..!! FIRST DATE !!..

WHAAAT?? A date, on a Cycling Blog!! You must be kidding,my son would say to me.

Not exactly a date but close enough.I am talking about my first experience as National Team Manager for the Mongolia Cycling Federation(MCF) at the latest UCI Road World Championships in Doha.

To cut the story short....

The morning after my late arrival in Doha,I had an email from MCF General Secretary Naran Zundui delegating me as Team Manager for the Championships...

WOW...

I was like a kid with his new favourite toy.I don't want to sounds monotonous.

City of Great Architecture.

City of Great Architecture.

During the championships I had the pleasure to meet great new people,see friends of the past, attend meetings, visit the commissaires office & much more. We had long,hot & exhausting days but the ambience of the UCI RAOD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016 made it easier.

6 hours late finally room service arrived.

6 hours late finally room service arrived.

The MCF represantation was composed by 5 riders,1 Coach and Me as Team Manager.I had the pleasure to be a DS(Directeur Sportif), Mechanic,Soigneur for the riders while they were training or resting and working alongside their coach.

You can use anything to make a Coffee Bar

You can use anything to make a Coffee Bar

It was a great place to see the SD logo amongst the big cycling brands during the championships, but mostly important enabled me to meet some of our supporters around the globe.We are looking forward to see all of them again soon.

Tegsee before the start of the Junior Race.

Tegsee before the start of the Junior Race.

Under 23 waiting to start a training ride.

Under 23 waiting to start a training ride.

A typical day at the Championships:

  • 0530 Wake up call
  • 0630 Breakfast
  • 0730 Training ride for few hours before the temperature going up
  • 0900 Attend Meetings at UCI Event Hotel
  • 1200 Maybe lunch
  • Shopping for rider's food
  • 1600 Chillax by the pool
  • 1800 Meeting again
  • 2000 Dinner of course
  • 2200 Bed time
Supporting(Shouting Tegsee) out of the car during the Junior ITT race.

Supporting(Shouting Tegsee) out of the car during the Junior ITT race.

Tegsee con la nostra bella amica Australiana TIffany Cromwell

Tegsee con la nostra bella amica Australiana TIffany Cromwell

The Cannibal(EDDY MERCKX) with Tegsee

The Cannibal(EDDY MERCKX) with Tegsee

Belgian Fans walking to the Start Line.Behind one of stadiums for the FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

Belgian Fans walking to the Start Line.Behind one of stadiums for the FIFA WORLD CUP 2022

Instructing Miga before the start of the Elite race, with the rest of the Delegation arrived for the main event.

Instructing Miga before the start of the Elite race, with the rest of the Delegation arrived for the main event.

Desert Feed Zone #1.South Africa 

Desert Feed Zone #1.South Africa 

Live Cam in the middle of the Peloton!!

Live Cam in the middle of the Peloton!!

Team Germany had few DNF's.Doctors checking body temperature.

Team Germany had few DNF's.Doctors checking body temperature.

We are now working  to get the MCF team across for the CycloCross World Championships 2017 in Luxembourg.If you like to support them please get in touch with us.

The Teams watching the last few KM of the race on the TV's

The Teams watching the last few KM of the race on the TV's

Santos Tour Down Under 2016

Few weeks ago I was contacted by the Editor of "The Lead South Australia" in reference the TDU 2016. Jim, asked me if I wanted the daily coverage of the event so I could share with all SaddleDrunkers worldwide and with great joy I certainly accepted.

Therefore please find the TUD overview story from James Raison.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that. Not just in this race, but in any race.”

These were the breathless words from Australian sprinter-turned-broadcaster Robbie McEwan just seconds after the Stage 5 Willunga Hill battle between Rohan Dennis and Richie Porte ended in Rohan winning the 2015 Tour Down Under by two seconds. The fans, crammed more than seven-deep along the roadside, couldn’t believe it either. They had just witnessed two of the world’s top cyclists battle with everything they had. A week of cycling, decided by two seconds. This moment will go down in cycling folklore. Such a spectacle could only have been dreamed of when the event began.

The Tour Down Under has enjoyed staggering growth in popularity and status since its first edition in 1999. Now, 18 years later, is affectionately called “The TDU” and is South Australia’s biggest sporting event, drawing crowds of 786,000 in 2015. How did this phenomenal growth happen? It just needed a winning formula.

