rim section and we started sewing the outer diameter. We started in 2006 saying “we’re going to win Roubaix on this wheel”, while the conventional wisdom was “we’re not even going to ride carbon wheels at Roubaix”. That is the kind of process that I don’t think anybody is willing to undertake in China. You spend the time and money travelling there and back, and now you have a mould – if you don’t use it, they’re going to sell it to some other guys. You need to get to market and make money.

For us, everyone in my company comes from an auto racing background. We are in the home of auto racing in America – Indianapolis. We have 30 composite shops in the greater Indianapolis area, guys making racing car chassis, wings, custom driver seats. For years we made driver seats, steering wheels and wings. We have done engineering work for multiple Indy 500 race winning cars. That’s the background of our crew and our team, so we really try to leverage that to change the cycling experience.

Computers verses Wind Tunnels verses Marketing

Advanced modelling and prototyping on computers aides the design process, though this hasn’t replaced wind tunnel testing. If anything, it makes it more complex, particularly with market pressure to constantly be innovative, lighter, stiffer and faster. So what do you get when you put a marketing in the same room as engineering?

JP: You can’t delude yourself. Everything we do in Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that you have to make a decision on, you also have to take to the wind tunnel, because there is always that risk. It’s not easier on the computer, but you can pick out a lot of data that you can’t get in the wind tunnel. The wind tunnel essentially gives you three data points and a consumer could say “but you didn’t have a bike”. Then you put a bike in there and they say “you didn’t have a rider”.

Zipp Circumferential variation in Drag Force and Side Force

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with the Zipp 808 rotating with rake

CFD Oilslick Plasma simulation with the Zipp 808

The problem with any sort of measurement device is that you have an uncertainty that is a percentage of your number. If I put a wheel in there, my uncertainty is maybe 8 grams. If I put a bike in there, it is maybe 20 grams. If I put a bike in there with a rider, it could be 100 grams. The problem is that if you are trying to find a change in your wheel, that may only be 15 grams, but there is too much noise. In the wind tunnel, you can see a lot of numbers that the marketing guy calls “better”, but the engineer has to call the same. “That’s 15 grams better, but our uncertainty is 20″. As a responsible engineer, I can’t call that better.

Ninety nine out of one hundred companies in this industry are marketing companies and are buying stuff that someone else is making. Of course, they can go in and say “this is the best”, “this is better”, and we can’t do this.

What we can do in the computer is steering torque. None of the wind tunnels worldwide is measuring this and that is something that we can model. We can measure the steering torque and the centre of pressure and iterate that design in the computer and watch that move.

We sent a team to work in the wind tunnel to develop Yaw moment measurement.  Because we have made changes and helped the wind tunnel make changes, other companies are benefiting from that. We’re willing to accept that. We were there first and basically created the science behind wheel stability, and our whole industry is going to benefit from that. Not a single wheel company here isn’t talking about stability, whether they have any idea what that is or not.

Zipp Wind Tunnel Testing measuring Yaw moment

When Carbon Fails

With the current trends, your next road bike is most likely to be carbon fibre, but not necessarily your next wheelset. Carbon wheelsets are often still reserved for performance rather than everyday riding.

JP: The problem with the wheel is that it sees a lot of heat because there is a braking surface, and of course the area you damage is also the brake surface. We spent three years developing resins that can handle the high temperatures for carbon clinchers; you will see over 400°F (200°C). Our rims can handle transience on the surface of 600°F (315°C). That is another thing with the wheels out of China that people don’t think about. They can soften up, warp and come apart. Tour (magazine) Germany did a nine wheel carbon clincher shootout and Zipp and Xenti were the only two that didn’t melt on the descent and fail through heat. It’s a very hard problem to solve.

We were late to the carbon clincher business because we were busy trying to solve that problem. I was beat about the head and neck by distributors and sales people saying “everybody’s doing it, it works, it works”… but guys, it doesn’t pass our testing! By the time we launched, it was a really well known problem “Oh, it’s hilly were I live – we can’t sell carbon clinchers, they melt”. Melt is not technically right, though is the word that people understand.

There is a thing called the Glass Transition Temperature, that engineers call TG, which is essentially how hot it can be heat-soaked before it starts to move, the epoxy will soften and it will be able to deform. Most of the product out of Asia is between 260 and 280°F (125 – 140°C), some of the good ones are 300°F (150°C). Some of the good US and European made wheels are in the 320 to 350°F (160 – 180°C) range. We are 450°F (232°C) and upwards. The Zipp 202 is a little bit above that still because it is a lighter weight product, so there is a risk that it gets hotter. With the 202 we have launched a new brake pad geometry that is 1.5mm taller radially and that is a 15% increase in surface area. Because it is radial, you are putting in more “swept” area on the rim, so the temperatures tend to run lower.

The Devil in the Detail

Josh is realistic about the performance gains that are possible when it comes to tuning your bike and wheels. It makes sense to split the elite performance athlete from the sports enthusiast. When it comes down to nitty gritty details of tuning a racing bicycle and wheels, when you are paying for your own equipment, there are limits, but also affordable options.

JP: The Mission Statement of my department is “Ultimate Customer Experience” and that goes for every aspect. People get so hung-up on one thing “We build the lightest”, but is that really the ultimate experience. [One of the problems of] an 800gram wheelset, is that part of what you are feeling in instability is that there is not much inertia. There are so many factors that influence it. For bearings, we are the only company left in the world spec’ing DIN P5 bearings from Switzerland. We use a steel bearing that is more precise than almost any ceramic bearing on the market and that’s a real part of the value proposition. Ceramic bearings tend to have low friction if they have ultra-high quality, but a lot of times to get the price point right, you will put a ceramic ball in a Chinese [ball] race. You can say you have ceramic, but essentially you are an ABEC 1, a very low grade race with a high grade ball. That’s not doing anything.

This industry can be really guilty of going for the marketing angle, but guys, if the ceramic bearings upgrade is less that $1000 for the wheelset, it’s not worth it. You get what you pay for. To give you a benchmark, our Zipp hub continually achieves top one, top two in independent mags. Tour magazine did a test a few years ago and we were number two in rolling efficiency behind the DT190 hub, with full ceramic bearings with ABEC 7 races. I look at that and go ‘we’ve got 30% larger flange diameter, we’re a couple of grams lighter, we’ve got a 2mm larger axle and we’re a good bit less expensive’. I think that’s pretty good.

Nine out of ten ceramic bearing upgrades will make my [Zipp] hub less efficient. Ceramic doesn’t necessarily mean efficient. There are a million Chinese made ceramic bearings that are being used for furnace carts and anywhere where you have something that is hot. That is suited to the application and ceramic doesn’t mean high quality and high grade. It is heat resistance against thermal growth, it needs to get hot and not change size like a steel ball. There are a lot of people out there trying to leverage that, but any one of those upgrades in my hub is going to make it roll way less efficiently, so you, as the consumer, may as well put the money in a bin and set it alight.

The best case scenario of ceramic bearings in a wheelset is 1 watt at 30 miles and hour. We sell ceramic bearings and they’re $1000, but we’re honest: “guys, it’s 1000 bucks for a watt”. Tony Martin, at the worlds, rides thousand dollar ceramic bearings. For the consumer, you can buy a better tyre and you’ll save twice that. You put latex tubes in there you’ll save 6 times that amount. A new chain on your bike can be as much as 6 watts compared to a worn chain. Just cleaning your drive chain is a couple of watts. 1 watt of ceramic bearings is about 3 seconds per 40 kilometres. I can find you a minute for the 40k for very little money.

With Chris Langdon, our distributor [echelon], we spent a year working with Kristin Armstrong on every little detail with multiple wind-tunnel tests, looking at different tyres and tyre pressures and clincher verses tubular. Really sweating the details, and she won, and in the end said she felt she really had THE advantage. That’s when she won by 18 seconds and had ceramic bearings and latex tubes, had every little thing dialled and you go “that’s what that’s for”. For consumers who say “I put ceramic bearings in my wheel and now none of my friends can catch me on the hill”, that’s not ceramic bearings. If you loose the national time trials by three seconds, ceramic will buy you three.

