by the way, the training section on Cycling Forums is better than here

You idiot.:p

You have every right to enter them, just enter them prepared.

Nev's right about that training forum, though my personal opinion is that alot of people over intellectualize training programs. Especially when they are only racing as amateurs. When they start talking Vo2Max lactate threshold max anaerobic fart ability my eyes start glazing over and I start eyeing off the drinks cabinet. Bike riders could ride at 50kmh before heart rate monitors were invented.

I agree up to a point, but the talent pool in womens cycling is 10x better than it was 15 years ago. I can remember at Northcote only 2 or 3 sheilas went any good. Most of the others had arses that fat they needed wide load signs. It was embarrassing for the sport. I wouldn't even watch it. Now they are all good and I actually enjoy watching the women race.

Laine Beachley - they are kidding themselves. Dawn Fraser pwns her easy.

Keiren is a blood sport.

I think he was a bit of a Cipo: a road sprinter. He jokes that topping his palmares is 6 Hell Ride wins in a row :)

yeah, exactly.

Don't get me started about over-specifying training. As you suggest, I reckon it's just too much when they do their intervals to the PRECISE SECOND (!), with an exact rest break, an EXACT number of watts and/or at an EXACT heart rate...........well, I'm not totally convinced it's necessary. There are so many examples of guys doing no specific training at all, just racing their guts out, then doing the TT of their lives. How about McGee coming straight off the Tour and taking silver in the Olympic 4000m in 2004? Or LeMond busting through the '89 Tour, then doing one of his best ever time-trials! And to top it off, with all the "new" training techniques, etc, etc, Merckx's hour record has only been beaten by a few hundred metres. I know Merckx did his at altitude, but still. At sea level, Ferdinand Bracke did 48.1km in 1967; only 1.7km less than Sosenka last year, and Sosenka was on a carbon bike with 16 spokes, 190mm cranks, and is 6ft7"!! :)

Anyway........I could on and on....

The guys that obsess about all that technical training stuff tend not to be best riders I see at club level. The best best guys I see are lean and light, race a lot, rest properly, and seem to have a bit of natural talent.

I did 118km around the mountains yesterday, and it was fkn grouse! It's only the 2nd time I've been up there in about 5 years, and I really miss it. I'm a bit chicken of the traffic these days -- once there it's ok, but getting there from East Bentleigh on week days is a bit tricky.

Around the Dandenongs?

yeah, loved it.

It's about 30km to the base, so the whole 118km wasn't around the Dandebongs :)

Nope. Don't drink :p
I'm gonna sit out front and wait 'till Oz comes up to the 'nongs again :D

Nope, sitting here drinking a bowl of caffe latte.:)

Well my non-existent new-year resolutions plainly don't include not drinking. The bottom half of my freezer is mostly alcohol. Vanilla vodka (which we used to make berries in jelly for Christmas) and a pail of pina colada slushy.

No hangovers this morning though - it was a quiet one last night.

Happy New Year gang!:beer:

Odin - I'm up in the 'nongs reasonably often. I'd wave when I go past your place if I knew where it was, but since I don't I'll pick a random house to wave at instead.:D

Why don't you just stream a banner out the back that says "Hello Odin/Flipper" and see what happens? :D

Careful Wil - there's places up here where that could be considered a contract of betrothal.
If they're confused by footwear, run like hell :)

[Edit] I'm at the Belgrave bit of the 'nongs, lots of nice rides out this way - give us a shout if you're up this way and want a tour guide :)

Is there still 'Pie in the Sky' in Olinda?

Yep

My legs are still sore, but I can't wait to do it again. About 10/15 years ago I used to go up there twice a week in the warmer months, but after a relatively minor smash with a car, I was really gun shy about riding on all them busy raods that get me there, like Canterbury, Burwood Hwy and Ferntree Gully Rd. I've only been up there 3 times in the last 5 years.

I was there on Sat at about 5 o'clock, and I only saw 3 other dudes!

By the way, I'm not much of a drinker either; I'm a 3 stubby screamer, and I only drink on other people's time, such as gigs, or if I'm stuck at a boring party:p

where and what the hell is "The Wall"? :p

My 42/21 was fine on most roads up there, but it was a bit tough on that last section up to the Sky High

Olinda-Monbulk Rd... 6-ish km from Monbulk (Cnr Monbulk Rd & Olinda-Monbulk Rd) to Olinda (Shops).
It's not as bad as people make out - gets to 10% in places but levels out a bit in places too so you get a break. If your gearing was OK up Observatory Rd, you'll be OK for the wall.
It's part of our Sundee morning recovery ride.

Between the holidays, we managed to watch that holy trifecta - the Footy Show 3 DVD set. Good stuff.

Oh, happy new year, ya w@nkers. :beer:

Was with Dave Macca (very briefly) on a Wednesday Ride and he hit it in 53x19.

Impressive.

Which footy show?

There's more than one? Fatty, Sterlo, Chief, and that fat-ass slacker's brother Matty.

Yeah, in the Southern States they have an Aussie Rules one with Sam Newman and that smug git who runs Channel 9. I never watched either of them but at least I recognise the guys in the League one (Fatty Vautin is quite a funny guy though).

I'd never heard of Sam Newman until his girlfriend ran over him a few years ago.