racing

Why the Break was Made

Nearly every professional bike race features an hours-long, almost certainly doomed breakaway. The odds against this move are terrible, and yet riders always seem willing to make it. Why? Lots of reasons, it turns out. Cosmo Catalano explains. Copyrighted material has been used under Fair Use. If you are the copyright holder and believe your material has been […]

How to set up a breakaway

The early breakaway is often the one that makes it all the way to the finish of the race. Judging the right moment to breakaway takes experience, but once you’re there, being off the front of the race is one of the greatest rushes in road racing.

How To Move Up In A Bunch

A great race result is usually due to being in the right place at the right time. GCN’s Matt Stephens takes you through the essentials of good, safe, successful bunch positioning.

Golden Rules Of Crit Racing

I don’t usually re-post old material but since: (1) I’m very busy today; (2) Summer crits begin this weekend, and; (3) Nearly all of Australia seems to be on vacation this week, I’ve decided a re-post “Golden Rules of Crit Racing” along with a few additions at the end. Have a great weekend and good […]

NUTRITION TIPS FOR THE WARNY AND THE GRAFTON

It’s just under a month now until the 262km of pain that is the Melbourne-Warrnambool. There are also a host of similar one day classics around Australia such as the 228km Grafton-Inverell and the just gone 208km Launceston-New Norfolk. No matter whether your aim is to win the thing, have some fun or just survive […]

The Art Of The Counter Attack

I learned the art of the counter-attack from my teammate Duncan Smith. He’s the master of reading the race and hitting the bunch at the right time. Photo by Leigh Schilling. Do you ever wonder how some guys have all the luck when they attack and the bunch just sits there looking dumbly at each […]

Beer, Bikes and Waffles - The Holy Trinity

Most of you around Melbourne will know who Jono Lovelock is. A young, talented cyclist and a genuinely great bloke. When I speak with Jono I’m always impressed at his maturity and eagerness to give back to cycling just as much as he takes from it. I’m always following Jono’s blog to see where his […]

Blocking

Photo by Leigh Schilling Blocking is a race strategy you may have heard of before. It involves riders with the same interests moving up to the front of the main field while they have a teammate ahead in a break. The riders at the front will disrupt the pace so that the breakaway has a […]

Australian Cycling Needs A System For Grading

Photo by Leigh Schilling Cycling Australia does a fantastic job at a lot of things. However, one thing that Cycling Australia needs to take from the North American cycling model is their grading system for race categories.

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Attack On The Lull

image from www.cyclingweekly.co.uk Have you ever noticed the times in a bike race when someone attacks and everyone hesitates expecting each other to chase it down? The ebbs and flows of the peloton is something that you can use to your advantage if you know how to read it. I was racing the other night […]