There’s fine and then there’s ZIPP

Zipp wheelsets and products are not within the reach of all riders, though Josh knows this: “We try and be at the pinnacle, but are not all things to all people.” For cyclists and teams who are in the line of sight of ZIPP, they can rely on an enviable reputation of quality and reliability that the company has achieved.

Josh feels a personal responsibility to his customers, and while marketing is part of any successful business, the innovation is not dictated by marketeers. “We try to make decisions based on research and based on science and the hardest part is at the end when we try to be honest.”

Zipp wheelsets and accessories are available in Australia through Echelon Sports with select dealers Australia-wide. You can also learn more about the technology on the Zipp website: www.zipp.com

Photos: 1-3 © Bicycles Network Australia, 4 – 10 © Zipp

When you walk in to KNOG you know instantly that they are a design company. The modern building features open plan spaces with a showroom, work areas and meeting areas. It is far from clinical – evidence of creativity is everywhere: sketches, CAD renderings, prototypes and even mockups of point-of-sale displays.

KNOG started about eight years ago as a spin-off brand of a successful industrial design company (catalyst) and has grown so that the company is now 100% KNOG. They began by reinventing the bicycle light and produced the successful silicon “KNOG frog”, but straight away they were faced with a challenge: “Are we one-hit-wonders or are we really good at what we do? Can we reinvent something that we reinvented the first time?”

CMO Michael Lelliott is a cycling fanatic, the type of guy you would imagine to have an enviable collection of urban bikes in his apartment and who loves to cruise through the city on his bike at night. When he talks about the products the company creates it is not just passion, there is also a sense of relaxed methodology. KNOG has created an identity and they know where they are going and how to get there; it involves a good dose of fun.

KNOG lights and locks are born in a relaxed and creative workspace

When I sat down at the KNOG HQ, two of Michael’s marketing colleagues joined us: Englishman Sean and Spaniard Tania. Michael took the lead, but only after getting a supply of locks and lights so that he could hold the products in his hands as he talked about them. I wanted to know about the design progress; how do they get the ideas and what does it take to make a finished product?

According to the KNOG team, from start to finish it takes about a year and begins with the team of designers getting together and brainstorming. The constant process of reviewing existing products and improving the technology leads to new ideas. Michael explained “One side of the brand is having fun and being Aussie in our humour and approach, but from the product design point of view it is about what can we do that is different. What can we do that it is different from a design point of view? What can we do that is different from a technical point of view? What materials can we use to make something that hasn’t been seen before?”

For the current series of blinder lights, for example, KNOG took on customer feedback, such as the light switched on inside people’s bags, and derived a solution: to turn the lights on you need to press the button down for two seconds and toggle modes by pressing once. The initial problem was resolved though at the cost of a small, but easy to overcome learning curve understanding how the new switch works.

USB charging was an improvement from an environmental perspective (i.e. no batteries to dispose of) and it also meant that the lights could become a sealed unit and become (fishtank) waterproof. New smaller lithium polymer batteries allowed a freedom in design without compromising performance.

A team of 20 designers, including industrial designers, design engineers and electronic engineers, sees the team moving from sketches to Computer Aided Design (CAD) before creating prototypes (via rapid prototyping). The electronic engineers further develop the product so that working prototypes can be created and tested. It is a continual process of optimisation and refinement before the factory is involved to look into tooling, electronics and production before they deliver the first off-tool samples which go into testing. It takes about a year from original conception until the factories are ready to deliver the final product into shops.

The KNOG workshop for hands-on creation and testing

Rapid Prototyping is followed by painting to create a mockup of a proposed new light

If imitation is the ultimate flattery, then KNOG have been well and truly flattered; there are a lot of imitation silicon bike lights on the market. At this year’s Eurobike, the team was shocked to see that top German brand ABUS had released a lock remarkably similar to their Strongman lock, a modern heavy duty U-Lock with Silicon over moulding.

“When we arrived at Eurobike this year, ABUS had made a lock that was incredibly similar to ours and that was a bit of a surprise, not really a happy one. Our BNA [laughs], DNA is originality and innovation, so we pride ourselves on that. It is one of our driving factors”

This goes to show that KNOG have grown significantly from their roots in the fixie scene to being a full-blown mainstream cycling brand – you will spot KNOG lights in the bunches cruising up and down Beach Road as well as on commuter bikes and mountain bikes.

Lights make up 80% of KNOG’s global sales and this is where their future lies as well. Tania showed me prototypes of the next generation lights which are not just lights to be seen, they are lights to see with at 220 and 350 lumens. They are well suited to road cyclists who are always demanding more lumens, but minimise weight and do away with external battery packs. Without revealing too many secrets, I can say that they will feature USB recharging and should be released in February 2013.

Tania Sanchez from Madrid is one of the fresh faces of the international brand

Even though they’re an Aussie brand, KNOG doesn’t market itself as identifiably Australian. “Heritage doesn’t play a part in our brand DNA at all” comments Michael “it all comes back to originality of the product, the fun that we’re having with it and more and more the technical prowess”.

Though KNOG have set their sights on becoming the number one bicycle lighting brand globally, they won’t loose the cheeky advertising and fun-ness of KNOG any time soon.

KNOG online : www.knog.com.au

Since retiring, Chris Boardman has taken on elite coaching duties for British Cycling and been involved in equipment design and development. He also engaged by media, including the BBC as a cycling commentator and analyst and without skipping a beat, founded and launched Chris Boardman Bikes which have taken off in the UK and are now available worldwide.

On the Eve of the Track Championships at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne, Chris Boardman took time  for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA) and share his views on the event in the lead up to the London Olympics as well as UCI regulations and an insight into Boardman Bikes.

BNA: There are a lot of reasons you could be in Melbourne for the 2012 World Track Championships, your success on the track, your coaching skills, your experience and involvement as a cycling analyst and commentator or plain old patriotism, is it all of the above or do you have a more defined role during this event?

Chris Boardman: When travelling half way around the world, most people try to make the most of it and I’m no different. Whilst the catalyst for the trip is to commentate at the World Track Championships for the BBC, Pete Jacobs and I saw it as an excellent opportunity to catch up and talk about upcoming tri bike development. As Pete is not just a sponsored athlete but also part of our test team, we consult him before we make anything, feeding his thoughts into the new designs and he gets to trial the first prototypes out of the mould too. Face to face is always the best way to do this so it’s great to have the opportunity.

As I also have another hat, leading the team who supplies the equipment to the GB squad, it’s a great opportunity to see what the other nations are developing for the Olympics too

BNA: In the World Track Championships, are you anticipating a battle of the giants or can we also expect some upsets with younger and lesser-known athletes reaching for victory as they aim for the Olympics?

Chris Boardman: I expect the World Champs to be a mini Olympics with all the main contenders there. This is the last big competition pre Games so it will be ferocious. I also expect it to be very closely fought.

Chris Boardman: Reviewing the results of the World Cup Classics, it is hard to say that the English team will dominate the World Champs and the London Olympics – or do you see this differently?

Chris Boardman: I don’t think any team will dominate in 2012, France and Germany are incredibly powerful in the sprint events now and Russia has surged forward in the team pursuit, so it is going to make for some very close racing. I expect GB to medal competitively in virtually every event at The Games but I don’t think they will dominate any. It’s a great time to be a spectator.

BNA: What is your role in British cycling leading into the 2012 London Olympics?

Chris Boardman: I have much less of a role with the British team post Beijing due to other commitments in my life such as Boardman Bikes which is now so successful, it requires much more than just product design. With BC I oversee the design and development of all the equipment they will use at the Olympics which is still a sizeable task

BNA: As a pioneer of bicycle technology, UCI rules have had a significant role. Safety considerations aside, do you feel that the regulations hinder progress and advancement in bicycle design or creates a more fairer playing field?

Chris Boardman:  The UCI are trying very hard now to remove ambiguity from the rules and enforce them fairly. We may not always agree on where they draw the lines but I respect what they are striving to achieve. Oddly, a lot of the technical stuff I was credited with introducing I didn’t agree with but I knew it helped my performance and that the rules allowed it, so I was going to do it.

