Happy New Year & a healthy 2024 to all BiciSport members & friends.
A nice retro picture of Oostende (Belgium) at New Year with a cobbled street with classic cars from that era.
Waratah Masters @ Lansdowne Park @ 31 Dec - Ian Grant (BiciSport Anytime Fitness) in the centre of picture in Masters B grade
Dunc Gray Velodrome Christmas Racing @ 27-30 Dec - Lawson Browne (BiciSport Anytime Fitness)
Dunc Gray Velodrome Christmas Racing @ 27-30 Dec - Lawson Browne
Dunc Gray Velodrome Christmas Racing @ 27-30 Dec - Davide Browne (BiciSport Happy Wheels)
Dunc Gray Velodrome Christmas Racing @ 27-30 Dec - Davide Browne
BiciSport @ Griffith @ 28 Dec - Team Panettone with Francesco Signor, MOR & Peter Budd.
A brief ride out towards Lake Wyangan by Team Panettone for a Giro del la Griffith-ini and return plus coffee in central Griffith.
BiciSport @ Griffith @ 28 Dec - Francesco Signor, Peter & Rose Piccolo & MOR with farm doggoes
BiciSport @ Griffith @ 29 Dec
Congratulations to the great Belgian Rik Van Looy who just turned 90.
Rik won endless Classics, a World Professional Road Championship plus numerous Grand Tour stages. In Belgium Rik #1 is Rik Van Steenbergen (RIP), Rik #2 is Rik van Looy and Rik #3 is Rik van Linden. Legends all.
Rik Van Looy (Rik #2) - one of the most accompolished cyclists to ever grace a bicycle.
Note the gear changers on the end of the handlebars, a small flange front hub but a large flange rear hub & helmets were optional in the 1960’s. The team sponsor was Faema (Italian coffee) & bike sponsor was Flandria (Belgium) although the frame decal is missing in this picture (this suggests the frame was actually Italian but no decal was affixed).
Rik Van Looy (Rik #2) - Rik (right) in the winning move in a wet & grimy Tour of Flanders
Rik Van Looy (Rik #2) - a graphic Paris Roubaix picture of Rik #2 giving it 100% across the Northern France pave. Note the continued use of gear change levers on the end of the handelbars plus an empty front bottle cage on the handelbars.
Happy Wheels @ Waterloo trading hours between 25 December & 8 January
BiciSport Masters of Spin Calendar for January 2024
After the picture of Craig Pager in December nearly bought the BiciSport website crashing down its now appropriate to tone the BiciSport Masters of Spin Calendar down a level for January with Signore Panatone Italia himself, the highly popular soigneur Francesco Signor (BiciSport Griffith) … so it gets a tad confusing as Frank gets ‘Mister Mister’ from time to time. Thanks Frank for your on-going support and safe cycling around Griffith with Team Budd & BiciSport Griffith in 2024.
Tumut Classic Cyclosportive is to be held on Sunday 7 January over some great country roads in and around Tumut. Keeping off the Snowy Mountains is the only recommendation, but the rest is pure cycling heaven.
If you’re interested please contact Peter Budd (see contact details below)
TUMUT CYCLCLOSPORTIVE - 7 JANUARY
CADEL EVANS WEEKEND (GEELONG) - 26-28 JANUARY
Tumut offers a great cyclosportive on 7 January just a short drive from Sydney and the Cadel Evans weekend is another great cycling weekend
BiciSport Griffith is going to both events and if you want company at the events then contact Peter Budd (BiciSport) on 0431 012 174
Booking local accommodation is your responsibility
RACE SEEKER - THIS WEEK
3-7 Jan
AusCycling National Road Championships (Ballarat)
7 Jan
Eastern Creek Raceway (Waratah Masters)
BICISPORT TRAINING RIDES
Every Mon/Wed/Fri Mornings
Centennial Park Masters @ Centennial Park
Meet at the corner of Parkes Drive/Grand Drive at 8.30am and do CP laps until 9.30am then coffee at Spruce Goose Cafe
Tues 2 Jan & Thurs 4 Jan
Blossoms & Buds Peloton @ pass the corner of Yulong Ave & McCarrs Creek Rd Terrey Hills @ 8.00am for Akuna Bay, top of McCarrs Creek Rd climb at 8.40am, then direction Duffys Forest, then return Terrey Hills shops @ 9.15am then to St Ives for coffee
Centennial Park Lower Loop from 5.30am to 7.45am
Thurs 4 Jan
Belgian Waffle Ride @ Spruce Goose Cafe @ Centennial Park @ 10.30am for CP laps
Sat 6 Jan
Coffee @ Sandstone Cafe Miramare Gardens @ 9.30am
Sun 7 Jan
Depart Shark Park carpark near Cronulla @ 9.30am for Kurnell & return
Raleigh Banana Pro Cycling Team (UK) - 1987-89
The Raleigh Cycle Company started production nearly 100 years before this team. Raleigh Weinmann was the pro team in 1986 before the Banana cosponsor came on board for three years. The UK pro scene was only small when compared to say Continental Europe, but was a classy peloton, rich in history. Bike sponsor was obviously Raleigh with Pirelli (tyres) and Shimano (groupsets).
Team members were all highly regarded in Tim Harris, Chris Lilywhite, David Rayner (RIP & pictured above), Adrian Timmis, Chris Walker, David Mann, Phil Thomas, Steve Douce, Paul Sherwin, Malcolm Elliott, Mark Bell, Paul Watson & John Clay. Everybody raves on about the current Ineos pro team when the Raleigh Banana team was equally rich in both ability & results.
Raleigh Banana Pro Cycling Team (UK)
Raleigh Banana Pro Cycling Team (UK) - David Rayner (RIP) now has a UK charitable foundation named in his honour who continues to actively support UK racing cyclists to race in Belgium.
Raleigh Banana Pro Cycling Team (UK)