Close the polls. Shut the books. No need to tally the votes. It’s only three weeks into the new year, but folks, we may have already witnessed the V Ride of the Year.
While the Euros are trying to escape the bitter chills of winter, the Aussies and Kiwis were turning up the heat with their National Championships being contested last weekend. And both races threw up some true hard racing, and produced two outstanding rides for the titles. Here in NZ, it was a hardass masterclass from HTC’s Hayden Roulston, but the ride that has everyone gushing came from Garmin’s young gun Jack Bobridge.
We know this kid’s got talent, already a World Champion on the track plus a road U23 time trial gold, but the way he decimated a ProTour rider-laden field in the hills of regional Victoria was the stuff of legend. To wait for the ‘right’ break to form, and then leave it to the last minute to attack or sprint from the group is one thing, but to bridge across solo to the early break, drive it for hours to breaking point, then decide to go it alone for the last 30km, well that’s a whole other deal; Merckxian, if you will.
“Just… sometimes, things click”
We received an impassioned email this week from one of our Aussie contingent, Matt, imploring us to dedicate a post to Jacky Bobby’s win. Well Matt, we’ll gladly doff our caps to young Bo Bridges, but leave the final words to you…
“I believe there may be a new champion of The V Cause. Jack Bobridge won the Australian Open Road Cycling Championships last week with what can only be described as a true ‘hardman’s’ ride.
Although it wasn’t mud, sleet and cobbles, 160km around Buninyong (featuring 16 laps up a 2.2km, 6% climb) off the front of a bunch featuring half of the Sky and HTC teams (among others) is harder than most riders will ever be.
Hopefully in a generation they will describe Jacky Bobby by some nickname like ‘The Animal’ (as ‘The Cannibal’ has already been taken!)
Until then, I’ll be enjoying him attacking everybody all the time.”
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@Marcus
Spot on & well said. One point on Aussies and'the gear' though, I have my doubts about Stevo condoning its use (look at his connections in his racing career and teams he worked on too) and am worried if he's in charge.
There were 11 Aussie Pro's on the TdF start list last year. This hasn't happened in the past 6 months.
Jacky Bobby is almost so obvious we'd forgotten about him down here. His stage in the TDU a couple of years ago blew the doors off everyone and got Lance excited. Enough said.
The amount of Pro's coming from Tasmania is amazing (Matt Goss, Richie Porte, Will Clarke, Wes Sulzberger, etc.). FYI - Tassie is cold, usually wet and with lots of hills, but with a population of less thgan 500,000 (don't do a headcount though, that number will double...). Breed em tough there though. New Zealand more so, the Pro's coming from there is (and their general V attitude) awesome.
Beach Road is a straight road along the beach in Melbourne, no hills and allows you to get a good quick 50km ride in before work in the mornings. It gets up to 10,000 cyclists per day on a sunny weekend. Interestingly, there are now 'No Standing' signs being put up along the route to get cars off the road and make it safer for cyclists. There are also lots of cafes along the route (Cafe Racer is the icon) for the older riders to talk up how good they were on the sprint to the 'gas station' etc.
Melbourne in January can be awesome for cycling, 'usually good weather' and Pro riders everywhere. Just last week a bunch rolled past me with Simon Gerrans and Mark Renshaw in it (after I rolled through and had a chat with them near the end, they asked if I wanted to join them for a coffee). Another day I stopped in Cafe Racer and sat next to Baden Cooke (Saxo) and Matt Wilson (Garmin) and talked with them. Can't see that happening in other Pro sports. On the whole, the Aussie Pro contingent is great, friendly guys who are always approachable. They also turn out to watch local races here (ie. Richie Porte at the Bay Crits) which is great for the kids & up and comers. Ironic that Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria, whose sporting teams are universally known as 'the Big V'...
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has churned out lots of great Aussie cyclists, with each State having a strong Institute cycling programme as well. Plus, there seems to be a culture of support for fellow Aussies in Europe too (including contracted riders recommending a DS look at their mate).
Richie Porte is a classic case - slugging it out without success in Italy and about to quit, then bumped into the wife of Brett Lancaster (Cervelo) in a shop, who asked him over for dinner. Months of support from the Lancasters, a recommendation, and some seriously good work and viola. Giro superstar. Last year, Richie put up another young Pro (let him crash on his sofa and recommended Bjarne look at him), and he's now with Sunguard Specialised. Lots of V in that kid.
I don't see any need for an Aussie team though, the inevitable in-fighting and boys-club mentality may cause massive damage to the sport. I'm also sceptical it will benefit the riders, if an Aussie is good enough to be a GC winner he'll get his chance on a Pro team (ie. BMC). I'd prefer it we didn't have one.