Despite using it to good effect, I was actually happy when Graeme O’Bree’s superman position was banned as I felt we were moving away from cycling towards human powered vehicle racing but it was legal and an advantage so I was going to use it.

O’Bree is an amazing character and I have often been wrongly credited with innovations that he should take full credit for. I think he also shares my philosophy on rules; you tell me what they are and I will butt up against them. Graeme did it far better than me no question, he is an amazing guy.

BNA: In top level competition where a rider and bike perfectly fit – can the bike still make the difference or is there a point at which the bike can’t get better and it is down to rider strength, skill and tactics.

Chris Boardman: Where innovation and performance improvement is concerned, I learned a valuable lesson from an associate at McLaren Fi. We were looking at a line of cars produced over the last 10yrs and I asked him “how much more do you think there is to come?” He pointed at a car they had produced 6 years previously and said “see that, I remember when it rolled off the production line and thinking that’s it, I can’t see where else we can go. The next year, the car was 4% better, the year after a 5% improvement. After that, I learned to have faith.” Now, even when I can’t see where the next innovation in bike design will come from, I have faith there will always be a way to do it better.

BNA: Whilst you are heavily involved in cycling, are you still cycling yourself?

Chris Boardman: I ride bikes more now than I ever have since I stopped as a pro. I get out on average 4 days a week, often more. It is the best way to assess my own product and riding bikes is where we (the Boardman Team) do most of our brain storming; it’s the perfect environment to have design ideas spring up and to kick them around. Fitness wise, I’m in pretty good shape and am thinking of riding the Trans Rockies MTB stage race next year!

BNA: Let’s move onto Boardman Bikes, considering your previous experience continually improving the bicycle – how much have your learnt and evolved since beginning boardman bicycles.

Chris Boardman: Through my work with British Cycling I got to know a lot about carbon fibre, exotic materials, production techniques and of course, aerodynamics. Although all of that work is strictly classified, from that experience I have learned what tools to use, what people to work with and where to look for the biggest paybacks. We are now applying all of this and there is tons more to come for 2013…..I can’t say any more or I’d have to kill you.

BNA: Despite your knowledge and success on the track, in the Boardman range there is only one track bike, is this because the track cycling market is too small?

Chris Boardman: Pretty much. There are so many projects to work on, so many possibilities that with this role (Boardman rather than BC) it’s a business and resource is allocated on what the majority of customers want. We will be doing more sophisticated track bikes in the not too distant future but as I hate doing anything ‘a bit’ we will only do it when we know we can do it properly. That moment is not far away now.

BNA: We recently reviewed the Boardman SLR 9.0 and found that for a such a young brand it was remarkably well rounded without flaws or teething troubles that newer brands may face. Where does the journey go – gradual frame modifications or new series.

Chris Boardman: We have a gimmick (it’s a personal philosophy really) we don’t do gimmicks, just performance. I know that sounds cheesy but it’s what we live by.

Our design process starts with breaking down and making a list of what a bike needs to be or have for it’s chosen application. We then prioritise those points and every design decision is measured against the question ‘Which of these points does that idea address?” it keeps us on target and honest. We don’t do anything that doesn’t have a performance reason so you wont see curvy tubes on a frame if it’s not needed; the lightest, stiffest, strongest way between two points is usually straight line…so that’s what we do.

Even internally there is thinking: you have to change cables on a bike from time to time and how much of a pain is it to have to fish around inside for the end of a cable. So we do things like put a carbon tube in there, meaning changing cables is a breeze and with carbon tubes, there is a negligible weight penalty. Likewise for handling, I know what geometry works for stable and confident descending, or negotiating rough terrain, so why would I want to play around with it? I don’t, we use the same geometry as I used as a pro bike rider and everyone is surprised when the bikes handle well! I like bikes to be practical and user friendly as well as cutting edge aero or feather light.

BNA: Can you discuss the reception of your brand in the UK and overseas, do you feel that you have a solid international foundation or is more work needed to build the brand presence and build the fan base?

Chris Boardman: We launched the brand and our first range in Summer 2007, very quickly we were officially the fastest growing British bike brand ever which was quite cool. I really delight in winning most of the bike reviews we take part in, in fact I’m struggling to think of a bike in the range that hasn’t won some kind of accolade…..which is also cool! Independent reviews are the acid test and whenever anyone asks me for an opinion, I point them at those.

Last year, after a lot of people asked us, we decided it was time to start taking the range international which we are now well into the process of doing (our website will tell people how to get hold of bikes in their part of the world but I believe we are already available in 86 countries).

Building awareness of the range internationally is going very well, it takes time and we are happy with that, we would rather have some quality relationships with the likes of Pete Jacobs and the Brownlee brothers Al and Jonny than start with a Pro Tour team. The costs of doing the latter is huge, costs that would have to be passed on to the customer, so right now we can deliver genuine performance product at incredible prices. We would love to be involved in races like the Tour de France but only when the time is right for us.

In 2012 we have some genuine Gold Medal contenders for London on our team (Annie Last in MTB and the Brownlee brothers who are currently ranked No1 and No2 in Olympic tri distance) Pete Jacobs is also hoping to improve on last years 2nd place in this years Hawaii Iron Man competition. Next year we will have more stories to tell!

Australian Triathlete Pete Jacobs is sponsored by Boardman Bikes

1 April 2012 Strategy Session with Pete Jacobs in Melbourne, Australia.

BNA: This is not a trick question, there are 24 hours in a day, how many hours are actually needed to get everything done?

Chris Boardman: About 27

BNA: And finally for our readers who plug away on their bunch rides or daily commute, what words of wisdom can you share for a cyclist who may not be eyeing a gold medal.

Chris Boardman: That would be me these days! It’s hard to give out a generic piece of advice that suits everyone as the beauty of bike riding is you can do it for so many different reasons; from fitness and commuting to exploring and leisure or family time. Its one of the very few activities that you can do from age 8 to 80 too. For me, as this amazing device is, at it’s heart, just a wonderful form of transport, I’d like to see all of use it more for the simple act of getting around instead of the car.

Thank you kindly for your time, we wish you ongoing success with your bike brand and cycling endeavours.

Boardman bikes can be viewed on the website: www.boardmanbikes.com and in Australia are available through their international distributer Wiggle.

Photos (1, 4) © BPM-Sport.com, Photos 2, 3 © Boardman Bikes

Despite the success of the Australian economy, exchange rates that make it expensive to import, lower order volume price disadvantages, taxes, duties, transport and storage costs, Cycle Retailers are first in line when consumers criticise the local prices. If a bike shop points out that they pay the same or more than the overseas retail price, the fingers then point to the importers. But is it really as simple as that?

This week, Nick di Lorenzo, the Operations Manager of Euride who import well known brands such as De Rosa, Bottecchia, ITM, Catlike, Diamant DMT and Cinelli provided a price comparison for the dealers showing how competitive their retail prices actually are when shop customers ‘threaten’ to buy on the internet.

*Prices applicable on 28.03.2012 and subject to change

Nick di Lorenzo tells his dealers “We are trying very hard to make it a level playing field for our retailers”. This approach recognises the changing market and concentrates on price rather than pushing the ‘better service and support and local warranty’ line. If price is a primary motivator for customer, the customer can’t assume that it is cheaper overseas, and if the retailers can then also provide better service and satisfy their customers, the Local Bike Shop purchase is the more attractive option.

I asked Nick di Lorenzo of Euride a few questions about their approach for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA).

BNA: You have just provided a price comparison to your Cinelli dealers that compares the Wiggle overseas price and your in store Recommended Retail Price (RRP). What has motivated this?

Nick di Lorenzo: The need to educate our staff, dealers and in time the community, that we offer very competitive pricing with essentially overseas web-only operators. There is a myth out there that they are cheaper. This is not the case. All sales staff, need to embrace all forms of distribution but also need to be able to point out the benefits of advice, not just price. Sales staff, needs to understand the significant benefits of getting the correct frame for the Customer body, the right helmet, the right ongoing service for their needs. They need to have the confidence, to make a sale to a Customer who’s in store, “here and now” and wants a reason not to buy from a faceless web page, somewhere in another country.