Mike Turtur, the Tour Down Under Race Director, was the man who thought up that formula. The 1984 Team Pursuit Olympic Gold Medalist proposed a race made up of six days of up to 150km, always returning to the Hilton Hotel in Adelaide’s CBD. The teams would sleep every night in the same hotel, and all of their bikes and equipment would be housed just across the road in the temporary Tour Village that springs up every Australian summer in the town square of the very European city.

That local focus proved to be a hit with not just the fans but, more importantly, also the riders.

 The growth has even surprised Race Director Turtur, who says the crowds have been exceptional the last five years in particular.

This popularity is partly due to the race becoming the inaugural event of the UCI World Ranking calendar in 2009. The higher status of the race has attracted the higher caliber riders. This year is no different. The field includes multiple national champions, grand tour winners, and Rio Olympic Games medal hopefuls.

But the burgeoning cycling culture in South Australia has also played a role in the success of the event.The event and the cycling culture have grown together, both feeding each other.

Adelaide is an ideal place to host a bike race because it is an ideal place to ride a bike. The city is surrounded by hills within 10km to the east, all the way around to the south. The spectacular metropolitan beaches are just 8km to the west. Significant investment in bike infrastructure, and recently passed laws to protect and encourage cycling, are all working to make South Australia a bike friendly state. The city is flat, the weather is warm, and the coffee is exceptional.

 “The indicators are quite clear that we are going to match what we’ve had previously,” Turtur states.

A host of new and bigger events support his confidence.

“There’s a whole week of entertainment with all of the additional street parties, the Tour Village, concerts, the team presentation, women’s tour coming on this year… The race has been complimented with a lot of other activities which make it a complete package for fans,” he says.

 Fans

The success of the event is driven by how easy and accessible it is to the fans. The Tour Village gives them a chance to rub shoulders with their heroes, geek out at the 10-day bike expo, and watch the pre-event criterium and Stage 6 without even leaving the CBD.

Lucky fans are treated to spotting the pros doing their training and recon rides before the race and more spritely cyclists may even get to suck a wheel up a climb.

Fans don’t have to travel far to enjoy the festival of cycling either.

Turtur says “all of the starts on this year’s race [are] hosting street parties.”

There is only one stage that begins more than 5km from the CBD, in the famous McLaren Vale Wine region – but even then most of the pros cycle down and back from the race.

Race routes are designed with fan engagement in mind as well. Four of the stages feature laps around a set course so fans can see the race multiple times. Turtur is expecting “a massive crowd” for the Stage 2 finish in Stirling, just 16km outside the city in the Adelaide Hills. Crowds will be treated to a five-lap circuit before the exciting sprint finish up a hill into the picturesque town of Stirling.

Thousands of amateur riders can take part in the BUPA Challenge Tour, riding the Friday stage a few hours before the pros do. Last year saw 6,028 riders take on the 151km challenge from Glenelg to Mt Barker. There are also multiple start points so riders of all abilities can get involved.

 Riders

Sky’s Welsh superstar Geraint Thomas says he loves making the trip Down Under because of the simplicity of the race.

“It’s the one hotel, everything’s within half an hour,” he says. “I think it’s the seventh time I’ve been here now.”

Thomas, and other members of the Sky team, enjoy the South Australian summer so much they come well ahead of their international counterparts. On the eve of the race, Thomas has already “been here for just over two weeks now.”

His big season ambitions are still the European Grand Tours, be he feels the Tour Down Under is “a great way to start the year. It’s got stages for sprinters and it’s got some tougher days [for the climbers].”

Quality riders like Geraint Thomas make Race Director Mike Turtur “extremely happy with the start list”.

“If organisers throughout the world had our start list, I think they’d be pretty happy,” Turtur says, flanked by defending champion Rohan Dennis, Geraint Thomas and Australia’s sprint sensation Caleb Ewan at the preliminary news conference.

Ewan has been overwhelmed with the crowd response to the race.

“The crowds here are unbelievable. It’s just like racing in Europe but you have more supporters,” he says.

His Australian Orica GreenEdge team is a local crowd favourite.

