Buninyong Nights: The Ballad of Jacky Bobby

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• From the topside of the planet it certainly seems there's been attention duely paid to Australian cycling as of late (last couple years or so) with Aussie riders producing some good results, increased attention on the TDU, last fall's worlds, Pegasus (even with the fail) etc. Does it seem that way from down there on the inside? In other words, have you all who live down there noticed an upsurge in cycling? More enthusiasts, local races, clubs, bike sales and such are what eventually help to produce champions. I'm aware of the tradition of cycling down there but it seems it's gaining from my point of view. I can only imagine it's a matter of not too much time until you guys produce a number of regular contenders in the European peloton.

• @Marko

  @Marko I don't have a detailed knowledge of Aussie cycling but apart from actually winning the Tour I'd say they already are at that level.

  In the last few years there's been O'Grady, Rogers, Cadel and of course McEwen and Cooke.

  And quite a few coming through - Gerrans, Haussler, Renshaw, Alan Davis, Matt Goss, Mathew Lloyd.

  You could name a pretty top drawer Australian team that wouldn't have any makeweights and would be right up there.

  Well you could if you didn't screw up your application. :-(

• And now GreenEdge Cycling set for 2012?

• Man, another NASCAR reference creeping into the "V" site. Stuff is like a cancer! :)

• @ChrisO
  No doubt they've been around and are here to stay. It just seems to me, as a country, the Aussies are moving from a country that produces a few good riders to a cycling country. Like when I think of Belgium, Italy, Spain I think of places that, on the whole, produce good cyclists and are also places woven into the fabric of the sport. It seems to me that Australia is sort of on that trajectory. Granted Australia, or any place for that matter, will never be steeped in the traditions of European cycling it seems like there's still room for people to look at a country and assume that because a rider is from there, they will be good. Not just that a rider is good and they happen to be from there. Make sense?

• Marko:
  @ChrisO
  No doubt they've been around and are here to stay. It just seems to me, as a country, the Aussies are moving from a country that produces a few good riders to a cycling country.

  That's fantastic for our sport!

• @Marko
  Cycling has definitely become more popular in Australia across the board - a lot of that is driven by the "over-30s" participating more. Cycling thoroughfares like Beach Road in Melbourne are now taking huge numbers of cyclists. However that is not the explanation behind the rise of young guns.

  Instinctively (ie. without any factual base) I believe that our (Australia's) relative increase in visibility at the international level is due to a number of factors including:

  - success begats success and makes team management more likely to go with an Aussie. Before the likes of O'Grady, McGee and McEwen (and don't forget Cookie) started being very visible in the Euro races, it was a pretty risky call for a team manager to pick someone from Australia or for that matter any non-Euro country. Think of guys like Stephens, Peiper, Hodge or whoever - they had to pretty much take a punt on themselves and almost "become" Spaniards/Belgies or Frenchies by going through the amateur ranks of that particular country. Now there is a lot greater likelihood of an Aussie (or Kiwi or whoever else) being "noticed" earlier - because of the Aussie development teams that race in Europe and because of things like to Tour Down Under, etc.

  - along with getting noticed, globalisation of cycling makes it "easier" for a non-euro pro to get a start in Europe. it's less of a closed shop than when the likes of Phil Anderson et al had to battle through a foreign country/language barrier, etc. So there might have been a lot of non-euro cyclists that in previous decades were good enough but just didn't get the opportunities or couldn't get through the "off the bike" challenges. Phil Anderson often comments on how much easier it is now for antipodeans to get a foothold in the pro ranks.

  - less likely (but one that gets touted around by some stupid countrymen of mine who believe Australians never cheat - we have our fair share of cheaters, like everyone else) the gradual removal of institutionalised doping has opened the door for non-cheaters... Bait in the water, see if anyone bites!

  - and finally, refer to Chopper's HTFU video under Rule 5.

• @Marcus
  That's sort of what I was getting at. It makes sense. I've read a bit about the Beach Road scene in Melbourne as well. Seems a matter of critical mass. And yes, Chopper wasn't too far out of my mind as I posted above. Australian's seem like a fairly hard lot and none too unfamiliar with the V. We Americans, while certainly well acquainted with the V, seem to be on the down swing as a country.

• @Marcus
  Do you think the sporting structures in place (e.g. Institute of Sport) also have something to do with it? Australia typically punches well above its weight across the sporting board. As a Kiwi, I can only say this because we do the same - though not, regrettably, to the same extent as our Antipodean cousins. And it often seems to us, over here, that this is in part the result of the Australian sporting organisations (and their funding).

• @G'phant
  I think that the sporting structures no doubt help greatly - but our AIS has been churning out (and through - via Charlie Walsh) cyclists since as early as the late 1980s (I think that timing is about right). But I don't think it is just our sporting structures that allow us to perform better than New Zealanders. It is also because we are better and tougher.

  If my internet skills were better I would post up some Rule 5 footage of Jake the Muss to challenge that last claim!