BNA: What factors do you feel have been influencing the pricing so that overseas retailers are able to undercut Local Bike Shop prices.

Nick di Lorenzo: As can be seen from our recent prices, they can’t actually undercut us most of the time, it’s a fallacy and a myth that needs to be broken. Many times they are selling out of date stock, low volume products that suppliers can’t shift, and they are taking out the most important part of any sale, the advice component that is provided by caring shop owners. Many suppliers see it as quick fix to sell products, particularly during the current economic malaise, and GFC. This will change, and the long term new model, will be an effective combination of retail advice, experience with on line shopping as an integral part.

BNA: What strategies are you undertaking to challenge or counter a changing market place?

Nick di Lorenzo: Deal with facts. The web is here to stay, and as stated above, it will be a critical part of the distribution mix, and people will get sick of sitting there and just clicking on a computer. Getting the right advice, the right bike for you, the tyres that suit your use, the seat that fits your bone structure, and importantly, ongoing service with passion and leadership, will always stand the test of time. Shops need to “value add” service, provide peace of mind, and train staff so they can provide advice that added value to the Customer. From a structural perspective, shops need to address their distribution models, and ensure they are dealing with a distributor, that can support their shopping and Customer model.

BNA: Euride is a member of Bicycle Industries Australia who in turn are a member of the ‘Fair Imports Alliance’ which seems to be tackling the sole agenda of reducing the GST threshold on imported goods. What is your take on this?  If GST is applicable on lower value items, will this change consumer spending habits?

Nick di Lorenzo: GST and other taxes are a complex issue, and not one that we can change any time soon.  Our view is simple, there needs to be a level playing field but this will clearly take time to resolve. Our focus is to deliver the experience customers want, and if we do that, the GST issue becomes a non-issue.

BNA: One of the topics often overlooked when comparing pricing for a brand/model is that the brand themself have sold goods to a retailer overseas who is directly able to compete on price, not only in Australia but worldwide. Is this a topic which you feel your brands are aware of and are supporting you?

Nick di Lorenzo: Yes, very much so, and we have and will continue to have constructive discussions with our suppliers so we can have a level playing field without putting all consumers (including us) at a disadvantage. We are working with our suppliers to develop an international price model, one that respects all business models, and provides a consistent level playing field across the world.

BNA: Do the current changes in the retail landscape also mean you have new or different opportunities – for example retailing online from within Australia – or working with local online retailers?

Nick di Lorenzo: Yes, we have already recognised the new opportunities, and working towards taking advantage of them. Certainly too early to be discussing this, but I look forward to the exciting launch of a new model which addresses many of the issues we’ve been discussing. Meantime our negotiations with our Suppliers are well advanced. Our new website and shopping cart will be launched soon, and negotiations with Retailers are scheduled to take place to sell our message, new distribution model and philosophy

BNA: Moving on to your brands – what are the most exciting announcements that you can share on your brands – what is going to excite your dealers and your customers this year?

Nick di Lorenzo: A significant Joint Venture with a current major Supplier, a market leading model that has exclusive products from quality Suppliers, expanding the range of Euride distributed products, the continuation and expansion of Euride racing, our race brand which was one of the best performed teams in 2011 in South Australia. We will look to expand this nationally in the years ahead.

Importantly, we want to support our Retailers through this difficult time, provide them with the knowledge and Training necessary to be competitive in changing shopping environment. We will continue on our journey to become one of the best suppliers of quality European cycling products, not necessarily the biggest.

Thank you kindly for your views and sharing the strategy that Euride is taking.
Euride is online at www.euride.com.au and in the dealer locator you can find your closest shop for De Rosa, Bottecchia, ITM, Catlike, Diamant DMT and Cinelli.

The Climbing Cyclist started as a university assignment, Matt was required to create a website on any topic, he took his love for cycling to the next level and created an online guide for cyclists looking for a new mountain to climb in Victoria, and he’s climbed almost all of them.

Matt is now hanging out to climb the back of Falls Creek after mechanical problems marred his efforts at the 3 Peaks Challenge earlier this year. Matt said the 30km climb at the back of Falls Creek would be a fantastic challenge and as a cyclist who likes to climb mountains I couldn’t agree more; I will however be waiting for his account of the climb before I attempt it.

Matt took time out to speak with Rowena Scott of Bicycles Network Australia (BNA) about pushing the barriers, making it to the top and that feeling that makes us want to keep on climbing.

BNA: When did you first start cycling, how did you get into it and why did you end up climbing?

de Neef: I got my first bike when I was 4 or 5 and I’ve never really stopped cycling since. The high school I went to (Box Hill High School) ran a bike camp every year which saw us riding around Wangaratta, Beechworth, Myrtleford and the surrounding areas. I went on bike camp every year that I was at Box Hill and it was one of the most memorable of my school experiences.

Part of that camp was the ~3km climb from Woolshed Falls to Beechworth where the King of the Mountain title was up for grabs. I won it once and every year it was something that I looked forward to. It seems like a short climb now but it’s still pretty steep!

BNA: How did the website ‘The Climbing Cyclist’ come about?

de Neef: The site began as a university assignment where we had to start up a website on a topic of our choice. I decided to write about cycling in Victoria and more specifically, the great climbs available to Victorian cyclists. While there are a number of sites that give a bit of information about these climbs, I wanted my site to be more comprehensive and become a valuable resource for Victorian climbers.

Since finishing that subject I’ve continued working on the site and this time last year I bought some web space and starting trying to make it look a little more professional. I hope!

BNA: Tell me about ‘The Climbing Cyclist’.

de Neef: The Climbing Cyclist is a site dedicated to providing detailed information about the many great cycling climbs Victoria has to offer. For each of the 20 or so climbs on the site so far, I’ve got photos of where the climbs start and finish, a map of the route, a profile of the climb and a detailed write-up of what’s involved if you are going to try the climb.

The site also features a number of short articles about cycle climbing and a blog where I share my thoughts about training up for the 3 Peaks Challenge. We’ve also got a presence on Facebook and Twitter and these communities have been growing steadily in recent months.

BNA: Was there a climb where you almost reached breaking point, where you’d had enough and were about to throw it all in?

de Neef: There’s a hill in the Grampians called Mt. William and the first 9km is fairly easy at around 5-6% but after that it climbs at around 13% for 2km. At the start of those final 2km is a 400metre stretch that sits at around 20%. I have to admit that I stepped off the bike at one point during that section. I was going so slowly that I would have fallen off anyway! That said, I did manage to finish the climb after a short break.

The Terry’s Avenue climb out of Belgrave is probably the hardest sustained climb I’ve done – harder than Mt. Baw Baw I’d say. Climbing that beast was the closest I’ve gotten to throwing in the towel and heading back down the hill.

Terrys Avenue finish

BNA: How do you push through that pain barrier?

de Neef: I’m not quite sure to be honest! Stupidity? The desire to get fitter and stronger? A desire to feel a sense of accomplishment at the top? Could be any of those I suppose.

BNA: Do you have a climb that you consider to be enjoyable, something that you would happily do repeats on?

de Neef: Most of the climbs that I’ve done are enjoyable, to a point. I’m not nearly strong or fit enough to enjoy an afternoon spent riding up and down the 1 in 20, for example, but if I had to pick one climb, I’d say the Tawonga Gap. At least if you do repeats of that, you get to do two different climbs in the process. Plus, the descent from the Tawonga Gap down toward Bright is one of the best going around.

Tawonga Mt Beauty finish

BNA: Do you do any training for the climbs that you do, or is it just a matter of reading the profile and then going out there and giving it a go?

A bit of both I reckon. I try to get to a reasonable level of fitness before I go out and do any serious climbing but I certainly wouldn’t spend months training just so I could get up and over Mt. Hotham, for example. I’d rather just go and do it and see how I go.

That said trying a climb like Mt. Baw Baw without a good fitness level probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing you could do as a cyclist.