“Everyone knows you here and being in GreenEdge we have most of our supporters here so it’s a pretty exciting place to come to,” Ewan says.

 2016

The Tour Down Under party kicked off with the Santos Women’s Tour on Saturday (16 January) with Katrin Garfoot of Orica GreenEdge taking out the first 95km road stage and local girl Annette Edmonson claiming victory in the first of two criteriums. The men then lined up in the People’s Choice Classic criterium on Sunday evening (17 Jan), with Caleb Ewan of taking out the honours.

Corkscrew Road

Corkscrew Road

The actual race runs from Stage 1 on Tuesday (19 January) to the city street circuit on Sunday (24 January). The riders face a balanced parcours. The overall winner will be a climber, but there are plenty of opportunities for sprinters and breakaway specialists to snatch some glory.

Stage 3 will be key, with the GC men battling it out on local icon Corkscrew Road. The queen Stage 5, ending on Willunga Hill, will decide the overall winner. There are time bonuses at the end of each stage and for intermediate sprints on the course. The race is usually decided by seconds so expect aggression from all of the contenders.

The men to watch are Australian trio of defending champ Rohan Dennis, last year’s runner-up Richie Porte, and three-time winner Simon Gerrans.

International riders looking to spoil their party are Sky’s Geraint Thomas, former 3rd place runner-up Diego Ulissi, and previous winner Luis Leon Sanchez.

More / Quick Facts / Box Out:

ADELAIDE                                                                                                                                       South Australia has seen an explosion in cycling culture driven by the Tour Down Under.

The flat, sunny city of Adelaide is perfectly suited for cycling. Hills surround the city from the north-east all the way around to the south. Golden beaches are just 8km to the west. Road warriors can get their fix of tough climbs and flying flats all within view of the city skyline.

Dirt enthusiast are treated to dedicated mountain bike trails through the eastern and southern hills. They can test their suspension travel on several downhill tracks, including the local favourite Eagle Mountain Bike Park. Gravel grinders are spoilt by hundreds of kilometres of unsealed back-roads to get a healthy coating of dust before stopping at a winery, or country café.

Looking for a more sedate pace? Dedicated bike paths snake their way all over the City of Adelaide, right next to the suburban beaches, along the River Torrens, and all through the nearby country towns.

CAFE

Café culture has grown alongside cycling, and two-wheeled enthusiasts are overwhelmed with choice of eateries to re-fuel. Need caffeine fix? Rundle Street in the city’s east-end can help. Café strips of Prospect Road to the north, Norwood Parade in the east, and King William Road to the South can all satisfy your craving within 5km of the city. Head to Glenelg in the west if you want a latte with the sand between your toes.

Best cafes for cyclists:

·      Pavé café, Norwood Parade. Fill your stomach before emptying your wallet at Trak Cycles next door. 

·      Red Berry Espresso, Glenside. When you see retro podium caps decorating the walls, you know you’re home. 

·      Velo Precinct, Victoria Park. Hang up your bike and grab some grub at ex-pro Stuart O’Grady’s café. Check out his bikes hanging on the walls. 

·      CIBO King William Road. Hang up your bike and enjoy SA’s favourite local coffee franchise.

The tour/past winners

Predicting winners is always headache, with the race usually decided by seconds. Stage victories, and even intermediate sprint bonuses, can decide the victors. Overall honours have gone to every type of rider:

·      sprinters (Andre Greipel)

·      Classics strong-men (Stuart O’Grady)

·      time-trialing climbers (Luis Leon Sanchez, Michael Rogers, Rohan Dennis),

·      all-rounders (Simon Gerrans)opportunistic young-guns (Cameron Meyer, Tom-Jelte Slagter).

By the numbers

·      781.3km of racing distance. 832.3km including the People’s Choice Classic

·      62, the number of metropolitan and regional towns the race runs through

·      786,000: the number of spectators who watched the 2015 race.

·      18 teams compete in the race

·      140 riders in the peloton

·      6,028. The number of amateurs riding in the 2015 BUPA Challenge Tour ride following the official 151km race route from Glenelg to Mt Barker. 

Thank you JAMES & JIM for the story.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD FOR TOMORROW UPDATE FROM AUSTRALIA.

