impressive guns though on a small man. Check the front photo of yesterday's kick on with those arms.

He used to lift weights in his teenage years I believe, if memory serves me corrrect.

I did some races in QLD friggen years ago...1993 I think (strewth I'm old....) and met him then pre-AIS when he was just winning everything. He won the fluoro pink Toyota sprinters jersey later that year in the Bank Race,

A little ball of muscle...was telling me how he did all these sit-ups and pushups etc etc......he's like Patrick Bateman!!! :D

might take away the pain of listening to the interviews :)

Who, Mr Hankey or Robbie McEwen?

LOL !

Peiper said he does upper body weights in the off-season

How does Peiper know Mr Hankey? :D

Just finished reading Peipers book - good read.

Beer , the first thing I thought of when wasting money was on my mind. Well beer & porn really.

He is an amazing sprinter. Not too bad at BMX too I think, went to the worlds for Aust maybe? (not impossible, you can pretty much make it if show up and start every state and national title).

Will Walker will be moving to the pro squad of Rabobank this year according to his website www.WillWalker.com.au

He implied in his last diary entry that he was having a meeting post world under 23 result to determine his future. ;)

The curious matter is, both squads do not have any intra season transfers. Unless you count stagiares when the season in winding down, and the UCI requires paperwork and gives their approval. So, he is either on an entire 2006 season Rabobank professional program, or he may have signed a contract for 2007 with maybe a little extra comfort money for this season, while he races espoirs. The espoirs race l'Avenir, so he could not race l'Avenir if he was registered with the pro team.

And he cannot race the under23 worlds if he races with the pros this year.

He looks a good bet to race Commonwealth games though. He is on my bubble, on the periphery that is.

6 riders, of whihc 2 can ride the tt.

Davis (got permission I do believe)
Gerrans
Hayman
O'Neil also tt/rr (if available)
Van Hout also tt/rr (he is competing against Jamieson for this spot I believe, Jamieson can tt)

one more


peripherary
Jamieson tt/rr
Walker (could also tt)
Crake
Simon Clarke
Gene Bates

don't believe Roberts has got time off. He would be in the team otherwise.

Classic1, what's the book called? Might have to get a copy.

A Peiper's Tale

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...263256-5814320

Wrench?

Thanks for that. Cheers

Now I have to ask work to service my laptop after snorting coffee out my nose onto the keyboard.

I take it he he not Jewish :D

That's the one. Dymocks, Collins, Angus and Robertson, Melbourne Sports Books etc didn't have it listed as of 3 weeks ago.

I think he said on SEN that it was only available on Amazon.

If you can't find out about it, perhaps email the guys that do the cycling show

firstoffthebike@sen.com.au

do you listen to them? It's on Sunday nights at 7pm on SEN 1116am

i thought for a moment you were talking about 'Hankey' Vogels and not the christmas poo

I wonder if saccy has finished the Alpine Classic yet :D

poor bugger. He's probably been sipping back a few Carlton Blacks as a reward :)

It's female bwaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :D

What a farking tradgedy that was. :cry:

I failed! I failed like the weak bastid I am. I'm shattered. Guess my inexperience bit me on the arse, since I'm not 100% sure what went wrong.

Started late since I needed to do a bog just as the gun went off. Then maybe went a little fast for a start tring to catch some mates back up. But kept my HR below 150, and a cadence of 90, so I doubt it. Went up the first climb (Tawonga Gap) sweet as a nut. Descent was great fun as well, passing heaps of people and almost having head on's with cars. Then the next climb up Falls Creek which took 2 hours, I was still good. Perhaps spinning to slow which might have got me in the end, but I felt good at the time. Coming down off Falls creek was great fun, passing more people and cars this time, but by the time I got to the bottom, I was feeling a bit dusty. Was about 41 degrees by that stage so that might have been a part of it. Then the next sharp climb (back over the steeper side of Tawonga Gap) I just crashed (felt terrible). Felt dizzy and wanted to vomit the whole time. Had a few lie downs but had to keep going as once we got to the top of that hill it was basically downhill all the way to the car. My hamstring felt like it was trying to cramp but I just kept on going as I had to get to the top somehow. Strangely I didn’t realise that it was in fact cramping, and by me keeping on pedalling through the cramp I actually pulled it. So it's swollen and sore now. So about 10 meters from the top got another cramp this time in my thigh. Felt like getting shot. But we finally got over the hill and coasted back to Bright. I just wanted to die. It was 43 degrees at that stage so there was no thought of doing thre next 70km up Mt Buffalo, which is a shame since that looks like a crazy fun descent. So I don’t really know what happened. It took 45 minutes to descend Falls Creek, and I don’t think I drank much in that time (to busy having fun). Being a hot day I think that dehydrated me. Plus, I guess I just wasn't fit enough. That rides like nothing I've never experienced.

So I'm weak as urine and a failure. Going to kick that bastids arse next year though for sure. :mad:

Ouch.


Those alpine roads melt nicely on hot days....nothing like leaning it over at 60kmh to have the tar ooze out slightly under your Michelins.

Crazy mad conditions to be doing a ride like that

Sounds like loads of fun! Hard to keep anything cool in 40+ deg heat.

Hard luck not being able to finish the bugger off, but it's bitten you, eh? Book your accommodation early! :)

There were a couple of melted corners with corrugates to boot that had drifting across the road. Plenty of people back at Bright with plenty of bark off as well. Once poor chick had a front tire blowout on one of the corners. Unlucky that. Not something I ever think of happening. Maybe she was breaking to much. I never make that mistake. ;)

But yeah, just to hot. We got in to Bright at about 12 and it kept getting hotter after that. Can't believe they let the ride keep going.


Yeah, being a bald bastid and having to wear a bandana makes things worse as well. Those things just trap heat.

But yeah, I just don't like failing. Going to keep going till I get it.

BTW, Mt Buffalo Chalets aren't all they're made out to be. Stunningly beautiful spot. Rooms you wouldn't pay more than $20 for. We should have got your accomodation off you.

BTW, what's with Victorians and the English language? We've never had so much trouble communication with other english speaking people in our lives? Bloody bizzare.

did you jump in the Ovens River to cool off?? There's a nice deepp waterhole just upstream from the main drag....

Better to try and fail than not try at all. :beer:

Most certainly did. Almost had a heartie as well. Fark it's cold. :D


Whoever first said that was a loser. :p

Nah, I'm glad I gave it a go. Gives me more incentive to become a better rider now. :)

Excellent....I got a fantastic New Year's Eve "present" from a local girl who worked at the Cosy Kangaroo Coffee Shop on the banks of that waterhole on a training camp one year.


Memories.......:)

Was it a cup of coffee or a cup of tea?