Mt Hotham

BNA: What is your advice to someone who is a novice at climbing hills?

de Neef: Just go and do it. Be prepared for it to be hard work to start off with but, as with anything difficult, the more you do it the easier it becomes. At the end of the day, getting to the top of a huge mountain on your own steam is more than enough reward for the pain you’ve gone through to get there.

BNA: What’s going through your mind when you head up a mountain, are you thinking about the things you have to do tomorrow, or is it purely about making it to the top?

de Neef: Without sounding too corny, I tend to get lost in the moment a little bit. Especially if it’s a climb as beautiful as, say, Mt. Buller, I can’t help but just lose myself in the experience.

BNA: On any given day, what would you consider the best place to ride in Victoria?

de Neef: You’d be pretty hard-pressed to go past the Victorian Alps and the area around Bright. With so many great climbs in the area – Mt. Buffalo, Mt. Hotham, Tawonga Gap and Falls Creek – it’s sacred ground for Victorian cyclists. In fact, if you are a Victorian cyclist who hasn’t been to Bright for a cycling trip, you might want to find some time. You won’t be disappointed.

All that aside, there are certainly worse places to ride than the Grampians, the Great Ocean Road and the Yarra Valley, just to name a few areas.

1:20 Finish

BNA: Are there any climbs in Victoria that you haven’t done and are looking forward to attempting?

de Neef: For some stupid reason, I’m really looking forward to tackling the ‘Back o’ Falls’ climb, from Omeo up to Falls Creek. I would have done it last year in the 3 Peaks Challenge but a broken gear cable thwarted those plans.

Just the idea of 30km uphill, with the first 3km at 10% sounds like a fantastic challenge. Or maybe just stupid, I’m not sure.

BNA: I understand there are some wicked hills in Tasmania and New South Wales; do you have any plans to travel through the rest of Australia and see what the other states have to offer?

de Neef: Absolutely. I’d love to take The Climbing Cyclist to a national audience and as soon as the resources and the opportunities present themselves, I’ll be there.

BNA: What sort of gear ratios are you riding to complete these rides?

de Neef: All of my climbing at the moment is done on my trusty Trek 1.2. It’s seen me through almost 8000km and while it’s a little basic for some, it gets the job done. I’m riding a 34-50 at the front with a 12-26 at the back. The 26 gets me up most hills without too many dramas, Mt. William excepted.

The Climbing Cyclist, Matt de Neef, on Mt Buller

Bicycles Network Australia wishes Matt De Neef, The Climbing Cyclist, a puncture free ride at the back of Falls Creek and clear skies at the 2011 3 Peaks Challenge. You can find out what Matt’s been up to by logging onto Twitter, Facebook and his website: www.theclimbingcyclist.com

Photos ? Matt de Neef

Although Parr is convinced that she has no athletic ability at all, she considers her abilities a mixture of tenacity and persistence. Parr tells me that the Crocodile Trophy is the equivalent of ten Ironman races back to back, there is no doubt that this woman is without fear and she is out to prove it.

It hasn’t all been fun. During the Kona Hawaii Ironman, Parr was blown from her bike in 60km/h winds. During the Ironman Japan, she mistakenly drank her own urine in the bike leg, and she has vomited noodles out her nose at a race commonly knows as Satan’s Velodrome (Simpson Desert 5 Mountain Bike Race) where she was also the first women to start and finish.

Rowena Scott of Bicycles Network Australia (BNA) caught up with Sharman to find out exactly how tough this 56 year old power house really is.

BNA: You qualified for Kona Hawaii Ironman 5 times, it’s an amazing achievement, but it doesn’t even begin to cover all your achievements, what drives you to compete?

Parr: Many reasons really but mostly to prove you can be a fearless femme. I just love any chance to push myself and stretch my personal limits in endurance race events. It’s an addictive self fulfilling thing and it comes down to this amazing ultimate challenge of you against your self. I just thrive on how I have learnt over the past 25 years, or more to ignore the warning signs of exhaustion pain and doubt. I just seem to push myself on into another zone. I just love to be able to test my mind and body. I don’t have any athletic ability but just the tenacity and persistence. The tougher it gets the tougher I get. So I just never give up even if I cry, vomit noodles out my nose, drink my own urine or crash. I try to let people think I am enjoying the journey and always try to smile. Wear perfume, pink lipstick and motivate other woman.

BNA: You rode the Simpson Desert 5 Mountain Bike Race and you where the first ever women to finish, how does it make you feel?

Parr: Pleased to achieve a first for woman in sport. It also convinced me that my mind is the most powerful organ of them all. It was a very tough race nicknamed Satan’s Velodrome as it was so hot 47 degrees with 396 sand dunes on day 2. I always believe girls can do anything if they want to.

BNA: You where with the Jungle Patrol Wilderness Medicine Team at the Crocodile Trophy in 2009 where you had to provide potentially lifesaving first aid to a Dutch rider, who sustained head injuries, are you hoping for a less adventurous race this year?

Parr: I will not be surprised if we give first aid on the course especially as one of my fearless team mates is a Paramedic (one of only two women in Cairns who go in the Rescue Helicopter). I have over the years, a history of finding fellow wounded riders. One of our team mates in the Croc last year Andrew Graham also crashed and he needed 8 sutures. Amazingly, he rode the last 50kms of a stage with only vision in one eye.

BNA: You have done 13 Ironman races, sounds to me like you were born with the ability to suffer, and how brutal is this race?

Parr: Please do not tell my team mates, it’s brutal!!!! If you do not have a couple of male domestiques to tow you? you will be singing; it’s a fine line between pleasure and pain. It’s not called the worlds hardest, longest, hottest and most adventurous mountain bike race in the world for nothing. For me it was like doing 10 Hawaii ironman and was tougher than any of the 10 day XPD adventure races I have done. It’s a race where you are pushing your self to the limit every day trying to go as fast as you can against the elements. Then at the end of each day you are in the middle of no where for the night camping.

BNA: What are the biggest obstacles that you and the team will face on the trails?

Parr: We are in the same race as the world class professional riders with lots of young male riders. As mere amateurs we are racing against the clock to not be last in.

The extreme heat, dust, rocks and dry creek beds! Trying not to succumb to heat stress.

Chaffing is savage due to the rough tracks so good cycle gear and chamois cream will be truly tested.

Mechanical worries for us girls in the middle of know where and no phone coverage.

Not crashing on the technical stages, you just pray you survive some of the descents.

Riding kilometres in the sand and heat, one stage has 80km and sand with hills in the distance looking like a centipede

BNA: What expectations do you have for yourself this year?

Parr: At 56 years old, none for me. I want to be one of 7 female starters to finish, and I’m old enough to be a mother to some of the pros. It’s about our great SheSpoke Cycle Wear team. Ret is a little dynamo on the hills and Maree is a time trial Queen. As we all work and do not have the luxury of full time training it will be about the journey to the finish line and of course beating a few men. This year is about making history for woman, with the first ever team to finish in the 15 year race history, so, go girl power!

I must also mention though that my husband of 25 years is also racing again in an Aussie men’s team. So it’s always so great to have him as usual waiting for me at the finish

BNA: What was the best moment of last year’s race?

Parr: The finish having a decent shower, receiving my finishers trophy and still able to wear high heels

BNA: Do you have any advice for women who are about to give up?

Parr: Read the book by sport psychologist Terry Orlick called, In Pursuit of Excellence, before they start. Tell them to be a fearless femme and not let the men have all the glory, hop on my wheel and I will get them to the finish line. Otherwise I will give them my two wrists bands- pink for breast cancer and black which says H.T.F.U.

Bicycles Network Australia wishes Sharman Parr and the SheSpoke Cycle Wear Team lots of luck and determination for the savage race that is the 2010 Crocodile Trophy (starts October 19, 2010 in Cairns).

Further information about the Crocodile Trophy can be found at www.crocodile-trophy.com, information about SheSpoke cycle wear and the team can also be found at www.shespoke.com.au.

The list of medals alongside Rochelle Gilmore’s name is extensive; she has silver medals from the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 (Track). Now, she really wants gold.