SD TEAM

La Bellissima Tiffany Cromwell & "Omloop Het Nieuwsblad"

I had the chance to catch up with Tiffany, after a long time and I have kindly asked her to tell me more about tomorrow race the "Omloop Het Nieuwsbald' 2014.

Tiffany wearing the flabbergasting kit.

Tiffany will be defending her title from last year win in one of the most acclaimed races at the beginning of the season.This season she rides for the Team Specialized-Lululemon.

Especially the first in Europe for the riders after the different tour around the sandy,windy and hot Middle East races.

Following are Tiffany explicit words:

Het Nieuwsblad is one of my favourite races not only because I won it last year but it is just a cool and exciting race. It is the opening race of the classics and a great warm up to Flanders, there are plenty of cobble sectors and tough climbs to punish the legs and really sort out the tough from the weak.
I expect the women's race to be a hard fought battle. The course has slightly changed this year, we have lost one climb but added more cobbles which I think will make it more challenging. It certainly will be a race of attrition being the first European race of the season combined with the cold weather and difficulty of the course.
I expect it to be an aggressive race and the racing to first heat up over the Cote de Trier (not sure of spelling) and the Pateberg and continue all the way to the finish where we will see a small group or a late attack going for the victory.
Personally I have high exceptions for the race being defending champion, I want to be strong and have a good race as I am targeting a lot of the early season classics so it would be nice to start strongly but not peak in the first of them as I did last year. My Specialized-Lululemon team have a strong squad here and we're looking towards the win.
If amateurs have the chance to do a similar race or ride the roads of the Omloop I would highly recommend it, then you get a true sense of the feeling it is to ride these roads and just how tough the cobbles are on your body and how difficult they can be to ride. It's a fantastic challenge.

SaddleDrunk wish Tiffany and her Team good luck for tomorrow and a big Thank you in sparing some relaxing time before the while doing her nails, which a peculiar charateristic of her.

Ciao e Grazie,let's get SaddleDrunk.

SD.

CYCLIST LEGS: SHAVE OR NOT TO SHAVE?

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Tiffany signing my leg.

Before departing for my recent Journey the KOM TAiwan Challenge 2013,I have decided to shave only one leg.

The reason behind was that I wanted to try the new born baby feel in my legs.

At first when I was shaving with the razor,I thought it was going to be ok,but afterward I was not happy at all for it.

My legs during the event obviously were noticed, people wanted to take photos of them because they seemed really strange.

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My legs.

Therefore I will give a full explanation of the reason why I did this on a later date.But now please fill in the survey that I have created regarding the cyclist legs.

https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/E6BVBz

Thank You

FLABBERGASTED by TAIWAN

Definition of Flabbergasted is "Informal overcome with astonishment". This is what my short Trip to Taiwan (thanks to the Taiwan Cycling Federation) has left in me.

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Amused by the immense mountains, by the warmth of the people, the deep blue waters of the coast line, the delicious cuisine, made me think all the way back on a 15 hours journey back to London that I am looking forward to go back to Taiwan. It is strange for me to say this due to the fact I have visited 55 countries around the world and on the way to reach 100 (sometimes in my life time),but this remote Island in the South China Sea has completely deserved the name given by the Portuguese colonies in the past to call it "Formosa", which it means beautiful island.

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Night Market.

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Yin Chih Wang,Adam Semple,Andy Von Bergen(Cycling Tips Australia),Craig Symons enjoying a game at the night market.

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Glasses could be wear with no lenses,it is the new trend in Asia.

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In Taiwan you can cycle anywhere,you can use your own bike,or take one of the city bike to move around.They are great and cheap. To all you people, I have discovered that cycling is the best way to see the world starting from the busy cities to the open empty fields.Forget the sticky public transport,the queues and the rucking( rugby terminology,Packed crowd of people) to get on them.

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We got lost while training.

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From scooters at the front,cycling in the middle,and airplanes at the back.

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MTB star Cory Wallace and TK from Japan,next to the red spotted shirts.

Cyclist can ride all this climbs in Europe, Stelvio,Mortirolo,Zoncolan and many others that have made history in cycling, and you felt proud to achieve the top.You felt like the Pro when you reach the summit,but this KOM Taiwan Challenge up the Taroko Gorge is for real the tougher.