There are plenty of young Aussies coming up too, a few on the US Conti teams (Joe Lewis, Ben King, Fabio Calabria), and neo Pro's David Tanner (Sunguard Specialised) and Cameron Wurth (Liquigas). Wurth especially is a domestique with a massive engine, plenty of V in him. Look out for him dragging Nibaldi to the front in the Giro.
I don't think there's any arrogance with the success down here which is good too (see reasons for demise in the Australian cricket team).
Great site & postings as ever guys.
@ChrisO
Not sure if the application was the issue. There were clearly more issues with the funding of Pegasus than a piece of paper would solve. David Kemp is one young Pro who got shafted there and deserves a Pro team look at him.
The requirements and system of selection of Pro Teams by the UCI selection is a complete joke. I'm not the first to say it obviously, but having a private company virtually owning Pro cycling but the UCI trying to 'manage' it, clearly doesn't work.
The ASO still decides who it will and won't invite (they own all or part of the TdF, Giro and Vuelta, plus most of the classics), and usually do so just a few months before. The teams therefore can't guarantee which races it will compete in, and no sponsor would sign up to that. Better to put your sponsorship $ into a sport where the fixture is known each year. Same with the riders, who are forced to sign up on "if it happens, then.."
The sponsors who do sign up, usually only do so condition of a team getting a Pro Tour licence, TdF entry, etc. Existing teams are therefore at a natural advantage (no idea why FdJ failed though). Outside of Europe, the only people willing to put the $ into a cycling team it seems are the more "entrepreneurial" types (entrepreneur may also mean shyster in some countries - ie. Pegasus' main backer was supposedly George Gillet Junior, former Junk Bond dealer, Nascar owner and responsible for the mighty Liverpool FC's near demise).
With the perpetual shadyness of Astana ownership and the re-hiring of drug cheats at Vacansoleil, it seems like the UCI and ASO just want the music to keep playing and no one will notice. Don't change the system in other words.
Teams trying to break into Pro ranks like Pegasus are forced to juggle, promise, etc. and the inevitable happens. Their Fly V Pro Conti team was going along fine, so I don't think it's Chris White who is really at fault.
Jack is my favourite rider right now, after his work anchoring the Commonwealth Games team persuit who went amazingly fast at Delhi and blew the Kiwi's to bits,and (I know it's different but) instead of the Mercxx comparison, how about Stuey winning Paris Roubaix?
The 33-year-old set about erasing a winless streak dating back to the 2004 season when he rode away from a group featuring Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) and defending champ Fabian Cancellara (CSC) with about 25km to go in the hot and dusty 259.5km run over the cobbles of northern France.
O'Grady - who rode through last year's Tour de France with a fractured vertebra in his back - reeled in and then passed a four-man group that included Wesemann, Flecha, Bjorn Leukemans (Predictor-Lotto) and Roberto Petito (Liquigas). From there, he barreled over the final four of 28 pavé sections with clear roads to a standing ovation inside the fabled Roubaix velodrome.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2007/04/road/ogrady-plants-1st-aussie-flag-in-roubaix-velodrome_12067
@minion
Nice one mate, that was an outstanding ride from Stuey, which could itself be described as 'Merckxian'. Young Jack has the added TT ability that Stuey didn't possess though...
@Brett
it has only just occurred to me (and will mean nothing to most velominati) but what about the parallels between David Boon* and Stuey O'Grady. Both tenacious and talented fighters in their chosen sports and both more than a little partial to a tipple.
* For the great unwashed, Booney is one of Australia's most loved cricketers/sportsmen. A pugnacious batsmen who took on the might of the West Indies and also holds the World Record for drinking 52 cans of beer on a flight from Australia to England. Massive amounts of Rule 5.
Yeah, Stuey had a good background in track racing and riding as a young fella too, dunno about his TT ability but I reckon he's a good example of the ability and mindset of the Aussies. Been supporting Aussie riders when the Kiwis have been thin on the ground in Europe, and unlike some Euro Pros, (where you expect it anyway) I've never barracked for someone who was later found to have doped.
And on any religiously inspired V - hymns, if the verses are about Merckx, the chorus could go 'O Gra - aaaaa - ahhhh - aaa - dy, O Gra - aaaaa - ahhhh - aaa - dy', and so on. Mock away, I have way too little to think about while I'm riding.
@Marcus
Though I reckon Stuey would have a greater chance of surviving an over of Malcolm Marshall / Courtney Walsh / Joel Garner than Boonie would of making it across the cobbles (at least without a massively reinforced bike and a motor several times the size of Spartacus').
Great ride, JB. Also brilliant ride from the brothers Meyer to snuff out any attacks.
@Marcus
S. O'Grady = S.Waugh. Started as one thing (sprinter/bowler) and then became all round awesome. Plenty of The V from both.