Rochelle is a focused cyclist and strategically plans each race to achieve goals that most of us would think impossible, she doesn’t drink coffee and never touches alcohol, and she admits freely that if she were not a cyclist she would be rich. Gilmore’s attitude, and the way she describes herself is what I would expect from a pure sprinter, she is her own judge, jury and executioner.

Gilmore is the team manager for the Honda Dream Team and the Lotto Ladies Team as well as being a cyclist for both teams. Along with training, racing and leading two successful teams Gilmore has found the time to develop her own clothing label (RMGsport). There are certainly not enough hours in the day for this young woman; there is no sign of her slowing or stopping either and why would she? She’s not even thirty years old.

Rochelle Gilmore discusses racing and crashing in the 2010 Giro d’Italia, the decision to race the 2010 Commonwealth Games over the 2010 World Championships and her desire to win gold with Rowena Scott for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA).

BNA: You’re incredibly good at winning; you’re a three time World Cup medallist, you have two world championship silver medals on the track, your a Commonwealth Games medallist twice, two time stage winner at the Giro d’Italia, a route de France stage winner and you have many other accolades to your name. What’s the next goal?

Gilmore: My next goal is the Commonwealth Games Road Race on the 10th of October- the goal is to win. I have silver medals from Manchester 2002, and Melbourne 2006 (track) and to be honest, I really won’t be happy with another silver medal. It’s a mental game, it’s dangerous to want it too much but as the event draws closer- my desire to win get’s stronger.

BNA: Do you have one race that stands out as being your best win? Can you describe the emotion for us?

Gilmore: My best win was the Road World Cup in Geelong, 2005. My coach- Warren McDonald and my Step Father- David Dicker were both there, they are two of my biggest supporters and they directly contribute to my success. They really believe in me, sometimes more than I do in myself! It was a feeling of ‘proof’ if that makes sense?

The previous year at the same race I believed that I could win with 500m to go but unfortunately I pulled my foot out of my pedal during the sprint (finishing 5th) and I had to wait one year to prove that I could win on that circuit with that particular finish! I couldn’t make excuses out loud but I knew that it was the perfect race and finish for me, so I endured one year waiting to prove it. Winning in 2005 was a feeling of satisfaction that I’d achieved something I believed I could do, it was a feeling of gratefulness for the time, effort and belief that Wazza and David had put into me. It was a feeling of proof that I had a future as a road rider after years of focusing on the track.

BNA: You’ve chosen the Commonwealth Games over the World Championships, what made you make that choice?

Gilmore: My choice was based on the desire to win. The Commonwealth Games circuit is specifically suited to a road sprinter. I am a pure road sprinter. Winning the Commonwealth Games will require a very particular preparation in order to be powerful on the flat.

The reason I decided to continue with my pure power sprinting preparation is simple; the Commonwealth Games in 2010 are dead flat, the World Championships in 2011 are relatively flat and?. The Olympics in 2012 are also on a sprinters city circuit. I’m excited.  Comm Games, Worlds then Olympics- all circuits are favourable to the sprinters.

BNA: You crashed heavily in stage two of the Giro d’Italia, how does it feel to pull out of a race even though you have pushed yourself through more stages than you thought you would, do you feel as though you’re letting the team down?

Gilmore: I can’t say I’ve ever felt like I’ve let the team down because I always give everything I can on the day and they know that’s as much as I can give. It’s very common for athletes to be able to get more out of themselves when they are working for the team, rather than for themselves. It’s a very satisfying feeling because without the fear of personal failure and with the desire to contribute to success- your body can reach new limits. If I could have continued at the Giro I would have. I couldn’t even dress myself or brush my own hair, I could barely walk but for some reason I thought I could finish the Giro d’Italia? it wasn’t possible this time.

BNA: How did you end up managing both the Honda Dream Team and the Lotto Ladies?

RG: It was my desire to offer women including myself a pleasant working environment that saw me get so involved in team management. My motivation to obtain sponsors and funding in order to build these teams resulted in what are now the Honda Dream Team and Lotto Ladies Team- sponsored by Honda. I think/hope all the riders of the HDT and LLT have been satisfied with the treatment and respect they have received as professional female cyclists.

BNA: How did Honda come on board, how supportive have they been?

Gilmore: At the end of 2009 I returned to Australia early to participate in an event which was sponsored by Honda – the Honda Hybrid Women’s Tour in Victoria. On the flight back to Australia I drafted a strategy in order to get Honda interested in starting a woman’s cycling team.

My strategy and approach was very detailed and my motivation to impress Honda was high. My strategy first involved winning the Honda Hybrid Women’s tour with a strong and professional team. I entered this race as Team HP (sponsored by HP) and selected a couple of very talented and promotable women to represent Team HP and win the event. We did a little PR training together before the event- we won and we impressed Honda on and off the bike. It was only days later when I started negotiations with Honda, working towards the launch of the Honda Dream Team in December.

Honda’s support in cycling- specifically women’s cycling has been amazing! It really is what women’s cycling needed. There are a few guys on the board at Honda who put a lot of faith into this somewhat new marketing strategy (for Honda) and we will be forever grateful to those guys! Honda reported that they received over $2million worth of exposure last season so fortunately we’ve proved that it was a profitable decision and it- the Honda Dream Team has been a huge success.

BNA: You’re a world class cyclist who manages two teams and your own clothing label (RMGsports) where do you find the time and the energy?

Gilmore: I don’t find enough time! I’m always trying to get on top of things. I manage to work with energy and enthusiasm because I do get a lot of satisfaction out of finalizing plans, bookings, contracts etc? I thrive on the work until I physically crack, then I close my computer and have a nap or watch a DVD.

BNA: How do you reach your goals? Do you plan out the process?

Gilmore: I’m a big planner, in cycling and in business- I like to have a clear goal, make a plan and then work towards it.

BNA: Does confidence come easily to you or is it something that you’ve had to work on over the years?

Gilmore: Confidence on the bike doesn’t come easily to me; confidence in life off the bike comes naturally. Confidence on the bike is my weakness. I’m generally a very confident person in life off the bike but when it comes to the end of a race I will too often doubt myself. It’s something I’ve worked on with the AIS psychologists for years and we’re starting to make real progress? I’ve pulled off some great wins in my career so there are evidently times when my confidence is high- or high enough!

BNA: Any advice out there for women who are wanting to race for the first time?

Gilmore: Don’t be intimidated. I will let you in on a secret; when we pro women are out on a Sunday bunch ride and you casual female cyclists are puffing and panting on the climbs it would appear that we’re not hurting- that’s not the case, we’re just trained to hide our pain and suffering! The difference in our fitness levels is often not that much- so come along and have a race- I’m sure you’ll be surprised.

BNA: You don’t have a lot of down time, when it does happen, how do you handle that time? Do you find it boring? Does it affect your racing?

Gilmore: I’ve never been bored. I’ve always been a VERY busy person. I’m the type of person who will never be satisfied with only 24hrs in a day. There is always something more to do. When I was younger I couldn’t sit still, I never watched television or read books. If I wasn’t eating or sleeping I was on the move. These days I keep myself busy with organizing/running the Lotto Ladies Team and the Honda Dream Team. I’m at the point now, like most business owners where I have to set specific shut down times of an evening and leave the long list of things to do until the next day. I try not to work after dinner and my ambition is to get to bed early (9pm) and watch a movie before falling asleep.

Cycling is still my priority so training, post training naps, nutrition and stretching always comes before opening the computer to start work. I’d be lying if I said the mental stress has never affected my racing- I hate to admit it. I do enjoy having a heavy workload and I want to be able to say it doesn’t affect my racing. As I become more experienced in business and dealing with people, I hope to be more efficient and relaxed, and as a result- perform better on and off the bike.

BNA: You have an interest in mechanics, is it something you enjoy doing and would you consider it a sort of meditation period when you’re not on the bike? Is it a good past time for when you’re injured?

Gilmore: Whether I am injured or not I’m always looking at my bike. As athletes we maintain our bodies with extreme attention to the smallest details- why not do the same with our bikes? I can’t really understand women who race at the highest level and don’t pay attention to their bike, even if only on the morning of an event. Perhaps they have 100% faith in their mechanic but some women I race with won’t even know what tyres they’re racing on, or what pressure they’re at, or what gear ratio they’re running etc? I always check my wheels have been placed straight in my bike so the brakes are not rubbing, I always check the air pressure and I always check my gears before the start. It’s in my blood. I treat my bike like I treat my body? I try to keep them finely tuned.

BNA: How would your family describe you?

Gilmore:
Selfish to my loved ones.
Too generous to my friends and business associates.
Too hard on myself.
Too serious.

BNA: How would you describe your personality?

Gilmore: Serious unless I’m around VERY close family and friends- then I can be quite relaxed and playful. Ambitious and focused. I’m very direct and don’t fear to say what I feel/think. I feel too much for those who are close to me to the point where I let my emotions get out of control, although I can be very insensitive toward those who I don’t know.

BNA: Where does your motivation come from?

Gilmore: Self satisfaction.  The desire to be as successful as those in my family, being surrounded by success and expectations motivates me as well as the slight fear of failure.

Bicycles Network Australia would like to extend its thanks to Rochelle Gilmore for her time, we wish her gold medals for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the World Cup in 2011 and the London Olympics in 2012.

You can follow Rochelle Gilmore on Twitter, on her website www.rochellegilmore.com and you can find RMGsport at www.rmgsport.com.

During the 2009 season it was rumoured that he was going to sign with Armstrong’s RadioShack team but instead signed with Team BMC riding alongside Australia’s own Cadel Evans.

We spent some time recently with George and talked to him about his new team, his new team mates, Cadel, Hincapie Sportswear and whether we will we see him at the Worlds in September. RC chatted to George for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA).

BNA: Early in the season you suffered from a virus, how’s your health now and has it hampered your training?

It was nothing significant. I was just a bit sick with a normal cold. It set me back a bit in the spring, but it was nothing serious. I’m feeling fine now.

BNA: Hincapie’s season has started off as he always has, racing the classics, 6th at the Tour of Flandres how’s your form right now?

I feel good. I’ve been training really well here in Greenville, South Carolina. I’m feeling strong. The weather has been awesome – 80 degrees Fahrenheit every day and I feel like I’ve recovered well from the Classics. I’m really looking forward to starting racing again, especially in the Amgen Tour of California.

BNA: George Hincapie was the BMC Racing Team’s best finisher at Paris-Roubaix but still a win of his favoured classic has eluded him. With seven top 10 finishes what is it going to take for you to win Paris-Roubaix?

It was tough ride this year. It was really disappointing because I felt better than I ever had but I then I kind of fell apart right there at the end of the race. I just need to have some luck and keep believing in myself.

BNA: Racing this season with the BMC Racing Team, what role are you playing in the team? How has the team come together?

I’m sort of the captain on the road. I’ll be the leader at some races, like the Tour of California. At other races, I’ll be the rider that the team really depends on to help Cadel Evans get through the tough sort of flat stages and the middle mountain stages. So I’ll be the guy making the calls along the road during the Grand Tours.

BNA: Hincapie Sportswear is the team’s clothing sponsor. Can you tell us more about your role with Hincapie Sportswear?

I kind of oversaw the designs, especially the creation of my U.S. national championship jersey, as well as the materials that we used and the fit. Once the season gets underway, stuff goes past me, my brother, Rich (Hincapie Sportswear co-owner) and Gavin Chilcott (BMC Racing Team general manager).

I wanted to make sure we had several different materials to choose from for the different weather conditions. Obviously, we race in several a lot of conditions throughout the year and I wanted to make sure our riders had a choice of what they could wear. For example, we have four different materials for our short-sleeved jerseys.

BNA: Is the pressure on the BMC Racing Team to perform now that Cadel is the World Champion?

Definitely. Cadel has been the best rider in the world now for the last couple of years and he’s having a phenomenal season. So anytime he’s at a race, we want to have the best team there and I’m looking forward to doing the Tour de France with him.

BNA: Cadel is riding well since the Tour Down Under, and with his 1st at Fleche Wallonne and 5th Li?ge-Bastogne-Li?ge is this part of the plan leading up to the Tour?

The Santos Tour Down Under was a great way to start the season. It was very warm, great racing, really nice place, nice hotel, good food and really nice people. It’s become a lot more exciting than your standard training camp. So we got off to a good start there and it’s just kept on going for him.

BNA: What are the team’s chances of having Cadel on the podium at this year’s Tour?

I think it’s very high. He’s been second there two times and he seems to be going better than ever this year. So I would say there’s a good chance, definitely.

BNA: As a BMC is one of the few bike manufacturer teams in the Pro Tour, what can you tell us about the bikes you are riding?

I have been alternating between the BMC pro machine SLX and the BMC pro machine SLR. The SLX is one of the stiffest bikes I have ever ridden. It’s perfect for anything up to the middle mountain stages. The SLR is a new bike that BMC is coming out with. It’s very light and very stiff and built for the higher mountain stages. I like the fact that I have so many choices to choose from during the year to race on.

BNA: What’s next for you in the season, will we see you in the US Worlds Team in Australia?

That I don’t know. I haven’t done the worlds in a couple years. It’s going to depend on how I recover from the Tour de France. I’m usually pretty tired at that time of the year. But never say never.

Thanks for your time and good luck this year.

Photos ? Tim de Waele

Belinda Goss has won bronze three years in a row at the World Championships and at just the slightest mention of the Rainbow Jersey her face lights up. It’s easy to see her eyes are firmly fixed on the Rainbow Jersey and Goss is one girl who has the focus to follow through.

Those who’ve ridden with Goss speak highly of her. Those who’ve raced her on the track not only speak highly of Goss, but, silently admit defeat to themselves before the race has even started, she’s got the meanest legs on the track and is destined for amazing things.

Melbourne pulled out all stops with glorious blue skies for an afternoon discussion and photo session at the newly refurbished West Beach Bathers Pavilion in St Kilda. Rowena Scott chatted to Belina Goss for Bicycles Network Australia (BNA).

BNA: I understand you’re originally from Tasmania, how are you finding Melbourne?

Melbourne is great, there are so many more bike riders here, there’s always someone to go out riding with. I do miss Tasmania sometimes, because I’m still part of the Tasmanian Institute of Sport (TIS), it would be nicer to have them closer so we could work closer together. It can be hard to find the time to go down there, even though it’s not far.

BNA: You’re studying at Swinburne University; can you tell us what you’re studying and how it’s going for you?

I’m studying a Bachelor of Business Marketing through Open University. It is ok I’m near the end of my degree and I do all my studying via correspondence. After cycling and in the future it is something I would like to pursue.  The field of study is very broad however, I may move towards media more, I’m not sure yet.

BNA: Do you find it difficult to balance a social life, cycling and study? How do you cope?

At times it’s difficult. I love what I do, I’m really lucky that cycling has become my social life, but I also like to have friends outside of cycling, so my whole world isn’t cycling and you do have time away from the sport. You just have to be committed and manage your time. I like having study as well as cycling, when we go away, you do your training and then you have a lot of time where you need to recover, it’s nice to have something else that you can do in that recovery time.

BNA: You are considered to be the next best competitor after Anna Meares in Australian Women’s Track Cycling, how do you feel about that?

I don’t know about that, I guess I’m just doing what I love, hoping to get out there and achieve half of what Anna (Anna Meares) has achieved would be quiet satisfying, I’m not going to be cycling forever, there are some girls in the peloton in their 40′s, personally I don’t see that being me, I really want to have a go and see what I can do now, I’ve been doing this since I was 13 and I’m 26 now.

BNA:  The women’s events have increased from 3-5 in the name of gender parity, which consequently meant the scrapping of the Madison, individual pursuit and points race at the 2012 games. What are your thoughts on this?

Originally I was really disappointed with the decisions that they made for the Olympics, but having another look at it there are still opportunities there for me to try and make the team in the team pursuit, the Omnium, or the endurance. I can’t change what’s gone on so I just need to readjust my goals and my events a little bit to still make the games, which is my ultimate goal.

BNA: Do you think that these changes will cause future track cyclist to head towards road cycling?

There’s been a lot of talk about that, it will be interesting to see if it does happen, I think it will do a little bit, because there’s not so many opportunities now with track endurance cycling, track endurance is like if you can’t ride a team’s pursuit you don’t really get selected. It’s a priority event that you need to be able to ride well and if you can’t do that a lot of people would choose the road in that case.

BNA: You crashed with 7 laps to go at the World Championships, how did it feel to finish third, for the third time?

I was pretty disappointed when I crashed with 7 laps to go. I was caught up in the bigger crash and having come third for the last 2 years in a row I was really hoping to win the Rainbow Jersey. In the end it was a great result to make it to the podium.

BNA: How did you recover from last year’s crash?

It was difficult because when I broke my wrist I also broke my elbow, it wasn’t initially diagnosed, it took a lot longer than I would have like, it’s all healed up now and just needs routine maintenance.

BNA: Last season was an excellent season for you, what were some of your favorite moments?

My win in Manchester at the World Cup and my podium at the World Championships. Winning the Scrap Race and Points Race at the Nationals, which had been such a major goal for me was an excellent result

BNA: Do you have any aspirations to join the women’s pro cycling tour on the road?

Once upon a time that was a massive goal of mine, but at the moment I’m really focused on the track and if something was to work out where I could combine a road career with what I want to do on the track that would be awesome, but track is my number one focus.

BNA: What are your goals for the future?

The Rainbow Jersey. I’d like to win a world title, that’s definitely a big goal of mine and then moving forward to the 2012 London Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.

BNA: Training wise, how many hours are you on the track?

I’m not on the track at all at the moment, after the Worlds I had two weeks off the bike and since then I’ve just been doing some road training and maybe a few ergo’s between now and next month till we go to Adelaide, we have a camp on in Adelaide and I’ve been told that there might be a bit of track involved. We have quite a big amount of time away from the track, because the track season is so intense.

BNA: Can you tell us a bit about the camps?

It depends on what sort of camp it is, I think someone did mention that this one would be mainly road riding and a little bit of track. When we were doing the pre Worlds camp its track four or five days a week, those camps are pretty full on training, whereas this one is in the off season. We’ll also be setting up bikes and making sure that’s alright before we start.

BNA: What sort of bikes are you currently riding? Which one is your favorite?

BT Track bike and Bianchi Road Bike. There are great advantages to having both, it’s great to get out on the road on a nice sunny day and racing on the track for me provides a great adrenaline rush. On the track there is always something that you have to be aware of which is what I like, tactics are involved and a lot of thinking is required.

BNA: Do you have any other sports that you do in the off season?

Um no, once upon I time I went for a run, a few runs and that resulted in compartment syndrome in my shins, so I just try to keep it pretty main stream, bike specific.

BNA: What advice do you have for other female riders wanting to get into cycling?

Just enjoy it I think would be the main thing, it makes it so much easier if you just have fun doing it, join a local club and make some friends, makes training a lot more fun when you’ve got people to do it with.

BNA: Can you tell us about the Knicks you’re wearing?

I’m switch between Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Knicks which are Scody and Tasmanian Institute of Sport (TIS) Knicks which are Santini. The Scody ones are women specific, to me I don’t find a huge difference between the men’s and the women’s cuts, Scody have done a great design with the AIS race kit this year, they’ve made it really specific with shorter arms and the jerseys are fitted more.

BNA: How did you get into cycling? Were you just given a bike and that was it?

Pretty much, a friend of the family had encouraged me for a few years to try cycling and I had always done gymnastics constantly so I didn’t have time to try the bike, but then I finished up gymnastics and I got the bike and all the gear and thought I better try it.

BNA: It seems to me you were winning from the beginning?

Things did come early on in my career I guess, I won a lot as a junior and took some time off between 19 and 20 just to  work out what I actually wanted to do, I think that’s a very?  I wouldn’t say hard, but the transition to seniors can be difficult, so you need to work out what you want to do with it.

BNA: You did the Hell Ride this morning, how was it?

It was this morning, I think the weather had a little bit of a part to play in that, it was a lot smaller group, when it’s a smaller group it is easier to control in the way of traffic and red lights and things like that. It was quite well behaved and civilized.

BNA: How fast is the Hell Ride?

It sort of varies, when its fast its 48km/h-50km/h, I think I looked down a couple of times at my Speedo this morning, that was in a tailwind of course, headwind home it was a lot slower.

The team at Bicycles Network Australia would like to thank Belinda for her time and wish her all the best. We look forward to seeing her in the Rainbow Jersey.


Thank you to photographer Stephen Brammer. Photos ? Stephen Brammer

Thor Hushovd is one of the pelotons fiercest and fastest sprinters, a former wearer of the yellow jersey of the Tour de France, a two time stage winner of le tour, 3 stages in the Vuelta a Espána and 1 stage in the Giro d’Italia as well as several other stage victories from various pro races.

Thor Hushovd will be competing in his 11th Pro season and is still hungry for victory. We spoke to him about the upcoming season, his training and which victories he is chasing this season. Thor took some time out from pre-season training to answer a few questions for RC of Bicycle Network Australia (BNA).

BNA: How is pre season training going? Where are you in your training program? What specific training have you been doing for the 2010 season?

My training have been going very good since I started mid November. Done long rides, and some specific sprint training.

BNA: Do you follow a strict diet during the season? How do you stay lean? What do you eat when you’re out on the road racing?

Its obviously hard to stay lean without the season, so I’ve to look after what I’m eating all the time. In the season, and in periods with  a lof of training, I eat more. On the road I’m eating bars, and small sandwitches with cheese/ham, jam or maybe some Nutella if we’re lucky.

BNA: Tell us about your 2010 bike setup.

For 2010 we’ll ride with SRAM. Really surprised how good and easy it works for me. Specially in the sprint, its really fast. Except that, everything is same as on 2009. The S3 bike, with the fast ZIPP wheels.

BNA: Let’s talk about your team. How’s your team for 2010? Who will be leading you out this season?

I still have Brett Lancaster as my leadout man for the upcoming season. He’s for sure one the fastest in the world for that kind of job. we’ll work harder for this year, so we’re set up and ready for the Tour.

BNA: Do you think it’s possible for a team to have two goals, one for the green jersey and one for the yellow?

I think its possible. We had 2 goals this year, and we reach one of them with my green jersey win. And I did not have a complete team for me. If Sastre was strong as in the Giro, I’m sure he also would have been up the for the GC.

BNA: What are your goals for upcoming 2010 season? How do you determine which races to enter each year?

The spring classic are big goals, Milan-SanRemo, Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Also the worlds is a big one for me, since I never have done a big result in this one. Obviously the Tour with green jersey is a main goal.

BNA: What are the races you will be competing in next year?

Start up easy in France with Etoile de Besseges, then Tour of Algarve and then the classic in the north. To prepare the Tour I’ll normally do Tour of Bavaria and the Tour of Switzerland. Then a break to recover before I do the Vuelta, then fly direct to Melborne for the Worlds.

BNA: Are you looking for the Green Jersey, a stage win for yourself or the overall win for Carlos Sastre  at the Tour de France in 2010?

My personal goal is stagewins and the Green Jersey. But I would also love to help Carlos to win another Tour de France, it’s a dream for every rider to be on that winning team.

BNA: Your main competition would be Mark Cavendish, do you think you can beat Mark Cavendish?

I know I can beat Cavendish, already done that. But he was faster then me last year, no doubt about that, but I know I can beat him. That why I still compete and train hard every day to become better!

BNA: How do you think your lead out is compared to Columbia’s?

The led out train Columbia had last year was incredible good. Every day the team delivered Cav perfectly. So we was a it weaker compare to them, but in he beginning of the year we where stronger. But remember in the Tour we had 4 climbers who didn’t help us in the sprint. Columbia had all 8 for Cav.

BNA: What’s your favorite victory from the past 11 season?
Think I will say the stagewin in Paris, on Champs Elysees.

Thank you Thor for taking the time for us and we wish you luck for the 2010 season and look forward to following you.